We did suggestion #1 when we bought a house. Worth it, although it did also tempt me into a monthly cleaning service to just take the edge off (also worth it, tbh.)
Another idea, depending on the amount of social support available: enlisting friends to help. I’m too old and crabby to help anyone pack or move anymore, barring a massive emergency. But if you called me up and said “can you spend a couple hours with me this week wiping down the kitchen before we officially move in?” I’m there, and I’m bringing wine.
Finally, this is a great place for triage. Give the kitchen and the bathroom the whole enchilada (or just more enchilada), then maybe the other rooms get a quick sweep/vac and wipe. Or, have the cleaning service in for just those top priority rooms. Or, ask a friend to help with just the big ones. You get it!
This is exactly what I did when I had to move on short notice recently! A friend who wanted to help, but could not do any packing/unpacking because I have cats, met me at the new place before I moved so we could give it a once-over.
Chances are the place is pretty clean already since most sellers want it to show well and deep cleaning is recommended—I know our house had never been cleaner than when we moved out since I cleaned like a maniac so the new owners would not think we were gross, dirty people.
Just do a good inspection—look at edges, corners, baseboards, inside of drawers/cupboards/fridge and if those things are clean, you don’t need to re-clean them. If they are nasty then it’s waaaay easier to deep clean before your stuff moves in—prioritize the insides of drawers, cupboards, closets, etc. and bedroom floors (you can probably just ask seller’s agent if the carpets were cleaned professionally when they got the house ready for market and if not, have it done before you move the furniture in). The other stuff (windows, etc.) can wait until you are settled.
Uch this is SUCH a good point and SO smart! I 10,000% cosign putting your energy into cleaning the insides of things — kitchen cabinets, drawers, medicine cabinets, etc.
Thank God for you guys, you make me look so good :)
First of all, Jolie, so sorry about your knee and the resulting limitations. I have several chronic health conditions that make cleaning/home care difficult, and I’ve begrudgingly accepted that sometimes I have to change my standards. (But also I have house cleaners, a true godsend.)
Second, a belated welcome to the Best Coast!
Regarding the LW, what I would add is to
prioritize what is most important to you in terms of cleanliness. For example, I have terrible vision, so I can’t really see if the shower is clean when I’m using it. But I am personally squicked out by the idea of putting my dishes away in a dirty cabinet.
We did suggestion #1 when we bought a house. Worth it, although it did also tempt me into a monthly cleaning service to just take the edge off (also worth it, tbh.)
Another idea, depending on the amount of social support available: enlisting friends to help. I’m too old and crabby to help anyone pack or move anymore, barring a massive emergency. But if you called me up and said “can you spend a couple hours with me this week wiping down the kitchen before we officially move in?” I’m there, and I’m bringing wine.
Finally, this is a great place for triage. Give the kitchen and the bathroom the whole enchilada (or just more enchilada), then maybe the other rooms get a quick sweep/vac and wipe. Or, have the cleaning service in for just those top priority rooms. Or, ask a friend to help with just the big ones. You get it!
These are GREAT ideas, my God the way I would SPRINT to a friend's house for a wine-and-cleaning date!!!
This is exactly what I did when I had to move on short notice recently! A friend who wanted to help, but could not do any packing/unpacking because I have cats, met me at the new place before I moved so we could give it a once-over.
Chances are the place is pretty clean already since most sellers want it to show well and deep cleaning is recommended—I know our house had never been cleaner than when we moved out since I cleaned like a maniac so the new owners would not think we were gross, dirty people.
Just do a good inspection—look at edges, corners, baseboards, inside of drawers/cupboards/fridge and if those things are clean, you don’t need to re-clean them. If they are nasty then it’s waaaay easier to deep clean before your stuff moves in—prioritize the insides of drawers, cupboards, closets, etc. and bedroom floors (you can probably just ask seller’s agent if the carpets were cleaned professionally when they got the house ready for market and if not, have it done before you move the furniture in). The other stuff (windows, etc.) can wait until you are settled.
Uch this is SUCH a good point and SO smart! I 10,000% cosign putting your energy into cleaning the insides of things — kitchen cabinets, drawers, medicine cabinets, etc.
Thank God for you guys, you make me look so good :)
First of all, Jolie, so sorry about your knee and the resulting limitations. I have several chronic health conditions that make cleaning/home care difficult, and I’ve begrudgingly accepted that sometimes I have to change my standards. (But also I have house cleaners, a true godsend.)
Second, a belated welcome to the Best Coast!
Regarding the LW, what I would add is to
prioritize what is most important to you in terms of cleanliness. For example, I have terrible vision, so I can’t really see if the shower is clean when I’m using it. But I am personally squicked out by the idea of putting my dishes away in a dirty cabinet.
Another excellent point! Prioritize what matters to you, yes!!
Amy, it's so nice to see your name, thank you for the kind words :) It was a ghastly thing but a lot of great stuff ended up happening as a result.