cleaning - moving out/moving in

[Umbrelladilemma]

We are due to move in the next few weeks. Just wondered what the etiquette was regarding cleaning? My friend moved recently and paid for cleaners to clean her house as they moved out - seemed like a lovely gesture but does everyone not just expect to have to clean the house they are moving to before unpacking?

I would at the very least hoover everywhere, including the back of built in cupboards, wipe out kitchen units and ensure all surfaces and sanitary ware are clean.

I wouldn't be worried about windows etc but no one wants to be living in other people ming.

I say this having recently moved into a house left in such a state the previous owners could have left shitty skid marks on the floor and it would have just blended in nicely with all the ther horrors they left. Having moved 300 miles and only arriving 11pm the night before removals arriving at 8am the next day, there was no opportunity to clean myself. A curteous wipe down and hoover would have been wonderful to arrive to.

You wouldn't want to move into a dirty ola e would you? So plan ahead and, yes, clean the insides of the windows if they need it, the tops of kitchen units, the oven, etc and then as things as moved out, go round room by room and dust and hoover.

Clean the bathrooms after they've been used for showers on moving day.

I'm not sure how getting cleaners in would work if you have a removal firm in - probably easier to do it yourselves.

Ola e = house. Obviously!

I would expect any house I was buying to be clean enough to move in to.
If I could afford it, then getting cleaners to give the house (you are leaving) a thorough clean once your removal men have emptied it sounds like a heavenly idea.
Once you get the keys to your new place the removal company want to unload as quickly as they can and be off - they aren't going to sit there for an hour or two whilst you start cleaning the new place.
Obvs it's different if you aren't all moving on the same day / are moving into a house that's been empty a while / etc., but for run of the mill moves, yes, you should leave your old house clean and how wonderful to get someone else to do that for you so you an be at the new house once the furniture arrives there.

Yes. Do a proper, thorough clean, or pay someone else to do it. Height of bad manners in my view.

Unless you're cutting all ties with your old neighbours and moving miles away, you run the risk of bumping into the new buyers / them telling all your old neighbours how you didn't clean it before you left.

I had my oven professionally cleaned then didn't use again and also had a team of three contract cleaners in from early morning to when we handed over the keys at around 13.00 last time we moved.

Brilliant, that's what I was expecting and hopefully our vendors will do the same. I think we will be using packers so that should mean we have time to run a Hoover round, clean surfaces etc. on moving day. Our house is pretty clean anyway do it won't be a huge task - the main things will probably be the insides of cupboards, built in wardrobes etc., but if the packers come the day before then we can tackle those in the evening once they are all empty.
Hiring a cleaner sounds like a great idea though so may consider that too - I might check with the removal company to see if the timings would work.
Thanks!

Ooh oven, good point!

I always get professional cleaners in, as each room is cleared by removal men, they go in. I leave them to it and they work round everyone.
I couldn't cope with a thorough clean on top of everything else.
I can't believe the state that some houses get left in, so rude.

Thanks Biscuit. Presumably I'd need a team of cleaners then, rather than just my usual cleaner, to get it done properly in the available time?

Depends on what your house is like.
Best bet would be to empty all your kitchen cupboards, for example, now, and thoroughly clean them all, then pack what you aren't going to use, and only put back things you'll need before the move.

Then things that don't get moved out for a 'normal' clean could be moved and cleaned behind now if you feel so inclined - so piano, or bookcase or big wardrobes, etc.
If, however you have the wherewithal to get someone else to do it on the day, then just let them do it. It may be your cleaners has a friend or relative they could bring with them on the day....... have a think about how they get your vacuum to your new house (you may want to do things before the furniture goes in, if you are unfortunate enough to have people who haven't done a good job of cleaning when they leave, and don't want to be arriving without your vacuum and other cleaning materials).

You can only do your own and hope that the people you're buying off will be as considerate as you vI cleaned our house out really thoroughly and unfortunately the other people left the one we moved into positively manky I had to bleach, scrub, scrape off sticky deposits, mould, lime scale dirt for months.

I hoovered everywhere, cleaned the bathrooms & wiped out all the cupboards! The oven was cleaned by me not a professional as it was ten years old and I thought they may replace it anyway.

The person moving in then began chasing us to move out via agent at 11am. So I explained they could have the keys but I had not swept out the garage. So handed over the keys despite officially having until 1 o'clock!

God, you're all much more lovely than the vendors of the last three properties I've bought. All of them were most definitely not cleaned in any way prior to the vendors' departure. I wouldn't particularly expect them to either, and always plan time to either get the new place professionally cleaned or go in myself several hours before the removals people turn up with our stuff and give it a good clean.

I don't think you need to do a professional/letting standard clean. Just make sure the toilets, bathrooms, kitchen are clean, the place is vacuumed, and the inside of cupboards are wiped out.

I found it quite difficult to make it perfect given that at some point the vacuum has to be packed up. I just made sure it was packed last AFTER i had vacuumed the places where the furniture was taken away (always disgusting and dirty). When you're packing make sure you leave out a massive pack of disposable dettol wipes and a bin bag so you can do the last bits of floor/cupboards after everything has been taken away.

I honestly wouldn't bother hiring professionals if your house is basically in good condition and you have a couple of hours to wipe things down. Unless you have your own good cleaner, the companies charge a fortune and do a rubbish job.

as someone said - clean enough to move into and use.

I did my own packing so as each cupboard was emptied, it was cleaned dried and then not used again. I followed the removers round with a vacuum to clear as much as I could, having done it all the day before. Also scrubbed bathroom and toilets and left some bog roll.

and happily found the new place in a similar tidy state.

The people who lived in this house before we moved in left it in a state beyond vile. I think once they "sold" they didnt do anything for the 9 weeks it took to complete. They obviously had NEVER even moved their dofa to clean under and behind in many years but that was the least of the vile surprises they left behind!!

I fear (ths week is the first time I have ventured into the garden properly) that they have left a dog shit mountain in the raised border next to the naff water feature they left behind after ripping the electrics out of it and leaving them looped into the suspicious mound!!

I am taking great pleasure in telling my neighbours how revolting the house was when we moved in (when they ask how we are settling in). The previous owners only moved 2 miles away and I am hoping news of our disgust gets back to them!!