So, your house inspection is in two days. You had every intention of getting organised earlier, but somehow the week disappeared, the kids had a million things on, work was busy and now you’re standing in the middle of the house wondering where on earth to start.

First things first, don’t panic. You don’t need to spend the next 48 hours frantically cleaning every tiny corner of your home. You just need a plan and a good idea of where your time is best spent.

If you’ve got a full week to prepare, our 7-day house inspection cleaning plan is a great way to break everything down into manageable jobs without spending hours cleaning every day. But if you’ve only got the weekend, don’t worry. You can still get a lot done by splitting the jobs between Saturday and Sunday and focusing on the areas that will make the biggest difference.

So grab your cleaning supplies, put on some music and let’s get stuck in. Here’s how we’d tackle a house inspection when you’ve only got two days to get ready.

Saturday: Get the inside of the house inspection-ready

Start with the rooms that make the biggest impression.

1. Declutter first

Before you start pulling out the cleaning products, tackle the stuff that’s making the house look busier than it needs to. You don’t need to completely declutter your home or suddenly decide it’s time to reorganise every cupboard. This is about getting the visible mess under control.

Put away the shoes and bags by the door, clear the toys and clothes, deal with the paperwork that’s been sitting on the bench and pack away any appliances you don’t use regularly. While you’re walking through the house, you’ll probably find plenty of random things that have somehow ended up in the wrong room too.

A laundry basket is surprisingly useful for this job. Take it with you as you move from room to room and pop anything that doesn’t belong into it. Once you’ve finished your first lap of the house, you can work your way back through and put everything where it actually belongs.

Shoes and bags put away
Toys packed away
Clothes picked up
Paperwork cleared from visible areas
Unused benchtop appliances put away
Random items returned to their proper rooms
General clutter cleared from floors and surfaces

The aim isn’t to make your home look like nobody lives there. You simply want the rooms to feel more spacious, tidy and cared for before you start on the actual cleaning.

2. Kitchen

The kitchen is one of the first places people tend to notice during a house inspection, so it’s worth giving it a little extra attention. You don’t necessarily need to scrub every cupboard from top to bottom, but you do want the room to feel clean, fresh and well cared for.

Start by clearing the benches and giving them a thorough clean, then work your way around the kitchen. Wipe down the splashback, sink and tap, cooktop and rangehood, and give the microwave and fridge exterior a once-over too. Cupboard and drawer fronts can also collect plenty of fingerprints, particularly around the handles.

Clear and clean benchtops
Wipe down the splashback
Clean the sink and tap
Clean the cooktop
Wipe the rangehood
Clean the microwave
Wipe cupboard and drawer fronts, especially around handles
Clean the outside of the fridge
Check behind and underneath appliances for crumbs and dirt
Empty and wipe the bin
Vacuum and mop the floor

If you’ve got enough time, give the inside of the oven some attention too. It can be one of those jobs that’s easy to put off, but a visibly dirty oven can quickly take away from an otherwise spotless kitchen.

Before you leave the room, have one last look around at eye level. Fingerprints, crumbs and little splashes are often the things you notice once everything else has been cleaned.

3. Bathrooms

Bathrooms are one of those areas where a little extra attention can make a big difference. For an inspection, you want everything to look fresh, clean and well maintained, rather than just giving the obvious surfaces a quick once-over.

Start with the shower and bath, removing any soap build-up and water marks from the screens, walls and taps. Give the vanity and mirror a good clean, then move onto the toilet, paying attention to the areas that are easy to miss. Hair and grime around drains can quickly make an otherwise clean bathroom look neglected, so give those areas a check too.

Clean shower screens and remove soap build-up
Wipe shower walls and the bath
Clean the vanity and basin
Polish mirrors and remove fingerprints
Clean the toilet, including around the base and behind it
Wipe taps and remove water marks
Give tiles a thorough clean
Check and clean drains
Vacuum and mop the floor
Dust or clean the exhaust fan if it needs attention

Take a quick look around once you’re finished. Bathrooms are full of little corners and edges that are easy to miss when you’re rushing, so it’s worth giving the room one final check before moving on.

4. Bedrooms

The bedrooms don’t need to look like a five-star hotel, but you do want them to feel tidy, fresh and looked after. Start with the obvious things first. Make the beds, clear anything that’s accumulated on bedside tables and put away any clothes that are lying around.

Once the room is looking tidy, dust the main surfaces and give the floors a thorough vacuum, paying attention to the edges and corners. If your curtains or blinds have collected a layer of dust, a quick vacuum or wipe over can freshen them up too.

Make the beds and straighten bedding
Clear bedside tables and other visible surfaces
Put clothes, shoes and personal items away
Dust furniture and surfaces
Vacuum thoroughly, including corners and edges
Vacuum or dust curtains and blinds if needed
Check underneath beds and furniture for any obvious dust or clutter

5. Living areas

Now it’s time to tackle the spaces where everyone spends most of their time. These areas can make a big difference to the overall impression of the home, so the aim is to make them feel fresh, tidy and well cared for.

Start by clearing away anything that doesn’t belong and giving the main surfaces a good dust. Then work your way around the room, looking for anything that’s particularly noticeable, such as fingerprints on glass, marks on windows or dust building up in corners.

Once the room is tidy, give the floors a thorough vacuum. If you can easily move smaller pieces of furniture, vacuum underneath and around them too. There’s no need to start rearranging the entire room, but you don’t want obvious areas of dust left behind either.

It’s also worth giving some attention to the things you touch constantly. Door handles, light switches and remote controls might not look dirty at first glance, but they’re easy to overlook during a big clean.

