End of Tenancy Cleaning in Mitcham

An Edwardian mid-terrace on one of the streets off Figges Marsh — a 5-minute walk from the tram stop, 8 minutes from Mitcham Eastfields station (Victoria and London Bridge direct). Three bedrooms, a through-lounge with a dividing arch, a kitchen-diner extension at the rear, a family bathroom, and a 40ft rear garden backing onto the edges of the common. The family — a teaching assistant and a delivery logistics manager with two primary-school children — had rented for 4 years at £1,700/month. Managed by Goodfellows (Mitcham office on London Road).

Four years. That's the first thing we noted on the booking. A 4-year family tenancy means every surface has had double the use of a standard 2-year let. The oven will be heavier. The limescale will be thicker. The wear will be deeper. We quoted accordingly and the customer accepted before we arrived.

The kitchen extension was at the rear — a decent-sized room with a back door to the garden. A freestanding Belling cooker (gas oven, gas hob) that had done 4 years of daily family cooking. We pulled it forward — the wall behind was layered with grease that had run down from the hob splashback and solidified against the skirting. The oven door glass was removed: the inner pane was opaque. Both cavities sprayed with professional degreaser, but at this level of buildup we applied a second coat after the first 20-minute dwell. Total oven time: 50 minutes (vs the usual 35–40 on a 2-year let). The gas burner caps and pan supports were soaked in alkaline solution while we worked on the rest. Extractor filter removed — heavily clogged, soaked twice.

The kitchen floor (vinyl) had the invisible grease layer that long-tenancy kitchens develop — we degreased it with alkaline product rather than just mopping. The back door threshold had 4 years of garden-to-kitchen traffic: soil, small stones, and fine organic debris from the common. Crevice vacuum on the door track, then wiped.

The family bathroom upstairs — 4 years of daily use by four people at ~265 ppm. The shower screen was cloudy with heavy scale — we applied phosphoric acid and left it for 12 minutes (longer than the standard 10, because the buildup was thicker). First pass improved it significantly but didn't clear it completely. Second application, another 10-minute dwell. Clear after the second round. The taps were crosshead style — each descaled individually, the scale around the base of each tap loosened with targeted descaler application. The bath waterline ring was substantial — concentrated descaler, non-scratch pad, 5 minutes of focused work. Toilet cleaned under the rim with torch check. Mirror, tiles, floor.

The through-lounge had two sections divided by an arch — the front section with a bay window and a decorative tiled fireplace (green and cream tiles, cast-iron grate), and the rear section with a second sealed fireplace. Front fireplace: tiles cleaned individually with pH-neutral product, cast-iron grate wiped, mantel dusted. Sealed fireplace: surround wiped, checked for soot marks around the seal (clean). Bay window: sash tracks vacuumed (4 years of packed dust — the crevice tool pulled out a visible ridge of compacted grey dust), glass cleaned both sides. Cornicing dusted at full Edwardian ceiling height.

Three bedrooms upstairs — original pine floorboards in two rooms, carpet in the children's room. Pine mopped with specialist wood product. The children's room had a sticker on the wardrobe door (removed with adhesive remover), two small crayon marks near the skirting (specialist remover — both came off the emulsion), and a scuff on the wall at pushchair height (cleaned with damp cloth — the mark was rubber, not paint damage). Sash windows in each room: tracks vacuumed, glass cleaned.

The garden — 40ft, patio and lawn backing toward the common. The patio had a seasonal layer of common debris: fallen leaves (partially decomposed, swept), twigs, and a fine organic dust from the common vegetation that settles on horizontal surfaces. Garden furniture (plastic table and chairs) wiped down. The back wall of the rear extension had a thin film of cooking ventilation residue — wiped as far as practical.

Goodfellows inspected three days later. Their Mitcham office manages a significant chunk of the Figges Marsh stock. They focused on the oven (double-degreased, both cavities clear, door glass clean between panes), the shower screen (clear after two applications), the bay window sash tracks (clean — they ran a finger along), and the children's bedroom marks (all resolved). The common debris on the patio was noted as addressed. The cooking residue on the rear wall was accepted as a building-maintenance item. Passed. Deposit returned within 10 days.