Moving in? The four things to clean before the furniture arrives

The empty-house window between closing and moving in is the cheapest and easiest time to clean a house, and the four things that matter most are the ones that are hardest to do once furniture is in.

Carpet

Empty rooms clean wall to wall including closets, dry faster, and the previous owners' dog is the previous owners' problem before your things touch the floor. Whatever the listing said, assume the carpet has not been professionally cleaned in years.

Ducts

A house you did not live in has a duct system that circulated someone else's dust, dander and cooking for years. If they smoked, remodeled or had pets, it is worse. A camera inspection takes minutes and a full cleaning takes an afternoon. Do it before the furniture arrives so the blower is not blowing the old owners' dust onto your new sofa.

Dryer vent

Nobody cleans the dryer vent before they sell a house. Assume it is full.

Mattress

If you are bringing a mattress from a storage unit or a previous apartment, have it cleaned and sanitized before it goes on the bed. Fifteen minutes of work and it is fresh for the first night.

We do all four in one visit. A new-home package is the most common bundle we book.