Let’s be honest, cheap end of lease cleans aren’t the easiest deals to find in Sydney. And for some tenants, rolling up your sleeves and doing the dirty work yourselves might be the easiest solution when moving out and attempting to get a bond refund. If you’ve been following our blog, you’ve read our Ultimate Moving House Checklist, a 6-week guide to meticulously plan your next move. We’re continuing the series by providing all Sydney renters with the same end of lease cleaning checklist that our professional cleaners use, covering everything from your bedrooms to bathrooms, kitchens and more.
1. Cleaning Preparation
Before you even lift a finger, there’ll be some prep work that you’ll need to do to ensure a fast and efficient cleaning day. Follow these tips to set yourself up for success.
Prepare Your Schedule
A team of two professional end of lease cleaners will take roughly 2-4 hours to clean a studio apartment, 4-6 hours to clean a three bedroom apartment, and an entire day to clean a large house. A lot of renters are surprised by how much work can be involved, leaving too little time to finish the job. More often than not, this means hiring last minute cleaners or worse yet, relinquishing a portion of their bond. It’s up to you to decide if you’re up to the task, but we always recommend splitting the clean up into several days.
Empty Your Home
At This is Neat Cleaning, we have an “unfurnished” policy for our end of lease cleans. Trust us when we say, you’ll want to move out before you start cleaning. We recommend this to most renters because the majority of messes occur during the moving process, not the actual tenancy. Another primary reason for emptying your home is that exit cleans require much more thorough cleaning than usual. If furniture is in your way, you won’t be able to guarantee that specific areas are 100% clean, for example, underneath your couch or below the fridge.
Get the Right Equipment and Supplies
You’ll need to bring more than just yourself to finish the job. Grab these supplies to get you started and the optional equipment for more specific cleaning if required.
- Broom
- Brush and dustpan
- Duster
- Gloves
- Bucket
- Mop
- Vacuum
- Carpet Steam Cleaner (as required)
- Oven cleaner (degreaser)
- Oven scraper
- Preferred cleaning product (Easy-off, Pledge, Vim)
- Sugar Soap
- Sponges
- Paper Towels
- Towels
- Squeegee
- Newspapers
- Ladder (as required)
- Screwdriver (as required)
2. End of Lease Cleaning Checklist
Kitchen
By far, your kitchen will require the most cleaning effort. Depending on use, grease build-up can be mild to severe. Oven cleaning alone will take up to an hour for degreasing agents to work their magic. You’ll also potentially have appliances that need to be wiped down, cupboards that need to be washed, and food stains to scrub out.
- clean oven (interior + exterior)
- clean stovetop
- degrease range hood
- clean bench top surfaces
- clean backsplash
- clean sink, handles and spout
- clean pantry
- clean cupboards, shelves and drawers
- clean inside microwave, dishwasher, or fridge (as required)
Bathrooms
If kitchens require the most amount of cleaning effort, bathrooms are without a doubt an easy second. Most people love ignoring their bathrooms leaving soap scum, toilet stains, and hard water marks to set in. You’ll most likely need to use some cleaning products, so be sure to pop open a window before starting.
- wash tiled surfaces
- clean bathtubs and basins
- clean shower glass/screens
- clean shower head and faucets
- clean and disinfect toilets
- clean vanity, handles and spout
- clean medicine cabinets
- polish mirrors
- dust air vents
Bedrooms, Living Rooms, and Dining Rooms
Room layouts tend to be relatively similar in a home, so you can use this general cleaning checklist for most of them. Don’t forget to address any hallways and staircases if you live in a house with multiple floors.
- vacuum/sweep/mop floors
- clean cupboards, shelves, and drawers
- clean wardrobe mirrors, frame and tracks
- wash window, sills, and tracks (interior)
- detail door frames
- detail skirting board
- dust blinds
- clean accessible light fixtures
- clean light switches and power points
- remove cobwebs
- carpet steam cleaning (as required)
- wall washing – either spot cleans or entire wall washes (as required)
- blind deep cleaning (as required)
- pest control (as required)
Laundry
If you’re lucky, your apartment might include a laundry room. Here’s a quick tip: Don’t forget to check the lint filter.
- vacuum/sweep/mop floors
- wipe down washer and dryer surfaces
- remove dryer lint
- clean sink, handles, and spout
Balcony
It’s quite common for terrace houses and apartments in Sydney to have outdoor balconies. One of our favourite tricks is to use newspaper to wash balcony screens. It’s a great way to leave streak-free windows that will be sure to impress even your estate agent.
- vacuum/sweep/mop floors
- wash sliding patio doors and tracks (interior and exterior)
- wash window, sills and tracks (exterior)
Garage
If you’re living in a house, chances are you might have a detached garage you’re worrying about. Relax, the garage usually takes the least amount of cleaning time.
- sweep floors
- clean cupboards, shelves, and drawers
- remove cobwebs
3. Real Estate Agent Approval
You’re done the cleaning but hold on for just one more second. Before you return your keys, there’s that one last step. You’ll need to get your real estate agent’s approval during the final inspection before he/she decides to return your bond in full. If you’ve followed this cleaning checklist, you should feel more than confident about your chances. Our recommendation is to have your real estate agent inspect the property immediately after the clean, so you can efficiently address any issues in person.
Lastly, all of this might seem overwhelming, but there’s still time to hire a professional bond cleaning service (we promise, it’ll be our only plug). If you want to save time and stress, we’re available in suburbs all across Sydney and would love the opportunity to provide our cleaning services for you. From the northern beaches to the eastern suburbs, from Bondi to Parramatta, we’ve got you covered. Otherwise, we’re happy to provide this end of lease cleaning checklist in an easy to print pdf format.
