Moving in and out
Move-out cleaning checklist
Ordered by what gets checked rather than by what looks dirty. Work through it in this sequence and you will not double back.
Hygiene Maids of Fort Worth7 min readUpdated
Before you start
Empty the property completely first. Every item on this list is faster and better with nothing in the way, and the areas an inspector cares about most — cabinet interiors, closet floors, behind appliances — are exactly the ones furniture blocks.
Work top down and leave floors until last. Do the whole property room type by room type rather than room by room, so you are not switching products constantly.
Set aside more time for the kitchen than you think. In most move-outs it is half the job.
Kitchen
The room with the most inspection items by a wide margin. Start the oven early so the product has time to work.
Appliances
- Inside the oven — racks, walls, floor and door glass
- Range hood, including the filter
- Cooktop, burner grates, drip pans and knobs
- Inside the refrigerator — shelves, drawers, walls and door seals
- Behind and beside the refrigerator and range if they pull out
- Inside the dishwasher, including the filter and door seal
- Microwave inside, outside and the turntable
- Small appliance shelf and the wall behind it
Cabinets and surfaces
- Inside every cabinet and drawer
- Cabinet fronts, edges and handles
- Tops of upper cabinets
- Toe-kicks beneath base cabinets
- Counters and backsplash
- Sink, drain, disposal collar and faucet descaled
- Under the sink, including the cabinet floor
Finish
- Light fixtures and any pendant glass
- Switch plates and outlet covers
- Window over the sink, plus sill and track
- Baseboards along the full run
- Floor cleaned to the wall line and into corners
Bathrooms
Every bathroom, including half baths and any en suite that was rarely used.
Shower and tub
- Hard-water scale removed from glass and chrome
- Shower door track and the channel inside it
- Grout on walls, in the pan and along the floor line
- Tub surround, edges and the caulk line
- Shower head and any fixed rail
- Drain cover and the hair trap beneath it
Toilet and vanity
- Toilet bowl, rim, seat, hinges and lid
- Toilet base, bolt caps and the floor behind it
- Vanity top, sink, drain and faucet
- Inside vanity cabinets and drawers
- Mirror and any medicine cabinet interior
- Towel bars, hooks and toilet-roll holder
Finish
- Exhaust fan cover
- Light fixtures and bulbs
- Switch plates and outlet covers
- Door, both faces, plus frame and top
- Baseboards and the floor behind the door
- Window, sill and track where present
Bedrooms, living areas and throughout
Walls and trim
- Baseboards throughout, hand-wiped
- Door frames, door tops and both faces of every door
- Switch plates, outlet covers and thermostats
- Scuff marks at chair, shoulder and hand height
- Corners and ceiling edges for cobwebs
- Any picture hooks removed and holes reported
Windows and light
- Interior glass on every window
- Window sills, ledges and tracks
- Blind slats, top to bottom
- Curtain rods and brackets
- Ceiling fans, blades and pull chains
- Light fixtures, shades and bowls
Closets and floors
- Closet shelving, rods and brackets
- Closet floors and corners
- Carpet vacuumed including edges and under where furniture stood
- Hard floors mopped to the perimeter
- Stair treads, risers and the stringer edge
- Vents and return-air grilles
Apartment specifics that often appear on inspection lists: the balcony or patio floor and railing, the in-unit washer and dryer including the lint trap and the top of the machines, the water heater closet floor, and the front door exterior face.
What is not cleaning, and should be handled separately
Carpet steam cleaning is a separate trade. If your lease requires it, book it after the cleaning so knocked-down dust does not land on freshly cleaned carpet. Wall painting, nail-hole patching, appliance repair and pest control are all separate too.
No amount of cleaning guarantees a deposit back. Deposits also cover damage, repairs, unpaid rent and lease terms unrelated to cleanliness. What this checklist does is remove cleaning from the list of possible deductions.
Questions
Common questions
- How long does this take to do yourself?
- For a two-bedroom apartment, most of a day if you are thorough and the property is empty. For a three or four-bedroom house, realistically a weekend. The oven and the bathrooms take far longer than people plan for.
- Which items do inspectors check most reliably?
- Inside the oven, inside the refrigerator, cabinet interiors, the range hood filter, window tracks, blind slats, the toilet base and behind it, and baseboards. Those appear on almost every list in Tarrant County.
- Do I need to clean the garage?
- Check your lease. Garage sweeping does appear on some inspection lists, along with patios and balconies. If it is required, it is quick — but only if you know in advance.
- Should I take photographs?
- Yes, once the property is clean and empty, before you hand over keys. Timestamped photographs of each room are the most useful evidence you can have if a deduction is later disputed.
Or have it done
Tell us the property size, bathroom count and lease end date, and we will schedule to fit.