We are half way through our series in ‘How to Sell House Fast!’ So far we have Finished Projects and Made Repairs, Decluttered and Staged, and Deep Cleaned Outside. Today we are going to focus on Part 4 of our series, Deep Clean Inside.
No one enjoys cleaning…least of all me. It is important to remember, though, that we are almost to the point of getting this house on the market. Moving through all these steps will not only help you sell your house fast, but for top dollar. So with that in mind, here is a list of cleaning tasks that you will want to complete before proceeding to the next step (interviewing realtors). Please make sure that you have completed steps 1 and 2 before moving to the list below!
Deep Clean Inside
1. Kitchen:
- Oven: Clean the inside of the oven with Easy Off Heavy Duty Oven Cleaner. It should look brand new when you are done!
- Stove top: There are many different types of stove tops, and each requires its own type of cleaner. I have a flat top that looks the cleanest when I use a special cook top cleaner. Use your specific cleaner to make sure your cook top is spotless.
- Refrigerator/Freezer: You should have cleaned out your refrigerator and freezer in the decluttering stage, but if not, now is the time to remove everything and give it a good clean. This means that you should remove all drawers and shelves to wipe out the inside (top, bottom, sides). Wash out the interior parts and replace them.
- Dishwasher: Clean out your dishwasher with Dishwasher Magic. It will make your dishwasher look and smell brand new. Do not forget to fill the tank with Jet-Dry too.
- Sink drain: Run Disposer Care lemon beads through your garbage disposer to ensure it is fresh.
- Backsplash: Clean and polish.
- Drawers and cabinets: Remove everything from drawers and cabinets. Fully wipe out the inside and outside. Nicely reorganize cooking tools.
- Walls: Wipe down walls to remove any unruly splatters.
- Under sink: Remove all items and wipe out from top to bottom. Make sure there are no plumbing leaks.
- Trash can: Take your trash can outside and clean it inside and out. If it is beyond cleaning…buy a new one!
- Stainless Steel: If you have stainless steel appliances, polish them with a stainless steel cleaner.
2. Bathrooms:
- Medicine cabinets: Remove everything from the cabinets and wipe them out, top to bottom. If the cabinets have glass shelves, run them through the dishwasher to make sure they are fully clean.
- Sink and shower drains: Remove all hair and debris from drains with a sink hair snare. Follow up with a healthy dose of Draino to make sure the drains are clear.
- Drawers and cabinets: Remove everything from drawers and cabinets. Fully wipe out the inside and outside. Nicely reorganize toiletries.
- Under sink: Remove all items and wipe out from top to bottom. Make sure there are no plumbing leaks.
- Toilet: Clean the toilet from top to bottom, inside and out. Place a Clorox Toilet Tablet in the water tank to keep the toilet fresh.
3. Closets:
- Shelves: Remove everything from the shelves and wipe them off. Nicely reorganize supplies and clothes.
- Walls: Wipe down walls to remove all hanger scratches and scuffs.
4. Other:
- Light switch covers: Clean all light switch covers of finger prints and dirt.
- Thermostat: Wipe off finger prints and dirt.
- Fireplace: Remove all soot and debris from fireplace. Hire a chimney sweeper if necessary. Stage with wood or gas logs.
- Washing machine: Run a clean cycle on your washing machine. I like to use Tide Washing Machine Cleaner to ensure that it looks and smells clean.
-Dryer: Remove lint from dryer lint trap. Make sure there is no lint under or behind dryer (this is a fire hazard and will set off alarms with potential buyers).
- Storage (attic/garage/storage shed): Don’t forget to clean all storage areas! After kitchens and bathrooms, storage is the next most important factor on all potential buyers’ lists.
Next week we will finally take a break from cleaning and discuss how to interview realtors to make sure you have the right person selling your house.
Don’t forget to ‘pin’ this post so you have it handy when you are ready to prep your house for market!
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