Getting Ready to Hand Over a Home: A Move-Out Cleaning Checklist

The last week of a move is chaos. Boxes are everywhere, the truck is booked, and somewhere in the middle of it you have to hand back a home that looks the way you found it, or hand a buyer a house they can fall in love with. A move-out cleaning takes one big job off your list, and a little preparation on your side makes it work better.

Before the cleaner arrives

The best time to clean is after the movers have gone and the rooms are empty. A cleaner can't wipe inside a cabinet that is full of dishes or scrub a floor under a stack of boxes. Run through this list first:

• Remove all furniture, boxes and belongings from the rooms to be cleaned
• Empty the cabinets, closets, pantry and fridge, and throw out anything left behind
• Take out all the trash and recycling
• Leave the water and power on so the cleaner can work
• Take photos of the rooms, since they are useful records for a deposit or a closing
• Check your lease or sale contract for anything specific about cleaning or repairs

Small repairs like patching nail holes or replacing a burned-out bulb are better done before the cleaning, so the cleaner is wiping up after the work rather than ahead of it.

What a Move In / Move Out cleaning covers

Jade's Move In / Move Out service includes all of the Standard Clean services plus additional tasks, and the extras are the ones that matter when a home changes hands. Here is what the list adds:

• Baseboards, handrails and kick-boards wet wiped
• Fronts of all cabinets wet wiped, and the insides of cabinets wet wiped too
• Insides of closets wet wiped
• Ceiling fans wet wiped
• Window sills and tracks wet wiped
• Light fixtures hand dusted, and higher areas dusted with a two step ladder
• Extra scrubbing in kitchens and bathrooms, with extra attention to hard water stains
• Blinds dry dusted
• Doors, door frames and door tracks wet wiped
• Inside and outside of sliding glass doors, in winter, fall and spring

The sliding glass door item comes with a seasonal note on Jade's checklist, so if your move falls in summer, mention it when you ask for your estimate and she can tell you how she'd handle it.

Add ons worth considering

Empty homes make some jobs easy that are nearly impossible while you're living there. The Add Ons list includes the inside of the fridge, the inside of the oven, wet wiping the blinds, wiping down walls and grout steam cleaning. The inside of the fridge and oven are the two spots that landlords and buyers tend to look at first, and they're the two you're least likely to want to scrub yourself on your last night in the house. Grout steam cleaning can make an older bathroom or kitchen floor look noticeably fresher.

Moving in? Clean first

The same service works for the other end of the move. Even a home that looks clean has been through a stranger's habits, and many people prefer to start with a reset before the furniture arrives. It's far easier to get inside the cabinets and closets while they're empty. Once your boxes are unpacked, you can move onto a regular Standard Clean schedule and keep it that way.

Planning the timing

Book your estimate early. Moves tend to cluster around the end of the month, and a cleaner who works independently, as Jade does, has a limited number of days. Pick a date after the movers finish and before your keys are due, with at least a day of cushion in case something runs over. If you're a seller, schedule the cleaning before your photos or open house.

Jade stays in communication with every client until the job is done, and any concerns noted within 48 hours of a cleaning service are resolved at no added cost. That promise is worth knowing about when a deposit or a closing date depends on the result. If you spot something after the visit, tell her quickly.

Pricing comes from a free estimate rather than a posted rate, since a one bedroom apartment and a large family home are different jobs. You'll find the details on the Move In / Move Out page, and you can call or text Jade at (562) 310-8288 to set up your estimate.