Remove clutter and put misplaced items away
Dust furniture and visible surfaces
Clean noticeable marks from windows and glass
Dust skirting boards where needed
Check corners and edges for cobwebs and dust
Vacuum floors thoroughly
Vacuum underneath and around furniture where practical
Wipe door handles
Wipe light switches
Clean remote controls and other frequently handled items
Straighten cushions and throws
Check that the room looks tidy and inviting before moving on

6. Floors

Once you’ve finished dusting and cleaning the surfaces, it’s time to tackle the floors. This is best left until you’ve finished working through the rooms, otherwise you’ll likely end up walking dust and crumbs straight back over your freshly cleaned floors.

Start with a thorough vacuum, making sure you get into the corners, along the edges and underneath furniture where you can. Pay a little extra attention to areas that get a lot of foot traffic, as these can often show the most dirt.

For hard floors, follow up with a good mop and make sure you don’t leave behind streaks or excess water. If you have carpet, give it a thorough vacuum and pay attention to any areas that look particularly flattened or marked.

Vacuum carpets thoroughly
Vacuum corners and along skirting boards
Vacuum underneath furniture where practical
Pay extra attention to high-traffic areas
Mop hard floors
Spot-clean any obvious marks
Check for pet hair and remove it
Make sure floors are dry before walking over them again

Clean floors can make an enormous difference to how fresh the entire home feels, so if you’ve got the time, don’t rush this part.

Sunday: Outside, finishing touches and the things you’ve forgotten

Once the inside is under control, it’s time to head outside.

1. Entryway

This is the first impression of the property, so don’t overlook it.
Sweep the front path and entry.
Remove cobwebs.
Clean the front door.
Wipe down the door frame and handles.
Make sure the entrance looks welcoming rather than like it has been forgotten.

2. Outdoor areas

Give patios, balconies and entertaining areas a good sweep.
Remove leaves and debris.
Wipe down outdoor furniture if needed.
Clean any obvious dirt or cobwebs.
If you have a balcony, make sure the glass and railings aren’t covered in fingerprints or grime.

3. Windows

You don’t necessarily need to spend your entire weekend chasing every microscopic fingerprint.
Focus on the obvious areas first.
Clean accessible glass, window frames and tracks where needed.
Pay particular attention to windows that are heavily marked or noticeable from inside the home.

4. Gardens and lawns

You don’t need to become a professional landscaper overnight.
Just make everything look maintained.
Mow the lawn.
Trim obvious overgrowth.
Pull noticeable weeds.
Remove dead leaves.
Sweep paths and outdoor areas.
Empty green waste and rubbish bins if appropriate.

5. Garage, shed and storage areas

These are easy to ignore because they’re not living spaces, but don’t leave them until the last five minutes.
Sweep floors.
Remove rubbish.
Stack things neatly.
Clear obvious cobwebs.
You don’t need a Pinterest-worthy garage.
You just want it to look like the space is functional and cared for.

The final inspection-eve walkthrough

Before you finally put your feet up, give yourself another 15 minutes for one last walk through the house. The trick here is to stop looking at it as the person who has spent the entire weekend cleaning and instead look at it as someone walking through the property for the first time.

Start at the front door and take a slow look around. What’s the first thing that catches your eye? Walk through each room and look at it from the perspective of someone viewing the property. You might suddenly notice the fingerprints on the fridge, the mark on the cupboard or the pile of paperwork you’ve stopped seeing because you’ve walked past it a hundred times.

Final walkthrough checklist:

Start at the front entrance and check the first impression
Look for fingerprints on doors, handles and appliances
Check kitchen benches and cupboards for marks
Look for water marks or stray hairs in bathrooms
Check mirrors and glass for fingerprints
Look behind doors and in room corners
Check skirting boards for dust
Look up for cobwebs, dusty fans or vents
Look down for anything you’ve missed on the floors
Check that rubbish bins are empty or tidy
Make sure there are no obvious piles of clutter
Take a final look at outdoor areas and the entrance

When you’ve been cleaning the same house all weekend, it’s surprisingly easy to become blind to the little things. Giving yourself a few minutes to look at the house with fresh eyes can help you spot those final details before the inspector arrives.

Then, and only then, you can put your feet up. You’ve earned it!

Don’t forget the small details

Before you call it done, check:

Light switches
Door handles
Skirting boards
Ceiling fans
Air-conditioning vents
Cobwebs
Window tracks
Cupboard fronts
Behind doors
Under furniture
Mirrors
Taps
Bins
Outdoor areas

You don’t need to clean every single thing in your home to within an inch of its life.

You need to make the property feel clean, maintained and ready for someone else to walk through.

And if two days still isn’t enough?

And if you’re reading this thinking, “There is absolutely no way I’m getting all of that done this weekend,” that’s okay too.

Sometimes life gets in the way. Maybe you’ve been working all week, the kids have been running from school to sport, you’re in the middle of packing or moving, or you’ve simply got a hundred other things competing for your attention.

That’s where getting a little help can make a huge difference.

At The Naturally Clean Co, we’re used to helping busy households get their homes looking their best without adding another massive job to an already hectic weekend. If your house inspection is looming and the cleaning list feels more than you can manage, we’re here to help take some of that pressure off.

The important thing is not to panic and try to do everything at once. Make a plan, work through the house room by room and tackle the jobs that will make the biggest difference first.

And remember, it doesn’t have to be absolutely perfect.

You just need to get it done.

If you’re renting in Queensland and want to know what to expect from the inspection process, the Queensland Residential Tenancies Authority’s routine inspections information is a useful place to check your rights and responsibilities as a tenant or property manager.

House inspection cleaning checklist for a 2-day weekend