Alice Robertson

A new place is exciting, but no matter how anxious you are about the transition, it’s best to make it sparkle before you take up residence. A bit of elbow grease can go a long way toward creating a space that is comfortable and clean. Whether it’s a house, apartment, or condo, Susan Newberry Designs offers these tips to help ensure your new home gives you a spick-and-span soft landing.

DEEP DOWN CLEAN

Giving your new place a thorough cleaning ensures the removal of leftover grime from previous residents. Even if it looked spotless during your last visit, it’s surprising how much dirt gets stirred up in the process of moving out. Moving.com recommends giving it a deep cleaning, working top to bottom, and hitting every nook and cranny. Scrub the refrigerator so you have a clean space for your perishables, then hit the rest of the kitchen. Move from there to the bathroom and disinfect thoroughly. From there, go to the other rooms, and lastly, clean the floors. You can use a cleaning checklist to ensure you don’t miss any details.

Once you accomplish your mission, not only will your place be fresh, but it’ll also be easier to keep clean in the future. Assemble some cleaning conveniences to stay abreast of housekeeping chores. Put together an organized cleaning caddy so you can grab it for spills and spot checks, stock it with some eco-friendly products, and consider picking up a handheld vacuum for quick, impromptu tidy-ups, especially in those hard-to-reach areas.

One quick additional note for seniors: Deep cleaning can be exhausting. If you need to call in a little extra help, that’s A-OK. Call on family, friends or hire a professional cleaning service to help you get the job done. You’ll be glad you did, when you have energy left over to unpack, decorate, and settle into your new home!

FRESHENING YOUR SPACE

Regardless of who cleans your new home, give some thought to the air quality in the space. This can be important if anyone in your home has allergies, and also if your home is on a shared ventilation system with other residents. As American Home Shield points out, air quality can be influenced by several factors; cigarette smoke, mildew, pollens, chemicals, pet dander, and ventilation concerns are a few of the issues which can reduce the air quality in your home.

One way to improve in-home air quality is with an air purifier. These gadgets clean your air, and you can select one based on a number of different qualities. Some fit on a desktop, you might consider size or efficiency, or you might like a particular aesthetic.

Another suggestion for keeping your air fresh is to add some houseplants to your new home. Some studies indicate that certain houseplants can help clean toxins out of your air. For everything from benzene to formaldehyde and trichloroethylene to xylene, houseplants can work hard to tidy up threats you can’t even see. Be sure to select plants based on your growing conditions and how much care you’re ready to provide. Also, take into account any pets or children in your household, and look for non-toxic selections if needed.

APPLY THE SAME TECHNIQUES TO YOUR OLD HOME

If your former home is still on the market, you can use these same cleaning techniques to help make the property more appealing to potential buyers. So, do a deep clean to ensure the place looks top-notch for showings, and if necessary, hire a cleaning company to give it a professional touch. In fact, anything you can do to help improve the property appraisal value (cleaning, staging, etc.) will help you sell the property so you can fully focus on your new home.

HIRE A PROFESSIONAL MOVING COMPANY

Once you have your home prepped for move-in day, all that’s left to do is find a moving company you can trust with the job. Fortunately, finding the best moving companies in your area is as easy as hopping onto a website like Angi.com and doing a quick search. You can also read reviews from previous customers to get an idea of which companies deserve your business.

A little time and energy put into cleaning your new home will make you feel all the more welcome there. Give the place a good scrubbing, outfit yourself with some cleaning conveniences, and ensure your home is a breath of fresh air. You’ll be settled into your fresh, spotless, comfortable new abode in no time!

In order to help first-time homebuyers have a better understanding of what you can expect after the move-in process is complete and for information on hidden costs of buying and owning a home, be sure to check out this article published by Marketwatch.

Susan Newberry Designs can help fill your home with beautiful artwork. Get in touch with us today by using the contact form on our website.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alice Robertson began her career in the home organization industry as a professional house cleaner. After cleaning and organizing her clients’ homes for years, she decided to open her own home organization business. She recently created TidyHome.info as a place to share the great cleaning and organizing advice she has developed over the years.