Move-Out Cleaning: The Rooms Landlords and Buyers Look at First

The truck is gone, you are tired, and there is one more job: the place needs to be clean. Whether the next person through the door is a landlord with a clipboard or a buyer doing a last look, they tend to open the same few doors first. If you only have a couple of hours, spend them where the eye goes.

The order that saves you time

Clean when the house is empty, not before. Cleaning around boxes means doing it twice. Work from the top of each room down, so dust and drips land on surfaces you have not cleaned yet, and finish with the floors, so you do not walk over them again. Start in the kitchen and bathrooms, which take the longest, then move on to the bedrooms and living spaces.

Gather your supplies first: an all-purpose cleaner, a glass cleaner, a degreaser, a scrub brush, a non-scratch sponge, microfiber cloths, a mop and bucket, a vacuum, and trash bags. Opening the windows helps with the smell of the cleaner and speeds up drying.

The kitchen comes first

The kitchen is where grease and crumbs collect, so it is the room most likely to give a bad first impression. Start with the oven: remove the racks, spray the inside with oven cleaner, let it sit, and wipe it out. Clean the stovetop and the drip pans, and pull out the drawer under the oven if there is one, since that is where crumbs hide.

• Empty the fridge and freezer, wipe the shelves and drawers, and leave the door propped open to air out
• Wipe the microwave inside and out, including the turntable
• Scrub the sink and faucet, and run the disposal with a bit of dish soap if you have one
• Wipe the cabinet fronts, pulls, and the top of the range hood
• Wipe down the counters and backsplash

Inside the cabinets and closets

This is the step most people skip, and it is one of the first things a person checks. Open every cabinet and drawer. Take out the shelf liners if you used them, vacuum out the crumbs, and wipe each shelf with a damp cloth. Do the same in the pantry, the bathroom vanity, and the bedroom closets. Wipe the rods and shelves, and sweep the floor of each closet. A cabinet that looks clean on the outside and sticky on the inside tells a different story.

Bathrooms: shine and then detail

Bathrooms are small, but they show everything. Spray the tub, shower, and sink with a bathroom cleaner and let it sit while you do the toilet. Scrub the toilet bowl, then wipe the seat, lid, base, and the floor behind it. Rinse the tub and shower, and clean the grout lines with a brush if there is buildup. Polish the faucets and mirrors last so they do not pick up drips.

• Clean the shower door tracks, where soap and grime collect
• Wipe the vanity top and the inside of the sink drain area
• Take the hair out of the drains
• Wipe the exhaust fan cover and light fixtures
• Empty and wipe out any medicine cabinet

Floors are the finish line

Floors go last so nothing you do afterward undoes them. Vacuum or sweep every room first, including edges, corners, and under the radiators or heaters. On hard floors, mop with a cleaner suited to the surface, starting at the far corner and working toward the door. On carpet, vacuum slowly in overlapping lines, and spot treat any stains you can see. Do not drench wood floors; a barely damp mop is enough.

The details people notice

After the main rooms, take a quick lap for the small things. Wipe baseboards, door frames, and light switch plates. Dust the ceiling fans and the tops of door frames. Clean window sills and tracks, and wipe the glass inside. Check the corners of the ceiling for cobwebs. Replace any burned-out bulbs you can, and make sure the smoke detector is still on the ceiling where it was.

Before you lock up, do a last walk through with your phone and take photos of each room. They are a quick record of how you left the place.

If you would rather hand it off

After a long move, the last clean can feel like the hardest part. B&M Moving and Cleaning Services offers cleaning that gets a home move-out ready, and the family-owned crew in Ewing Township can pair it with the move itself. Call or text (610) 299-1403 for a free quote, or see the Move-out cleaning page on this site.