How to Repair Walls, Carpets and Floors Before Your Move

Outline:

Intro

• Our walls take a beating just from living within them: paintings posters, leaning objects against them, dents, marking your child’s height no the wall, scratches from pets and dogs.
• Same goes with carpets and floors - pets, kids, and parties can do a number on them.
• Whether you’re renting, this is your rental space, or you’re taking care of some final cleaning touches before putting your home on the market, use these tips to take care of the tiny details and clean up your floors and walls.

Repairing Damaged Walls

Every home will have some general wear and tear that you may have gotten used to bc you’re living in it … but it’s an eyesore to new tenants and homeowners.

• Fill holes - [Flesh out]
• Remove scuffs - [Flesh out]
• Give it a fresh coat of paint - [Flesh out]
• Clean the baseboards, crown molding, wainscoting - [Flesh out]

Repairing Damaged or Dirty Floors

Floors really take a beating, from food stains to stubborn dirt that’s ground in from years of walking on the carpet, floors should get a proper cleaning before you move.

• Shampoo carpets - [Flesh out]
• Wax hardwood floors - [Flesh out]
• Replace Tiles if scuffed or cracked - [Flesh out]
• Patch Damaged or Worn Carpet Areas - [Flesh out]

Prep House Before Moving Day

• Pro movers will be hauling everything out of your house, so if you just cleaned your walls and floors, make sure there is protective covering on floors etc. so scuffs don’t come back and all work is for nothing.

Document Your Work

• If you’re looking to get your deposit back, take photos of the cleaning and repairing you did
• keep all receipts for anything your purchased for repair and cleaning.

Takeaway

DRAFT:

So you’re getting ready to move. You’ve got a plan for packing, have registered the kids at their new school and are having a garage sale on Saturday. Hmmm. What are you forgetting? Ah yes, the dreaded cleaning. If you’re asking yourself the following questions:

• Do I need to clean my walls before I move?
• What about cleaning carpets before moving?
• Is it possible to clean my floors naturally?
• How do I clean carpets myself?

You’re in luck! You’ve come to the right blog!

If your walls, floors and carpets could talk, what would they say about the time they have spent with you, your children and your pets? Perhaps they would say…..

Wall: Hey Carpet, remember that time that little Johnny was chasing after Pepper when she was a puppy and slammed into me? I still have a dent to prove it!

Carpet: I do remember that, but what you may not have noticed was when the puppy decided to do her business right in the middle of the living room! Man, did that stink! Literally!
 

Floor: Oh that’s nothing, carpet. Remember that prom pre-party the teenagers decided to have last year? I suffered so many scrapes, scuffs and scratches that night from all those high heels, I lost all my shine! It was a sad day.

If you think your walls, carpets and floors are having this conversation in your rental or home you are about to put on the market, read on for tips on how to get them back into shape before your move date.

No More Wailing Walls

If your walls are crying for damage control due to holes, scuffs or chipping paint, follow these tips on  

how to prepare walls for inspection:

• To fill tiny holes from nails or tacks, use a putty knife to spread spackling or wall joint compound over the hole. Once dry, sand lightly. For medium holes, you will need a more rigid material such as a metal patch. After you have placed the patch over the hole, cover it with several layers of wall joint compound. For bigger holes, you may want to call your local hardware store or hire someone to do the repair.
• Need to fix the walls in your rental or home? Simply wet a clean rag and rub gently over the blemish until it disappears. For more stubborn marks, you may need to use an all-purpose house cleaning solution.
• If your walls are either severely scuffed up or the paint is chipping, it’s time to get out the paint brush and paint can to give it a fresh coat.
• Don’t forget the baseboards, crown molding and wainscoting. If your home has any of these features, get out that clean, wet rag and give these areas a wipe down, or again, if need be, a fresh coat of paint.

No More Frowning Floors/Carpets in Crisis

Are your floors feeling downtrodden and depressed? Have your carpets become a little crusty? Freshen up those floors and carpets with these cleaning and maintenance tips:

• If you have carpet, it’s important to give them a thorough shampooing before you move out. If you decide to go with a carpet cleaning company, make sure to call around to get the best price/service in the area. Keep in mind that they usually charge by how many rooms. If you want to save a little and don’t mind doing a little labor yourself, call your local grocery or hardware store to rent a carpet cleaning machine.
• If you have hardwood floors and they are pretty scuffed up, similar to the carpet cleaning, you can either hire someone to wax them for you, or rent a floor polisher to do it yourself!
• If you have an area in your carpet that is ripped or has a stubborn stain that is impermeable to all stain removers, you may need to patch it. First, measure the area that you need to replace with new carpet. Next, cut it out with a box cutter. Take the same measurements and cut a piece of extra carpet (hopefully, you still have some extra, but if not, see if you can get some scraps from your local carpet supplier). Finally, place an adhesive disc under the replacement piece of carpet and press firmly.

Scuff-proof Your House Before Moving Day

There’s nothing worse than creating more work for yourself on moving day when things are already chaotic as it is. After you have finished cleaning, de-scuffing, patching and spackling, be sure to protect your walls and floors from foot traffic, bulky furniture and tracked in dirt. Lay down plastic on the areas where movers will be hauling your stuff to the moving truck. For large furniture, tape foam or bubble wrap on sharp corners in order to protect your newly painted walls from scrapes and scratches

.

Become a Photojournalist

If you’re wondering, “how do I get my deposit back on my rental”? It’s a good idea to document everything you’ve done to clean and repair the walls, floors and carpet. Once you have finished, scrubbing, spackling and painting, take photos of what you have done. This is particularly important if you are hoping to get your rental deposit back from your landlord which could help pay for your move. Be sure to keep all receipts of things like paint, equipment rentals and other cleaning and repair supplies.

Takeaway

Let’s face it, homes are for living in. Living means spilling wine on the carpet, measuring the height of your children on the wall as they grow and tracking in mud on a rainy day. That’s why it’s so important to prepare your home for the next potential buyer or renter. Once you have a plan for packing, repair and cleaning, be sure to give Moving Forward San Francisco Movers a call for a FREE quote!