If you’re prepping your home for listing or it’s already on the market, keeping a clean space is essential to attract buyers. If buyers smell anything funky or can’t see themselves living in the space, your house could sit on the market for longer than expected.
In this guide, you’ll find everything you need to clean and sell your house quickly, including a supply list, insight into commonly missed areas, suggestions for every room, and bonus tips on how to get the job done.
Cleaning Supplies Shopping List
Before you start scrubbing, it’s important to get all of the proper materials. Here’s a comprehensive list to get you started on your cleaning adventure:
Missed Cleaning Opportunities Homebuyers Will Notice
During a showing, your home is under a microscope, and missed cleaning projects could result in missed opportunities. When you take the extra time to go above and beyond in cleaning, staging, and listing your home, it can demonstrate your attention to detail and hopefully result in a sale.
Address these commonly missed areas if you want to set your listing apart:
- Baseboards
- Air vents
- Ceiling fans
- Doors
- Window sills
- Appliances
By the Room
Each room deserves its own checklist throughout the cleaning process, so here’s the room by room breakdown:
Entryway
The entryway of your home is your chance to make a great first impression. Organized and clean entryways invite the buyer to explore the home further. To begin, utilize decorative and functional storage solutions, then move on to cleaning the following:
- Sweep and mop floors.
- Scrub the walls (especially if you use them to steady yourself while taking off your shoes!).
- Clean the back of the entryway door.
- Disinfect the door’s hardware and lightswitch faceplates.
- Hang all coats and showcase extra storage space in cubbies, closets, or drawers.
Living Room
Functional living rooms play a huge role when entertaining family and friends and relaxing after a long day. Buyers feel more comfortable walking into a pristine setting with minimal blockers. Clean and comfortable living rooms can sway decisions, so focus on the cleaning aspect but don’t make the living room feel untouchable.
- Wash your pillows and slipcovers if possible; otherwise, spot clean them.
- Put blankets in the washing machine.
- Vacuum and spot clean furniture.
- Dust and wipe blinds.
- Use a restorative wood conditioner on wooden surfaces.
- Wash and use glass cleaner on the windows and multipurpose cleaner on the window sills.
- Dust electronics, decor, mantles, furniture, and ceiling fans.
- Clean out drawers and organize them.
- Vacuum all carpets and rugs (sprinkle baking soda beforehand if you want to deodorize).
- Shampoo all carpets and rugs.
- Sweep and mop hardwood floors.
Bonus tip: If you have a hardwood floor that needs a refresh, consider a complete refinishing before you sell. Hardwood floors are one of the most desired features in a home. A professional refinishing job can cost anywhere between $1.50-4 per square foot, a cost you can typically recoup when the sale is final.
Kitchen
Buyers will want to see a pristine and functional kitchen. After all, it’s the hub of a home where families and friends get together. When buyers can’t imagine themselves cooking or hanging out in the space, especially due to cleanliness, it can pose a problem. Here’s a list of cleaning essentials that are sure to make your kitchen sparkle:
- Scrub the stovetop until it shines.
- Clean the oven with the self-cleaning function, wipe excess gunk off the sides, and wash the grates.
- Wipe down the outside and inside of the microwave oven.
- Defrost and clean out the freezer.
- Remove everything from the fridge and clean each surface. Remove any expired or uncovered food.
- Dust, wipe and organize the pantry shelves.
- Organize and clean cabinets, including the hardware.
- Wipe down the kitchen backsplash area, countertops, and pull-out drawers.
- Dust and wipe blinds.
- Use glass cleaner on the windows and multipurpose cleaner on the window sills.
- Vacuum and wash floor mats and rugs.
- Sweep and mop floors.
- Wash and refresh kitchen towels.
- Wipe down the trash can.
Bonus tip: The kitchen is where unintentional odors live, and neutralizing them before a walkthrough can speed up the selling process. Use a specialized garbage disposal deodorizer to destroy any leftover scents. Take your trash can outside and spray it down with a hose and soapy water. After you’ve cleaned your fridge, use cotton balls soaked in vanilla extract or an open container of baking soda to eliminate odor. This will give the buyer a pleasant surprise when opening your fridge.
Bedrooms
Each bedroom during a home showing should mimic a luxury hotel room. You can entice buyers with the promise of comfort using fresh white sheets and bedding. The room’s storage will also be a focal point, and this is your chance to show them how organized their closet can be at its full potential.
The bedroom is also a very personal space, even if you use one as an office. Creating an organized sanctuary will likely get buyers to envision waking up and feeling refreshed, which will undoubtedly sell your house quickly.
