House cleaning checklist before you go on holiday

Let’s be honest: before you go on holiday, you have better things to do than scrub your house. But three things really matter: empty the fridge and take all waste outside, dry the bathroom and flush every drain, and wash all laundry so nothing sits in a closed machine. In an average apartment this takes about an hour, and it prevents the smells, fruit flies and mould that build up in a home left closed for weeks. Everything else, from dusting to windows, is not about damage but about how you want to feel when you open the door again.

The suitcase is by the door and the train to Schiphol leaves in an hour. In those last, slightly chaotic minutes, the dishes and the bin are the easiest things to just leave for later. The trouble is that your home does not stand still while you are away. Here is what actually needs doing on your house cleaning checklist, and what you can safely skip.

What happens in a house that stands empty for two weeks?

A closed-up home quickly develops smells, pests and mould, because warmth and moisture keep working while nobody is there to notice. Whatever you leave behind carries on doing its own thing.

A few innocent crumbs on the floor and food waste in the bin are enough to attract a swarm of fruit flies. In an apartment where the temperature climbs, that happens faster than you would expect.

In the bathroom, moisture works against you. A wet towel, a shower corner that was never dried and windows that stay shut together create ideal conditions for mould and a musty smell.

Then there is the water trap. A water trap is the bend in a drain that holds a small amount of water and blocks sewer odour. In warm weather that water evaporates, and after a few weeks without flushing, the smell comes straight into your home.

What to clean in the kitchen before you leave

The kitchen is where a holiday goes wrong first, so empty the fridge, take all waste outside and leave the counters dry and grease-free. This is the part of the checklist you really should not skip.

• Take all fresh products out of the fridge

• Put household and organic waste outside, not in the kitchen bin

• Degrease the counter and the hob

• Leave the dishwasher empty with the door slightly open

• Run the tap briefly to refill the sink drain

That door left ajar is not a detail. A closed dishwasher with a little moisture inside smells, after two weeks, like something you absolutely do not want to meet on the day you get home.

What to do in the bathroom before you leave

In the bathroom, dryness is the whole job: dry the shower, take down wet towels, flush the drains and leave the ventilation running. Moisture that lingers turns into mould.

• Dry the shower area and the walls

• Take wet towels and bath mats to the laundry

• Flush the shower drain and the utility room drain

• Switch on the ventilation or leave a vent open

• Wipe away visible limescale before it hardens

Why your laundry matters more than your floors

Laundry left in a closed drum starts to smell terrible within days, while a dusty floor does nothing at all while you are away. Most people still tackle these in the exact wrong order.

So wash everything dirty before you leave and leave the washing machine empty with the door open. Change your bedding too, because clean sheets after a long travel day are quite possibly the biggest gift you can give yourself.

Should you clean before you leave, or when you get back?

Clean before you leave if you are away for up to about two weeks, and arrange a clean around your return if you are away longer or subletting your place. On a long trip, the combination is worth the most.

Away for a month, subletting, or leaving a house sitter?

A longer absence changes the checklist: empty the fridge completely, switch it off and leave the door slightly open so mould cannot form. For a two-week trip, simply leave it running.

Ask someone to run the taps and the shower every few weeks. That keeps the water traps filled and saves you a home that smells of sewage when you walk back in.

If you sublet your place, the condition you hand it over in directly affects your reviews. For that kind of handover, our move-out cleaning works better than a regular session.

Do it yourself or book a cleaner?

Most of this checklist takes about an hour and is easy enough to do yourself. Booking a cleaner makes sense if you are away for a month, if you are subletting, or if the last day before departure has simply run out of hours.

We covered the wider trade-off between doing it yourself and outsourcing in is professional cleaning worth it for expats in the Netherlands.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The only tasks that prevent real damage are the fridge, the waste, the drains and the laundry. The rest is comfort.

• Water traps in drains dry out in warm weather, which is why a closed-up home can smell of sewage after a few weeks.

• A closed washing machine turns forgotten laundry into a second wash within days.

• For trips longer than a month, or if you sublet, a clean at both ends is worth more than a clean at one

Frequently asked questions about cleaning before holidays

Should I leave my windows open or closed while I am on holiday?

Keep your windows closed and locked while you are on holiday, because an open window is an invitation to burglars. Open the ventilation grilles instead, or leave mechanical ventilation running on its lowest setting, so air keeps moving through the home.

My house smells musty after two weeks away, what do I do first?

If your house smells musty after two weeks away, open all the windows first and run the taps and the shower for a few minutes. That refills the water traps in the drains, which in most cases is the source of the smell.

Should I leave my fridge switched on while I am on holiday?

For a two-week holiday, leave the fridge switched on and simply remove the fresh products. If you are away for longer than a month, empty it completely, switch it off and leave the door slightly open to prevent mould.

What do I do with my waste if collection day falls after I leave?

If collection day falls after you leave, still move your waste to the outdoor container rather than the kitchen bin, because indoors it starts to smell within days. Ask a neighbour to put the container out on collection day and bring it back afterwards.

Is a pre-holiday clean worth it for a long weekend?

For a long weekend, a professional clean is usually not worth it. Three days do not create the problems a home develops over two weeks, so an empty bin and an empty washing machine are enough.

Do I need to empty the dishwasher before I leave?

Yes, empty the dishwasher before you leave and then leave the door slightly open. Moisture trapped in a closed dishwasher creates a musty smell within two weeks that spreads to the rest of the kitchen.