Moving into your new home is always exciting.

You’ve probably spent weeks, maybe months, planning for this day and dreaming about what you’ll do in the new house. Maybe you even have designs drawn up and paint colours picked out already.

But before you start unpacking and setting up your home, there are some simple tasks you might want to complete first:

1. Clean floors and walls

It’s always a good idea to give the house a quick clean. While you would like to believe that the previous owners took the time to scrub the place down for you, it’s best to do a comprehensive clean before you redecorate and arrange furniture. Wipe down the walls, dust along the ceiling, and clean the floors.

Pay extra attention to the carpets. Especially if the previous owners had children or pets, you may want to steam clean the carpets to remove any stains or odors.

2. Care for your kitchen

In the haste and busyness of packing up to leave, the kitchen is often the one room that often gets neglected during cleaning. The first thing you should do is wipe down the insides of the cabinets and the fridge. Then take some time to scrub down the oven. Lastly, make sure to clean out any nooks and spaces under appliances where dust and food might get trapped.

3. Change the locks

Even if you have been promised new locks when you take over the house, the safest option is to have them replaced yourself once you move in. It’s best to be sure that no one else has keys to your house and give yourself the peace of mind, even though it is an added expense.

You can change the locks yourself, or hire a locksmith. 

4. Call an exterminator

You probably haven’t spent much time in your new home before moving day, which means you haven’t had the chance to see whether there are any pest problems in the house. To be safe, you might want to call an exterminator to take care of rodents or bugs who may have found their way in.