As the semester winds down, many of us are looking toward the summer with gleeful anticipation. But, there is still much to take care of here in Gainesville that will surely keep you occupied for the remainder of the semester. A dramatic change many of us are making is either moving out of our apartments or moving into a new one. A good rule of thumb is to leave it in better shape then you found it, so we’re going to have to put in some elbow grease! Here are 10 tips on how to get your apartment move-out ready:
1. Start in your room and move out from there leaving the kitchen for last. In your room and living room, make sure to dust the fan blades, air vents and blinds. These areas are huge dust magnets.
2. Make sure to run your duster through the corners of the room to catch any spider webs that may have formed. I like to use Swiffer 360 dusters because they reach far and lock in the mess.
3. Once you’ve finished the tops of the blades, move onto the walls. Yes, you need to clean your walls. Take some Clorox disinfectant wipes or a bowl of warm, soapy water and a rag. Just give the walls a once over paying special attention to the black smudges.
4. Once you’ve cleaned the walls, take a broom and sweep out the corners of your rooms. Even if your room has carpet, dust and grime can collect where the wall meets the floor. Sweeping this out manually will ensure that you get as much out as possible. If you are using a vacuum, make sure to empty out the cylinder before and that the filter is clean. Having a dirty vacuum can really compromise the cleaning power of your machine.
5. If you have laminate floors, sweeping is effective and quick. Now, I don’t want to say that you don’t know how to mop, but let’s give a recap: To mop properly, you’re going to need two buckets: one for clean water and one for dirty water. The water should be hot and your mop should be dry to begin with. One bucket will start off full of hot, soapy water and the other will be empty. While mopping, ring out your mop into the empty bucket. This keeps your soapy water clean and prevents you from “cleaning” with dirty water — a quick fix that I promise will make all the difference.
6. The most difficult part about moving out is cleaning your kitchen. Start with the top of the cabinets and the fridge. When you cook, the grease particles in the air rest on any surface available and trap dust. Be warned, this creates a sticky, nasty mess.
7. Once you’ve tackled that mammoth job, remembering to pay attention to your over-the-stove ventilation unit, move on to the cabinets. Wipe them down on the outside and dust them on the inside. This is a quick job, but something most overlook.
8. Finally, clean out your appliances. Take out the shelves in your fridge and wipe them down. Wipe out the inside of your fridge with soapy water or Clorox wipes as well. To clean the microwave, heat up a cup of white vinegar. This will get most of the gunk off the vents, walls and top of the microwave. Remember to take out and wipe the microwave plate and rotating belt.
9. Most ovens have a self-clean function; so don’t worry about it too much. If yours doesn’t, take out the grates and clean them by hand. Wipe down the walls and the bottom of the oven, it’s okay to sweep it onto the floor, you haven’t cleaned that part yet.
By this point, you should be in really good shape. Everything should smell faintly of lemon and your mom should approve.
10. If you have stains on your carpet, get a carpet cleaner. If you have holes in your walls, fill them with stucco. Moving out shouldn’t be stressful and it won’t be if you work one room at a time.
Happy cleaning!
Photo credits:
http://ohmyapt.apartmentrating…
http://uglyhousephotos.com
http://www.myhomeideas.com
http://naturemoms.com
http://cheezburger.com