Since the house is a repossession, it needs a good clean. It is certainly not as bad as some that we viewed while looking for a house but obviously when your house is being repossessed you don't worry about making sure it's clean when you leave and then it has also been sitting empty for a while.
I have tried to come up with a comprehensive cleaning plan so that I can make sure we take all the things we need with us to clean the house and we can do a decent job. Also since there's going to be more than one person doing it (me, Hubby, and a friend has offered to help us) it's useful to have some kind of checklist so things don't get missed out or done twice and everyone can find something to do.
So far I've done a first draft for the living room, kitchen, bathroom and each of the bedrooms (which are just the same as the living room except for no fireplace to clean so I haven't posted them here):
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Living Room
| Feather dust cobwebs. Feather dust windowsill. Feather dust ledges. Feather dust fireplace. | Feather duster |
| Wash down walls. Clean windowsill. Clean ledges. Clean fireplace. Clean radiator. Clean skirting board. Clean door. Clean door handle. | Bucket Hot water Flash all purpose Washing up liquid Cleaning rags Washing up gloves |
| Clean lightswitch. | Baby wipes |
| Clean window. | Vinegar spray Cleaning rags |
| Clean carpet | Vacuum cleaner Bicarbonate of soda Spoon Tea strainer Carpet stain remover |
Kitchen
| Feather dust cobwebs. | Feather duster |
| If everything is very dirty do preliminary quick wipe down with old towels and plain water to remove excessive dirt. | Old towels and warm water. |
| Wash down walls. Clean tops of cupboards. Clean fronts of cupboards. Clean windowsill. Clean radiator. Clean skirting board. Clean door. Clean door handle. | Bucket Hot water Flash all purpose Washing up liquid Cleaning rags Washing up gloves |
| Clean lightswitch. | Baby wipes |
| Clean hob. If encrusted, cover with damp old towel for an hour to soften then clean with soapy water. Make bicarb/vinegar paste for any remaining dirt. | Old towel Warm water Vinegar/bicarbonate of soda Spoon Old mug Old toothbrush Cleaning rags |
| Clean oven. Put bowl of hot water with lemon juice in for 1-2 hours until almost boiled dry. When cool enough, add bicarb/vinegar to water and use to wipe down oven. Wipe out with plain water. | Pyrex bowl Hot water Lemon juice Spoon Vinegar/bicarbonate of soda Cleaning rags |
| Clean sink Draining board/sink - make paste of vinegar/bicarb, pour over, leave to soak then rinse. Drain - 1 tsp bicarb and ½ cup vinegar down drain, leave for ½ hour then flush with water. Wipe over with soapy water. | Vinegar/bicarbonate of soda Spoon Cup Soapy water Cleaning rag |
| Clean inside cupboards. Clean with soapy water first then with bleach. | Bucket Hot water Flash all purpose Washing up liquid Cleaning rags Washing up gloves Bleach spray |
| Clean worktops. Clean with soapy water first then with bleach. | Bucket Hot water Flash all purpose Washing up liquid Cleaning rags Washing up gloves Bleach spray |
| Clean window. | Vinegar spray Cleaning rags |
| Clean floor Use mug to pour water onto floor for scrubbing then use old towels to mop up dirty water before adding more fresh water. | Bucket Hot water Flash all purpose Washing up liquid Old mug Old towels Washing up gloves Scrubbing brush |
Bathroom
| Feather dust cobwebs. | Feather duster |
| If everything is very dirty do preliminary quick wipe down with old towels and plain water to remove excessive dirt. | Old towels and warm water. |
| Wash down walls. Clean windowsill. Clean radiator. Clean skirting board. Clean door. Clean door handle. | Bucket Hot water Flash all purpose Washing up liquid Cleaning rags Washing up gloves |
| Clean lightswitch. | Baby wipes |
| Clean tiles Clean with vinegar spray then treat with car wax. | Vinegar spray Car wax Cleaning rags |
| Pre-clean bath Pre-clean sink Pre-clean toilet. Wipe over with soapy water then clean with vinegar spray (leave vinegar for 5-10 minutes before wiping off). | Bucket Hot water Flash all purpose Washing up liquid Cleaning rags Washing up gloves Vinegar spray |
| Clean bath Half fill with warm water and add a cup of washing powder. | Warm water Washing powder Washing up brush (to stir) |
| Clean basin Fill with hot water, flash and washing up liquid. Soak for at least half an hour then wipe out. | Hot water Flash all purpose Washing up liquid Cleaning rags |
| Clean toilet Spray with bleach then wipe over after 5-10 minutes. Put 3 Steradent tablets in before leaving to be left overnight. | Bleach spray Cleaning rags Steradent tablets |
| Clean taps. If buffing with vinegar spray is not sufficient leave a vinegar soaked cloth around the tap for half an hour. Run taps over with vinegar cloth then with a dry cloth. | Vinegar spray Vinegar Cleaning rags |
| Clean mirror. Clean window. | Vinegar spray Cleaning rags |
| Clean carpet | Vacuum cleaner Bicarbonate of soda Spoon Tea strainer Carpet stain remover |
| Clean floor Use mug to pour water onto floor for scrubbing then use old towels to mop up dirty water before adding more fresh water. | Bucket Hot water Flash all purpose Washing up liquid Old mug Old towels Washing up gloves Scrubbing brush |
I now need to do a list for the hall, stairs and landing which I forgot to do before because it's not a proper "room": It will probably be pretty similar to the living room and bedrooms. I also want to make an overall list of what we will need to take and a list of things we need to buy (probably just a bleach spray since ours is broken). The other thing left to do with regard to cleaning is to go through my bag of old clothes and cut any suitable ones up for cleaning rags; I know there's more there that could be used but I hadn't cut them up as I don't normally need a huge amount all at once.
If you have any tips to share, please feel free to leave a comment.
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