Apartment and Townhouse Cleaning in Bensalem: A Renter's Guide

Apartments and townhouses are smaller than most houses, but they are used hard, and clutter has fewer places to hide. A simple weekly routine keeps things under control: wipe kitchen counters, the stovetop, the sink and appliance fronts; clean the bathroom top to bottom; vacuum carpets and rugs; mop hard floors; dust reachable surfaces; take out trash and recycling; and change the sheets.

Daily habits matter even more in a small space. Doing dishes each night, wiping the bathroom sink in the morning and putting things back where they belong takes a few minutes and makes the weekly cleaning fast.

The kitchen is where most security deposit issues start. Grease on the range hood, baked-on spills in the oven, sticky cabinet fronts and a dirty refrigerator are all things landlords notice. Wipe the stovetop and backsplash after cooking, clean the microwave weekly, and once a month clean the range hood filter, the inside of the fridge and the cabinet fronts and handles.

Many apartment bathrooms are interior rooms with only an exhaust fan. In humid Pennsylvania summers, mildew can settle into grout, caulk and the shower curtain quickly. Run the fan during and after every shower, squeegee tile or glass, wash or replace the shower liner regularly and scrub grout weekly. Mildew in caulk is one of the most common move-out deductions, and it is much easier to prevent than to remove.

Most rentals have carpet in bedrooms and vinyl or laminate in the kitchen and bathroom. Vacuum carpet at least weekly, more often with pets, and treat spills right away by blotting, never rubbing. For hard floors, vacuum or sweep first and then mop with a cleaner suited to the material. Use mats at entries to keep grit from the parking lot and sidewalks off the carpet.

Read your lease and any move-out instructions from the property manager first, since some list exactly what they expect. Then work room by room, top to bottom.

Kitchen: inside and outside of all cabinets and drawers, inside the oven, the stovetop and drip pans, the range hood and filter, inside the refrigerator and freezer (unplug only if the landlord allows it), the microwave, the dishwasher door and edges, the sink and faucet, and the floor, including under the edges of appliances where reachable.

Bathrooms: toilet inside, outside and behind, tub and shower including grout and caulk, sink, vanity inside and out, mirror, medicine cabinet, exhaust fan cover and floor.

Living areas and bedrooms: closets emptied and wiped, shelves dusted, baseboards wiped, light switches and outlet covers cleaned, ceiling fans and light fixtures dusted, window sills and tracks cleaned, blinds dusted, carpets vacuumed thoroughly and hard floors mopped.

Last steps: remove all trash, check every drawer and closet, and take photos of each room once it is clean. Photos are useful if there is any question about the condition later.

A move-in cleaning before your furniture arrives is the easiest time to clean every cabinet, closet and corner. Even if the unit was cleaned after the last tenant, wiping shelves and drawers, sanitizing the bathroom and cleaning inside the fridge gives you a fresh start.

Townhouse rentals add stairs, which collect dust at the back of each tread, and sometimes an attached garage, which sends grit inside. Vacuum stairs step by step every week and sweep the garage entry regularly.

Many Bensalem apartment and townhouse communities allow pets, often with a pet deposit or fee. Pet hair, scratches and odors are among the things property managers look for at move-out. Vacuum carpets, upholstery and the edges of rooms at least weekly, wash pet bedding often, blot accidents right away with an enzyme cleaner and wipe nose prints from sliding doors and low windows.

Before move-out, vacuum slowly in two directions to lift embedded hair, and check baseboards and door frames for scratches or marks you can gently clean.

S&A House Cleaning is based in Delran, New Jersey, a short drive across the river, and has more than four years of experience cleaning houses, apartments, condos and offices. We handle recurring cleanings as well as move-in and move-out deep cleanings. For details, see our house cleaning in Bensalem page, or call or text (856) 258-0638 to request a quote.