At the end of a tenancy agreement, unless decided otherwise, it’s imperative to get a ‘move out’ clean to ensure the property is spick and span ready for the next tenant – and to ensure that the tenant gets as much of their deposit back as possible.
It’s not always straightforward to get your tenant to pay for end of tenancy cleaning. Doing it yourself, as a landlord, can seem like a good way to do so on a budget, but is it even possible to DIY it? Or is it imperative to hire professional property cleaning services? Let’s take a look at how an end of tenancy clean should be done and weigh up the pros and cons of doing it yourself.
What do I need to do to clean my rental property myself?
If you want to tackle the property yourself for that post move-out clean, of course, it is possible. Before you begin, you’ll need to ensure you have at least a couple of days free after the tenants have left. Ideally, they will have done the cleaning themselves, but if they haven’t, then here is a short rundown of what you can expect to do in each room and some top tips:
– Living room
Beginning at the ceiling, use a broom or duster to clear any cobwebs that might be lurking there. Starting here means that any dust or debris that falls to the floor during the process will be cleaned later. Once the ceiling is cobweb free, move to the walls and wash them. Dirt tends to accumulate, particularly around touchpoints like the light switches. Once the walls are done, clean any doors and door frames, paying special attention to the door handles.
Using vinegar and microfibre cloths is the best way to get a nice shine on the windows without streaking. Once they are done, you can wipe down the window sills, skirting boards and radiators.
The final job will be to hoover the floors and clean them, whether mopping hardwood or laminate or cleaning the carpets.
– Bedroom(s)
The bedroom clean will be very similar to the living room clean. Start at the ceiling and remove any cobwebs before washing down the walls – especially around light switches. After this, the room(s) will need to be hoovered and the carpet cleaned/floorboards mopped.
– Kitchen
Start the kitchen the same way you started the living room – up high. Clear any cobwebs from the ceiling and then dust and clean the tops of the cupboards. Then move onto the insides of the upper cupboards, ensuring they are spick and span and disinfected, followed by the doors.
Once this is done, you can clean and disinfect the counters and bleach the sink and plughole. Limescale can build up around taps, especially in hard water areas like London. There are special products you can purchase to remove it, but many cleaning experts recommend white vinegar to break down the calcium deposits. You’ll also need to clean the windows and windowsill at this point.
You’ll also need to defrost and disinfect the fridge and freezer if applicable. Make sure you have plenty of old towels on hand to defrost the freezer – there will be more water than you think! Then any household disinfectant will do to clean it. If there are stains and gunk on the fridge’s shelves, it might be best to remove those first and soak them in bleach in the sink.
Cleaning the oven is an arduous task but can be made easier with the multitude of products available. These tend to be acids that can eat through the carbon and grime, with bags to soak the shelving in. You can also use a scrubbing brush, abrasive cleaners and a bit of elbow grease to shift the stubborn remnants. However, given the time and effort that goes into cleaning an oven, it may be a good idea to enlist the help of a property cleaning service for this job.
Finally, the floor will need to be hoovered and mopped along with the skirting board and any radiators.
– Bathroom
Cleaning the bathroom can highlight some of the grosser aspects of cleaning. Whether it’s mould around the taps or unmentionable stains in the loo, heavy-duty cleaning tools come into play in the bathroom.
There are specialist sprays you can buy to tackle mould, but any bleach will work to kill the mould spores and shift the stains they leave behind. If it’s particularly bad, you can soak some kitchen roll or cotton wool in bleach and leave it on top of the stain to soak.
A useful cleaning hack for tackling limescale on shower heads is to fill a ziplock bag with white vinegar and soak the showerhead in it. White vinegar can also be used on the taps to make them shine.
When it comes to grubby toilets, a strong toilet cleaner and some elbow grease can make them shine. If there’s limescale in the bowl, try dropping a few denture cleaning tablets to fizz the limescale away.
How long will cleaning my rental property take?
An empty, three-bedroom house that has been well maintained during its occupancy can take an individual around eight hours to clean from top to bottom. It can take considerably longer for a house that’s been left in any kind of mess or is larger. As a minimum, it’s wise to account for at least two working days free to clean the property to account for nipping to the shops to grab cleaning products you might need along the way.
Is there another option for cleaning my rental property?
Another option is hiring a company to do end of tenancy cleaning for you. A good cleaning team offering expert property cleaning services, can accomplish a job much quicker than the average person, thanks to their expertise and experience. They also have all their own cleaning equipment, such as carpet cleaners, which can be costly to buy or rent. What could take you three days to clean, a team of professionals can accomplish in just a few hours.
Weighing up the two options
| DIY cleaning | |
| Pros | Cons |
| Save some money | Takes time |
| Can cost money to buy products/devices | |
| Hiring a cleaning company | |
| Pros | Cons |
| Can save money in the long run | Costs money upfront |
| Saves time | |
| Guaranteed result | |
Why hire End of Tenancy London to clean my rental property?
End of Tenancy Cleaning London are experts in property cleaning services. We have 5-star testimonials, which you can find on our homepage, and have a deposit return guarantee.
- Prices start at just £90
- Deposit back guarantee
- Friendly team of experts, always happy to help
- Easily book online