METCALF MOVING BLOG
Cleaning for a Move: DIY or Hire Professionals?
Moving brings a long list of items on your “to-do” list, and one of the least exciting ones is cleaning the house before you leave for good. This is especially true if you are moving from a rental home. Depending on how long you’ve lived in your home, you may have an incredibly daunting task ahead of you. So, the question becomes – should you clean everything yourself or hire a professional cleaning crew?
There’s no “right” answer to this question, as quite a few variables are at play. Instead, assess your situation and determine if going with a professional is the best option.
Considerations To Hire Home Cleaners When Moving
Another point to consider is that the question isn’t necessarily binary. Realistically, you can do some of the cleaning yourself and leave the rest to the professionals. However, here are some questions to figure out how much you want to handle on your own.
What is Your Moving Timetable?
If you have a month or more to move out, you can start cleaning now and do a little bit every day until you leave. Parceling the project into chunks makes it much easier to get pieces done incrementally. Then, by the time moving day arrives, there should only be a little bit left to clean, meaning you can save the costs of a professional service.
Conversely, if you’re trying to move as quickly as possible (i.e., a week or less), you likely will need more time to deep-clean your entire house or apartment.
How Much Clutter and Dirt Do You Have?
Clutter is a problem virtually everyone experiences, and we tend to accumulate more clutter the longer we live in a space. So, if you’ve been in your house for several years, it’s likely much less clean and more disorganized than if you were only there for six months.
Although moving is the perfect opportunity to shed items and reduce your overall clutter, there’ll still be a hefty mess to clean up afterward. Plus, the size of your home can matter, as larger houses accumulate more clutter, so the cleaning process will take much longer. In that case, hiring professionals may make the most sense.
Do You Have the Right Equipment to Clean Thoroughly?
While you don’t need industrial equipment or chemicals to deep-clean your house, the job will be much more challenging if you only have a broom and a vacuum. Sometimes, you may need to choose between investing in higher-quality equipment to get the job done faster or hiring a professional team.
Do You Own or Rent Your Current Home?
Whenever you rent a property, you have to pay a security deposit. While minor messes and scratches won’t prevent you from getting this deposit back, you still want to leave the place in good condition.
Some property managers may offer cleaning services, which you can deduct from the deposit. Since you don’t have that money in your pocket anyway, it may make sense just to get less of it back and allow your landlord to pay for cleaning.
Bottom Line: Professional Cleaners are Ideal, But DIY Can Still Save Money
Realistically, hiring professionals makes the most sense unless you have a naturally clean house and lots of time to clean as you move. However, if you’re on a tight relocation budget, you’ll have to be strategic about cleaning everything yourself so you don’t get overwhelmed.
Get Help With Your Move!
One way to make cleaning more manageable is to let us handle the logistics of moving all your belongings to your new home. We offer various services to meet your needs and budget, so contact us to learn more!
