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Checklist A Dozen Must Have Cleaning Tools

You’re staged to sell. Are you cleaned to sell?

Clean houses sell faster than less-than-sparkling ones, because buyers love a property that looks like the professional cleaning crew just left.

I know that deep cleaning is hard work. Keeping the essential tools and equipment at hand makes the tasks easier, faster, and more thorough.

Here’s a run-down of cleaning tools that will help you sell your home. I compiled this list based on my own experience and the advice I’ve researched from professionals and other neat-freaks.

Caddy. An equipment caddy is like your purse. Get one you like to look at, and stock it with your favorite cleaning solutions. Keep it clean, organized, and handy.

Some people like to store a caddy on each floor of the home, or in each bathroom.

Microfiber cloths. Who isn’t a fan! These miracle cloths are so effective at capturing and holding dust and dirt that they make harsh cleaning products unnecessary for many of your ordinary cleaning jobs. For wiping down doors and trim, give me a bucket of plain water and a microfiber cloth, and let the games begin! Easy.

For big, reusable microfiber cloths at the best price, look in the automotive section of Wal-Mart.

Rags. I use rags for spot cleaning carpets, sopping up major spills, and tackling nasty jobs like wiping down porch railings or the undersides of a range hood. Disposable paper towels are temptingly easy but can get very expensive.

Did you know that paper towels can actually scratch some surfaces, like Plexiglas and other plastics? And paper towels are no friend of the environment.

Got orphan socks? Cut them in half lengthwise, and use them for cleaning. They’re soft, absorbent, and reusable. Old T-shirts, diapers, and towels make good cleaning rags, too. Recycling feels good!

Plastic Buckets. My preference is a roomy one for floor mopping jobs, plus a couple of smaller ones to soak items or dilute solutions. Spray cleaners can build up after time, so once in a while a cleaning with clear water, rinsing as you go, calls for a handled bucket.

I like equipment that I can wash and disinfect, like my little dustpan and broom.

Brooms. Many homeowners have tossed their brooms in favor of Swiffer-style sweepers, but nothing matches what a broom can do for floor corners, edges of carpeted rooms, exterior doors and steps, and other places where most vacuum cleaners won’t pick up.

Soft, synthetic bristle brooms are easier to use and grab dust better than stiff brooms. For garage floors, driveways and sidewalks, a stiff push broom is best.

A brooms kissing cousin is the dust broom, and a dust pan. Theyre a necessity unless youre sweeping debris under a rug, and I know you wouldnt! Well, maybe if your realtor is knocking at the door with clients in tow.

Mops. A mop’s essential for a thorough cleaning on washable flooring. A large-headed wet mop with a swivel base and removable microcloth takes care of maintenance cleaning. For deeper cleaning, use a traditional sponge mop, one with a sturdy replaceable head that will squeeze out excess water and lets you rinse floors as well as wash. The more money you spend, the better the mop. Read the reviews and pick your weapon.

Brushes. They’re indispensable for embedded dirt, textured surfaces, and hard to reach places. I prefer a brush or a cloth to a sponge, which starts out looking all perky and then gets stinky if you don’t disinfect it regularly and then dry it quickly.

I like Oxo brushes because they are designed well and last a long time. My dentist has forgotten that he recommended a Sonic toothbrush, so when I get free toothbrushes with each visit, they become part of my cleaning arsenal, perfect for getting into those tough spots.

This little, long handled, low-tech carpet sweeper could be your answer
to those short notice showings when your carpets need a quick once over.

Magic Erasers. Like any addict, I make sure I never run out of these. They are the only approach for some otherwise unsolvable cleaning problems. We’re talking glass shower doors, fiberglass shower stalls, stoves, porcelain and stainless sinks, and stains on vinyl and laminates. The post I wrote about how Magic Erasers work their magic is one of my most popular posts.

Vacuum Cleaner. Nothing sexy about it, but people have love/hate relationships with their vacuums. I love my Rainbow. I’ll never go back to using a vacuum that blows air over dirt and then out its exhaust. My Rainbow is a little heavy and a little awkward, but I don’t care. It makes the whole house smell great because I can scent the water that cleans the air. I don’t get paid to say these things.

A vac is your most important tool. If you’re in an unfulfilling relationship with yours, now’s a good time to invest in your future. Whether you prefer an upright or a canister type, I urge you to spend a little more money and get one that you can stay married to for a long time.

Or does your present vac just need a thorough overhaul and cleaning?

Its not a vacuum cleaner, but its the ancestor of vacs -- the humble carpet sweeper. It could be included on this dirty dozen tool list as #13. Compact, lightweight, inexpensive, quiet, it will perform your hurry-up-tidy-ups between regular vacuuming dates.

Long Handled Duster. A microfiber duster on an extendable handle is the way to handle ceilings and walls on a maintenance schedule. Swooshing over these surfaces regularly gets rid of dust and cobwebs before they become visible.

The telescoping handle is your friend if you have high ceilings. Use your handled duster for ceiling fans because they are a magnet for whatever is in the air. Knock the dirt down before you vacuum.

My favorite scents. If youve read my home staging eBook, you know that I like to avoid
strong chemical scents, and prefer essential oils for adding fragrance to a room.
You can download the book now and and learn all my tips to clean like a pro.

Plastic Watering Can. A real time-saver. If you have to use caustic solutions, like Lime-A-Way or CLR, to clean shower walls and doors, use a small plastic watering can with a spout to rinse them away. Tuck it away in the vanity.

Nitrile Gloves. Protect your hands and your health. Slip on some pretty gloves for all your wet cleaning tasks. Even pure water dries your skin, and cleaners in solution are absorbed by your skin. If you wont drink it, dont put it on your skin.

