If you will soon be moving house, you might find yourself wondering whether you are expected to clean the place before you vacate. There is a bit of an overhanging question mark atop this one. Some would ask, why bother? You don’t live there anymore and it was clean enough (probably.) You have your new home to clean. But removal experts at Compare My Move suggest that there is a certain level of courtesy that should be adhered to. There is no legal obligation to clean your home before moving out but there is perhaps a moral obligation to do so. Think about how keen you are to get settled into your new home, your old home is the ‘new home’ to someone else and they're looking forward to moving in just as much as you are, so why not make the effort to give it one last clean before you go?
There are cleaning standards when it comes to moving house. All that is really necessary is a general standard of cleaning that everyone could and should follow. Just do the basics, that way, you can focus on all the many other jobs involved in a house move. Let’s face it, it’s a very busy time. Some people go a little further and will complete, what we will call a ‘gold’ standard of cleaning, and then there are the house gods and goddesses among us that won’t leave the home without applying anything less than a platinum standard of cleaning and courtesy. Let’s run through these standards below:
We will say that the general standard is what is ‘expected’ from a moral/courteous point of view. Basically, if you want to sleep well on your first night in your new home without wincing at the thought of a stranger cleaning the soap splash marks from the shower you had that morning, then you will do the basic level of cleaning:
There are some among us (and you know who you are) that can’t bear the thought of anybody thinking that you didn’t keep your home spotless. You will feel compelled to do more than is really necessary. But you now what? That’s really nice of you so, go ahead. If you feel like the place should be left in a great condition then you can go as far as to tick off the ‘General Standard’ list and on top of that:
Ok, so this is reserved for the ‘Bree Van De Kamps’ of the world. If you are a desperate housewife or desperate house husband for that matter, then you might want to go all out and treat the new occupants of your home to the platinum standard. This would involve everything on the general and the gold list plus:
This may all be a little over the top. At the very least, the decent thing to do is a quick clean or clean as you go along when you’re packing or loading up the truck on moving day. We have all done the stunned gasp when a sofa or side unit is moved and we see the colony of dust bunnies that appear to reside there. Quickly sweep or vacuum and just give the place a swift once-over.
When you get to your new home, you will be relieved to find that the previous owner there has extended the same courtesy to you. Finding a nice clean home that you can put your furniture straight into will make for a positive and happy moving day, and that’s why you should clean before moving house.
Spring cleaning has been traced all the way back to 3000 years b.c. when it was an integral part of traditions to do with renewal. There are several cleaning traditions around this time of year that can traced back to different countries and cultures all around the world.
Traces of this cleaning ritual can be observed in the Iranian Festival of Nowruz, also known as the Persian New Year. This festivity begins on the first day of spring (March 21st). To prepare for Norouz, the Iranian population practices "khooneh tekouni", which translates as “shaking the house”. This ritual includes thorough cleaning of all rooms and surfaces in the household and is believed to be the predecessor of modern spring cleaning.
For some, this rigorous form of cleaning originated from an ancient Jewish custom that involved a thorough cleaning of the house. This was done in order to prepare for Passover – a springtime feast generally held at the beginning of April. For the duration of this holiday, it is strictly forbidden to eat any sort of leavened food, “chametz” crumbs included. Spring cleaning is therefore done to eliminate all traces of this food from the home.
Ninyabaat is a holiday that the Chinese celebrate just before the Chinese New Year arrives. Usually, the festivities take the country by storm on the 28th day of the 12th month of the Lunar calendar.
The point of this festivity is to cleanse the Chinese home from any bad luck or misfortune. It also involves throwing rubbish and broken household items away. Sweeping, however, is strictly forbidden as you may accidentally “sweep away” your good fortune. When everything is sparkling clean, the Chinese hang paper couplets that are said to attract fortune and good luck.
