Move-in cleaning checklist: clean before you unpack

Clean a new place before the boxes come in. Start with the kitchen and the bathroom, wipe inside every cabinet, drawer and closet, clean the fridge and oven, and do the floors last, before any furniture is set down. Empty rooms take a fraction of the time full ones do.

Even when the last people left it clean, you're about to put your food, dishes and toothbrush in it. Do it once, properly, while it's empty.

When should you do a move-in clean?

In the gap between getting the keys and the movers arriving. Even half a day helps. If you can't get a gap, clean the kitchen and bathroom first and have the movers stack boxes in one room while you do the rest.

In a walk-up or a three-floor trinity, clean the upper floors before the boxes go up the stairs. Carrying a vacuum up past a stack of boxes on a winding stair is no one's idea of a good day.

What do you need?

• All-purpose cleaner, or warm water with dish soap
• A disinfectant for the bathroom and the kitchen
• White vinegar and water for glass and hard-water spots
• Baking soda for the oven and the tub
• Microfiber cloths, a scrub pad and an old toothbrush
• A vacuum with a crevice tool, a mop and a bucket
• Shelf liner if you use it, and new filters if you know the sizes

How do you clean the kitchen?

1. Cabinets and drawers: vacuum out the crumbs, then wipe inside, outside and the top edges. Let them dry before shelf liner goes in.
2. Fridge: take out the shelves and drawers, wash them in the sink, and wipe the inside and the door seals. Our guide to cleaning a refrigerator has the full method.
3. Oven and stovetop: check inside the oven before you use it. Burnt-on spills from the last tenant will smoke the first time you preheat.
4. Dishwasher: pull out the filter at the bottom and rinse it, wipe the door edges, then run it empty on a hot cycle.
5. Sink and drain: scrub the sink and run hot water down the drain. If there's a garbage disposal, clean it before it starts smelling.
6. Counters, backsplash and the range hood.

How do you clean the bathroom?

• Disinfect the toilet inside and out, the seat hinges and the base.
• Scrub the tub or shower and the grout.
• Replace the shower curtain liner. It's cheaper than cleaning someone else's.
• Wipe inside the vanity and the medicine cabinet before your things go in.
• Clean the exhaust fan cover and switch it on to make sure it runs.
• Mirror, faucet, then the floor.

How do you clean the bedrooms and living areas?

• Dust the ceiling corners, light fixtures and the tops of door frames.
• Wipe the closet shelves and rods.
• Wash the window sills and vacuum the tracks. See how to clean inside windows.
• Wipe every switch plate, outlet cover and door handle.
• Dust the radiators or wash the vent covers. In an older Philadelphia rowhome, dust packs into the gaps between the radiator sections, and it's an easy job for the last tenant to skip.
• Wipe the baseboards.

How do you clean the floors before the furniture comes in?

This is the one job that's far harder after move-in day, because it means moving the couch and the bed.

• Vacuum every room, with the crevice tool along the baseboards and in the corners.
• Hardwood: damp-mop with a cleaner made for finished wood, with the mop wrung out well. Old rowhome floors don't like standing water.
• Tile: mop, then scrub the grout lines where they've gone dark.
• Carpet: vacuum slowly, twice, in different directions. If it needs more than that, have it cleaned before the furniture arrives.
• Let everything dry, then put felt pads on the furniture legs before anything is set down.

What else is worth doing on day one?

• Change the HVAC filter if the house has one.
• Run the washing machine empty on a hot cycle, and clean out the dryer's lint trap.
• Test the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.
• Find the main water shutoff and the breaker panel, before you need them.

Should you book a move-in cleaning?

If you're juggling the move, the utilities and a job, a move-in clean is a good thing to hand off. Book Move-In / Move-Out Cleaning for the gap between the keys and the movers, and put how to get in, the number of floors and the rooms that matter most in your booking notes.

FAQ

Should you clean a house before moving in? Yes, even if it looks clean. The last people may have cleaned the surfaces you can see, but the inside of the cabinets, the fridge, the oven, the vents and behind the toilet are easy to skip. It's far easier to do it while the rooms are empty.

What should I clean first when I move into a new place? The kitchen and the bathroom, because food and toiletries go into them first. Then the inside of every cabinet, closet and drawer, then the bedrooms, and the floors last, before any furniture comes in.

How do you clean floors before moving furniture in? Vacuum every room with the crevice tool along the edges, then damp-mop hard floors with a cleaner made for the floor type and let them dry. Put felt pads on furniture legs before anything is set down.

Book your move-in clean

Our service area: every Philadelphia neighborhood, plus the Pennsylvania suburbs within about 30 miles of Center City, in Montgomery, Delaware, Bucks and Chester counties. Book online at phillyscleanteam.com/book-now, or call or text (215) 798-7576, 9 AM to 9 PM, every day.