Nothing deflates a potential buyer faster than a messy home. No matter how perfect the property might be, folks can’t get past dirty washing or breakfast plates dumped in the sink.
Failing to prepare your home correctly is tantamount to self-sabotaging your own financial interests. As an experienced agent, I do everything I can to encourage my clients to have their home looking absolutely sparkling and fabulous.
There are lots of tricks to cleaning a home that make the task so much easier. Below are the ten top tips that I’ve picked up from professional cleaners over the years.
- Bleach breach – Bleach isn’t an all-purpose cleaner. Keep it away from leather, glass, cloth and wood as it strips these surfaces of their natural finishes. It doesn’t cut through grease, either. It’s fine for disinfecting toilets and showers but should not be used in living areas.
- Go paperless – Who hasn’t used kitchen roll to clean glass? But it can be a big mistake. Instead use a micro-fiber cloth or specific cloth for glass because paper is abrasive. The scratches will build up over time and cloud the glass.
- Spray skills – Professional cleaners don’t spray on surfaces but directly on their cleaning cloth. It’s the most efficient approach.
- Sanitizer sense – Use sanitizing wipes on high-touch areas such as light switches, door handles and handles on kitchen cabinets and the fridge. The most common mistake is to forget to clean them!
- Breath of air freshener – You’d think this should be used last, but no. The chemical residue will settle on shelves and furniture, so spray before you dust and clean those surfaces.
- Separate rags – Don’t mix rags for the bathroom and kitchen, or you could smear food over your vanity and toothpaste on your toaster.
- Hair of the dog – Pet hair is a significant issue in homes with cats and dogs. Investigate vacuum cleaners that have specific cleaning heads to pick up all that hair and fur.
- Separate cleaning fluids – Cleaning fluids are essentially chemicals, so be careful. Bleach and ammonia will release a toxic chloramine gas if mixed – a mustard gas that can be deadly if inhaled. Mixed drain cleaners combust – literally, they explode! So treat cleaning fluids carefully and keep them separate from each other even when storing.
- Use gloves – Wear quality rubber gloves to protect your skin from these chemicals.
- Ventilate – Open windows and doors so you don’t breath in chemical fumes. Pop the ceiling fan on, too. If you’ve ever used bleach in a closed bathroom, you’ll know how the fumes hit the back of your throat, and that’s not good.