Move-out cleaning checklist, room by room

A move-out clean goes in this order: pack and move everything out, then clean each empty room from the top down, open and clean inside every cabinet, drawer and appliance, do the bathroom and kitchen thoroughly, and finish with the floors. Then compare against your lease and your move-in photos, and take dated photos of every room before the keys go back.

Clean it like the next person is going to open every door. They will.

Before you start: what does your lease say?

Read the move-out section. Some leases name specific jobs, like the oven, the carpets or the blinds, and some landlords hand out a checklist. If yours does, that list comes first and this one fills the gaps.

Then find your move-in photos or inspection form. They show what condition the place was in when you got it, which is what you're being compared against.

In Philadelphia a lot of leases turn over at the end of the month, so the last few days get crowded. If you're moving out of a walk-up or a condo building, check the building's rules for move-out times and reserving the elevator, and book the clean for once the movers are done.

What do you need?

• All-purpose cleaner, or a spray bottle of warm water with a squirt of dish soap
• White vinegar and water, half and half, for glass and hard-water spots
• Baking soda for the oven, the tub and anything stuck on
• A degreaser for the range hood and the cabinet above the stove
• Microfiber cloths, a non-scratch scrub pad and an old toothbrush
• A vacuum with a crevice tool, a mop and a bucket
• Trash bags, lots of them

You don't need to buy a cabinet of products. Baking soda, vinegar and dish soap handle most of a move-out.

How do you clean the kitchen?

• Fridge: empty it, take out the shelves and drawers and wash them in the sink, wipe the inside, then the door seals. Pull it out if you can and vacuum behind and under it. Our fridge cleaning guide walks through it.
• Oven: coat the inside with a baking soda paste the night before you clean, then wipe it out. The racks soak in the tub. The full method is in how to clean an oven.
• Stovetop and hood: degrease the hood and the filter, lift the grates or drip pans and soak them.
• Microwave: a bowl of water with a splash of vinegar, run for a few minutes, then wipe it out.
• Cabinets and drawers: inside, outside and the top edges. Vacuum the crumbs out of the corners first.
• Sink and faucet: scrub, then polish dry. Lemon or vinegar on the hard-water spots around the faucet base.
• Counters and backsplash, then the dishwasher's door edges and filter.

How do you clean the bathroom?

• Scrub the tub or shower, the tile and the grout. A paste of baking soda with a little dish soap takes off soap scum.
• Toilet inside and out, the base, behind it, and the hinge bolts.
• Inside the vanity and the medicine cabinet.
• Mirror and fixtures, then the exhaust fan cover.
• Floor last, edges and corners included.

How do you clean the bedrooms and living areas?

Room by room, starting at the room farthest from the door and working toward it.

1. High first: ceiling corners, light fixtures and the tops of door frames.
2. Closets: the shelf, the rod and the floor.
3. Walls: spot-clean scuffs and marks, and wipe every switch plate and outlet cover. Test on a hidden spot first; flat paint can go shiny if you scrub.
4. Windows: sills, tracks and the inside of the glass. Our guide to cleaning inside windows covers the tracks.
5. Radiators or vents: dust between the radiator sections or wash the vent covers.
6. Baseboards, then the floor.

What about stairs, the entry and the basement?

In a rowhome or a trinity, the stairs are their own job. Start at the top floor and work down so you're never carrying dirt back up. Vacuum each tread with the crevice tool along the edges, wipe the railing and the spindles, then damp-wipe the treads from the top down.

Sweep the basement if it was yours to use, wipe down the washer and dryer, and clean out the dryer's lint trap. Sweep the front step and the entry last, on your way out.

How do you save time on a move-out clean?

• Pack the room before you clean it. You can't clean around boxes.
• Do the inside of cabinets as you empty them, while you're already standing there.
• Let things soak. Put the oven paste on, soak the stove grates and spray the tub before you start the rest of the house.
• Clean top to bottom and back to front, so you never clean a floor twice.
• Split it up if friends are helping: one person on the kitchen, one on the bathroom, nobody on the floors until the end.
• Take breaks. A move-out is long. Eat something.

What do you do before the keys go back?

Walk through with your lease and your move-in photos, and look inside everything that opens. Then take dated photos or a slow video of every room, the inside of the fridge and oven, and the bathroom. If the landlord does a walkthrough, be there for it if you can.

A clean apartment doesn't decide your security deposit; the lease and the landlord do. What a careful clean and good photos give you is a record of the condition you left it in.

Should you book a move-out cleaning?

If you're working, packing and moving in the same week, the move-out clean is the job to hand off. Book Move-In / Move-Out Cleaning for after the movers leave and before the keys go back. Put the move date, the number of floors and how to get in in your booking notes.

Short on time? We offer same day, next day and weekends.

FAQ

What should I clean when I move out? Everything the next person will touch or open: inside the cabinets and drawers, inside the fridge and oven, the bathroom top to bottom, closets and shelves, walls and switch plates, window sills and tracks, baseboards, and the floors. Check your lease for anything it names specifically.

How long does a move-out clean take? For one person in an empty one-bedroom apartment, plan most of a day. A two- or three-floor rowhome takes longer, mostly because of the stairs, the oven and the fridge. Give it its own day once the movers are done.

Should I clean before or after the movers? After. Pack and move first, then clean the empty rooms. Movers drag in dirt and leave scuffs, and you can't clean under furniture that's still there. Do the inside of cabinets as each room is packed if you're short on time.

Will a move-out clean get my security deposit back? Nobody can promise that. The deposit depends on your lease, the condition of the unit and the landlord's walkthrough. Clean against the lease, compare with your move-in photos, and take dated photos of every room before you hand back the keys.

Book your move-out 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.