How to Clean Your House for Showings

Selling your house and have a showing on short notice? It can feel like a scramble to get the house ready, but it doesn’t have to be. If you’re diligent with cleaning in between each house showing, then a quick tidy up before leaving your home should be a breeze. Just remember to stay calm, prioritize essential tasks, and focus on creating a clean, inviting space for potential buyers. 

Keep It Staged and Stunning 

When you first list your home to sell, clean it deeply from top to bottom, and pack up non-essential items to decrease the clutter. It will be easier to reset it to that point if you start off with a clean slate, and don’t let it get too messy in between showings. Store your cleaning caddy in a place that’s easy to grab and go. 

(Check out this article and our Moving Checklist for cleaning and staging your home.)

Daily Cleaning Tips 

• Do laundry in the evenings or early in the morning when there are no showings. Put it away immediately after it’s done. 
• Wash dishes as you use them or run the dishwasher daily and put them away as soon as they are done. 
• Avoid using every garbage bin in the house. Instead, bring your trash to a select one or two in the home. This will eliminate collecting garbage from each room before a showing. 
• Rinse down and squeegee/wipe the shower and tub down after each use. 
• Clean kids’ bedrooms daily. Trust us on this.
• Make your bed every morning right when you get up.
• Tidy the kids’ toys daily. Have them help you!
• Use decorative storage bins to hold items between uses.
• All small appliances like toasters, tea kettles, air fryers, etc. should be put away after each use.

Important side note: Put any personal items and devices, like ipads and laptops, away in a safe place. Double check this before you leave your home. 

The Hour Before a Showing

The showing is in an hour, but don’t panic. You’ve kept your home clean, right? Even if you’ve let it go, you got this.

1. Fly through each bathroom with a bottle of windex and a polish cloth and make everything shine. Close toilet lids. Straighten towels.
2. Dump laundry into laundry baskets, straighten up the beds, toss any toys into a designated basket. 
3. Shine up the kitchen counters, put away countertop clutter.
4. Take out garbage.
5. Quick vacuum or mop the floors, if needed.
6. Check that you’ve put away personal items such as mail or devices (iPads, etc). 
7. Check that the front entrance (inside and out) is organized and welcoming.
8. Turn on all the lights and open the interior doors.

Keeping your home clean while you sell, especially if you’re living in it, can be a hassle. But these tips will have your home spotless and ready for those impromptu showings. 

Don’t forget to check out our Moving Checklist for more cleaning and staging tips. 

Best of luck! 

– Denise @GoCleanCo