There are plenty of guides when it comes to cleaning and maintaining your college apartment, and most of those guides tell you what you already know. I say, “Phooey”. Of course you need to vacuum, dust, and clean your bedroom, neutral rooms and the bathroom, everyone knows that. A lot of times though, when it comes to the end of your lease, there are several things that you don’t even realize are dirty.
They end up dirty because they don’t matter! For the overall appearance of your apartment, they are not noticeable, nor important. Even more, they aren’t that hard to clean. In light of this line of thinking, here are five things you can put off cleaning until the end of your lease.
Baseboards
The least seen of the last-minute cleaning tasks, the baseboards are the those sections of “wood” that jut out from the bottom of the wall – in case the term is unfamiliar. They are easy to clean as long as you are generally a clean person, and are basically unnoticed by guests and roommates. That said, property managers are big fans of these being cleaned when it comes to getting security deposits back. All it should take is a broom to remove the dust and some water and rag for any spots.
Walls/Ceiling
It’s most likely that you will find collections of “dust webs” in the corners of your apartment where the wall meets the ceiling. They are harmless despite being an eyesore – should you look upward. These usually don’t collect too heavily during a lease, so they shouldn’t be a major concern. They’re easy to clean. Just grab a broom and swing away!
Cupboards
It’s annoying having to clean out the cupboards regularly, and as long as your dishes and miscellaneous things are generally clean, they shouldn’t get too dirty. Don’t waste your valuable time cleaning these out regularly (if there is a major mess or growing bug problem, ignore this entire note). Once you get all of our kitchen things packed away, just take a wet rage to it and clean out any random dust or things that might have collected over time.
Closets
Closets are a haven for procrastination, so why bother wasting time regularly cleaning them. Once you have all of your long-forgotten items cleaned out, it’s most likely there won’t be much of a mess left. Closets can be cleaned quickly and easily with a spot-clean – with rag and/or broom – and get any random messes that may remain.
Under furniture
Playing of the old “under-rug sweep”, stave off bothering with cleaning under couches and beds – unless someone spills some sort of liquid or food. Although dust and dirt will collect, the area beneath your furniture will be much cleaner than the general terrain of your apartment. Once your furniture is moved, hit it heavy and hard with the cleaning appliances that are applicable to your flooring (carpet or wood).
Equal Housing Opportunity
