Summer is coming and that means moving season is well on its way. Whether you’re a college student at State prepping for a summer at home, a member of the armed forces transferring to a new base, or are simply moving from one apartment into another, we have the cleaning tips you need to pass your landlord’s inspection.  

1. How to Remove Stains From a Toilet Bowl

The bathroom is one of the first places your landlord is going to check when you move out, and you can bet the toilet bowl will be top priority. For many of you, cleaning the toilet bowl will be a quick and easy task – douse it with your favorite cleaner, give it a scrub, and move on. But for toilet bowls with hard water stains, it becomes a bit trickier.

The secret to removing hard water stains from a toilet is white vinegar. Step one is to use a plunger to clear any water out of the toilet. Then, soak up any excess water with a rag. Once the toilet is empty, fill it up with white vinegar and let it sit for several hours. At this point, the stain should be loosened enough to remove with a scrub brush. 

2. How to Remove Mold From Walls

Do you know what landlords hate? Mold. Do you know what mold loves? Dark, damp, isolated spaces. You know, like your bathtub, shower, or, if your bathroom is poorly ventilated, the walls.

If you have mold on your bathroom walls, the trick to getting rid of it is simple: pour some distilled vinegar into a spray bottle, spray down the moldy surfaces, wait an hour, then use water to wipe the area clean.

Borax, ammonia, and bleach can also be used to remove mold from your bathroom, but vinegar is the safest, greenest method.

3. How to Remove Stains From the Carpet

Removing carpet stains can be tricky – especially if you have an affinity for red wine or if you have pets. But fear not, we have a tip to help you out here, too. The secret – once again – is our good friend, vinegar, but this time, it’s joined by our other pal, baking soda.

Remember making a paper mache volcano in middle school? And it “exploded” when you added baking soda to the vinegar reservoir? We’re doing the same thing here. Pour vinegar on top of the stain, and then sprinkle it with baking soda on top. As it begins to fizz and foam, the stain underneath will be lifted from the carpeting. Using a hard bristled brush, give it a scrub, and then vacuum up the remnants when the carpet is dry.

4. How to Clean an Electric Stove Top

The kitchen is another room your landlord loves to inspect at move out. And if you’re anything like us, then you’ve probably had a pot or two boil over onto your electric stove. That means you need to clean the burners before your final inspection.

To clean electric stove burners you need three things: dish soap, baking soda, and water. Remove the (cold) burners from the stove and rinse away any residue using the dish soap and a towel wet with warm water. (Do not get the electrical portion wet.) If there are food stains remaining that this didn’t remove, create a paste from the baking soda and water to apply to the problem area. After allowing it to sit on the burner for 10-15 minutes, wipe away with a cloth and warm water.

NOTE: Burners must be COMPLETELY dry before reattaching to the stove top.

5. How to Remove Mildew from the Refrigerator Gasket

The last thing you need to do before your move-out inspection is to remove the mildew from the gaskets of your refrigerator. Your landlord will absolutely check this before paying back your security deposit.

An easy way to remove mildew from a refrigerator gasket is to spray it down with a vinegar-based cleaner and then, for hard to clean stains, treat it with WD-40. After letting it set for several minutes, you can wipe away the mildew with a towel or soft cloth.

For more great cleaning tips, stay up-to-date with the A-1 Self Storage blog. We’re here to help make your life simpler and easier than ever before.