You’ve done it—the hard part is over. You’ve spent weeks touring houses in your desired
neighborhoods; you found the home that’s right for you and your family; you survived the
bidding war; you’ve successfully closed on your new home. You might be thinking that it will
be smooth sailing and easy-street from here on out.
Right?
Wrong.
When moving into a new house, you want a fresh, clean, new start. Unfortunately, that means
putting in a lot of elbow-grease in order to scrub your way into a sparkling, squeaky-clean home.
Even if you move in to find the property seemingly spotless, nothing gives you peace-of-mind
like cleaning a place out with your own two hands. But where to begin? Just follow these 3 tips
for cleaning your new home, and you’ll be spick-and-span in no time flat.
1. Divide and Conquer
It’s entirely possible, if this is your first home, that you have never cleaned a house from top to
bottom before. Especially when setting out on a deep-cleaning mission, it can be easy to get
overwhelmed and then just give up. Don’t let this happen to you! Begin by listing each room in
your house—don’t forget garages, basements, attics, or the yard!—and then, in each section, list
each individual task that needs to be done in that space: scrub the floors, clean the carpet, scrub
the walls, bleach the tub, etc. Then you can check off each task. The smaller the sub-section, the
more manageable that daunting to-do list becomes!
Make sure, though, to take a logical approach to cleaning. Go bottom up or top down. Be
methodical. Then you can see the progress of your labor as you go. If you take a more scatter-
shot approach, then you may soon find yourself feeling discouraged.
2. Don’t Forget the Windows!
It’s amazing how much dirty glass can dim a room—even without you realizing it! And if
they’ve been accumulating dirt for a while, it can be a big time-suck and hard work to get them
perfectly clean. But once the windows are scrubbed and spotless, more light will make it into
your home. Light makes rooms seem bigger, and studies show that the sun improves our states
of mind. And don’t forget those screens! Screens attract spiderwebs, dust, and grime like
magnets. Make sure to give them a good scrubbing while you’re at it!
3. Organization is Key
There is no better time to de-clutter your home than when you’re moving across town, to a new
city, or to a new coast. Nothing cuts through sentimentalism quicker than asking yourself if it’s
worth dragging the item miles and miles in a box. The first step to organizing is to get rid of
superfluous items.
Then, once you’re in your new home and you have deep-cleaned everything, take a strategic
approach to your unpacking. Take the time to establish where your beloved belongings will live
in your shining new home. Develop an organizational system now, at the beginning, and it will
make your life much, much easier and tidier down the road.
At Helgeson Platzke Real Estate Group, we are proud to be a member of Eden Prairie’s
esteemed small business community. Since 1995, we’ve offered the very best in Twin Cities real
estate, earning our community’s trust as the #1 Sales Team in the Eden Prairie area. With over
4,500 homes sold, our staff has both the knowledge and experience necessary to ensure that your
homeownership goals are delivered. So, if you’re considering buying or selling your Eden
Prairie area home this year, now is the time to enlist the help of a real estate professional who
can help you make the most of this season’s extraordinary market.