- Selling homes in a collapsed housing market is tough which is why Pippa Jameson Interiors has collaborated with Oliver Heath to bring you 5 keys tips on how to sell your home in a recession. Here we look at cleaning your home in preparation for sale…
- Cleanliness, is is a must! If you don’t have the time to have a good old clean and yet you think your home might be looking a bit dirty then it would be money well spent to invest in a cleaning company. Trust me when I say that a dirty house is not a house that will attract buyers.
- Home cleaning costs anywhere between £30-70 and this will hire you a team of cleaners to come in and give the house a once over. Also, having the carpets cleaned can be done for as little as £20 and will have them looking brand new again. If it will sell your house then it is worth it!
- When people walk into a home they want it to have the wow factor. If they see that things look a bit dirty and tired then it is instantly creating the wrong impression and will put the buyer in a negative mood. If you are really busy and can’t find the time to clean the whole house then at least run a hoover around. A good stair and carpet hoover will do the job. Then make the beds, and if you can stretch to it, a new bedding set for the master bedroom will make a huge difference. Finally, plug in some air fresheners. I know people always talk about the smell of freshly baked bread and coffee but quite frankly, who has time to do this before every viewing!! My advice would be to buy some air fresheners. Poppy Coral sell a bright pink one in the shape of a large stone which is great as it doesn’t look like a standard air freshener. Place it on a shelf or on the coffee table about an hour before a viewing as you don’t want it to be too overpowering….
“Keep the windows clean to maximise the amount of natural light that comes into the house. Pull back the curtains and cut away vegetation that is blocking the windows”
Oliver Heath
Above is a great example of a clean and welcoming livingroom. With little effort and the right accessories you can achieve this look. All the above products are from Dunelm Mill.
If you decide that you really can’t stretch to the cost of a cleaning company then why not have a go yourself and use the following books as a guide. The first is called How clean is your home and is based on the television programme with Kim and Aggi. They suggest all sorts of clever ways to clean the home using natural ingredients. The second is a book by Martha Stewart; the queen of home decorating! Her book is an Essential Guide on How to Care for Everything in The Home. It’s basically a bible on home cleaning-everyone should have a copy of this in their home.
Finally, I wanted to share with you a few of my top stylists cleaning tips – we use these techniques to make sure items are gleaming before a photoshoot:
-Wash down any dirty painted walls with a sponge and soapy water, it will be a lot cheaper than a new paint job!
-Clean any stainless steel surfaces with baby oil
-Clean stubborn stains on glass with lighter fluid
-Remove stains from bathroom tiles using 1 part white vinegar with 3 parts water
