How To Deep Clean Your New House Before You Move In

House cleaning in a new-to-you home will seem like a breeze next to your everyday chores to keep a lived-in house clean and organized. There's no bric-a-brac to dust around and no furniture to move. Just go room by room, and scrub everything down.
Hopefully, the previous owners left everything at least broom-swept. Just how much house cleaning you do will depend on whether the previous owners had pets or kids, and how clean is "clean enough" for you.

How to Clean Your New House

Some cleaning experts say they spend the most time cleaning their kitchen. Between refrigerators and stoves and cabinets, it's no wonder! The following cleaning tips will make it easy.

Kitchen

• Oven: Remove oven racks and place them in the sink filled with soapy water. If you're using an oven cleaner, spray it first and let it sit while you clean the rest of the kitchen (except the floor, which should be last in every room). When you're ready to proceed, scrub the oven down well. It's safe to clean the racks with steel wool. You can also use a paste of baking soda and vinegar to get your oven clean without using chemicals.
• Sink: It's safe to use steel wool on stubborn stains in a stainless steel sink, or use a paste of baking soda and vinegar. After you've removed stains, a solution of water and lemon juice will really make the sink shine.
• Cabinets: Dust and wipe down cabinets with a soft cloth all surfaces, inside and out. Don't forget the tops of cabinet doors.
• Countertops: Use a solution of 1 part water and 1 part vinegar to get countertops (except marble) squeaky clean.
• Refrigerator: Pull the refrigerator away from the wall and vacuum or dust behind it. Clean the refrigerator inside and out: top, back, and sides. This will probably be the best cleaning your refrigerator gets, so take advantage of an empty, warm fridge to do the best job possible. Place removable racks and drawers in warm soapy water and scrub well.

Bathroom

A number of chemicals are available to clean your bathroom, but a paste of baking soda and vinegar also works well; it even dissolves soap scum. Use this on the tub and sink. Clean glass shower doors with 1 part vinegar and 1 part water in a spray bottle. Use undiluted vinegar in the toilet and scrub with a scrub brush. Some people like to replace the toilet seat in a new home.

Floors

It pays to rent or purchase a steam cleaner, or hire someone to steam clean for you. Steam cleaning removes tough stains and provides a deep clean, even getting rid of pet odors. You can also steam clean sealed hardwood floors if you have the right equipment. Do not steam clean hardwood floors that have not been sealed, as water could seep in and ruin the floor. Murphy's Oil Soap also does a great job cleaning hardwoods.

Walls

One thing you'll probably never do again, unless you have young kids, is wash down the walls in your new home. But it pays to do it once, unless you plan on painting immediately. Wash walls with a solution of water and vinegar, which is safe on most surfaces. Pay close attention to corners, where dirt and cobwebs collect, and areas up to about waist-level if the previous owner had kids. Remove tough stains or crayon marks with a Magic Eraser-type product.