You signed the papers, hired the movers, packed the dishes, and decluttered the garage. Now what?

You are still left with something that is very important to do before leaving. That is to perform a deep cleaning of your former and new apartment.

Doing a deep cleansing of the apartment before moving out is beneficial for both the parties – particularly if you have a security deposit on the line. Though, moving out cleaning is easy to ignore. After all, you have many things to worry about such as shifting into your new apartment.

Whether you are considering moving-in cleaning or moving-out cleaning, just read the following guidelines to make sure your apartment is sparkling.

1. Moving-Out

Now as the rooms are vacant or nearly vacant, it is the time to make your apartment look even better than it was before you first moved in.

Standard move out cleaning checklist:

• Pack and remove all personal items

• Remove all trash from the apartment

• Cancel all utilities of that specific apartment

• Perform thorough dusting

• Remove nails from walls

• Double check for possible stains on carpeting and do best to remove them

• Clean kitchen appliances

• Clean out the cabinets

• Clean sinks & countertops

• Scrub shower & bathtub

• Scrub toilets

• Wipe down baseboards

• Sweep and vacuum all the floor

2. Moving-In

Cleaning during the move-in phase can be tricky. It depends a lot on when your lease begins and when you move into your space physically. If the time allows you, you should take the time to visit the apartment personally and do comprehensive cleaning and double check the apartment’s utilities, appliances, faucets and other things that might need to be checked before you start using them. This ascertains that every inch of the rental apartment gets the attention that it seeks. If you find something that was not a problem earlier during your walk-through, be sure to talk to your landlord or property manager to make sure it gets fixed before your official move-in date.

Standard move in cleaning checklist:

• Open a window to allow fresh air in

• Vacuum or steam clean carpet

• Clean bathtub and toilet

• Lightly wipe down surfaces

• Check vents, air filter, faucets, etc.

• Clean refrigerator and freezer

After moving your stuff in, cleaning will get a little more detail-oriented. Since the space is officially yours, so it is you who will be daily tracking the dirt into your space.

Remember that you were not the first person to live in the rental space and most likely you will not be the last, so treat the rental apartment as if it was your permanent residence or will be your permanent residence.