House cleaning is hard. Moving is stressful. So when you’re faced with the task of housecleaning for when you are moving out, it can be overwhelming - especially if a damage deposit is on the line.
Between all the packing, planning, and paperwork, it can be easy to move cleaning to the bottom of your list. To bring this essential task back into the fold, we’ve created an easy reference printable checklist (skip to download) to use for cleaning an empty house while moving.
Top tip: the home should be empty. Cleaning will be much easier and more efficient if there are no boxes or furniture to clean around.
WHAT’S INCLUDED IN A MOVE-OUT CLEANING?
It’s important to know what needs to be cleaned for a move-out regardless of whether you are cleaning yourself or using the services of a professional move-out cleaning company.
A good reference point to start is your rental or purchase agreement. Realtors often require certain levels of cleanliness to be met so if they aren’t specified, it’s best to ask so that you avoid having to re-clean areas or losing part of your deposit. Our professional move-out cleaning checklist is a great place to start.
CLEANING BEDROOMS FOR A MOVE
The most efficient approach to cleaning is to work your way through tasks from top to bottom. This rule applies if you’re cleaning a single room or cleaning your entire home. If you are working with two stories, work your way from the rooms on the second floor to the first, and work on every room from top to bottom.
BEDROOM CLEANING CHECKLIST
✔ All surfaces dusted
✔ Closet exteriors and interiors cleaned
✔ Marks on walls and baseboards cleaned
✔ Mirrors cleaned
✔ Interior windowsills and window tracks cleaned
✔ Baseboards dusted and/or wiped
✔ Doorknobs, doorframes, and doors wiped
✔ Light switches wiped
✔ Garbage emptied
✔ Hard surface floors vacuumed and damp-mopped
✔ Carpet and area rugs vacuumed
MOVE-OUT CLEANING FOR BATHROOMS
Cleaning a bathroom when it is empty is much easier than routine cleaning because you don’t have to work around linens or personal products. This means you can lay some old towels at the door and really wet and wash your entire bathroom.
If any mess requires products to sit and develop, place products onto these areas first and let the cleaner do its work while you move on to other tasks.
BATHROOM CLEANING CHECKLIST
✔ Bathtub, shower walls, and glass doors cleaned and sanitized
✔ Sink cleaned and sanitized
✔ Toilet cleaned and sanitized inside and out
✔ Mirrors cleaned
✔ Cabinet interiors and exteriors cleaned
✔ Countertops and shelves dusted and wiped
✔ All surfaces dusted
✔ Inside windowsills and window tracks cleaned
✔ Doorknobs, doorframes, and doors wiped
✔ Light switches wiped
✔ Garbage emptied
✔ Baseboards dusted and wiped
✔ Marks on walls and baseboards cleaned
✔ Floor vacuumed and washed
CLEANING THE KITCHEN WHEN MOVING
Cleaning the kitchen can be difficult, particularly for older homes, as you’ll likely run into smells, splatters, and stains. Like in the bathroom, we would recommend applying cleaning solutions to tough mess (such as the oven) at the beginning while you work on other areas to maximize your time.
KITCHEN CLEANING CHECKLIST
✔ Appliance interiors and exteriors cleaned (stovetop, oven, range hood, fridge, microwave, dishwasher)
✔ Small appliances wiped (microwave, toaster, coffee maker)
✔ Countertops and shelves dusted and wiped
✔ Cabinet interiors and exteriors cleaned
✔ Sinks and backsplash washed
✔ Dishes washed
✔ All surfaces dusted
✔ Inside windowsills and window tracks cleaned
✔ Baseboards dusted and wiped
✔ Doorknobs, doorframes, and doors wiped
✔ Light switches wiped
✔ Marks on walls and baseboards cleaned
✔ Garbage emptied
✔ Floor vacuumed and washed
MOVE-OUT CLEANING TIPS FOR LIVING AREAS
All common areas (entryways, hallways, stairs) and living areas (dining and lounge rooms) should also be thoroughly cleaned for a move. Here you should look for marks in areas that were previously covered by furniture and take a close look at high traffic areas that weren’t regularly cleaned (for example, walls in hallways).
LIVING AREA CLEANING CHECKLIST
✔ All surfaces dusted
✔ Mirrors cleaned
✔ Inside windowsills and window tracks cleaned
✔ Baseboards dusted and wiped
✔ Doorknobs, doorframes, and doors cleaned
✔ Light switches wiped
✔ Marks on walls and baseboards cleaned
✔ Hard surface floors vacuumed and damp-mopped
✔ Garbage emptied
✔ Carpet and area rugs vacuumed
✔ Closet fronts and insides cleaned
CLEANING TOOLS FOR MOVING
Good planning is key for a smooth move and being prepared for your moving clean is just as important. Nothing stops the momentum of a clean like having to re-stock on cleaning supplies. Make sure you have all the right house cleaning products you’ll need for your clean before you begin.
This should include a HEPA vacuum cleaner; cleaning sprays for the kitchen, bathroom glass, and general surfaces; a scouring powder or concentrated cleaning liquid for tough cleaning challenges; floor cleaner; plenty of microfiber cleaning cloths (they are better than regular cloths at picking up dust and absorbing liquid); a microfiber mop; scrubbing brushes; a squeegee; some garbage bags; and protective gear such as gloves. You can opt to get a house cleaning kit that would include all of the necessary cleaning products and supplies.
You’ll be doing a lot of cleaning, which means that you could expose yourself to many harmful chemicals. To minimize risk, use natural cleaning products. Good quality natural cleaners will be better for your health and home and will still work as well as (if not better than) conventional cleaners.
HIRING A MOVE-OUT CLEANING COMPANY
If you’d rather let the experts tick all these boxes for you, be sure you don’t leave your booking to the last minute. Summer is moving season which means that move-out services get booked out fast. To ensure you secure your preferred date, call a residential cleaning company and make a booking as soon as you know and make sure you arrange the booking for after you have moved out.
Let AspenClean take the stress out of a move for you by booking our professional cleaning service. Book your Vancouver Move out cleaning services, Calgary, and Toronto Move out cleaning services and specialize in move-out residential home cleaning. You can book your carpet cleaning service in Vancouver as well.
Download your printable move-in / move-out checklist and get in touch with AspenClean to talk about how we can help make your clean easy.
