Many of you have probably heard the phrase "Cleanliness is next to Godliness."  This is never more true than when you are listing your house for sale. 

As an Accredited Staging Professional Realtor, the first thing I tell my clients when they ask "how do I prepare my house for showing," is to clean, clean and clean some more!  You should either hire a professional cleaning service or clean everything thoroughly yourself.  This includes shampooing carpets, washing all windows (inside and out), scrubbing baseboards, cleaning appliances and much, much more.  Don't forget to clean all the light fixtures and make sure there are working light bulbs in them.

A few helpful hints for cleaning problems you may run into are:

Crayon marks on walls?  A damp rag, dipped in baking soda

Permanent marker on appliances/counter tops (like store receipt blue)?  Rubbing alcohol on paper towel

Blood stains on fabrics?  Pour a little hydrogen peroxide on a cloth and wipe off or if it's a large stain, pour hydrogen peroxide directly on stain and wash.

Use vertical strokes when washing windows outside and horizontal for inside.  Then you can tell which side has streaks.  Straight vinegar will get windows really clean.  (Another tip is to not wash windows on a sunny day.  They dry too fast and will streak.  This will be difficult, I know, to find a non-sunny day in Flagstaff!!)

To clean artificial flowers, pour some salt into a paper bag and add the flowers.  Shake vigorously as the salt will absorb all the dust and dirt.

Use 2 Alka Seltzer tablets, to clean a toilet.  Drop in, leave 20 minutes and then brush and flush.  It also works for stains in the bottoms of glass vases; just fill with water and drop 2 in.

I know you probably have some tips for those hard to remove stains or cleaning challenges.  I'd love to hear them and I'm  sure others would too.  So please share with us.

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