When you are ready to move out of a rental, whether you are buying, changing locations, or simply expanding into a different location, cleaning your old space is the last thing you want to think about. A good end of tenancy cleaning could save you money and headaches in the future, by ensuring you get your whole deposit back. When planning your end of tenancy cleaning you’ll need to carve out time for more than your routine dusting and vacuuming. Here are some additional things you’ll want to do to ensure you get your deposit back.
Common Areas (Kitchens, Bathrooms, etc.)
Some of the most heavily used and abused areas in your rental unit are the common areas that are constantly in use. Kitchens and bathrooms take the most abuse, simply because messes happen. When you are leaving a rental you’ll need to take extra special care in cleaning these areas to get your deposit back. While the kitchen gets a light cleaning frequently, it needs a deep cleaning periodically. When moving out of a rental space, it’s important to clean the kitchen thoroughly. An end of tenancy cleaning should include a thorough cleaning of the refrigerator, inside and out, as well as the oven and stove. Another often overlooked thing that needs to be cleaned is the kitchen cabinets, these should be wiped down inside and out. Kitchen counters will need a complete wipe down, and if your kitchen has a tile backsplash that will need to be cleaned of any grease or mold that may be lingering in the grout and tile work. Kitchens with tile or wood flooring also need a floor cleaning with a little more effort than the usual mopping, making sure grout between tiles is bright and the floors look spotless. For a final cleaning your bathrooms should shine. Toilets, sinks, showers and tubs should sparkle and drains should be free of any clogs or slow drainage issues. Bathroom tile work should also be as spotless as possible, and any mold should be eradicated from the bathroom. Vent fans should also be removed and dusted, and any light fixtures should be dusted and burnt out light bulbs replaced (if this is part of your responsibility in your lease agreement).
Floors Should be Spotless
To ensure you get the most money back in your deposit, make sure the carpets are free of any stains or spots. Using a carpet steamer or shampooer can help remove any major stains from the carpet and save you money. In addition to this mop hard floor surfaces, cleaning any grout between floor tiles. Carpet stains are one major reason for not getting back a deposit, so do your best to get any and all stains out as much as possible.
Walls Should Look Like New
Another major cause of the loss of a deposit is holes, stains, scrapes and smudges on the walls. When you move out of a rental the walls should look as good as, or better than the day you moved in. Patching holes and fixing scrapes and smudges can go a long way in saving your deposit and making the rental space look spotless. In addition to patching it is a good idea to gently wash the walls to get off any discoloration from furniture, splatters, or other dirt and grime. It is also a good idea to remember that the baseboards and windowsills need a quick wipe down too.
Moving out of a rental space can be stressful, and getting your full deposit back is important and largely dependent on how well you clean the space before a final walk through with the landlord. At Commercial Building Maintenance we offer post tenancy cleaning services that can ensure you get your deposit back, and can help make your move less stressful. To schedule a deep cleaning today, give us a call!