If you’re contemplating listing your home to sell, you know there’s the chance that you could be stuck living in a show-room-ready home for an uncomfortable amount of time. NOBODY wants to live with that torture! The sooner you sell, the easier everybody’s life is, right? And the most effective way to sell your home QUICKLY is to show a CLEAN home!

How To Sell Your Home Quickly

When potential home buyers are coming through your home, they’re looking at your home through the lens of the ‘ideal.’ They are attempting to imagine themselves living in your home. And let’s be honest – it’s hard to imagine yourself there when there’s a whole bunch of other peoples ‘stuff.’ Your home needs to have a clutter free look in order for them imagine themselves there. It’s not just important for a home to be uncluttered though. It should also be clean. Shiny, squeaky clean.

Why ‘Clean’ Sells

When a potential buyer walks through a home that has dirt, streaks, cobwebs and dust, they’re distracted by all of those things! They are unable to see past those items, and the potential gets lost in the dirt. The value of your home also loses potential.  And while their own home may be dirty, no one imagines themselves in a new ‘dirty’ home. They’re looking for better than what they have.

I have a friend that told me a story of her and her spouse house hunting. She said that most of the houses they looked at were, in her words, ‘filthy’. She was too disgusted by the dirt to like the homes. The majority of these homes were split entries. Then, she looked at (yet another) split entry that was absolutely sparkling. Every room sparkled. She could actually ‘feel’ the clean of the home. And she LOVED it. She loved that home that gave off the air of ‘well cared for’ so much, that she bought it!

When she told me this story, I quizzed her on if there were any features of that home that were wildly different than the other ones she had viewed. Her answer? Nope. It was just really clean, and she loved that. It’s wild, I know! I then asked her: if the home you now live in was NOT so sparkly clean when you had first viewed it, would you have bought it? She thought a long time. And with surprise, she herself realized that her answer was ‘No!’ The main element of the home that ‘sold’ her was simply its cleanliness!

A ‘To Do’ List

This story only emphasizes the importance of getting your home de-cluttered and cleaned, especially if you want to see your home quickly and avoid the torture of continuous cleaning. Here’s a list of items to deep clean before you list your home, to get it ready. These jobs will help give your home that ‘squeaky clean’ feel:

Clutter: clear away any unnecessary clutter. It really does make a difference!

• If you have a spot in the house where you pile receipts, and odd’s and ends, like a basket in the kitchen or on top of the dresser, you’ll need to either put all of those items away, or tuck away in a drawer or a cupboard. Surfaces should be pretty clear. It’s amazing how an uncluttered look adds instant value to a space! (It makes viewers feel like it’s a large living space with lots of room for their own clutter! )
• Declutter storage areas too. Purging and organizing storage areas, like basements, closets, garages and cupboards, will give viewers the warm-happy-feels!

Windows – clean the inside AND the outside, if you can reach them. You want the bright light to stream right through. The Norwex EnviroCloth and Window Cloth will make this job quick and painless. You can find out how here: Spring Clean Your Windows or How to Clean High Windows. 

• Also do window Screens . Dust easily accumulates on screens, restricting light from shining through the windows fully. Use your Norwex Dusting Mitt, just slightly damp, to quickly dust them off. Learn how here: How To Clean Window Screens

Cobwebs: remove cobwebs from doorways, ceiling corners, light fixtures and even small basement windows. Nothing says neglect like a cobweb! Grab the EnviroWand to reach crevices, corners and high ceilings. Learn what the EnviroWand can reach here: All About the Envirowand

Walls: if a fresh coat of paint isn’t an option, cleaning your walls can make things look more appealing. Simply dampen an EnviroCloth and wipe the wall (it’s so darn easy!).

Doors: If you have white doors throughout the house, or white kitchen cabinets, give them a quick wipe down to remove dark fingerprints and dirt, so they look new again. Once again, this is quick with just a damp EnviroCloth (yes, I’m serious, it will clean off with just water!). The Cleaning Paste is also an effective and easy option for really tough scuff marks.

Siding: if it’s been a while since you’ve pressure washed the house, this job helps add instant curb appeal to viewers. No access to a pressure washer? You can always clean the areas you can reach on foot and ladder with a scrub brush. For extra cleaning power, use a bucket of water with a little powdered Laundry Detergent added (just a small scoop will do) to help release the dirty buildup. Simply scrub it and rinse.

What to Do Before Each Showing

After your initial “top-to-bottom-get-‘er-ready” clean, here are some items you’ll want to stay on top of, for each showing:

Floors: make sure that floors are swept and free of crumbs, just before a showing. Keep the floors sparkling in between showings with mopping weekly, and do quick spot cleans just before a showing. The Norwex Mop System doesn’t need a bucket. This is perfect for quickly cleaning one room or spot cleaning here and there. Learn all about the mop in this review: Norwex Mop Review: Is it worth the price?

Appliances: A quick wipe down before a showing helps give the whole kitchen a sparkle! Use the EnviroCloth and Window cloth to wipe these down in a jiffy! Use the Norwex Cleaning Paste to polish up your stovetop, as well as scour your sink, to make it shine.

Clear Counter Tops: Put away some of your everyday items to give your kitchen an even more decluttered look. If you have space in your kitchen cupboards available for items like your toaster, knife block, Counter Cloth House and kettle, tuck those away just before the showing.

Lawn: keeping the grass trimmed low creates instant appeal as soon as a viewer parks in the driveway. If you have a paved driveway, give it a quick sweep if you have gravel or foliage around it.

Bathrooms: Grab your EnviroCloth to give the vanity a quick wipe down. Your Window Cloth will make your chrome faucets gleam, and you can quickly dampen it and wipe away any spots on mirrors!

And now you’re ready to rock this listing, and sell your home in a FLASH!