What? A girl cant have too many pairs of gloves. I have other glove collections
for painting and gardening. This is the watering can I use for rinsing shower walls.

Depending on your home, you’ll have favorites to add to this list -- a steamer, roller to remove pet hair, carpet shampooer, robot cleaner, hand-held rechargeable vac, pumice stone, special dry mop, a squeegee, your favorite dance music. What do you do to make the most of your housecleaning time?

Getting your home to shine is one of the most important ways you stage your home. When a person buys a home, she envisions herself starting fresh, and moving up in the world. Cleanliness is part of that picture, part of what sells homes. You cant clean your home on the market too much, but you deserve the tools that let you do a better job, faster and easier.

Checklist A Dozen Must Have Cleaning Tools

Does Your Home Have Some Wow Factors

A powder room is the perfect place to go for wow.
This BHG shot shows a fabulous vanity, tile on one wall,
new faucets, and a mirror that can all be part of a modest budget.

A friend who is a Realtor told me that he tells every client, "Your home has to have some wow factors."

Hes right.

In case you havent noticed, its not exactly a sellers market out there. If you want your home to sell fast at a price you can be happy with, you need to stand out from the competition.

Price is one way to do that. Wow factors are another.

Lets Get Specific

Understand, I am not saying you need to start dumping money into your home to make it far more luxurious and up-to-date than it is. The last thing you want to do is price yourself out of the market.

But if you are really motivated to sell, or need to sell fast, some wow factors are what could put your home over the top.

Here are some typical wow factors that fall midway between gutting-it-all remodels and simple, gussy-up staging. Theyll cost you some money, but theyll help sell your home!

New walk-in shower
One or two obviously high end lighting fixtures
An outdoor hot tub
Private, outdoor enclosed space or garden
Professionally designed landscaping
Outdoor shower, even if its cold water only
Stylish overhead garage door or refurbished existing one
New kitchen appliances that match each other
New washer and dryer that stay
Built-in bookcases, beautifully staged, of course
Built-in window seat, so charming!
Media room with basic home theatre
The fenced backyard that parents and pet owners crave
Fully finished garage and/or basement that attracts the male buyer
New toilet and sink, maybe in all baths

No one is suggesting that you add more than two of three of these improvements. Even one upgrade buys you some wow. What changes you make to your home to make it more attractive to buyers depends on your homes present condition, the local market, your reasons for selling, and your budget.
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A "sun tunnel" in the ceiling adds great lighting!

The Reasons Little Luxuries Matter

So, whats the big deal about features that wow?

Buyers are immediately impressed, and favorably so.
Your home becomes memorable. Its the one with the bathroom skylights, or the one with the luscious, secret shade garden.
You can include these features in your MLS listing and all your literature. Include specifics like brand names and measurements when possible. Specifics impress.
The longer buyers stay in your home during a preview, the better. Improvements that wow encourage lingering.

If you do a slow, room-by-room walk-through of your own home, and put your mind in the Dream Big Mode, youre bound to envision some improvements.

If you cant justify spending money on new appliances or bathroom upgrades, examine your home for almost-wow factors. Is that awesome sunroom being wasted as a clutter collection point? Has your view of the distant mountains been obscured by overgrown weed trees? Are there heart pine floors under carpeting? Is the working fireplace currently not working? Does your formal dining room look more like homework and crafting headquarters? Is that killer shelving system for the garage still in boxes? These are missed opportunities to wow buyers.

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Could a charming and functional garden shed be your wow factor?
This one belongs to my friend, Julie.

Brainstorm Your Brains Out

Maybe youve always wanted to add crown molding to the living room. Maybe youve wanted a chandelier in the foyer, or a beautifully stylish ceiling fan in your sunroom, or an outdoor fountain by the patio. If these are changes you would enjoy in your own home, as long as they arent particular to unique tastes, they are the kinds of things that buyers will want as well.

Dont let the idea that all these upgrades are expensive scare you. Get some estimates. Work with an experienced handyman who can come up with economical alternatives. Purchase from mid-price range.

You can upgrade just the half bath. Who says baths must match?

You can install hardwoods in just the downstairs, or just the living and dining rooms. Hardwoods can be laid for the cost of wall-to-wall carpeting. I did it in my own home.

You can buy scratch and dent appliances. Very often these deeply discounted appliances are high end, and the ding isnt visible once installed.

You can buy mid-range bookcases you assemble yourself and screw to the wall. Centsational Girl did this and blogged about it.

You can DIY a board and batten treatment in the hallway. Blogland is full of tutorials for this project.

You can put together a home theater system from Craigslist. First adopters sell their systems to upgrade to the latest. And you can always negotiate price. Maybe they will offer to install it for you.

You can trade skills with friends or family for what you need. Feed your cousin the tilesetter for a week while he lays new ceramic flooring in your kitchen. Trade babysitting services for your neighbor who has a hot tub to sell.
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Hardwood flooring is going to wow most people. Prices can be comparable to carpeting.

Time is of the Essence

Remember that every month your home doesnt sell you are paying carrying costs to stay there. The sooner your home sells, the more money you make, because homes that stay on the market grow stale, and that fact influences what you can ask for it. Agents and buyers wonder whats wrong with these stale homes and they stay away. You need to tempt buyers and do it at the start. When you list!

So dont fall into the rut of thinking, "If its good enough for me, its good enough." Buyers are spoiled. You wont change that. But can can still wow them with some amenities.

Get more ideas to help you prepare your home for the real estate market by downloading my $4.99 eBook, DIY Home Staging Tips to Sell Your Home Fast and For Top Dollar.

Does Your Home Have Some Wow Factors