End Of Tenancy Cleaning Troubleshooting In The Kitchen
Some parts of end of tenancy cleaning are straightforward. With some tasks, such as removing all your clobber from out of the wardrobe and vacuuming out the dust bunnies, it’s just a case of getting on with it. However, with other tasks, it’s a bit harder. These things often cause problems for private individuals (and, for that matter, businesses moving premises in and around Lewisham). There have been a few times when, as a professional end of tenancy cleaner, my team and I have been called in to just deal with these tricky spots.
You can, of course, hand the difficult parts of moving out cleaning over to a professional company. They use a comprehensive end of tenancy cleaning checklist, containing all the important tasks you need to cover. This certainly earns plenty of brownie points with the landlord and means that you are probably going to get your deposit money back (unless you’ve punched holes in the wall or set fire to the carpet or something like that!). You could hand the whole process over to the professionals if you like so all you have to do is to pack up your gear and move it over to your new place in SE13 – that’s quite enough hassle for most people!
However, you might be the independent self-sufficient type who likes to do things yourself. If you are confident and determined, and have a reasonable level of skill and competence, you may want to try to do the hard cleaning jobs yourself. If you insist – and we admire your grit – then having a bit of a guideline to help you troubleshoot the hard parts of moving out cleaning will probably be useful for you.
Therefore, without further ado, let’s turn to some of the problem areas that you’re likely to encounter in the kitchen during moving out cleaning…
The Oven
Oooh, the oven! Cleaning the inside of the oven would have to be everybody’s least favourite job, whether it needs to be done as part of moving out cleaning or not. No matter what method you prefer to use for cleaning the inside of the oven, it will take time and you’ll need plenty of elbow grease. Pop on a good podcast or playlist, grab your gear and a good set of rubber gloves, and dive on in.
The Artificial Chemical Oven Cleaning Method
This uses one of those strong sprays, which probably contains a powerful alkali. The back of your spray can of cleaning product probably has instructions, so follow these (they vary from product to product). And for goodness sake, follow the safety instructions about good ventilation, keeping kids and animals out of the area and wearing proper protective gear for your skin and (if needed) eyes. Sprays aren’t magic, although they do a great job of busting grease and loosening grime. They will need time and possibly heat to do their work, so allow the right amount of time and don’t try to rush the job. You will still need to do the hard work of wiping out the loosened grime and the chemical residues; the spray won’t make the gunge vanish!
Natural Oven Cleaning Methods
You will need to allow plenty of time and lots of energy. There’s a reason why the chemical sprays have become popular: they work. If you have a professional steam cleaner, then you can use this. However, it’s still possible to clean an oven with natural products. You can use baking soda paste, or you can use a blend of baking soda and its tougher cousin, washing soda (that’s sodium carbonate as opposed to sodium bicarbonate). Having one carbon atom less in the compound makes washing soda that little bit tougher on grease – and your skin, so wear gloves. Mix these to a paste with ordinary water, then apply it generously all around the inside of the oven. Leave it to sit overnight so the chemistry can do its work. Here is the right time to mention, that going out for a pint in one of Lewisham’s popular watering spots (like The Fox & Firkin, 316 Lewisham High Street) is recommended. In the morning, pull on those gloves and sweep or wipe out as much as you can with a damp rag – the gunge should come off with the paste. You will then need to moisten it again with a wee spray of water, then wipe out any residue – and you can use the residue for tackling any stubborn spots. If there’s a lot of gunge left on the inside of the oven, then you can apply some more baking soda and/or washing soda, then blitz it with vinegar to bubble the gunk off. If there are still some stubborn spots, grab a pot scouring pad and more baking soda and keep going (I told you it would need elbow grease) until the inside of the oven is clear.
For the oven racks, soak these in a tub of warm water with detergent to loosen the gunge, then apply that pot scouring pad with vigour. Baking soda can help here again.
Greasy Range Hoods
You might not fry much but even if you just melt a bit of butter or heat some olive oil to sauté some garlic for something tasty, a bit of oil and grease will get into the air and it will go into the range hood. This is what the range hood is for: catching grease and piping steam out of the kitchen. In fact, some of the oil and grease will be carried into the hood by the steam. The end result is that the range hood can get downright nasty. Time to pull on those rubber gloves and have a go.
Start by removing the filters (if your range hood has these). These will have the worst of the grease on them. They can be washed by hand in the sink like you would wash dishes, although you’ll need hot water and plenty of detergent. You’ll need to soak them first to let the detergent bust the grease, and you may need to wash them twice.
If your range hood has no filter or if gunk has got up further than the filter, you’ll need to reach into the range hood and get the muck out. Start by wiping off excess with something absorbent – a paper towel, paper napkin or a wad of clean loo paper, or even a rag. There will still be some gunk left behind, so it’s time to crack out either your favourite general purpose cleaning spray, the dishwashing detergent or the baking soda. Apply generously with a soft cloth, then rub well to remove the gunge. Then rinse off any residue and lingering grease with another damp rag and it all should be good to go.
The Freezer
The freezer isn’t as hard as it looks at first. Start by emptying it, then defrost it overnight by switching it off at the wall and popping a bowl of boiling water inside on top of a towel and shutting the door. Next morning, remove the soaking towel and the cold water, plus all the loosened chunks of ice. If any ice is left on the sides of the freezer, then use a rubber or plastic spatula to pry them off – or help them on their way with a kettle full of boiling water. Use another towel to blot up excess water at the bottom of the freezer. Once all the liquid has gone, you can wipe out all the stray bits of corn and frozen peas lurking down the bottom. Any stubborn marks – and there usually aren’t many of these – will come away with baking soda and water paste.
If the freezer belongs to the landlord, then once you’ve cleaned and defrosted the freezer, the best thing to do is to leave it switched off (so it doesn’t use any power) then leave the door slightly open (wedge it with a bit of cardboard or newspaper) so that it remains ventilated and doesn’t grow mould to greet the next tenant.