When I’m not busy blogging about my love for Texas, I also work as a real estate agent. In addition to helping people find homes, I help the occasional client with apartment locating. Moving into a new apartment is exciting and a new adventure. If you have already signed the lease, packed up your belongings and hired a moving company, there is just one more thing for you to do — give your apartment a thorough cleaning before you move in. Here are seven items that you’ll want to freshen up.
1. Scrub the Cabinets
Before you place your cups, plates, and glasses into the kitchen cabinets, you need to wash the inside shelves. Hot water should remove most of the dirt and debris, but if see any tough stains, try using a small amount of baking soda combined with water and gently scrub. After cleaning, line the inside with contact paper.
2. Tackle the Fridge
A cleaning crew has already completed some cleaning on the refrigerator after the last tenants moved out. However, they probably did not give the fridge a deep, thorough cleaning. You might as well tackle this challenge now since you don’t have any food stocked. Remove all the drawers and shelves and wipe them down. Spray the inside of the fridge with disinfectant and scrub the walls.
3. Scour the Shower or Bathtub
Germs live in all types of environments, especially the bathroom. Even if the shower or bathtub looks clean, it really needs to be washed with some extra care. To do a proper job, take some kosher salt, baking soda and borax and sprinkle all three in equal parts all over the area that you are cleaning. Next, take a damp sponge and lightly scrub (Make sure that these abrasives are not scratching any surfaces by testing a small patch first.)
4. Run the Dishwasher
Another item that you want to clean is the dishwasher. You can freshen it up by placing one cup of vinegar on the top shelf and running a full cycle through at the highest heat setting that is possible. Your next step is to place a few small spoonsful of baking soda on the bottom rack and run a short cycle at the highest heat setting one more time. This will leave your dishwasher smelling fresh and ready for your dirty dishes and utensils.
5. Sanitize the Garbage Disposal
Your garbage disposal has an important job in the kitchen. It constantly clears small food particles and sends them out of your apartment. Unfortunately, the inner depths of the garbage disposal can start to smell a little funky. The remedy is to take a small lemon wedge and toss it inside the disposal. Run hot water through the pipes and turn on the switch to get a disposal humming. Add some dish soap and continue running water for another 30 seconds.
6. Disinfect Areas You Frequently Touch
There’s no telling how many individuals have touched the doorknobs and light switches in your apartment. These touch points can contain nasty bacteria. Be sure to wipe down any touch points that you frequently put your hands on such as thermostat knobs, oven switches or alarm pads.
7. Bathroom Exhaust Fan Cleaning
Often, this item slips by and never receives a cleaning. Over time, lint can collect in a bathroom exhaust fan. When this occurs, it presents a possible fire hazard. To remedy the problem, just take a can of air and apply a few bursts to the inside of the fan. This should remove any lint that is sitting there.