Spring Cleaning Checklist

Spring Cleaning & Maintenance Checklist 

Spring turning into Summer presents the perfect opportunity to freshen up your rental property. Not only will it make the house show better but it’s good practice to keep up with a regular cleaning schedule, so your property always looks clean and well cared for. It may even motivate your tenants to keep up with their own regular cleaning schedule!

It doesn’t take much time (or money) to restore your property to pristine condition. All it really takes is some simple household cleaning solutions, a few hours, and a good Spring cleaning checklist to make the place shine! Check out this list of high impact Spring cleaning projects you can do in your property this week:

1. Touch Up Walls and Baseboards
2. Deep Clean Carpets
3. Clean Up Bathrooms
4. Wash the Windows
5. Dust Blinds and Top of Cabinets
6. Spruce Up the Landscape
7. Preventative Maintenance Outside the House

Touch Up Walls and Baseboards 

Whether your tenants have taken care of your property or not, there are always going to be scuffs, marks, and holes in the walls and on the baseboards. It just comes with living in a home. It can make a huge a difference to the aesthetic of a home to restore the walls and baseboards to like-new condition.

Some scuffs and marks can simply be removed with common household cleaning solutions and a warm damp cloth. If that doesn’t work, you may need to spot paint areas of the wall or baseboards to cover up the scuffs and marks that won’t come off on their own. For holes in the wall from hanging décor and pictures, it’s best to fill in the holes with spackle before painting over them. (Pro-tip: It’s always a good idea to keep a can or two of paint on site for these types of projects.)

Deep Clean Carpets 

In addition to regularly vacuuming carpets, it’s a good idea to have them deep cleaned periodically. Vacuuming works well to remove the dust, hair, and dirt from carpet but over time it builds up and can’t all be removed. Some household vacuums have the capability of deep cleaning, but you may need to hire the job out to professionals or go and rent the equipment to do the job yourself.

Deep cleaning carpets will often make them look a few shades lighter with all the dust and dirt removed and can reduce unwanted odors in your rental property. If you decide to tackle this job on your own, plan on your carpets being wet for a few hours afterward. It’s best to avoid walking on them until they have fully dried.

Even though deep cleaning your carpets can make them look and feel like new, it’s still good practice to replace them every few years between tenants. Check out these tips to keep your carpets looking clean and fresh.

Clean Up Bathrooms

Bathrooms are a heavily used area in your rental so it’s important to regularly clean them to ensure they look good and are sanitary. Common household cleaners like bleach, glass cleaner, and toilet bowl cleaner are perfect for the job.

Scrub the sinks and shower/tub with bleach to disinfect the area and to remove any build up from heavy use. Use toilet bowl cleaner to scrub the toilet and glass cleaner to remove any build up or water stains on mirrors. (Pro-tip: Use a micro-fiber towel or coffee filter to clean mirrors in your bathroom for a streak-free shine.) 

Wash the Windows 

Both sides of windows get dirty over time. It’s a good practice to have them cleaned periodically to keep them looking spotless. When cleaning the windows, microfiber towels are recommended along with any common glass cleaner you can find at the local store. (Pro-tip: wipe one side of the windows horizontally and the other side vertically. That way if there are streaks, you’ll know which side they’re on.)

Washing windows can be a big job depending on the number of windows in your property. This is a job you can hire out and leave to the professionals.

Dust Blinds and Top of Cabinets 

Dust can accumulate on top of cabinets in the kitchen and on any window treatments you have. It’s best to dust these areas a few times a year to reduce the airborne allergens floating around your property. Plus, it’s an easy way to make your property look much cleaner if you’re cabinets or window treatments are dark and show dust easily. Although there is no way to eliminate it, there are ways to help reduce the amount dust in your rental property.

Spruce Up the Landscape 

With all the cleaning you’re doing on the inside of the house, it’s important to pay attention to the outside as well. Spring is the perfect time to spruce up the outdoor landscape of your rental property.

Take this opportunity to clean out any planter beds that may have dead plants in them and replace them with low-maintenance, native plants. You can also add a pop of color to the landscape with some perennials. If you have grass, also address any dead spots or discoloration in your lawn.

Preventative Maintenance Outside the House

Spring is also a great time for some preventative maintenance around your rental property. It’s good practice to check or service some areas of your rental semi-regularly to keep any costly fixes from popping up.   

Clean Gutters: It’s a great idea to clean out your rain gutters in the Spring. They mostly likely had some heavy use through the Fall and Winter months and you want to make sure they aren’t blocked with leaves or other debris. Even if your gutters have guards over them, its still a good idea clean them and make sure water is flowing out of them.

Service HVAC: It’s smart to get your HVAC serviced before the Summer months come. It probably went unused for a few months and will start to get regular use soon. Servicing it in the Spring regularly can prevent costly repairs and keep it working effectively through Summer.

Clean Exterior Vents: Plants and foliage can grow on and around your exterior vents. It’s a good idea to clear these away as well as clean out any blockages in your vents to avoid any potential fire hazards.

Final Thoughts 

Spring cleaning can be a great way to tidy up your rental property and have it looking it’s best. There are plenty of simple projects you can do yourself that will make a big impact to the look and cleanliness of the house. If there are some projects you don’t want to take on, you can easily hire it out to professionals to accomplish for you. Sure, it may cost more, but you can rest knowing it’ll be done right.

If you don’t know where to start with your Spring cleaning, check out this downloadable cleaning checklist to get started. This simple and easy to follow guide will have your rental property looking as good as new in no time!

If property maintenance isn’t your thing, you should also consider hiring a property management company to oversee your property for you. They are well experienced in handling the day to day maintenance of rentals and will ensure your property is always looking and functioning at its best.

Author Bio

Nichole Shahverdi is the Director of Marketing for Bay Property Management Group. Prior to running the marketing division, she was the Director of Leasing, working directly with property owners, investors, and tenants.