So you've heard it's National Spring Cleaning Week this week and somehow it’s Friday already. If you haven’t lifted your little finger (let alone an entire marigold glove) to start your spring clean, then APDO member Jules Langford (Clutter to Cleared) gives us a light-hearted look at making the task more palatable this weekend. It's a real sweet treat! Tuck in!
Jules is based in Croydon but you can find APDO Association of Professional Declutterers and Organisers throughout the UK using the Find An Organiser search tool.
So you've been working your way through the house this week for National Spring Cleaning Week but have you remembered everything? APDO member Mona Kay (The Organising Ninja) gives us a quick reminder on some of the most easily overlooked parts in our homes and how to tackle them most effectively. Watch out! She leaves no stone unturned!
Mona is based in Nottingham covering the East Midlands but you can find APDO Association of Professional Declutterers and Organisers throughout the UK using the Find An Organiser search tool.
Your desk and paperwork may not be the first thing to come to mind when you think of spring cleaning. But spring cleaning and maintaining your desk space in both your home and workplace can help reduce stress and make you more productive. For National Spring
Cleaning Week APDO member Ceri Wall of Midlands-based Organised Life has put together her top tips to help you conquer paper, update your filing system and much more.
Ceri is based in Birmingham but you can find APDO Association of Professional Declutterers and Organisers throughout the UK using the Find An Organiser search tool.
APDO members understand that letting a professional organiser into your home to help you get organised can sometimes be a daunting prospect. Hear a client’s perspective on a decluttering session with APDO member Helen Sanderson (Creating Calm from Clutter) in this funny and moving blog poem about Bec's decluttering experience.
Helen is based in North London but you can find APDO Association of Professional Declutterers and Organisers throughout the UK using the Find An Organiser search tool.
The kitchen is often called the heart of the home so there's no better place to kick-start National Spring Cleaning Week. Brace yourself for APDO member Doreen Uzice's motivating tips and downright terrifying statistics to get your running for your disinfectant this National Spring Cleaning Week!
National Spring Cleaning Week have joined forces with APDO Association of Professional Declutterers and Organisers for the first time this March. Their members are the UK's experts in decluttering and organising your spaces to create a more functional and uplifting environment.
Here APDO President, Ingrid Jansen, Organise Your House tells us about the difference between cleaning, spring cleaning, decluttering and organising as we prepare for National Spring Cleaning Week on Monday. See the article here.
Table of contents:
Overall Spring Cleaning Chores:
Freshen Your Foyer and Hallway Areas.
How to spring clean your foyer and hallway areas:
Kitchen Cleaning is ¼ Your Spring Clean.
How to spring clean your kitchen:
The Bathroom Cleaning Checklist:
How to spring clean your bathroom:
A speed cleaning hack to avoid hand washing curtains and liner:
Fill your washing machine with curtains and a few bath towels and try one of the following cleaning ideas:
How to easily clean air vents via dining utensils:
Use a clean rag and soak it in your cleaning solution of choice. Wrap your rage around your spoon, fork or knife clean those hard to reach air vents.
A cleaning hack to minimise your effort on tiles:
Apply a coat of car wax to tiles at least once a year. It will minimise ceramic tile water marks.
3 handy toilet cleaning hacks:
A handy tip for shower doors:
Mix distilled white vinegar and baking soda to a paste. Make sure it's thick enough so you can apply it directly to your door (it has to stick). Leave the paste to do its thing for an hour or two and then wipe it off. Rinse it properly and dry it up.
How to Spring Clean Your Bedroom:
The bedroom spring cleaning checklist:
A spring cleaning idea to whiten bedding:
Try baby shampoo. Its formula is meant to treat baby skin as gentle as possible and yet still dissolve various body oil stains.
Extra Tip: Hire a steam cleaner.
If you can't afford to buy one, you could always rent it for your mattresses and upholstery. Steam cleaners have become even more accessible, not to mention efficiency and simplicity to use. They are easy to carry and will help a great deal with spring cleaning.
Inspiring the UK to Spring Clean their homes and lives.