Short answer
A move-out clean happens on an empty unit and covers everything a regular clean skips: appliance interiors, cabinets and drawers, baseboards, interior windows and tracks, detailed bathrooms, and every floor. Renters use it to return a unit in the condition their lease asks for. Landlords use it to get a unit inspection-ready and photograph-ready for the next tenant. Print the free printable checklist and work top to bottom, room by room.
Do this in the right order
- Move everything out first, including the closets and the garage.
- Work top to bottom in each room so dust falls onto floors you have not done yet.
- Do the kitchen and bathrooms before the floors, they generate the most mess.
- Save all floors for last, in one pass through the whole unit.
- Photograph every room with the lights on, from the doorway, once you finish.
Kitchen: where inspections start
The kitchen carries the most weight because it holds the appliances a landlord will open. Clean inside the oven and the refrigerator, wipe inside every cabinet and drawer, degrease the stovetop and range hood filter, run and wipe the dishwasher including the door edge, and scrub the sink and faucet. Then wipe appliance exteriors, including the sides where they are reachable.
Bathrooms: grout, glass and behind the toilet
Scrub tub and shower including grout lines, treat hard-water spots on glass doors, clean the toilet including the base, empty and wipe inside the vanity, clean the mirror and exhaust fan cover, then mop, including behind the toilet. Remove adhesive hooks and their residue, this is a common deduction.
Everywhere else
Dust fixtures and vents, wipe switch plates and door handles, wipe doors, frames and baseboards, clean interior windows with sills and tracks, wipe closet shelving, then vacuum carpet edges and mop hard floors. Check whether your lease asks you to fill wall anchor holes, some do and some explicitly ask you not to.
For renters: document everything
Take dated photos of every room after cleaning, keep any receipt or scope of work from a cleaning company, and note pre-existing damage separately so it is not confused with cleaning. If you hire a cleaner, ask what is included in writing so appliance interiors and interior windows are not treated as add-ons after the fact.
For landlords and property managers: scope the turn
Give the cleaner the checklist you actually inspect against, and separate cleaning from repair work in your records. If you run multiple units, one written scope keeps standards consistent between turns. We cover that workflow on our cleaning for property managers page.
When it makes sense to hire out
Hire a cleaner when the oven and grout need real work, when the unit is larger than a one-bedroom, or when your move-out date and inspection are on the same day. Otherwise the checklist is genuinely doable in a weekend. If you want it handled, see move-out cleaning in Los Angeles or check availability.
Frequently asked questions
What does move-out cleaning usually include?
A move-out clean is done on an empty unit and reaches places a regular clean skips: inside the oven, refrigerator, cabinets and drawers, plus baseboards, interior windows and tracks, bathrooms in detail, and all floors. The goal is a unit that reads clean during an inspection, not just tidy.
Does cleaning guarantee I get my deposit back?
No cleaner can guarantee that. In California, deductions relate to unpaid rent and damage beyond normal wear and tear, and cleaning charges depend on the condition the unit is returned in. A documented clean plus dated photos is the strongest position you can put yourself in.
Should I clean before or after the movers leave?
After. Cleaning an empty unit is faster and far more thorough, and moving furniture out almost always reveals dust, marks and floor damage that need attention.
How long does a move-out clean take?
It depends on unit size, how long you lived there and the state of the appliances. Empty one-bedrooms are usually a half-day job for a small team, larger homes take longer, and heavy oven or grout work adds time.
What should landlords document at turnover?
Photograph every room before and after the clean, keep the scope of work you agreed with the cleaner, and note anything that is repair rather than cleaning. Separating the two keeps deposit accounting defensible.