How did you manage the cleaning bit of moving day?

[winewolfhowls]

Good morning.

We are hoping to move from our tiny two bed terrace to a small three bed. I am a bit confused about the cleaning aspect of moving, as I would like to leave the place clean for the next owner who seems to be lovely.

Obviously I can clean windows and do the garden type of thing in the week previously, but in such a small house with a lot of stuff (2 kids) we don't have the space for building up a stock of boxes to leave room for cleaning. We also have no garage. I'm imagining hours of cleaning around the removal people on completion day at the minute.

Any tips gratefully received.

I had some overlap between properties. So was technically moved out, but still had possession of the old place.
I went in and did the obvious bits myself, like the hair that gathers under the bed and the sofas. But then paid a company to come in and do a deep "end of tenancy" clean. Cost about £150 but well worth it.

Yes this is what I've done in the past. I was always the last out so I could leave it all clean and hoovered before I shut the door. One move was on a horribly rainy day so we prepared for this by having plastic sheeting down to protect the carpet and dust sheets on the stairs. Then you just need to hoover as you go.

That’s what I have always done too.

Brilliant advice thanks everyone 👍

I did everything possible a week or two before, ie windows, cleaning behind cooker as we were taking, wiping inside cupboards, hidden skirting boards I could get to. Bathroom had a thorough clean day before, then a quick wipe over. If you're getting removers in, I find they work room by room, so at least you an delve straight into one of them.

When we moved into our house, my stomach dropped with how disgusting the sellers had left it. I understand not having time to deep clean just before completion and I didn't expect that, but at the very least you'd think they'd wipe down surfaces, maybe run the vacuum around, maybe have a takeaway or something the night before moving day so you could spray and wipe inside the microwave and oven of food spills. When we first walked in I didn't want to take my shoes off even (especially?) on the carpet.

Meanwhile because we had the luxury of moving out a day before, DH and I rolled up our sleeves and scrubbed down our previous home, and paid a one-off cleaner in to do things like the oven and fridge freezer. The last things we packed were the vacuum cleaner and the mop/bucket! So it was doubly frustrating to find the state the new house was in. We were in temp accommodation so that we could do some repainting and laying some floors without all our stuff in already, but it meant we had to quickly deep clean the new place as soon as possible so that the builders could come in and start! DH burnt off arm hair cleaning the oven with several rounds of extra strength degreasing stuff to get all the burned food off 😂

Anyway, all that to say, I don't think most people expect the house they're moving into to look unlived in and as other PPs have said, things just will look scruffy without furniture and all that. I'd have just liked the previous owners to have hoovered, wiped the kitchen down and put bleach in the toilets/limescale spray on sinks/showers/baths!

I wasn't sure if it's ok to move the fridge before moving day, I thought it shouldn't be often moved due to the gasses?

I cleaned up as I went along with packing up. Having moved several times I know that every house you go into looks a bit grubby behind where the furniture was, etc, so I'm not precious about it.

I keep my vacuum clean (and emergency box with kettle, etc) back after the movers have gone and then do a quick vac around. Then I put Henry in the passenger seat with the seatbelt on and I'm gone.

Just do your best to clean up as you go along, it doesn’t have to look perfect and the house you move into probably won’t be perfect either. There is only so much you can realistically do if you are moving out on the day of completion.

We do always get the oven professionally cleaned a day or two before removals day and then not cook anything messy. But apart from that it’s normally just a case of hoovering each room as it empties and running a j cloth round any particularly dusty skirting boards that have been behind furniture.

I only hoovered after the place was empty (on top of generlly keeping the place clean alll along). I've never moved into a place that was immaculate and even if it looks it, new owners are still going to clean it themselves.

I would hoover once everything is out - check toilets and sinks are clean. That’s enough -ime once you take all furniture out scuff marks on walls show,faded bits on carpets, the house will not look great even if you deep clean ….And moving a houseload of furniture in raises dust so don’t waste time doing too much.

Do a deep clean before you move, move all furniture and clean behind and the skirting boards so by moving days it's already clean. Then on moving day you stay behind and literally a quick hoover and mop as each room is cleared and all is left clean 😁 I locked my old house up and all I had left with me was my hoover and mop and I drove them
To the new house 😂

If you're a couple, 1 person goes ahead to the new place to direct the movers and the other stays behind and cleans everything...utterly exhausting for all involved.

DH and i moved boxes, DM hoovered and wiped up behind us.

As you empty drawers, shelves and cupboards give them a wipe round with Mr Sheen.
Hoover once the room is empty and wipe the windowsill.
I would clean your bathroom as you normally do the day before and leave a cloth in there and wipe round the sink after teeth and squirt some harpic down the loo as you leave
Kitchen just do surfaces as you normally do, Hoover and mop once everything out. Literally be standing there waiting to do it.
hoover yourself out the door.
I don’t think you need to do more than that like wipe walls down/do inside windows. Obviously it’s nice to but people will expect to wipe over things themselves as well.

We have to clean as we are renting and it is part of the agreement.

DH has taken this week and next week off work. We are getting the keys on Monday, will do some early set up stuff this week, move the bulk of large furniture/boxes next weekend, and over the following week, I will come back to the old house and clean/repaint/fix holes.

I booked professional cleaners for the old place a few days after we moved out, which gave me time to focus on unpacking at the new house without the stress. For our sofas, I used https://southwestcleaners.co.uk/upholstery-cleaning/ and they did a great job getting everything fresh again after the move. Timing everything with some overlap helped loads—definitely easier than trying to do it all in one day.

You just need to clean up as you go along, working around the piles of boxes as you go. Then a last minute blitz once everything is in the removal van.

Ultimately you just need to do the best you can. Removal day is such a rush it’s never going to be perfect. So long as you make an effort and don’t leave it too disgusting.

Windows, skirting boards in hidden places and behind free standing kitchen appliances can be cleaned a couple of weeks before. If leaving appliances, again a good clean a couple of weeks before, spot cleaning in the meantime. If leaving curtains, again hoover to remove dust between gathers a couple of weeks before That'll leave a focused hoover, bathroom and kitchen clean on the day.

I’d wait until the house is empty apart from cleaning equipment and rush round hoovering everywhere then clean bathroom and kitchen surfaces and cupboards. Then go. You’ll have at least a couple of hours before handling over keys.

We tried as best we could but as we moved ourselves and had the agent phoning wanting the keys we had to admit defeat. It was cleanish but not what I would have wanted had we had more time. We did take it to the wire though, we were laying on the pavement trying to do the water meter reading 10 mins before keys were due in 😅
The worst bits were when the washing machine and fridge were moved, grim! Wish I had done that before.

We moved before completion but we moved into a rental so we had a bit more time than you’d have in a usual sale.