Clean up and make that sale

Does your house smell clean? If it doesn't, it could cost you dearly come sale time.

Nasty whiffs are a subliminal turn-off to buyers. But before you run out and buy room freshener, think. You can't fool buyers by trying to mask smells. Clean your home to within an inch of its life instead.

You can do this yourself but, sometimes, it's just easier to employ professional cleaners.

Start by removing as many belongings as you can. That means fewer things to clean and less chance of even faint unpleasant smells reducing the value of your home.

Pre-sale cleans will often pay for themselves when it comes to selling a house. Fiona Body of Devonport Home Cleaner says a pre-sale clean includes vacuuming all areas, cleaning and steam cleaning all hard floor surfaces, light fittings and switches, door frames, window sills, skirting boards, bathrooms (including removal of limescale and mould), cupboards and cabinetry, all sinks and surfaces, oven, stove and laundry.

To deodorise a property she typically uses old-fashioned products such as lemon juice, baking soda and white vinegar.

"Baking soda is safe and effective at removing all odours, including food and pets. Plain white vinegar and water is just as effective and vinegar is also antibacterial."

A small bowl of baking soda or clean cat litter in the back of a freshly cleaned fridge can help neutralise odours and some freshly grated lemon zest in an egg cup also does wonders.

Wardrobes and chests of drawers, especially in teenagers' bedrooms can become smelly. It's a good idea to have a clear-out and wash everything that's left.

A thorough pre-sale clean could involve up to two days' work for one cleaner, says Body, which will cost $200 plus GST a person, a day.

"If the property is kept clean on a daily basis, it makes the pre-sale clean easier and smoother and then everyone's happy," she says.

Clean up spills and keep the house aired when cooking or baking, says Body. And keep your pets outside, or at least off carpets and soft furnishings.

If the house smells anything less than new then it's a good idea to get carpets, soft furnishings and the hard floors professionally cleaned.

Vick Sharma, owner of Service King, says a professional carpet clean of a three-bedroom home will cost about $240 including GST. High-powered vacuums are used to remove all traces of pet hair and dust, which can smell if damp, stains are removed, enzyme-based neutraliser applied and the carpet steam cleaned.

It will be dry in three hours and usually smell like new. There are additional treatments for neutralising particularly bad odours such as cat urine, says Sharma.

If you're leaving your furniture in situ for the sale then it's worth having this steam cleaned as well. A three-seater sofa and two one-seaters will cost about $160, says Sharma. He says many homeowners have their wooden or other hard floors professionally cleaned and polished before open homes, which costs about $360 for a three-bedroom home.