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Original poster

Should you clean the house you're moving out of?

84 replies

WantToMoveNorth · 20/01/2013 19:56

We are due to move house in a couple of weeks and I was planning to do a thorough clean of our house before we hand it over to the new buyers (clean oven etc). However as I will be 30 wks pregnant with twins I've asked my Dh & ILs for a hand but they've all said I don't need to clean, just a vac will do! Surely it's polite to leave the house as clean as possible or have I got it wrong?!

Thanks!

OP posts:
Clayhead · 21/01/2013 13:28

Why wouldn't DH pay for a cleaner? Could you?

ajandjjmum · 21/01/2013 13:36

The only problem is everyone has different ideas of 'clean'. We had to use the landlord's cleaner when DD moved out of her London flat - it cost £400! Shock I was horrified, but to be fair, I've never seen cleaning like it. Everything that could come apart was taken apart and cleaned - and apparently he would not be satisfied with anything less.

Llareggub · 21/01/2013 13:42

I paid my cleaner to come in and do a thorough clean right through once it was empty. I also paid her to help me pack - she was brilliant! I just wish I could have packed her to come with us to our new home.

OwlCatMouse · 21/01/2013 13:42

I'd save the money for a cleaner for your new place! Our house was horrible when we bought it - the fridge and oven were disgusting and there were cobwebs everywhere.

Just make sure the kitchen/bathroom are clean, the appliances aren't caked in dirt, and the carpet it hoovered. That's plenty.

MadameCastafiore · 21/01/2013 13:42

I did last time we moved. Everyone and everything had gone but for me the cleaning stuff and the dyson.

Got to new house and spent the next week scrubbing the place. There were even dog hairs in the bloody fridge and oven!

Swore about it, called the woman a dirty bunt and said wish I hadn't knackered myself scrubbing my old house. But then DH reminded me that woman who bought from us wasn't responsible for scummy state new house in and I had to see her in the playground everyday!

So I'd say is good to clean your old house, but not to expect everyone to do so.

Can you pay one of those companies to come and give the house a good clean through the morning of the move?

mrs2cats · 21/01/2013 13:47

I wouldn't give it a thorough clean from top to bottom but I'd give it a quick clean - polish, vacuum, clean kitchen and bathroom.

To be honest, even when I've moved into a place that had been cleaned, I still gave it a once over. Don't know why really... maybe to mark my territory.

Just as long as it's presentable that's fine.

sazpops · 21/01/2013 13:48

I think it's a nice gesture - I always have done when we've moved house. Last time I got a message via the estate agent to say how delighted the new owner was with the state of the house, which gave me a nice warm glow!

And imagine if you left it in a state and the new owner slagged you off to the neighbours, and you were still friends with them - they'd find out all your dirty habits!!

jojane · 21/01/2013 13:57

Luckily when we moved I. Here we had a week overlap so spent a couple of days scrubbing this place(te edges of the kitchen work tips had drops of grease underneath, scrubbing the tiles etc, we then moved and then spent a couple of days cleaning and painting old place. Would definitely clean as wouldn't want people moving into bad mouth me for being slovenly (although I am!!)

susanann · 21/01/2013 15:29

I always clean before I move out but yes there are those who dont! I too have had feedback from someone who moved into my house to say thank you for leaving it so clean. Its a nice feeling! Given your condition OP you do have an excuse but if your sister could help that would be good. Also I think you can tell whether or not its just a week or so dirt or months worth! Hope your move goes well.

catpark · 21/01/2013 16:01

I have always given the houses we've sold a good clean before we left. However of the 4 houses we have lived only 1 had been cleaned by the previous owner !

This one we moved into a few months ago was the worst though. We expected a bit of cleaning as she had cats but we had to remove all the radiators as there was so much fur inside it was like an animal was trapped. She had painted round her furniture as well.

We had to scrub everything before we could paint it, the integrated fridge was covered in black mould inside, kitchen cupboards which were only a few years old were thick with grease. It took 4 days to scrub clean and i had more than one crying fit.

They hadn't even cleaned the toilet, there was a big skid mark and a lump of poo on the seat. The seat got ripped out and replaced.

My lovely MIL helped every day with the cleaning and my BIL pulled up the piss smelling toilet carpet as I just couldn't stomach it.

But it's now all clean and painted and I love the house. I know it's clean due to the tons of sprays and bleach we used.

skaen · 21/01/2013 16:26

I've always done a wipe round the surfaces, clean bathroom and Hoover throughout. The places I've bought haven't bothered to do that much.

