It’s estimated that the average person spends about an hour every week cleaning. If you laughed out loud at that statistic, you probably have children.
Every member of your household means extra clothes and dishes to wash, beds to make, and messes at the most inconvenient times. However, when it’s time to sell your home, these messes have to go, and your home will need to be in its best possible condition. Here are a few quick tricks to make it happen.
Start with storage
Your first goal is to create a clutter-free home. If you are not ready to get rid of all the things that you call your own, you will need to figure out how to store them so they don’t get in the way during your open house or showings. If possible, rent a storage unit. When that is out of the question, you will need to ensure that your excess is put away neatly. Storage totes are your best friend and should be neatly packed and then stacked in the garage or outbuilding.
Create a daily cleaning routine
There are some areas of your home, such as the guest room and attic, that don’t need attention every day. The rest of the house is a different story. For these spaces, implement a non-negotiable cleaning routine. This will involve doing the dishes, wiping down the countertops, sweeping and vacuuming, and making all of the beds. You also need to take steps to ensure that the laundry is put away. Your real estate agent may call at any moment, and having these chores completed will make it easier to get your house ready in a pinch. When you have unexpected showings, you may have as little as 15 to 20 minutes to get things together. Use this time wisely by putting things in order, opening the windows, taking out the trash, and loading the dishwasher.
Tackle the outdoors
Just as important as the interior of your home is curb appeal. If you aren’t familiar with that term, you should know that curb appeal is how your home looks from the exterior, and it’s a factor that seriously influences a potential buyer’s first impression. Make sure your home’s exterior employs a cohesive landscaping design and that your garden hasn’t fallen into disorder. Designate a specific place for outdoor toys, such as bicycles and roller skates, and put these items away when you come in from work each afternoon. Little touches like repainting your front door and adding a new mailbox can go a long way.
Upgrade and repair where needed
You might have learned to overlook the broken things in your home, but those will be the first things that buyers see. Your home will look cleaner – and you will be encouraged to keep it that way – by fixing things like missing hardware in the kitchen, moldy caulk in the bathroom, and lose carpeting on the stairs. Keep in mind that unsecured carpeting throughout your home is a tripping hazard, and it is not cost-prohibitive to have a company come in to restretch it.
Add a layer of freshness to each room
Sometimes, your house looks dirtier than it really is. Old paint can look dull and lifeless, so make a point to add a fresh coat throughout your house, and make sure to use a durable product that can withstand a daily wipe down. Modernize.com offers suggestions on the best paint by room.
When it comes to keeping your home clean, it’s both the little things, such as emptying dishes from the sink and the big things, like having freshly-painted walls and tightly-stretched carpet, that make a difference. Even if you have a house full of children and little time to keep things clean, doing a little bit every day and taking steps to keep your belongings in their rightful places will go a long way toward turning your home into a showplace.
