How clean do I have to have my house on moving day?

Question

We are selling & moving out our a house. We are closing on the sale of our home and the purchase of our new house on the same day. We will be living in our current house until the day of signing. With us moving out and the new owners moving in on the same day how clean does the place have to be?

Thank you to all who have replied! My two boys 3 and 6 years old are just making it hard on me! "Broom clean" sounds good but I'll do my best. I'm a prefectionist so I'll still stress about getting it just right! Do onto others as you want them to do to you! I'll keep going! Thanks again!

Answer 1

How would you like your new house to look?
It should look as clean as it looked when you had your open house.

Answer 2

Well I guess it should be at least as clean as you expect your new home to be. Even if it's new, should the contractors leave the construction miss for you to clean up? How hard would it be for you to keep out a bucket, vacuum, and a few cleaning supplies for a quick once over before you walk out the door? I moved into my new home and the previous owners left it like a pigsty, they really had no problem taking my money though. How bad is it anyway? Good question.

Answer 3

How clean do you want the house you're moving into to be? If the answer is very clean, that's how you should leave the one you're moving out of.

If the answer is, you don't care, then you should still leave the one you're moving out of as clean as it can be.

No one wants to move into someone else's dirt, and if you don't want the people moving into your old house to gossip about how dirty you were, you had better make sure it's very clean because people still tend to find something to complain to your old neighbours about. They will find one spot on a carpet and make it sound like you were a total slob; so be nice and leave your house as clean as you possibly can.

When we sold our last house, we left a new roll of bathroom tissue, and a fresh new bar of soap in each bathroom. We also left a basket with a bottle of wine, 2 wine glasses and some finger foods in the refridgerator and a card to welcome the new owners to their new home. The house was clean and we were moving from Alberta to Ontario and leaving the same day we finnished packing.

If your home is clean while you're living in it, it's not too hard to clean it when you move out.

Answer 4

We just did this the past December, a week before Christmas. We didn't clean out the cabinets and drawers if that is what you think you have to do. Clean off the countertops, sinks, and toilets; sweep the floors and maybe(big maybe) vacuum. I doesn't have to look immacculant, but don't let it look like farm animals lived in there. What we didn't take we either put in the trash can or by the curb for trash day.

Answer 5

As clean and good looking as you can get it, because thats all you can really do. cover stuff up if it looks bad. Let's face it. We stress out too much as it is and we would rather not have to deal with another bump in the road. But unfortunately most of us, at one time or another, have to go through the ordeal of moving. We moan and groan at the thought of relocating. And rightly so! It's physically and emotionally exhausting to pack one's life into a bunch of boxes and move to a new place -- even if it is only three blocks away. That's why it helps to do some careful planning ahead of time to make things go smoothly before, during and after the big move... So just try your best and maybe get one of your friends to come and look and see what they think. I personally prefer to move in to a fairly clean house - no trash in any room. Dusty isn't so bad, but having stinky rotten garbage is just inconsiderate and gross. just get it clean and good looking and thats pretty much all you can do. think of some ideas if you can. Good luck!

-chad

Answer 6

I have moved into some dirty houses in the past. You would not be the first person to leave a messy house, but you may not get your deposit money back. There are people who do this cleaning for a job

Answer 7

I went through this exact same thing two years ago - ARRRGGGH! What I ended up doing was hiring Merry Maids to come and do the move out clean - this cost $150.00, but boy was it ever worth it! They did window sills, the baseboards, ceiling fans - all of that unpleasantness. That way I could focus on packing and organizing - what I spent on the cleaning service was saved on the moving cost - because I concentrated on having them spend minimal time moving us out. Hope this helps! Good Luck!

Answer 8

I would clean it as though you were cleaning it for yourself. It would be nice for the new owners to move into a clean house. Good luck and best wishes in your new home.

Answer 9

Ethically I believe it should be as clean as the day you moved in, if not cleaner. I tend to think of the way I leave the house as an intentional last impression on the new inhabitants and make it sparkle. If you couldn't care less what they think, just stick with the "leave it how you found it" rule.

Answer 10

I worked a professional housekeeper and i cleaned a lot of houses being put on the market...it's best to do a good cleaning..never know you might happen across something you missed in the packing process

Answer 11

I think its a matter of manners. It legally doesn't have to be clean at all but wouldn't it be nice if you treated them the way you would like to be treated? I would say, very clean. But just clean. You don't have to refinish the woodwork. Just clean the walls with spac and span, vacumn every corner and don't leave any junk behind.