If you only have a few hours, clean what landlords check first: the oven, the fridge, the bathrooms and the floors, in an empty home. Start the oven soaking before anything else, work top to bottom in each room and leave the floors until last.
The priority order
| Order | Job | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Empty the home | Belongings, food and trash left behind can be charged for removal, and cleaning is faster in an empty room |
| 2 | Oven and stovetop | Grease is one of the first things a landlord looks for, and the oven needs time to soak |
| 3 | Fridge and freezer | Food left inside is a common cleaning charge |
| 4 | Bathrooms | Soap scum, hard water marks and mildew are easy to see and slow to remove |
| 5 | Kitchen cabinets, counters and sink | Landlords open cabinets and drawers |
| 6 | Floors | Last, so dirt from the other jobs goes with it |
| 7 | Everything else | Baseboards, blinds, sills, sliding door tracks, closets and the patio |
If you have 3 to 4 hours
- First 15 minutes: bag the trash, clear the last belongings out and spread baking soda paste in the oven. See how to clean an oven
- Fridge: empty it, wash the shelves and wipe it out. See how to clean a fridge
- Bathrooms: spray the tub, shower and toilet, leave the cleaner to work, then scrub, rinse and dry the mirrors and fixtures
- Kitchen: finish the oven, then the stovetop, cabinets, counters and sink
- Floors: vacuum and mop, working toward the front door
- Last 10 minutes: dated photos and a video of every room
If you have a full day
Do the plan above, then add the jobs that make a home look finished: baseboards, doors and switches, ceiling fans and AC vent covers, blinds and window sills, the inside of closets and the patio or balcony. Sliding door and window tracks hold sand and grit near the coast, and a vacuum crevice tool clears them quickly.
Ways to save time
- Keep everything in one bucket: cleaner, paste, cloths, sponge, scraper and trash bags
- Work top to bottom in each room, so dust falls onto areas you have not cleaned yet
- Spray first and let products sit while you do the next job
- Keep the power and water on until you finish
- In a downtown building, book the service elevator for the cleaning as well as the movers
When to call in help
A move out clean of a 2 bedroom home usually takes one cleaner 5 to 7 hours, or 3 to 4 hours with a team of two. If you are also packing and moving, that time is hard to find. Calling in help makes sense when:
- You have less than a day and the home is larger than a 1 bedroom
- The oven is heavily greased or the shower has mildew
- Your lease asks for a professional clean, or you want a receipt
- You are moving out of state and cannot come back to fix anything missed
Move out cleans start at about $165 for a studio, $220 for a 1 bedroom and $290 for a 2 bedroom. The last days of each month are the busiest, so book as soon as you know your date. See how long a move out clean takes, or send a request for a move out clean and a local cleaner will call you to quote.