Moving to a new home is supposed to be a fresh start—but it doesn’t feel fresh when you’re up to your elbows in someone else’s grime. Even new construction can leave strange dust in unexpected places.
Luckily, with less (or no) furniture in place, now may be the perfect time to do your new house cleaning. With just a few hours of deep cleaning, you’ll have your rooms looking shiny, new, and ready to hold all your favorite things.
Here are the steps you should take when deep cleaning your home.
How to Do an Overall Deep Cleaning
These initial steps will be crucial for every room throughout the home, though we’ll get into a few specific areas later on in this list. Make sure to streamline the process by following these steps from start to finish.
Declutter
For most homeowners, your new home will be blessedly free of any clutter once the previous owners have moved out. However, if you’ve inherited the home or if the previous owners left things behind, you may need to tackle any visible clutter standing in your way. You don’t need to take care of anything hidden in closets or unseen areas; just make sure the areas you’ll be cleaning are clear.
Start High
Start cleaning at the top of every room and work your way down, ensuring that you aren’t getting dirt on a surface you’ve already cleaned. Hard-to-reach light fixtures should come first, with the floor or carpet itself coming last.
Clean the Windows
Spray your windows with a little glass or window cleaner before wiping them down. A squeegee can mean all the difference in terms of sparkle and shine, but you can get by without one if you haven’t bought one for your new home yet. If you notice any caked in dust or debris, however, you may need to do further cleaning.
Tackle the Floors
With less furniture in place in your new home, now is the time to do a thorough scrubbing of your home’s floors. For bathroom and kitchen tile, consider doing a deep cleaning with professional-grade products, or opt for chemical free cleaning if you prefer. A microfiber mop can help with hard floors while remaining soft enough not to cause damage.
How to Deep Clean Your Kitchen
Though the tips above should be enough for the living spaces and bedrooms in your home, you’ll want to pay special attention to your kitchen, which may have accumulated years of set-in grease and grime. Here’s where to start.
Clean Your Oven
Be careful—your new oven may be self-cleaning, but that doesn’t mean what’s currently inside it isn’t a fire hazard. Before you heat your oven on a cleaning cycle, do your own cleaning to take care of the worst of the mess.
Scrub the Stovetop
Remove your stove’s pot grates and soak them in soapy water before cleaning them. Scrub down the surface of the stovetop, including any food-catching tray beneath the burners. If you have an electric stove, don’t forget to turn it off before cleaning it!
Freshen the Microwave
If your microwave looks like the scene of several explosions, a bit of vinegar or lemon can be a great way to get rid of the grime. Lemon has the added benefit of a pleasing smell, of course, so it may be a better option to freshen your kitchen!
Polish Surfaces
Make sure the surfaces of all appliances are gleaming with a quick scrub (as needed). You can follow this up with some glass cleaner, but you may want to opt for a product geared toward stainless steel, depending on the surface of your appliances.
Clean the Sink
Wipe down your sink with hot, soapy water, and pay attention to any crevices around the rims or in the backsplash. To disinfect, grab some disinfectant spray and let it sit for 10-15 minutes before wiping it down.
How to Deep Clean Your Bathroom
If you’re like most new homeowners, this will be one of the areas you’re most anxious to clean. Whether or not it looks it, your bathroom can be a veritable bacteria factory, complete with previous owners’ germs. Doing a deep cleaning can get the area shining like new while giving you confidence that the only future bathroom grime will be your own.
Scrub Your Grout and Tile
White grout and sparkling tile can really freshen the appearance of a bathroom, but this isn’t always an easy thing to achieve. Grab a specialized grout and tile cleaner to tackle the problem, or make your own DIY cleaner with ½ cup baking soda, ¼ cup hydrogen peroxide, and one teaspoon of dish soap. You’ll apply the mixture to the surface, wait ten minutes, and scrub.
Clean the Toilet
Do a thorough deep cleaning of the toilet, including the area behind it. Don’t forget to use toilet bowl cleaner on the bowl itself, especially if you notice any signs of discoloration.
Polish the Shower Doors
If you notice water spots or soap scum, you can heat up distilled white vinegar and apply it as needed to break up the stains. After waiting half an hour, sprinkle a pinch of baking soda onto a sponge and scrub the surface well.
Tackle Your New House Cleaning in No Time
With these tips, some elbow grease, and the help of the right tools and cleaners, you’ll be well on your way to a new house cleaning that thoroughly freshens your home. Make sure to stay organized as you go, cleaning every area from top to bottom to ensure you don’t miss a thing. In no time at all, you’ll be ready to kick back, relax, and enjoy your new (and clean) home!
Looking for more insightful guides to help make your house feel more like a home sweet home? Check out our other blogs for more tips!
