If like me, you had to move home over the past two years amid the pandemic, you would likely have experienced increased difficulty in renovating your home during this period.
While my family and I were fortunate to have purchase a dream home in a location we really wanted, renovating the new place during this period with tightening safe management measures in place hasn’t been the smoothest process. Instead of only moving in when the renovation was fully completed, we had to compromise and moved into a partially-ready home – with the caveat that the move-in condition had to be child-friendly for our two young girls.
It has been a month since we moved in to our new apartment and about two weeks since our contractor finally completed the renovation. However, as with any newly renovated home, even after multiple general cleaning efforts, there are still some inherited old stains from the previous owner and post-renovation debris and dusts that seem hard to get rid of – no matter how much we clean.
This gave us the reason to find out how much more can deep cleaning services help with a home like ours. Does it simply replace what we can already do on our own anyway, or would it help remove stains, debris and dirt that can’t be ridden off easily without the help of professionals.
We engaged Rooma’s 4-hour deep cleaning service last week and here’s what the package includes based on the size of your home:
Pricing from Rooma
The cost of their deep cleaning services varies depending on the size of the home.
Some Key Areas We Hope Deep Cleaning Can Help Remove
As we didn’t fully renovate the home, some of the existing parts of the home (e.g. floor) had stubborn stains and accumulated dust that we weren’t sure whether could be removed, or be significantly reduced with professional help.
Overall, being an older apartment that just went through an extensive renovation, the apartment does require a more thorough cleaning than what we have been able to do over the past month despite our best efforts.
For instance, there was built-up dirt on our window grills that probably hasn’t been cleaned for years.
Accumulated dirt on window grills that have been around for a long time
There were also a lot of post-renovation dust and lingering cement debris stuck at edges that were exceptionally difficult to get off, either because we don’t have the skill, equipment, or the right solutions to scrub them off.
Post-renovation debris can be found throughout the entire house
More labour-intensive cleaning like clearing post-renovation dust and debris left behind the fridge and washing machine is required, especially when we moved in these appliances when the renovation was still ongoing.
Deep cleaning includes covering less accessible areas such as the dusty area behind our fridge
One thing I was really impressed about was the equipment and tools prepared for the deep cleaning session. The cleaning crew came in with dozens of cleaning cloths, detergents of all solutions, and had their own vacuum cleaner and mops. As my husband loves saying, always come in with the right weapons if you want to get your job done right.
The crew came in prepared with a trolley of tools and detergents
From glass cleaning solution to stronger detergents to clean off stubborn stains, they have it all covered
Deep Cleaning Service Covers Every Surface Of Your House (Even The Interior Of Your Furniture)
While I expected them to clean the exterior of my home, one thing I didn’t realise was that the deep cleaning service offered by Rooma also included interior cleaning. This meant my 7-year-old fridge and closets had their interior cleaned as well.
The cleaning crews are trained to remove and put back existing belongings out from the fridge and cabinets for interior cleaning – which includes vacuuming and wiping the drawers. So you don’t have to worry about having to remove any items in advance before the cleaning crew comes.
The interior cleaning includes removing existing belongings, dusting and wiping the interior and placing belongings back to their original spot
The cleaning crew also noticed some tough stains on the glass doors and windows, which they manage to scrape off after trying out a few variations of cleaning solutions.
Glass cleaning using scraping tools to get rid of old stains on glass windows and doors
Even though the exterior of the house isn’t included in the service, they were dedicated to helping clean off areas that are safely within their reach.
Not part of the deep cleaning package but they went over and beyond to help us clean areas within their reach
Yes! Deep Cleaning Works If You Just Moved Into A Newly Renovated Home!
Having stayed in this newly renovated home for a month now, I do notice the amount of stain, dust and dirt that remains in our home no matter how often we clean them. And thank goodness, a lot of these stubborn stains, dust and dirt can actually be removed given the right equipment, skill and of course, people.
Despite the fact that it’s a 4-hour deep cleaning service and there were a professional crew of cleaning personnel helping us, it almost felt like there wasn’t enough time to finish cleaning the entire house. The crew took slightly more than 4 hours and it really shows the extent of the deep-cleaning work that was done for our place. You really need the right equipment and manpower to get it done.
Overall, it’s very satisfying to see the corners dusted and the little post-renovation cement debris finally cleared. The air at home feels much fresher now compared to before. Here are some before and after shots to show the differences.
The post-renovation debris along the edges was significantly reduced
Every corner of the house was well dusted
Stubborn dirt debris on the window grills have been scraped off and wiped clean
Obvious stains on the floor have shown significant improvement
Labour-intensive cleaning behind the fridge and washing machine
While general cleaning can be a one-man job, deep cleaning an older apartment right after a renovation is very much a team effort that requires the right equipment, skill and manpower And unless you are blessed with a large family of teenagers and adults who love cleaning, outsourcing this one-time work to a team of professionals could be well worth the money spent.
With the professionals going through the house, areas that I didn’t even notice required cleaning were covered. It was also useful to learn some cleaning skills from them directly, such as the tools and products they have, and the cleaning technique they use.
It takes a team to deep clean the apartment
As the cost of deep cleaning service is at least a few hundred dollars (depending on the size of your home), I will probably do this once every year (maybe before CNY?) or after a heavy renovation again. One thing I know for sure, the home is a lot more move-in ready and it is definitely going to be a lot easier to maintain the cleanliness of the home from here onwards.
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