The Joys of…Cleaning?

By: Emily Clark

I know, I know, putting the words “joy” and “cleaning” in the same sentence seems unfathomable, but I promise joy can be had if you keep your domicile, (A.K.A. sty,) clean. Why? I suppose that I could argue that “a clean home is a happy home,” that it’s so much easier to get things accomplished when everything has a place and everything is in its place; that a clean home decreases stress because it’s one less thing that you have to worry about; and that the cleaner your home is the less likely you are to get sick, especially during the winter. These are all admirable things for sure, but from a tenant/property manager perspective those things are not your property manager’s business.

Your property manager's business is to ensure that properties are spotless/move-in ready for the new tenants. If that means they have to deduct from your deposit to ensure that happens then that’s what they’ll do. Before moving in, they had the unit or property at that move-in ready standard for you. I know, that seems like ages ago. (The dust on the baseboards are a tell-tale sign of how long it has been; so, check the baseboards and take the time to wipe it down.) However, if you keep your property clean it works to ensure a few things. First of all that stuff I mentioned in the first paragraph—peace of mind, decreased stress, keeps you healthy, yada yada. Second that you’ll get majority of your deposit back (due to the amount of time that will not be expended in additional cleaning on top of the mandatory deep cleaning post your move-out) and third that you’ll have a happy property manager. And there’s the “joy” that I was talking about.

I’m sure you can clearly see how getting your deposit back would make you happy, but why would you want to worry about making your property manager happy when you’re moving out anyway? That is an excellent question!

If your apartment is clean when you move your property manager doesn't need to call in cleaners, do a second walk through with the cleaners, deduct from your deposit, and potentially get in an argument with you about it. Really it’s a win-win; and just think of the glowing testimonial they’ll give your future property managers should they be called for a recommendation.

To help you accomplish this we have written up a list of recommendations to help you keep your rental clean easier.

Every Day

           

Surface clean your property

o   Make beds

o   Wipe counters in bathroom and kitchen

o   Do dishes

o   Do a clutter sweep: toys, clothes, etc.

o   Wipe down kitchen sink: Spraying it with bleach and then rinsing it with water takes about a minute.

o   Wipe down faucets: get rid of those germs.

Every Week

If you have been surface cleaning every day it makes the weekly tasks much easier

o   Vacuum

o   Sweep

o   Dust

o   Toilets: Comet and a toilet brush work great. You can also buy automatic toilet bowl cleaners that are hooked onto the inside of your toilet and release cleaner every time you flush. (If you have pets don’t do this!) These work well, but you’ll still want to clean your toilet with a brush once a week.

Before

After

o   Sinks: A lot of people don’t know this, but your kitchen sink has been proven to be dirtier than your toilet. Yuck. For this reason you’ll want to use Comet on your Kitchen sink at least once a week. You can also stick a lemon, cut in half, in your garbage disposal and let it run to not only clean out your disposal, but also give your kitchen a lovely lemony smell. Wipe down bathroom sinks as well.

o   Microwave: Microwaves can be tough, so we’ve tried out a few different ways of cleaning them and this way was the one that worked the best and was the fastest. Here’s what you’ll need:

1.      Bowl

2.      Water

3.      ⅛ to ¼ a cup of lemon juice or vinegar (vinegar works best) 

Stick it in the microwave for five minutes, then let it sit for two minutes after that. Remove bowl and wipe down microwave. Et viola!

o   Stovetop: Depending on how often you use your stovetop this can be something you do every one to two weeks.

Every Month
 
"I only have to do these once a month? Sweet awesome!" -You

o   Mirrors: Windex works great.

o   Windows: Windex on the inside in the cold season. During warm seasons do the same for the inside—for the outside you’ll need:

1.      2-3 Tablespoons Dawn Dish Soap or laundry detergent

2.      1 Tablespoon Jet Dry (liquid)

3.      ½ a gallon warm water

4.      Gloves

Mix all these ingredients, except the gloves, then spray down your windows (while it's closed) with the hose. After that wipe the aforementioned solution onto windows and spray with hose again. You won’t even see a streak when they’re done and it’s pretty quick.

Before

o   Shower and bathtub: These often get overlooked and the longer between cleanings the harder they are to clean. This really is an important one to keep clean for other reasons as well, namely so that you won’t have problems with mold or mildew. 

What you’ll need:

1.   Dawn (A reliable source, A.K.A. my best friend, tells me only the blue will work on this.)

       2.      Vinegar (The kind in your kitchen cupboards work great, but you can also buy cleaning vinegar. It’s cheaper than using your cooking vinegar and can be used to clean a great many things.)

       3.      Spray bottle
 

After

Mix equal parts of both (a cup each should be sufficient), spray it on, and then scrub a dub dub in your tub. It works like a charm.

o   Oven: Depending on how often you use your oven one to three months will be sufficient. A lot of oven’s are self cleaning. If you have one of those don’t clean it yourself because that can ruin your oven. Utilize the self-cleaning option. If you don’t have a self-cleaning oven then purchase an oven cleaner and follow the instructions on the label. Most oven cleaners will recommend that you remove the racks from the oven before cleaning because some cleaners can damage the racks.

 

Fun facts: 

1.      After cleaning mirrors, windows, and faucets run a dryer sheet over them to get rid of streaks.

2.      If you set a time to clean everyday and then stick to those times for 21 days it’ll become a habit.

3.      Line the bottom of your oven with a nonstick oven liner to make cleaning your oven as simple as wadding up a piece of paper and throwing it away. (You’ll still have to do the sides though.)

4.      Microwave your sponges for one minute to zap germs.

5.      When cleaning your room start with your bed. This will give you a surface to work off and make cleaning the rest of the space easier.

So, let's be honest, despite my talk of "fun" and "cleaning" cleaning is anything but. Hopefully, however, with these tips the job will at least be easier for you. Happy cleaning days!