A True Story of Move-in Cleaning with BKF 

April 21, 2021

This is my story about move-in cleaning with BKF. Buying your first home is one of the most exciting and terrifying experiences of your adult life, short of having your first child. While we have no children, we wanted to find a place we could call home with our four-legged kids. Finding a house with enough space for three dogs and a couple of horses was already complicated enough. The specific events that ensued only challenged us more.

Move-in Cleaning with BKF 

The shining star in this story is none other than the wonderful Bar Keepers Friend. Without the plethora of products BKF has, the house we eventually chose would have been a lot more intimidating. 

First Choice

After a couple of months of searching and visiting multiple homes, we finally found one we loved, only to find out later that it was not renovated correctly and technically would not pass inspection unless the seller made some changes. The seller refused to repair anything or come down in price. He said he could always wait for someone who would be willing to pay his listing price. So we made that dream come true and let him wait on another buyer.

The Search Continues

Disappointed and discouraged, we casually began looking again. We found a couple of dream properties that were quick to sell and decided to back off our search. Soon after we stopped looking, a house popped up in my email notifications that was at the low end of our price range. For whatever reason, we decided to go check it out. Thirty-one days later, we were cleaning and moving in!

Home Is Not What You Make It

Did you notice how I said 31 days? On closing day, we did our final walkthrough of the property to find a moving truck filled to the brim and a house full of furniture and trash. What was in the moving truck, you may ask? To this day, we still have no idea, but most of what we saw in the house was left there for us to deal with. BKF made move-in cleaning less of a challenge. 

We signed all the papers, handed over the deposit, and were given the keys to our new home! But wait… the sellers asked, “So, uh… when were you planning on moving in?” Well – we got possession of the property as soon as the papers were signed, so obviously, we wanted to move in right away. They asked for more time because they had kids that wanted to see the house one more time, so we reluctantly agreed. 

After hours of waiting for them to call us, getting asked to leave what was now OUR house, and pointless stress on our family members who were supposed to help us move that day, we all fell asleep. The next morning, we drove out to our new home around 7 am to discover the disaster that would consume our first year living here.

Finally, The Clean Up

I cannot stress enough the rescue mission Bar Keepers Friend went on to save us from so much back-breaking cleaning. Here’s a breakdown of some things we had to clean up with BKF:

Kitchen Tile: BKF Soft Cleanser pulled up stains that seemed to be as old as the house. Gray and orange tile floors turned white once we started scrubbing.

Appliances: All the appliances left behind looked as though they had never been cleaned. My aunt and grandmother used BKF MORE Spray + Foam and more of the Soft Cleanser to get food stains and unidentifiable discoloration from inside the fridge. My uncle used a rag and the Soft Cleaner to scrub the walls and floor behind the refrigerator. I pulled out the stove and plugged my nose as I scrubbed the whole thing down! (And the floor underneath.)

Windows and Doors: BKF’s MORE Spray + Foam did wonders for our windows and glass doors. The screens in every window of the house had been damaged, so bugs of all kinds had crawled in. The windows were foggy and dirty, but no match for Bar Keepers Friend.

Fireplace: When we opened the fireplace for the first time, it looked like the selling family had burned piles of things during their complimentary night at our house. It, too, seemed to have never been cleaned. I tackled this with Bar Keepers Friend Powder Cleanser, soft cleanser, and MORE. You can see the entire process in this blog post, An Old Farmhouse, a New Home, and a Filthy Fireplace, and in this one-minute video, How to Clean Your Fireplace | Bar Keepers Friend.  

Outside

The trash and abandoned items we found inside the house were nothing compared to what was outside. Food scraps, furniture, and junk of all kinds started piling up by our mailbox and barn. Our property is close to seven acres, but in this case, it was seven acres of trash. All we wanted was to get it out of there. The move-in cleaning was keeping us from moving in. 

We used Bar Keepers Friend MORE Spray + Foam again, inside and outside the barn. We continue to use it to clean up after our animals! Check out our winter clean-up here, Using BKF in the Barn.  

Bar Keepers Friend Is a Move-in Cleaning Hero! 

While BKF didn’t come to life and help us with move-in cleaning, throw junk out, or clean up the yard, we can still thank these products for making a very stressful weekend a little less of a headache. Who knows how long we would have been cleaning had I not just picked up an assortment of Bar Keepers Friend? 

We have been in our home for about a year and a half now, renovated a bit, and we are currently putting up some property fencing. It is a work in progress, inside and out. But Bar Keepers Friend was there for us on move-in day and continues to be more than a year later. Whether you have move-in cleaning or move-out cleaning, BKF can be your salvation.

About the Author

Casey Pennell is a photographer, equestrian, coach, and Digital Marketing Coordinator at Bar Keepers Friend. She mentors high school Track & Field athletes at Bishop Chatard High School. Casey is passionate about all things animals and is more likely to be found outside than in her own house. She is the proud animal-mom to three dogs, three horses, a domestic fox, and a very cute, but useful barn cat. When not at work, Casey can be found exploring wineries and breweries with her family, friends, and boyfriend (often times a dog or two will tag along as well). Casey’s family also enjoys trail riding and camping with their horses.