- Dust all high areas in the room.
- Use a wood conditioner on any wooden furniture.
- Sort through clothing and sell, donate, or throw away any unwanted items.
- Organize every section of the closet.
- Wash all bedding and spot clean decorative pillows.
- Vacuum all rugs and carpets.
- Shampoo all rugs and carpets.
- Dust and wipe blinds.
- Use glass cleaner on the windows and multipurpose cleaner on the window sills.
Bonus tip: When you’re vacuuming your carpets, sprinkle a few handfuls of baking soda beforehand. The baking soda will eliminate odors and leave your carpets smelling fresh.
Bathrooms
The bathroom is the epitome of privacy and an area that requires exceptional cleanliness before a showing. You want to make buyers feel comfortable, and there’s no better way to mess that up than with a hamper full of dirty laundry or a glob of toothpaste stuck to the sink. Focus on keeping the space as minimal as possible and limit exposure to personal hygiene products.
Use this cleaning list to ensure perfection before your buyers show up:
- Remove and store all soap, conditioner, lotion, or any other product that isn’t in a glass container from the bathroom.
- Clean mirrors with glass cleaner.
- Wipe down sinks, countertops, and drawers.
- Polish faucets and drawer hardware.
- Scrub the tub, showerhead, and knobs.
- Replace your shower curtain if necessary.
- Wipe the entire toilet.
- Use toilet cleaner for the bowl; let it soak, and then scrub vigorously.
- Clean tile grout using a thick bristled brush with equal parts baking soda, water, and vinegar.
- Wash all floor mats.
- Wipe down and organize drawers and underneath the bathroom sink.
- Sweep and mop floors.
- Use multipurpose cleaner on the walls, especially near the toilet.
Bonus tip: Cleaning a bathtub is always a bother; here’s how to do it the right way. Coat the tub in hot water, then sprinkle baking soda or specialized tub and tile cleaner on the surface. Use a mixture of hot water and dish soap with coarse scrubbing sponges or thick-bristle brushes. Scrub the inside of the tub and add more baking soda as needed.
Laundry Room
For homeowners, cleaning the laundry room is often a work in progress, especially in larger families where clothes are in an infinite loop of washing, drying, and folding. However, if you want to sell your house quickly, consider showing the prospective buyers a laundry room full of potential.
This is an area where buyers look for utility, so make sure to highlight storage areas by removing excess items and keeping things organized. Here are a few foolproof cleaning tips to get your laundry room ready for a showing:
- Wipe down the washer and dryer.
- Clean the dryer’s lint trap.
- Wipe nearby walls.
- Organize laundry supplies and throw out old containers.
- Sweep and mop floors.
Garage
The garage is often where many tools, materials, and extras end up after a project—keeping everything organized isn’t an easy task. Homebuyers will want to see the garage has enough room for cars, tools, bikes, and extra storage.
Work your way through the garage and donate, sell, or throw away anything you won’t use in the foreseeable future. Since you’re selling, it’s not a good idea to go all-out on storage solutions unless you think they’ll be helpful in your new home. Try to keep everything up against the walls, and if you don’t have space consider storing items elsewhere until your home has sold.
- Declutter and organize your tools and recreational equipment.
- Sweep the garage flooring.
- Use a power washer to spray the garage flooring and overhead door.
- Wash and clean any windows with glass cleaner.
Bonus tip: You can rent a pressure washer at your local hardware store, like a Home Depot or Lowe’s. You’ll likely have the choice between an electric or gas-powered washer. The electric pressure washers are cost-effective and usually spray around 1,400psi—plenty of power for a garage door or a home’s exterior. Sturdy materials without paint like brick, stone, or steel will likely need a high-powered gas pressure washer.
Your House’s Exterior
First impressions are everything, and when buyers pull up, the spotlight will be on your curb appeal. Well-manicured landscaping and a driveway free from oil slicks can go a long way when selling your home. Here are a few tips to get the outside of your home ready to sell:
- Wipe down and clean the front door.
- Mow your lawn and weed whack tough-to-reach areas.
- Use a leaf blower to remove leaves and debris.
- Unclog the gutters.
- Power wash the exterior of your house.
- Power wash your driveway.
- Wash outside windows.
The Bottom Line
When you’re selling your house, cleaning before the showing is essential to ensure a speedy transaction. Buyers will be walking through and exploring every nook and cranny before they make their decision. Keeping your home immaculate will allow buyers to envision themselves living in your house and reflect positively on you for keeping things well-maintained.
