How to clean a house before moving in?

Cleaning a house before moving in is about taking physical and symbolic possession of the space. A deep clean helps eliminate visible traces and odors from the previous occupants, as well as those from renovation work. 

While pet hair, human hair, and dust can be partially removed with a vacuum cleaner, odors from paint or tobacco are more persistent. And as we know: it is difficult to feel at home when the smells don't match our own.

In this article, discover how and why to deep clean your home before you move in.

Why can a freshly cleaned new home still smell like the old one?

Smell is often the most surprising thing when we are in a place that isn't ours. The scent of laundry, rooms, cupboards, certain materials like wood, but also dampness, staleness, construction work, and previous occupants.

Also, when moving into a new home, we often seek to erase the presence of the people and events that came before to leave our own mark:

• the odor of volatile compounds from recent paint or construction work;
• that of residual tobacco embedded in walls and fabrics if the previous occupants were smokers;
• pet hair and dust mites left behind, especially if the home has been unoccupied for some time;
• incense;
• cooking or frying odors.

To take care of your home, it is therefore necessary to carry out a thorough cleaning upon your arrival, and then to regularly clean the key areas of your living space.

Fresh paint and renovations: ventilating and neutralizing odors

Fresh paint releases volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including acetaldehyde, toluene, and formaldehyde, and this emission continues even after it appears dry. This creates a form of "odor inertia," which explains why your home continues to emit industrial paint smells even after prolonged ventilation.

The regulatory labeling of paints and construction products provides information on this emission level. Cleaning does not eliminate them, but it reduces their presence and the perceived exposure. If you plan to carry out work or repaint a room, there are so-called "more natural" alternatives to industrial paints, such as lime washes based on Meudon white.

Baking soda and soap remain the most effective "grandmother's remedy" for reducing the spread of industrial paint odors. These two natural and absorbent compounds neutralize a good portion of surface odors. However, it remains essential to maintain active ventilation for longer than usual—over several weeks—to maintain indoor air quality.

Previous smoking occupants: treating walls and fabrics

Tobacco residue, also known as "third-hand smoke," lingers for a long time in walls, floors, furniture, and fabrics. This is what causes that famous "stale tobacco" smell even months after the last cigarette, and up to a year and a half on certain textiles.

A home formerly occupied by smokers can therefore carry this residue for several months after the occupants have left, even if it has been cleaned beforehand.

To treat these olfactory nuisances in depth, black soap and baking soda remain your allies! But it is mainly the textiles that cause problems. A deep clean is required (using a steam cleaner or a professional service) for curtains, carpeting, sofas, and rugs. Covering the sofa with a protective slipcover can also help neutralize fumes. Unfortunately, you may sometimes have no other choice but to get rid of them.

Be vigilant about these practical aspects during your move-in inspection.

Previous pets: hair, dander, and dust mites

Dust mites thrive particularly in warm (68°F to 77°F), humid, and dusty environments. Textiles, mattresses, and stuffed toys are particularly favorable to them, as they retain heat and moisture while offering the darkness and prolonged contact they prefer.

Consequently, a home that has hosted pets may have accumulated hair, dander, and dust mites on textiles left in place or in carpets.

In this case, it is essential to perform a complete cleaning with a high-performance vacuum cleaner, a steam cleaner for carpets and fabrics, or even a carpet shampooer, and then to ventilate regularly to limit humidity.

Discover the HOZHO Purifying Range

Good practices and ingredients for cleaning your house before moving in

Start by washing your bathrooms and kitchens, letting the descaling product work for about ten minutes before rinsing (longer if you are moving on to another room), then clean from top to bottom—from the ceiling to the walls, and the floor last. To make the task easier, equip yourself with suitable accessories:

• step ladder
• cleaning gloves
• microfiber cloth
• non-abrasive sponge
• bucket
• spray bottle

For this big clean, black soap remains a safe bet. As a natural degreaser, it is suitable for both floors and greasy kitchen surfaces. Marseille soap, which is gentler, is more suitable for delicate surfaces or fabrics.

Baking soda is a mild abrasive that removes residue without scratching surfaces, and it is a deodorizer that neutralizes stubborn odors rather than masking them. It is particularly used to purify pipes.

The mixture of baking soda, soap, and water is very useful because it allows you to wash most surfaces effectively and safely. To do this, dilute the baking soda in a little warm water with a drop of black soap until you obtain a paste or a liquid, depending on the surface to be treated. Hot water dissolves soap faster; cold water works just as well for regular use.

White vinegar remains very useful on a daily basis. A natural descaler, it cleans surfaces and fights mold. However, it is not an approved disinfectant and has no virucidal action. On the other hand, it is very effective for cleaning surfaces in contact with food, though it should be avoided on stone or marble surfaces.

Finally, more powerful but just as natural, soda crystals are useful for degreasing the kitchen, descaling toilets, unclogging pipes, washing walls, and reviving dirty laundry.

7 key steps for a big clean before moving in

The cleaning time is approximate: it all depends on the size of your home and the number of people working on the task.

Also note that the first use of your radiator may leave a "burning" smell and spread airborne dust particles that can irritate your respiratory tract. We advise you to ventilate for about 30 minutes when turning them on, especially for a home that has been empty for several months.

For your oven, the pyrolysis mode is also useful for neutralizing stubborn cooking odors.

A neutral scent can now welcome a new fragrance

A space freed from olfactory pollution can become a cocoon whose scent you choose. This is significant, as odors play a major role in our emotions, memories, moods... and energies.

Once the cleaning is done and the air renewed, you can perfume your home and set an intention. At HOZHO, we have even created a range of fragrances for every intention: to purify, harmonize, protect, or vitalize your spaces, or even to cleanse the memory of the walls.

Made with over 90% natural ingredients, our home fragrances with active energies come in synergies designed to live in harmony with your living spaces.

Our tips for a healthy home where you feel good

Which room should you start cleaning?

Start with the bathrooms and kitchens, because of the dwell time required for descaling products, which allows you to move on to the rest of the home while they act.

How long does it take to clean an empty home?

Allow at least half a day for a studio or one-bedroom apartment, and a full day for a larger space.

Should you clean a new-build home before moving in?

Yes. A new home retains construction dust and the smell of paint related to volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which takes time to dissipate. Purifying a house before moving in also means taking into account the residual energies left by the previous occupants.

To learn more about these subjects, consult our additional resources: "How to purify your house?" and "How to perform an energy cleansing of your home?". 

When should you perfume your interior after a big clean?

Once the odors of construction work, tobacco, or previous occupants have been neutralized as much as possible. A fragrance applied over an untreated odor will mask it but will not neutralize the source of the fumes.