If you’ve ever wanted to know how to clean an apartment, this list will walk you through the process step by step.

Dust

Dust is inevitable. It comes in through doors through windows, on the bottom of shoes and clothing. Dusting weekly will reduce the need for more serious deep cleanings. Use the right tools, a vacuum cleaner with a long attachment and microfiber cloths will remove the dust from your apartment not just spread it around. Dust the obvious and not so obvious.

Table surfaces Chairs Televisions Windowsills Wallpaper Ceiling fans Corner cobwebs
Floors

Floors can collect more than dirt, pick up anything that shouldn’t be on the floor and put it in its correct place or room.

Vacuum carpets and rugs Mop or wash tile or wood floors (do the kitchen separately)
Trash

When you live in a small space, learning how to clean an apartment and keep it clean becomes doubly important; take out the trash as often as possible, daily if you can.

Throw away any piles of papers or junk mail Take out kitchen and bathroom trash Replace bags on all waste baskets (its a good idea to leave a few extra bags at the bottom for next time)
Kitchen

The kitchen is probably the toughest room in the apartment to get and keep clean. Do the work upfront and then try to maintain as you go. This will keep you from getting overwhelmed.

Wash the dishes daily (collect any dishes in other rooms) Clean out the refrigerator (thrown away any expired item and old leftovers, wipe clean any spill remnants inside, wipe down the outside and the handle) Clean/scrub countertops Shake out crumbs in toaster Wipe down appliances (including microwave inside and out) Clean/scrub stovetop Clean any obvious spots on the walls Sweep up floor for crumbs and debris Mop or wash floor Scrub sink
Bathroom

The bathroom should be cleaned on a weekly basis. Any longer than that, and it can turn into a disgusting job.

Use mildew remover on shower and bath Disinfect the toilet Scrub the sink Mop the floor
Bedroom

The biggest mess maker in the bedroom is probably dirty laundry. Make sure you have a big enough hamper so have a place to put your dirty clothes until laundry day.

Change the linens (weekly) Make the bed (daily) Keep trash and dishes out of the bedroom Neatly stack any magazines or reading materials Air out the room (open the windows)

Now that you know how to clean an apartment, you need to ask yourself if you have the right systems set in place to help you keep that apartment looking clean and uncluttered. Sometimes what your apartment needs is not so much a cleaning, but a decluttering.

Do you have stuff in your house that you don’t use, but you can’t seem to let go? Does your apartment feel smaller than when you first moved in? Are you stressed out or embarrassed to have people over? It’s probably time to declutter not clean.

Use a great travel packing list as a key to a low-stress and happy vacation or business travel trip.

With the web there’s no excuse to not use a great travel packing checklist to speed your travel packing and ensure enjoyment. Packing correctly – bringing just what you need, but not one iota extra – can lighten your physical and mental load. By carrying less you’ll move around easier, yet the trick, of course, is being sure you haven’t forgotten anything essential.

Tip #1: Leave home and office in good order. Make sure your home is all buttoned up before you leave and that pets and plants will be taken care off. Leave keys with a neighbor so they can access in case of emergency, empty your refrigerator and stop routine deliveries. In the office, nothing supports a successful trip than a clean desk and empty email in box – schedule a few hours of blocked out time the day before your trip to catch up on all urgent office matters.

Tip #2: Make packing easy by using a great travel packing checklist. There’s no excuse for not using a travel packing list to make sure you don’t forget anything essential. You can use a web search engine to search for ‘travel packing list’, ‘travel packing tips’, or ‘travel packing checklist’ or see the end of this article for a link to my favorite printable travel packing list. Find one you like and print it out. Use it religiously.

Tip #3: Bring the bare minimum. Nothing adds to stress and tiredness on travel like having too much and too heavy of a luggage burden, especially on airline travel. I always recommend that, once you’re all packed, try carrying all your luggage for 5 or 10 minutes – say around a city block. This begins to simulate the short hauls you’ll have on your trip. After your test haul, you’ll be motivated to lighten up. Find items you can do with out.

Tip #4: Learn and improve. As you use your packing list have a system for marking it up. You might cross out any items that you didn’t bring, and check marks next to the ones you did. No, here comes the critical step – bring the marked up printout with you on your trip. During your trip, if you find you need something that you didn’t bring, note it down on the list. And, just as importantly, at the end of your trip take a moment and find those items you brought, but that you can live without next time – and cross them out. As your packing list gets dog eared and marked up, consider typing it into your computer so you have your own custom list (you don’t have to type it in from scratch, just select and copy the original web list you started from and paste it into your word processor – you can then start editing this complete list).

That’s it – travel light but without out missing any essential items. Use your travel packing list religiously and hone it constantly.

A new apartment is an exciting prospect. It means new friends and neighbors, new attractions and, hopefully, a better place to live. To make sure that your new apartment remains exciting and doesn’t yield nasty surprises, there are several things to check that you might not have considered both within the apartment and in the area you’ll be moving to.

Inside

Check the faucets and showers in the kitchen and all the bathrooms to make sure there is good water pressure and that the hot water heater is working.

Make sure the toilet flushes correctly; there’s nothing worse than a toilet that doesn’t flush properly or that constantly leaks water into the bowl.

Check all the lights in the apartment to make sure they work. If they don’t, have the landlord replace the bulbs first, but it may be the fixture itself.

Check the level of cell phone reception in all the rooms in the apartment. These days, many people use their cell phones almost exclusively; checking now can spare you aggravation and annoyance later.

Check all the appliances to make sure they are working properly. Make sure the refrigerator is cooling, the stove and oven work and the microwave, air conditioner and heater.

Check for signs of any insect infestation. Look in the cabinets, around the baseboards; the apartment should be well cleaned.

Listen for sounds of outside traffic. How soundproof are the walls? If you’re near a busy highway, or in an urban area, traffic will be a constant.

Check the action of all the doors. Do they open and close smoothly? Do you have to push or pull very hard to open or close any of them?

Check the carpeted areas for wear and tear. Are there any discolored or damaged areas? Is the carpet pulling up in any corners or pulling away from any spot? Also check for water damage on the walls or ceilings at this time.

Outside

Check out the reputation of the landlord with other residents. Do they take care of issues in a timely manner? Do they respond to complaints quickly?

Check out the road system and public transportation. This will give you a good idea of how long it will take you to get to specific places like work, school, the grocery store or the gym.

How safe is the area? Do your homework and find out what the crime rate is like. Is the community gated and patrolled at night?

What are the area’s schools like? A quick check on the Internet will tell you if the local schools get a passing or failing grade.

Does the complex provide a playground or park? If not, is there one nearby where you can walk your dog, let the kids play or just relax in the evenings?

Where will you wash laundry? If a washer and dryer is not provided, or at least hookups for them in the apartment, where can you wash your clothes?