by Sammy Stein

Created on: October 06, 2009

When you move into a new apartment, the first places to get clean and really feel are your own are the personal places like the bathroom, kitchen and bedroom. When you move in, the rental agreement will probably have certain criteria as to how clean the previous occupant should have left it but it is still important for you to make it feel like home. Even a freshly cleaned apartment which has recently been vacated is unlikely to feel like it is yours until you have proved to yorself it is clean.

The first place to tackle is thekitchen. Here is where you will, after all, prepare food, cook and use all sorts of cupboards, shelves and work surfaces. You do not really know what they have been used for before so a good clean is first on the agenda.

Get your own washing up bowl - this is important because bowls get used for all kinds of things other than dishes, from sick when people are ill, to more personal things better not thought about. Your own bowl will ensure that you start with a clean, new unused bowl in which you can wash your dishes with no nagging worries.

Clean the sink next. All that should be necessary is either a good soak with lemon joice and bicarbonate of soda to get rid of grease and stains, or you can use bleach diluted with water at 1:10 ratio.

Next, wipe down all the work surfaces with a new cloth. Use the bleach or lemon-bicarbonate solution to give fresh, cean surfaces on which you can feel happy toprepare food. Use food boards for chopping and actual food preparation to really feel happy.

Next have a look at the cupbaords. Wipe them with a bleach solution to kill any lurking nasties and give them a fresh feeling. Line them with white parchment if you are unsure about their cleanliness and then put all your cans, packets and other items in. Now you at least have safe surfaces on which to prepare food. Give the kettle a good rinse using vinegar solution to get rid of limescale and freshen up the element. Wipe down the surface too.

Next, tackle the bathroom. Here, the first wipe shuld be using bleach, even if you usually use an eco-cloth because another person's germs may be hiding in crevices, nooks and cranies and the bathroom is the source of many germs and bugs. Clean the toilet with a good lavatory cleaner and leave to soak for an hour or two. Then wipe all surfaces with a bleach solution and open the windows wide to freshen the air. If the floor is non-porous, wipe with a mop or cloth to freshen and clean and now you have two important areas done.

Next is the bedroom. Clear the room as much as possible and vacuum the floor well. Also vacuum wardrobes inside, corners and any areas which would normally be hidden. This way, you can feel sure that you have got rid of anything the previous occupant has left and your sleeping area will feel clean and worry-free, which is important for a new apartment.

The living areas should be tackled next. Vaccuum all floor surfaces, dust shelves and remove things like cobwebs. Check under chairs, in corners and under the carpet edges if you can, for dust buddies and any other things which the previous owner has left.

Now, you should have a clean, fresh feeling apartment which is starting to feel like home where you can relax, happy in the knowledge that, as far as hygiene is concnered, you are not going to catch anything or come across unwanted filth left by another person. Any mess now is down to you.

Learn more about this author, Sammy Stein.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.