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.
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.
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!
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 an 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’sesteemed 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 home ownership 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.