How to Clean Up Foreclosed Houses
Cleaning a foreclosed house can take a few days if the property has not been maintained since the bank took possession from the owner. One way to have the house cleaned is by hiring a professional cleaning service. An individual may also need to clean the house after buying it from the bank.
Items Needed:
- Cleaning chemicals
- Paper towels
- Broom and dust pan
- Mop and bucket
- Vacuum
- Hose
- Lawn tools and supplies
- Walk through the foreclosed house to find out what you need to clean. Take some notes so you know what you need to bring with you when you clean the home. Inspect each room and go over the exterior of the house. Check the landscaping as well to see if it needs any work.
- Start with the bedrooms when you are ready to clean the house. Remove the curtains and shake them outside to get rid of the dust. Wipe down the windows and vacuum the carpets. Move on to the bathrooms and clean all of the fixtures and plumbing.
- Clean the kitchen appliances and counters. Use a broom and dust pan to clean the kitchen floor and then mop it. Check the windows and clean them if they are dirty. After you finish cleaning the interior you may want to call a carpet company to shampoo all of the bedrooms and other living areas that have carpeting.
- Go outside and clean all of the windows. Sweep the sidewalk and driveway and the porch or patio. Use a hose to spray the patio and check for any cracks in the surface that you may need to fix.
- Mow the lawn and check the flower beds for weeds. If the grass is in bad shape, you may want to aerate and fertilize. Buy some grass seed to improve the way the lawn looks. Set the sprinklers if the foreclosed house has a system so the new grass you plant will grow.