End of Lease Cleaning
In addition to regular maintenance and cleaning, homeowners are required to complete the last legal step in cleaning their properties before they finally vacate: end of lease cleaning. End of lease cleaning is a fairly simple process for owners to complete but it is critical to be effective because it ensures that the property has been completely cleaned. The rules of the job are quite similar to those for any other cleaning job, which means that it is important to follow the guidelines.
End of lease cleaning should be completed by the end of the month following the lease signing date. This is typically a fairly tight deadline, so make sure you start your cleaning activities as soon as possible.
Begin your cleaning tasks by inspecting the entire property prior to moving into the final clean up phase of the assignment. Vacate clean-up can be tedious, especially if you spend more than an hour or two on the job, so making sure you've gotten every bit of dust and dirt out of the home before starting a new move will help you maintain a good working relationship with your landlord.
End of lease cleaning duties should involve removing all signs of food and other remnants from the property. Find all food containers and trash and then throw them away in a secure dumpster. It is also helpful to cut the leaves and branches off the tree as well, both to keep the yard neat and to minimize the risk of invasive species growing in your yard.
While most people use general landscaping companies to perform the majority of their cleaning, there are a few key aspects of end of lease cleaning that are best left to homeowners. Make sure you do your own property inspection and leave most of the work to the professionals.
Begin by picking up debris from outside the home, including leaves, grass clippings, and bark. Check the gutters, gutters and more gutters to ensure no standing water isleft behind. If your gutters are clogged with debris, find a professional landscaper who specializes in eliminating gutters to ensure everything is removed properly.
End of lease cleaning also involves taking down trees and shrubs. If your property features bushes, trees, or other structures that create shelter for insect life, remove the roots as well. Any plants that grow to any length should also be removed as well, including perennials, which can create severe problems for an already overgrown property.
When checking the leaves on the ground, identify various types of insects such as bugs, spiders, scorpions, and mosquitoes and then identify the different types of treatment available. Call pest control to determine how long it will take to treat the bugs and insects.
During the entire process, make sure that you adhere to the rule of not touching the house or cleaning items on it. Although the house is no longer your primary residence, it should remain clean and free of any furniture and other items that may become tangled in the work.
Work on the back and side of the home rather than the front, which is usually easier to deal with because it is less populated. Don't use strong chemicals to scrub hard to reach areas, such as a window sash, because the cleaning will likely irritate the area if used too often.
Before cleaning any carpets, locate the smallest crevices first. Use a vacuum cleaner with a specially designed padding to catch small pieces of dirt. Be sure to test the vacuum to make sure it can withstand the spills that may occur when cleaning carpets because carpet remnants can be hazardous to health.
End of lease cleaning can be a tedious task, but it is essential for sanitizing your home and making sure that it remains safe for your family. The next time you rent a home, remember to thoroughly inspect the property and make sure that it is safe for your family before you sign the lease agreement.
