What to include in the Checklist
Summertime is usually busy for house cleaners in terms of Move-In and Move-Out house cleaning. We get plenty of inquiries from homeowners as well as real estate agents. Usually, the process is routine for our professional cleaning technicians.
Once-in-a-while we come across houses that are difficult to finish due to some issues beyond our control. These problems are the result of homeowners trying their best to get everything right with the moving company and the moving dates. When things don’t go well the result affects everyone. Like when one or two of the checklist task is missed.
Most homeowners have a moving checklist. The list includes move-in or move-out house cleaning. Under the list are specific house cleaning tasks like:
- cleaning of appliances inside and out
- cleaning of ceiling fans
- cleaning inside and out of kitchen cabinets
- cleaning bathroom cabinets inside and out
- cleaning baseboards, doors, moldings, blinds, inside windows;
- cleaning of the pantry, laundry room
- vacuuming, mopping
- occasionally cleaning the garage and/or porches
The above-detailed cleaning checklist is important. However, we like to add a few things to the list. Based on our unfortunate experiences, the common list does not include the following: no water in the house, no electricity, the Movers moving the furniture or boxes, and yes, being locked-out. All are problems that can be prevented. But because it is easily seen it is sometimes overlooked by the homeowners.
First the issue of water. Oftentimes, we show-up on schedule, begin to clean, then realize there is no water in the house. The person-in-charge forget to call to connect the water. The funny part is once in-while we are told to clean without water. Impossible! Especially if the previous owner had pets or was a little messy. No water, no cleaning!
Cleaning without electricity and air conditioning… not advisable! Yes, we can clean the house without electricity when the weather is pleasant, when there is no carpet to vacuum, and when there is light coming from the outside. The problem is in the summer when temperatures rise. Cleaning requires continuous movement, therefore, the risk is high. Because of the danger from heat exhaustion and dehydration, we politely require that air conditioning to be on while we are cleaning.
Having the house cleaners clean while the movers are doing their job. Not a very good idea. We know the time after the real estate closing is short but having movers and cleaners at the same time is not efficient for either. We waste time waiting for the movers to finish, and sometimes after the bathrooms have been cleaned the movers use them. Having experienced this type of situation we recommend to finish the movers before scheduling the house cleaners.
Locked-out. This is easy to remedy yet, we still encounter frustration. Most of the move-out or move-in houses we clean are vacant. The easy solution to the locked-out problem is to leave one of the doors unlocked or to provide the cleaning company a garage door code if available. This way no one is waiting and the cleaning is not delayed. Of course, we recommend hiring a reputable cleaning service before giving access.
Moving is a very emotional process for most people. It is time-consuming and requires plenty of patience. Our Rejoice Maids Complete House Cleaning Checklist will help minimize frustrations and inefficiency. Time is one thing we all have the same amount, where to use it and how to use it is what differentiate each one of us. Summer is short, seize the moment!
