Throw it Out?

When confronted with a stove that looks like this, many landlords would pick up the phone and just get a new one delivered:

But not this landlord!  My tenant at this rental went down quickly.  She’d been with me almost a year and had been fine, but within a couple months, her baby got deathly ill, her car needed major repair and she got laid off.  Everything caved in on her at once, and she followed suit … stopped cleaning and stopped paying rent.

So, she was gone, but the baked-on grease and grime on the stove top remained.  Ugh!

But this is no challenge for the likes of Easy-Off (or the generic equivalent) oven cleaner.  I use the fume-free type, spray it on and let it sit for at least a couple hours, while I do other chores at the rental.  Then I use my small putty knife to scrape off the crusty stuff.  Follow that with a healthy spray of Krud Kutter or Awesome! (I’ve done separate posts on each of these products because they’re so effective.)

A little final scrub and you’re done.  Whenever I scrub something, I use the dark green scrubber pads made by Scotch Brite.  They’re sturdy and get the job done quickly.  And the finished product looks brand new, right?

I’m all about saving/making money.  That’s why I do a lot of my own work.  Why pay someone else to do what I can do?  Of course, since this is my full-time work (along with Realtor stuff and my property management company), I’m able to devote the time.  Those who have a full-time job and try to own/manage rentals on the side have time constraints and by necessity, hire out much more.

Within a couple days, this duplex apartment was ready to rent again.  All it took was some cleaning, carpet shampoo, touch-up paint here and there, and a couple of minor repairs.

My new tenant loves the unit and is treating it well.  Of course, things can change quickly in this business but for now, all is well …

Onward and upward!

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