A new apartment entails one thing: cleaning. As if all the energy spent packing boxes, loading and unloading the truck wasn’t enough! On the bright side, cleaning your apartment is the first step to making your new place feel like home.
An eco-friendly cleaning kit
Each year, the average Canadian family uses about 20 to 40 litres of cleaning products. To help avoid the many environmental and health hazards of the ingredients found in most of these products, the team at Kangalou suggests using an all-green cleaning kit!
- Purchase a good amount of baking soda. It’s mildly abrasive, so is perfect for cleaning, softening and removing odour from textiles. And you can easily find it in any grocery store or pharmacy.
- Pick up some washing soda (sodium carbonate) at any health food store. It is great for removing stains by loosening the grease and dirt.
- Choose vegetable oil-based liquid soaps, which contain biodegradable natural fats. They are also easily found in grocery stores, pharmacies and health food stores.
- White vinegar is your best friend! It will help you clean, remove odours, disinfect, eliminate mold, dissolve calcium deposits and even get rid of the toughest stains!
Say goodbye to the previous tenant once and for all!
The previous tenants’ living habits will determine the amount of cleaning you will have to do. If possible, try to learn as much as you can about them. Did they smoke? Did they have kids? Did they have pets? Odours from cigarette smoke or pets on the walls will be much harder to get rid of than a stain on the floor. Before starting to clean, try to put as many boxes as possible in one room. This will make it easier for you to work on all of the rooms in your apartment, and to paint once they are all clean!
A little love in every room
Start out with the kitchen and the bathroom, as they will probably need a more thorough cleaning. Then move on to the other rooms, which usually require less attention.
Kitchen
- If it hasn’t been done before moving, thoroughly clean the entire stove—stovetop, fan and oven. Make a paste out of baking soda and vinegar to clean the oven racks.
- Before installing your fridge and freezer, clean their shelves with soapy water, and vacuum the spot where they will be placed.
- Dust all of the cupboards, drawers and counters, then wash them with vinegar and water.
Bathroom
- Thoroughly clean the toilet seat, for obvious reasons.
- Clean and disinfect the bathtub, shower and sink meticulously. Take out the drain plug and remove any hair or residue that has accumulated.
- Clean the medicine cabinet with a compressed air duster to remove any dirt.
Bedrooms, office and hallways
- Before unpacking boxes, wash all large surfaces, such as the walls, floors and doors, with water and vinegar and a Magic Eraser.
- Don’t forget the often overlooked areas, like light switches, electrical plugs, moldings and doorknobs.
Even if your apartment’s previous tenants cleaned before leaving, it is important to make sure that the cleaning was not done carelessly. Remember that even though you left your old apartment neat and tidy, those who just left your new home may not have done the same for you. Check every room—you surely wouldn’t want to settle in amongst a stranger’s filth!
And now, it’s time to get out your paintbrushes!
