How to Clean an Apartment or House when Moving in: The Inside

When you move into an apartment or house you will most likely want to do a bit of cleaning before you unpack all of your stuff. You won't have to go overboard because usually when people rent out a place they clean it up first, still it is comforting knowing that you know something is clean because you cleaned it.

Floors

Simply sweep and mop the floors when you get into your new apartment or house. Depending on what kind of floor that you are sweeping, hardwood, vinyl, linoleum etc., will determine what you will want to mop the floor with. A simple solution of bleach and water should be safe on most surfaces but you can buy specific floor cleaners for specific floors.

Carpets

It is very common for a apartment complex to have the carpets cleaned or replaced when someone new moves into the unit. So you should not have to worry about doing any scrubbing but it doesn't hurt to vacuum, especially if you have children, once when you first move in.

Walls

Depending on how long the apartment or house that you are renting was vacant will determine if the walls needs a quick rinse. Look in the corners to get any webs and if you fill that there is a small layer of dust that has accumulated you can wipe it off with a damp sponge. Sometimes before a unit is rented out again the owners will repaint it so you might not have to worry about the walls at all.

Windows

If you feel that the windows are at all dirty, spraying them with Windex can quickly get them clean.

Ceiling

Similar to the walls you will not likely have to do anything to the ceiling when you move in unless for some reason you notice that there is a slight layer of dust that you would like to wipe off.

Fireplace

Don't worry about inside the fire place, you can simply dust the mantel and the surrounding area.

Blinds

If you find that the blinds have a layer of dust a damp sponge or rag will take care of that with very little effort. You could also use something like the Swifter Duster to get the task of dusting the blinds done too.

Light Fixtures

Sometime insects will accumulate in the light fixtures, of course it is likely that the landlord did this kind of cleaning before you moved in, but you can throw the bugs outside if you find that there are some in the light fixtures.

Doors

A quick wipe will get off any dust that may have accumulated during the time that the apartment was vacant.

As you can see there is a lot of dusting that is involved in cleaning an apartment or house when you first move in.