Move-In Deep Clean Checklist: What to Clean Before You Unpack

The best time to deep clean a home is the day the previous owners move out and before any boxes come in. An empty home gives you access to every corner and baseboard that will be hidden the moment the couch is placed. Working top to bottom, a two-bedroom usually takes 4 to 6 hours of focused work; a four-bedroom with multiple bathrooms takes 7 to 10.

This checklist is written for an empty home with the utilities on. If you are cleaning with the moving truck already parked outside, do the kitchen cabinets, the fridge and the primary bathroom first, in that order, and come back to the rest after beds are made.

Before you start: the kit you actually need

Keep the supplies to one tote so you are not hunting for something while standing on a step stool. A short kit covers almost every move-in task:

• Microfibre cloths, at least 10, in two colours so you never cross a toilet rag into the kitchen
• A bucket, a mop with washable pads, and a soft-bristle broom
• All-purpose cleaner, bathroom cleaner, glass cleaner, wood-safe wiper, toilet-bowl cleaner
• A vacuum with a hose and crevice tool, a step stool, nitrile gloves, old toothbrushes

If the home still has carpets, a rental steam extractor usually runs about $35 to $55 for 24 hours. Hardwood or luxury vinyl plank floors skip the extractor.

Work order: top down, dirty-rooms last

The order matters because dust and dirt only move in one direction when you are cleaning: down. Starting with the floors first wastes work. The sequence below keeps every surface you clean from being re-dusted by the room above it.

1. Open two windows on opposite sides of the home for cross-flow, unless the weather makes that unreasonable
2. Change the furnace filter and run the fan on ON for the first hour so dust lifts into the filter instead of settling on your cabinets
3. Vacuum the ceilings, corners, vents and crown mouldings
4. Wipe light fixtures, ceiling-fan blades and the top of door frames
5. Deep clean the kitchen, then every bathroom, then bedrooms, then living spaces, then the entry, laundry and basement
6. Clean floors last, moving backwards out of the home

The kitchen (the longest room, do it first)

The kitchen is where people store food, so it also decides whether you unpack the dishes today or tomorrow. Open every cabinet and drawer before you touch a surface so you can see what you are working with.

• Empty every cabinet and drawer, vacuum crumbs and hair out of the back corners, wipe inside with a mild all-purpose cleaner, dry with a microfibre
• Line drawers only if you want to; shelf liner is not required but it does protect older MDF shelves from water rings
• Clean cabinet fronts, pulls and the finger-oil zones around them
• Pull out the fridge (if it stays with the home) and sweep the floor and coils; wipe the top, the gasket and every shelf; reset the temperature to 3 to 4 Celsius on the fridge and -18 Celsius on the freezer
• Clean the oven: a short cycle of the self-clean mode is usually enough; if the oven is older, use a baking-soda paste overnight and wipe out in the morning
• Pull the stove forward and clean the sides, the backsplash behind it and the floor under it
• Degrease the range hood filter in hot soapy water, then wipe the hood
• Clean the microwave inside, outside, under and the vents
• Scrub the sink basin, polish the faucet, and clean the garbage disposal with ice and a lemon wedge
• Wipe the dishwasher gasket, run an empty hot cycle with a dishwasher cleaner tab
• Clean the countertops last so dust from the cabinets does not fall onto a cleaned surface

Bathrooms (the shortest room, do it second)

Bathrooms get the most intimate contact with the previous occupants, so clean them before anyone showers. Work the top-down rule here too: light fixtures, mirrors, cabinets, counters, sink, toilet, shower, floor.

• Vent fan cover removed and vacuumed, then washed in soapy water, dried, replaced
• Mirror and medicine cabinet inside and out
• Vanity drawers and cabinet, including the back of the plumbing bay where hair often gathers
• Faucet, handles and the base ring where water collects
• Toilet: inside the bowl with bowl cleaner, the full exterior including the base and the floor flange, the seat hinges, the tank lid
• Shower: wall tiles, grout, door tracks, showerhead soaked in a bag of vinegar for 20 minutes, drain cover removed and the trap cleaned
• Caulk inspection: if a bead is black or peeling, add a note to re-caulk after move-in rather than trying to redo it while cleaning
• Replace the toilet seat if it is older or stained; a new seat is about $25 to $55 and takes 5 minutes

Bedrooms and closets

Empty rooms let you reach the places that disappear once beds and dressers arrive. Vacuum the closet shelves and corners, wipe the rod, open and clean the ventilation grilles, and dust the baseboards. Clean the window glass inside, including the tracks, and run a damp cloth along the window frame. If there is carpet, this is the moment to run the extractor; if there is hardwood, vacuum first and damp-mop with a floor-appropriate cleaner. Check every door hinge; a $2 bottle of silicone spray fixes most squeaks before you have to listen to them for a year.

Living spaces, entry, laundry and basement

The entry sets the tone for everyone who walks in. Wipe the door, the handle, both sides of the deadbolt, the threshold and the base of the door frame. Vacuum any closet, wipe the walls where coats will hang, and clean the switch plates. In the living room, dust ceiling fans, wipe the baseboards and the inside of every window, and run the extractor on the carpet if there is one. The laundry room needs the washer gasket cleaned, the lint trap scrubbed under the sink, the dryer vent brushed from the back wall, and the floor under both appliances wiped. In an unfinished basement, sweep, wipe the panel door of the breaker box without opening it, and check for any water staining on the floor before you store boxes against the walls.

Floors last, exit path first

Mop or vacuum backwards from the farthest room toward the front door so you never walk on a wet floor. Change the mop water every 500 square feet or any time it clouds. Let the floors dry fully before boxes come in, usually 20 to 40 minutes.

The best inventory you will ever do

A move-in clean is the best inventory of the home you will ever get. As you work, photograph anything that needs attention: a soft floor spot, a loose outlet cover, a cracked tile, a dripping valve. The list belongs on the fridge until it is handled.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a move-in deep clean take?

An empty two-bedroom takes a solo cleaner 4 to 6 hours; a two-person team cuts that to 2.5 to 3.5 hours. A four-bedroom with three bathrooms is a full day solo or a 4 to 5 hour visit for two.

Should I clean before the previous owners move out?

No. Deep cleaning a lived-in home forces you to redo the floors and leaves the hardest areas (inside cabinets, behind the fridge, closet shelves) impossible to reach. If possession and move-in fall on the same day, do the kitchen cabinets and the primary bathroom first, then clean around the boxes as they arrive.

What does a professional move-in clean usually cost?

A move-in clean on an empty two to three bedroom home usually runs about $380 to $750, and higher for larger or visibly dirty homes. The price depends on size, how long since the last professional clean, carpet extraction and whether add-ons like inside the oven and fridge are in the baseline scope.

Do I need to wash the walls?

Spot-wash around light switches, door handles, kitchen backsplash and the hallway at child-height. Full wall washing is only worth the time if the previous occupants smoked or there is visible residue, and in that case a paint-ready wash or a repaint is the better plan.

Book a move-in clean through Hearthen

If you want a crew to handle the full move-in deep clean so you can focus on the move itself, send the details of the home through the Hearthen quote form. Share the square footage, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, the floor types, and whether you want inside the oven, inside the fridge and interior windows included. Hearthen also runs recurring weekly, bi-weekly and monthly maintenance in Toronto, Montréal and across the rest of its city list.