How to ace your final inspection in 10 quick, squeaky clean tips

Tenants | Tue 13 Oct 20

One of the simplest ways to avoid unexpected moving out costs is a deep clean before you move out. If your contract doesn’t say you need to hire a professional cleaner, you could save yourself some extra cash by doing it yourself.

1. Baking soda is your secret weapon...

Baking soda isn’t just great for baking. It has a secret power: removing stubborn odours. Before you move out, sprinkle baking soda over soft furnishings like mattresses, sofas and carpets. Leave overnight and vacuum up the next day for fresh-smelling furniture.

2. ...and it’s even more powerful mixed with bleach

In a well ventilated room, mix household bleach and baking soda together to activate their combined cleaning power. They’re a particularly great team for cleaning mouldy bathroom grout. Just make a paste then use it to scrub your bathroom tiles clean.

3. Use a hairdryer to get rid of water rings

If you’re in a furnished house and forgot to use a coaster on a wooden surface, get rid of the evidence easily. Use your hair dryer on its lowest setting to gently heat the water ring and watch it disappear. Keep the hair dryer moving so you don’t scorch the wood.

4. Wash your shower curtain with towels

Even shower curtains need to take a dip now and then. Luckily most are easy to wash in the washing machine (but do check the label first!). Pop your curtain in the washing machine with a couple of towels to help shift any mould and mildew. Then hang it up somewhere well-ventilated straight away. It can make the world of difference to how clean your whole bathroom looks.

5. Get rid of pet hair with rubber gloves

Vacuum cleaner no match for your pet’s fur? Pop on a pair of rubber gloves and rub them over carpets, sofas or anything else that’s looking furrier than it should be.

6. Defrost your fridge and freezer with a bowl of hot water

Here’s the perfect excuse to polish off that pint of Ben & Jerry’s in a sitting. Turn your fridge and freezer off and let it defrost before cleaning to make sure you can get into all the seals, nooks and crannies. To help speed up the melting process, put a bowl of hot water in the freezer. Remember to put some old towels on the floor to catch any drips and leave the doors open for ventilation.

7. Get streak-free windows and mirrors with vinegar

Plain old white vinegar is great for tackling grimy glass without giving you a workout. Wash them with soapy water first, then mix 50% vinegar and 50% warm water in a spray bottle. Mist your glass, rub in the vinegar with a cloth, then polish with a lint-free cloth for no streaks. You can use warm neat vinegar if your windows are really dirty.

8. Old socks make great dusters

Spare those holy socks from the bin for a bit longer and put them to good use. They make especially good duster mittens for getting into fiddly things like window blinds.

9. Boil a lemon for a good-as-new microwave

Burnt-on ready-meal and soup splatters messing up your microwave? Squeeze a lemon into a bowl, add half a cup of water and the lemon halves. Microwave on full power for three minutes until the water boils. Leave the door closed for five minutes so the steam can work its magic, then remove the lemon water and wipe everything down inside. Ding!

10. Shine your stainless steel oven hood with baby oil

It sounds counterintuitive, but rub baby oil onto stainless steel like oven hoods, some fridges and microwaves with a cloth for a streak-free finish.

There you have it! These cleaning hacks should hopefully help you get 10 steps closer to avoiding any inconvenient moving out fees. Even simpler than these cleaning hacks, switching from a traditional deposit to our Zero Deposit™ Guarantee could save you hundreds of pounds up front. It’s a trusted alternative that only costs you one week’s rent instead of the month or more that a traditional cash deposit usually asks for. So next time you move, you might even be able to treat yourself to a professional cleaner...