I've never seen it as a term of the sale contract either. Maybe my solicitor routinely excludes it.

cantspel · 21/01/2013 18:13

I would always clean before i hand over the keys apart from once over 20 years ago and my buyer pulled a fast one at the last minute and wouldn't exchange unless i included all my white goods.
Too much money already spent to argue about it so i included them but as i was moving out a week before completion i left some burnt cheapo sausages in the oven and a packet of well past their sell by date prawns in the fridge.
Bit petty but made me feel better at the time.

MandaHugNKiss · 21/01/2013 19:50

"The only problem is everyone has different ideas of 'clean'"

This!

THe people we bought from delayed handing over the keys until 5pm because they were 'cleaning'...

Well, if that house had been cleaned in the five years they'd lived there with mutiple cats, dogs, toddlers and questionable habits, then I'm a monkey's uncle. It was... there's no other way to describe it other than filthy.

There's no way on earth I could leave grime for another family to move in to. But, also, there's enough stress and stuff to cope with in the run up/on moving day, so paying cleaners it is. Not only can you feel sure you've fulfilled your contractual obligation but your conscience is clear!

RobinSparkles · 21/01/2013 20:02

The people who moved out of our house didn't clean. I would have been embarrassed if I had been them - the muck on the skirting boards was inches thick. They only moved next door but one and every time I see them I think, "those dirty buggers that didn't clean!" Wink

PrincessOfChina · 21/01/2013 20:07

I am a total slattern and would ALWAYS clean a house before selling. If there was a reason why I couldn't do it then I'd hire someone.

Saying that, the first thing I did when I moved into our house was set MIL to work cleaning, despite the fact we'd arrived at the house to see the old owners frantically scrubbing.

Original poster
WantToMoveNorth · 21/01/2013 20:09

Thanks again everyone. I'm glad lots of you clean your houses too. Our sellers seem nice, so hopefully they'll be like you and we'll move into a lovely house!! I'd love to pay for a cleaner but we're scraping everything together for this move so we really can't justify it (it'd be around £100 for a deep clean here). I've just asked my sister to help & now she's cross as she doesn't want to spend a weekend cleaning because my DH won't! I see her point. I'm going to have to demand my DH does it- I think he's being so scummy!

OP posts:
MandaHugNKiss · 21/01/2013 20:10

But, china there's a difference between cleaning 'normally' over somewhere that is already clean or thereabouts and trying to scrape years of cooking oil, caked with animal hair from almost every surface and an all pervading stench!

alexprice · 23/07/2013 09:13

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Ipsissima · 23/07/2013 09:23

Major cleaner of houses I have moved out of, here and admit to being a bit OTT about it
But just once, I would like to move INTO a house that the owners have cleaned as thoroughly Sad

soberton · 23/07/2013 13:33

Yes, agree with all comments here. As a rule of thumb, even if time and energy levels are stretched to the limit at least thoroughly deep clean all personal areas eg kitchen/bathroom/cloakroom (definately, washing curtains helps the place feel fresh & clean too (if they're staying?). Otherwise a good vacuum & polish might just be enough for living rooms & bedrooms, especially if they're well aired.
Good luck.

crochetcircle · 23/07/2013 13:51

I'm the complete opposite to most views here. We didn't clean when we sold as I had a toddler and a 4 week old. It wasn't dirty, but it wasn't 'clean' either.

The first thing we did with our new house was get loads of stuff ripped out and redecorate. Even if we had moved straight in I wouldn't have given a toss how clean or otherwise it was. Think of the mess that's made moving into a house - dust in particular. And I would have cleaned the new place myself anyway as I wouldn't be happy with someone who is basically a stranger cleaning my house.

Our vendor told us she was having the toilet 'pressure cleaned' or something ridiculous!!! Not bothered. I was quite annoyed they took all their doorknobs though. What an enormous faff that was.

And you are pg with twins. You have got much more important stuff to do than worry about than organising cleaning.

Trazzletoes · 23/07/2013 13:57

I think it's common courtesy to leave your house reasonably clean please don't leave intimate hairs covering the insides of all your fitted drawers, it's disgusting but if its too much due to your situation, don't make yourself ill.

Chubfuddler · 23/07/2013 13:59

My mum has instilled in me that you clean (we moved a lot, army brat). Once when we moved we got there to find the last people hadnt packed, or even washed up from last nights dinner, let alone cleaned.

Filthy bastards. It is amazing to me the squalor some people consider normal.

Chubfuddler · 23/07/2013 14:00

In your situation op, your house needs cleaning but that doesn't mean you should do it.

Trazzletoes · 23/07/2013 14:13

Argh. Zombie thread!