Commercial end-of-tenancy cleaning can feel like an insurmountable task.
While you can do it yourself, it’s difficult to know what an inventory clerk will be looking for and to cover every base can be extremely time consuming.
Tenancy agreements can also lead you to doing far beyond what perhaps you feel you should. Under the guise of requiring you to leave the property as you found it, it often means you end up going much further than that, cleaning and replacing things that you have never seen in a good condition.
Discrepancies and differences in opinion can lead to all sorts of charges and other issues with the landlord, that would be better avoided.
However, there are a few end-of-tenancy cleaning tips that can make a big difference in how your inventory clerk or landlord sees the property once you leave. We’ve put them together into phs Interclean’s end-of-tenancy cleaning checklist. Whether you’re about to vacate a property and are ready to clean up or if you’re a landlord wanting to provide some guidance to your tenants, this checklist is for you.
Let’s take a look:
The Kitchen/Cafeteria
As a high-use area where people prepare food, cook, congregate and eat, the eating environment of a workplace is often the grimiest and most unclean place in the building.
When staff are sitting down to eat then rushing back to work, the clean-up tasks are easily missed. Of course, there’s also the simple fact that different employees will have different standards of cleanliness!
In the kitchen and eating area, tables, work surfaces and appliances should be wiped down and scrubbed, if necessary, but other tasks you need to tackle are:
- Clean out the inside of cupboards and drawers – ensuring the contents are equally clean
- Clean inside the refrigerator and underneath it
- Defrost any fridge freezers
- Wipe down wall tiles
- Clean and degrease cooking equipment such as ovens and microwaves as well as appliances
- Descale sinks, taps and kettles to remove accumulated limescale
- Wipe every surface – including table/chair legs, bins, dishwashers
Clean the Inside of Windows
Getting your windows cleaned is an easy oversight, especially if they don’t appear that dirty to the naked eye. But even if you get the outside of your windows cleaned, don’t forget the inside too – including the details such as window frames where mould and damp can build up.
To particularly meticulous building inspectors, this may appear as if you haven’t cleaned the windows at all, so it’s worth going the extra mile to leave them gleaming from every angle.
Private Documents and Information
It’s common for empty commercial buildings to contain equipment and paperwork left over from the previous tenant. This is best avoided for more reasons than just cleanliness - you don’t know who is going to be in the building next, and leaving private documents related to the organisation or individuals can be a huge risk even if you don’t think they have any confidential information within them. Ensure everything is either shredded or removed entirely.
On that topic, you’ll also need to remove all waste from the premises and dispose of it correctly. It’s one of the last jobs you’ll have to do, and you may be running out of steam at this stage, but leaving items to be cleared up is one of the easiest ways you can fall down on your end-of-tenancy inspection.
Working Areas
When attempting to avoid a tenancy deposit dispute, cleaning the main working areas of the building should be the main priority, since in most places this will be where the bulk of the mess and damage is concentrated.
Dust every surface including windowsills, curtain rails, blinds, plug sockets, switches, desks, chairs and skirting boards and remove cobwebs. Sweep and mop hard floors and thoroughly vacuum carpets – moving furniture where possible so you’re reaching all those spots which are hard to reach in a daily clean. Once your floor is swept or vacuumed, inspect the flooring or carpets and, if needed, clean further. This may include carpet cleaning or floor treatment.
Make sure doors are clean, including handles, and rub off any scuff marks on walls.
When cleaning, no surface should go untouched. To do this in a relatively cheap manner, you can make a cleaning mixture of white vinegar, lemon juice and baking soda. Leaving lemon slices in cupboards and drawers for a while can also help leave the place smelling fresh and clean, but don’t forget to remove them before you leave!
Toilets/Bathrooms
With toilets and bathrooms, your main concern is bacteria and infections. Sterilise the entire area, including scrubbing toilets, cleaning floors, wiping down every inch of the walls, and be sure not to miss those hard-to-reach areas such as behind the toilet cistern and easily overlooked patches such as behind the cubicle door. Remove all watermarks from sinks, splashbacks and tiles – including underneath hand dryers. Check your washbasins are draining effectively, if not, use a drain unblocker. Clean any extractor fans and polish the mirrors so they’re sparkling.
A nice touch in the washroom which emphasises cleanliness here in deodorisation. Leaving an air freshener is only a small effort but will be appreciated by the new tenants, as well as whoever has to inspect your bathroom. A deodorising air freshener will also help to tackle any lingering odours rather than just masking them.
As you can see, the end-of-tenancy cleaning cost isn’t huge. If you’ve got a comprehensive cleaning regime you should already have most of the equipment and cleaning products – although there will be some you’ll have to invest in such as descaler, degreaser, carpet cleaner, stain remover and specialist treatments. However, the biggest investment is resource as it can be incredibly time consuming to make sure everything is as it should be.
If you’re out of time, don’t have the resource required or just need to focus on growing your business in your new building, help is at hand. Allow us to introduce you to phs Interclean’s Professional End of Tenancy Cleaning.
phs Interclean is the UK’s leading provider of commercial cleaning solutions. With operations centres on your doorstep across the UK, we’re your local service provider – no matter where you are.
Our staff are highly trained and professional, able to enter your premises, complete the necessary tasks, and leave without interrupting your employees, customers or business operations.
So, whether you’re looking for an end-of-tenancy commercial clean, a regular cleaning provider or specialist deep cleans, look no further.
We also provide specialist cleaning services including:
- Clinical cleaning
- Computer cleaning
- Floor cleaning and floorcare hygiene
- Upholstery
- Kitchen deep cleaning
Why not let phs handle your tenancy cleaning needs today?
Get in touch to see what we can do for you.
