Jonathan Scott's Tips For Starting Fresh When Moving Into A New Home

Moving into a new home can be both a treat and an ordeal. It's fun to pull up stakes and move to a home that has the ample closet space you lacked in your old home or the extra bathroom that will tame the morning traffic jam. On the other hand, unless your home is a new build that's never been occupied, there will be things you need to deal with (and even new builds could have construction dust and contractors' footprints that need to be cleaned). Jonathan Scott, one half of HGTV's popular Property Brothers, has some tips for making sure you're getting a fresh start with a clean slate in your new home. His number one rule is to "get rid of the grime" before you move in.

Cleaning isn't one of the fun parts of starting fresh in a new home, but it's something you'll want to do before you settle in. Even if the people moving out were careful about leaving a clean house, they may have missed some spots that aren't so obvious. Moving out is as difficult and tiring as moving in, so it's not unreasonable to expect to have to do some cleaning. Some things, like cleaning the windows and vacuuming the carpets, are obvious. Others, like having a professional come in to clean the HVAC ducts, are not. Property Brother Scott has a clever tip for keeping things clean once you've done the hard work.

Begin by giving your new place a thorough cleaning before moving in. A steam cleaner comes in handy — there are many areas in the kitchen you can steam clean, including the insides of cupboards, fixtures, and windows. Move the fridge and stove if possible, so you can clean under and behind them. Remember to clean the fan and vents in the bathroom. Don't forget to wash the shades on permanent light fixtures and dust the ceiling fan blades. 

Save cleaning the floors for last, so you don't have to worry about dirtying them as you work. Once the floors are done, Scott recommends keeping them clean by encouraging guests to take their dirty shoes off at the door. He suggests placing an attractive low-profile basket or a small shoe shelf by the entry as a reminder. And, it helps to keep a Swiffer nearby to clean up messes when they happen, without getting down on your hands and knees to scrub.

Scott recommends a couple of other fixes that will help keep your new place looking fresh. He suggests replacing carpeting that isn't acceptable, either because it's dirty or it's not to your taste, with high-end, durable laminate flooring that will last for years. Laminate has evolved from the obviously faux wood patterns it had when it was first introduced into a more authentic-looking product that's easy to keep clean and lasts for years. If your home is older, there are ways to bring old laminate floors back to life. In the kitchen, consider replacing marble countertops that have to be resealed every six months with quartz, a much more stain, heat, and scratch resistant counter material. There are plenty of stunning quartz countertops colors that will complete your kitchen renovation.