This post was contributed to Leisure Freak by Curtis Fisher of Tradesbright. We’re all now ready to get back to a normal life. For those ready to make a move to a new home, Curtis offers tips to make the new place pristine. Tips that those of us staying put can also apply to our existing homes for better living. 

Moving to a new house or apartment in retirement is, metaphorically speaking, a fresh start. The trouble with metaphors is that they don’t always translate to the concrete. If you want your new place to be truly fresh and clean from day one, you must take steps to ensure it is pristine before you move in. The Leisure Freak site offers some tips on how to make that happen from floor to surface to air. 

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Making Your Old and New Place Pristine

Clean Up Your Old Place as Well

Naturally, you’re excited to get into your new place and get things set up. However, don’t forget that you can use the cleaning tricks found in this article before you bid farewell to your former home. Cleaning your apartment from top to bottom is a great way to leave a lasting impression on your former landlord, and it can help you get back your security deposit. However, when you clean up the home you’re selling, you can actually increase its value on the market, as well as help win over buyers who’ve taken an interest in the property. So, before you focus on the new place, make sure you’ve taken care of everything at your old place!

Breathe Easy

Houses and apartments, due to their confined nature, are better at breeding allergens and pollutants than outdoor spaces and larger public enclosures. While you will do what you can to control the air quality in your living space once you move in by changing your air filters regularly, vacuuming and dusting, and controlling pet hair and dander, there is plenty you can do before you move in to make it safe and ready for you and your family. 

First, install carbon monoxide and radon detectors. These gases can be present in homes and can lead to acute medical issues — even in small quantities. Open the windows and run the air conditioning to get allergens out of your home. Dusting and deep cleaning can remove dust mites and other insect byproducts. You can even run an air-purifying unit for a week or so before moving in to help rid the indoor air of pollutants. 

Finally, don’t forget to check for mold, which is one of the worst pollutants. The best way to prevent mold is to reduce the moisture in your home. Do this by running a dehumidifier and by fixing any leaky pipes (dark, wet areas are breeding grounds for mold). 

Deep Clean Like It’s Never Been Cleaned Before

Your new place may look pretty clean when you give it a gander, but you need to know this: It can always be cleaner. Taking a Saturday or Sunday to give your new home a truly deep clean will help remove allergens, dirt, and bacteria from the home’s many surfaces — floor to ceiling. So, what are the most important things to clean before you move in?

• Appliances. These rarely get cleaned by previous occupiers. You should use sanitizing tablets for the washer, dryer, and dishwasher. Ovens and fridges can get really nasty, so a full-scale scrub down is warranted there. 
• Carpets. Vacuuming isn’t enough. You should consider steam cleaning any carpet in your new home. 
• Anywhere high up. Once again, often neglected. Tops of ceiling fans, tops of cabinets, air vents, and room corners are usually covered in dust and other particulates. 
• Grout. Any caulk or grout in your bathrooms and kitchens will need chemical cleansing. 

Check out this checklist for more guidance on what you should deep clean before you move in. 

Hire Professionals

Even if you attempt to deep clean yourself, there’s a good chance you won’t do the best job. Many people don’t have the time or energy to truly deep clean an entire house. If either of these applies to you, it may be best to hire professional cleaners. You want your new place to be truly spotless, and working with a pro will ensure your home is cleaned from top to bottom. Finding solid cleaning services in your area can be tough, but luckily there are online resources available to make locating experienced professionals a little easier. 

We think our homes are the cleanest, pollutant-free places around. This can be true, but it’s usually not the case if you don’t take steps to make them pristine. So, purify the air and surfaces in your new place before you unpack to make your new home in retirement exactly where you want to be. 

Thank you Curtis Fisher for contributing this tip filled post to Leisure Freak. 

Author bio: “Curtis Fisher created Tradesbright to highlight the stories of tradesmen and women who have raised the bar by going above and beyond to help a fellow neighbor, community member, or someone they happened across while on the job. Big or small, the acts of kindness deserve to be recognized!”