Beating Stress During End Of Tenancy Cleaning in London
Moving house is a stressful time
There’s no way around that. It’s listed as the seventh most stressful event in life (behind things like death in the family, divorce, job changes and finances). To make matters worse, you may have to move house because of one of these more stressful factors.
Honestly, anything you can do to take the pressure off during the hassle and upheaval of moving house can help you get through it and cut the stress. Seriously, this is why professional cleaning companies offering end of tenancy cleaning services exist. In fact, many London based maid service companies can help you pass the inventory check with flying colours. Sure, they are all trained in cleaning and have an official checklist that agencies approve and use, but there’s more to it than that. We’re here to make your life easier and less stressful. So don’t feel like you’ve failed or if you’re not good enough just because you can’t cope with the pressure of doing all the moving out cleaning yourself and because you really, really want to get your deposit money back. Quite the opposite. You’re doing the smart thing, especially if your move has been triggered by something more stressful.
All the same, there are some other things that you can do to help ease the stress and pressure during this busy time – whether you decide that you need to do your own cleaning or whether you call in the professional end of tenancy cleaning company. Here are some of our best suggestions.
Treat Yourself
It’s a lot easier to force yourself to do a task that’s annoying or stressful if you can focus on a reward that’s coming at the far end of it (this is why lots of people do dirty jobs – the thought of the paycheque at the end of the job provides the motivation). You can reward yourself for getting through the task by promising yourself a treat. What this treat will be is up to you, but we recommend that during this time, you don’t make it an item that you’re just going to have to pack… unless you shop for it online and you get it sent to your new address by standard (i.e. slower) post.
Gentle Exercise
When your head is buzzing with a million and one things to do, and you feel overwhelmed, then doing some gentle exercise can help ease it out and give that adrenaline buzzing around in your bloodstream something to do. A good walk around the block or in the park can do the trick nicely, and it’s free!
If you’re pressed for time, then you can get exercise by doing one of the physical tasks involved in moving house, whether it’s stacking all the packed boxes of crockery by the door ready to be loaded or whether it’s vacuuming an empty rooHaving A Checklist
Having a checklist is a must if you are doing your own moving out cleaning anyway because it helps you ensure that all the tasks have been taken care of with no double-ups and nothing overlooked. However, having a checklist with all the tasks broken down individually makes a big job seem more manageable. Plus, you get the satisfaction of crossing the jobs off or ticking them off and seeing that list get smaller and smaller –and the feeling of achievement helps reduce stress.
Cleaning Something Really Dirty (But Easy To Clean)
This sounds counter-intuitive but bears with me. During stressful times, it’s the feeling of powerlessness and being out of control that is one of the worst things. However, if you can find a job that needs to be done and do it, with visible results that stay done, then this gives you something tangible that you can hang onto. The fact that it’s something that needs to be done also helps. Plus, doing a mindless task with visible results has a soothing effect. Don’t choose something really tough to do, like cleaning the oven (no shame to you if you leave this one to the professional cleaners – in fact, we often get people calling us in just to do the oven cleaning). Choose something comparatively easy but where you can see a difference after you’ve done it, like dusting skirting boards or scrubbing the grout in the bathroom tiles.
Lift Your Mood With Music
Music seems to hotwire our emotions, so make the most of this fact when you’re packing, moving furniture and cleaning in all those odd places you need to tackle when moving out. Choose something upbeat with a quick beat and cheerful lyrics for a natural mood boost (my pick: Happy by Pharrell Williams might be cheesy, but it is almost sure to pick you up).
Although playing sad and angry songs can help you vent in the short term if you have to move for one of the really stressful reasons like death in the family, divorce or losing a job, it’s probably not good to stay there. Listen to those heartbreak songs or those angry ones while you scrub the heck out of the bathtub and channel some of the emotion into action, but don’t stay there permanently. Give yourself some hope and positivity.
Get Yourself Some Nice Cleaning Tools
One of the reasons professional end of tenancy cleaners can do such a good job is that they have top-quality tools. OK, you might not be able to replace your dusters and mops and the like as a business expense the way they can, but you can ensure that you do the job effectively by using tools in good condition that work effectively. OK, don’t run out and buy yourself a new vacuum cleaner (unless you really need a new one), but a new scrubbing brush and a brand new microfibre cleaning cloth in a colour you like aren’t going to break the bank.
When you choose or buy the products to use during moving out cleaning, then make sure you get something that smells nice. If you like natural homemade cleaning products like vinegar, baking soda and the like, then splash out and get a bit of essential oil to add into the mix. Lavender isn’t that expensive an oil, and it smells lovely. It’s antibacterial and thought to have a calming and soothing effect – what more could you want?
Give Yourself Some Time
Don’t put the job of packing and cleaning off until the last minute. This just puts extra pressure on yourself. If you start the job of packing weeks before the big day and some of the cleaning jobs a week before moving day, then you’ll save yourself a world of hassle. Sure, there are some cleaning jobs that you won’t be able to do until the room in question is empty (vacuuming, for example) or you aren’t going to use whatever it is again (cleaning the loo). Still, you can, for example, get the dust off the ceiling fan, clean the inside and outside of wardrobes and cupboards you’ve just cleared (well done, you!) and clean windows that your children or the cat won’t put grubby fingers all over.
Send Small Children To Grandma’s
Moving house is tough on small children – after all, the only world they’ve known is coming to pieces around them. Because meltdowns are likely, and they may need more attention right when you’re busy, it can be wise to get the children out of the way. A trip to Grandma’s place while the old house is in chaos with strange burly guys from the moving company are taking away their bedroom furniture helps a lot – if Grandma offers to help you during your move, this is what you can ask her to do. Older children, however, can help with the job, as the physical nature of moving can help them process the changes.