What should we do before moving into a new house, while the house is empty?
Long story short, roommate bought a house, getting the keys a week before we move in.
The question is, what kind of maintenance/cleaning/prep work should we do to the house before moving our stuff in? The other roommate and I are going to be running cables, but I was thinking of other things such as bug bombing and carpet cleaning that we can do before we move in the furniture. Any suggestions?
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17 Answers
Do the carpet cleaning and any painting before you move your stuff in. It’s much less of a pain than working around stuff. Why would it need bug bombing?
If you have hardwood floors there will never be a better time to have them refinished. You can rent a floor sander or have it done.
You can also put insulation in the basement if you don’t have it already.
I was going to suggest carpet cleaning and painting/touching up walls like @Adirondackwannabe did. Also, do all of the deep cleaning- baseboards, light fixtures, cleaning the blinds, etc. before you get the furniture in. If you have dusty blinds, I think the best way to clean them is take them off and lay them in a bathtub of water with a little bleach.
Get new toilet seats. They cost about $25 each.
Oh, make sure all the carpet is taut. Use a carpet stretcher and tack it down tight against the walls. It’s bloody impossible after your furniture is in.
Paint the walls colors you want to live with. If you get new toilet seats, get the kind the let themselves down. They cost more but are so, so worth it.
Do anything you want to the ceilings while there’s nothing in the house. With furniture in the house, wall painting can be a pain, but it’s nothing compared to working on ceilings while climbing over furniture! Also cleaning up after ceiling work is easier if there’s nothing but tarp/liner on the floor.
Bug bombing would be a good idea, it will eliminate a lot of pests before you get in and settled. It will eliminate most of the insects that may have moved in with the previous owners, or when the realtors were showing the house.
It is also a good time to change light fixtures and add smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
Clean, clean, clean, and then clean one more time.
Have you radon tested the house? If not do so, it is cheap and the fix is relatively simple.
I would call in a professional house cleaner and have them do the walls, ceilings, fixtures and every other surface. That is far less expensive than re-painting.
Replace all of the locks. You have no idea who may still have keys to the place.
Clean ceiling fan blades.
Take down blinds/shades and give them a good dusting or hosing off.
Steam clean tiled areas.
Drill for and install any curtains hardware.
Scrub bedroom/bathroom/closet doors and give a fresh coat of paint.
Inspect and replace splintery closet rods.
Set up closet shelves/dividers.
Go through the home with a smudge stick.You want to remove negative energy as soon as possible.
Yeah! Get rid of ghosts before you move your stuff in…! Some ghosts can be so damn inconsiderate…
Wash the windows before putting up any window treatments.
Clean out the insides of the kitchen cabinets, even if they appear clean.
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