What a Move-In Clean Includes:The Room-by-Room Checklist

What does a move-in clean include?

A move-in clean is the deep-clean scope for an empty home, plus the inside of every cabinet, drawer and closet — the surfaces that are only reachable before your things go in. It runs to a written, itemized checklist verified before sign-off.

Area	In a move-in clean
Kitchen	Inside the oven, broiler and range hood; inside the refrigerator and drip pans; inside every cabinet and drawer; backsplash, countertops and sink
Bathrooms	Tile surfaces; inside vanities, drawers and medicine cabinets; toilet base, fittings and exhaust fan covers; mirror, chrome and fixtures
Bedrooms and living areas	Inside closets, shelving and built-ins; ceiling fans, vents and light fixtures; marks and scuffs spot-cleaned from walls; floors vacuumed, mopped and edged
Throughout	Baseboards, door frames and switch plates; window sills and tracks; doors, handles and high-touch points
Quoted separately	Interior glass and blinds, by count; grout restoration and hard-water descaling

Why clean a house before you move in?

An empty home is the only time every surface is reachable — inside cabinets, around where appliances sit, the backs of closets. It's also your one chance to clean away whatever the previous occupants left behind before it's under your furniture. If the home is a new build or was recently remodeled, it likely also has fine construction dust that a standard clean won't fully handle. Move-in cleaning is simply a deep clean timed for that empty window.

What a move-in clean includes in the kitchen

Inside and outside every cabinet and drawer, inside the oven, broiler and range hood, inside the refrigerator and its drip pans, countertops and backsplash, sink and faucet, and the floor edge to edge. Appliances that stay with the home are cleaned in place, not moved.

What a move-in clean includes in the bathrooms

Tile surfaces cleaned, shower and tub scrubbed, toilet inside and out and at the base, inside vanities, drawers and medicine cabinets, mirror, chrome and fixtures, exhaust fan covers, and the floor. Grout restoration and hard-water descaling are a separate tile & grout service.

Move-in cleaning checklist for every room

• Inside closets, shelving and built-ins; rods wiped
• Baseboards, door frames, doors, and switch plates
• Window sills and tracks (interior glass and blinds quoted by count)
• Light fixtures, ceiling fans, and vents
• Marks and scuffs spot-cleaned from walls; floors cleaned to their material

Is a move-in clean the same as a deep clean?

Same interior scope — oven and fridge, baseboards, fixtures, vents, sills and tracks — plus empty cabinet and drawer interiors and closets, because the home is vacant. In an occupied home, cabinet interiors are an add-on to a deep clean; in an empty one they're part of the job. Both start at $450. The occupied-home scope is in what a deep clean includes, and how often to repeat it once you've moved in is in how often to deep clean a house.

When should you schedule a move-in clean?

Schedule the clean for after you get keys but before the movers arrive — even a single day with the home empty makes all the difference. If you're also cleaning your old place, the same standard applies there; see the move-out checklist.

How much does a move-in clean cost?

Move-in cleaning is priced like move-out cleaning, by home size: $450–$650 up to 1,500 sq ft, $650–$1,000 for a 3-bed house, $1,000–$1,400 to 3,500 sq ft, and $1,400+ for estates, with $70 for each bathroom beyond two. The number is a flat quote before the visit and does not change if the visit runs long. Budgeting detail is in move cleaning costs.

Common questions:What a Move-In Clean Includes

What does a move-in clean include?

The deep-clean scope for an empty home plus the inside of every cabinet, drawer and closet: inside the oven, range hood and refrigerator, bathroom tile, vanities and medicine cabinets, baseboards and door frames, ceiling fans, vents and light fixtures, window sills and tracks, and floors edge to edge. Interior glass, blinds and grout restoration are quoted separately.

Is a move-in clean the same as a deep clean?

It is the same interior scope plus cabinet, drawer and closet interiors, because the home is empty. In an occupied home, cabinet interiors are an add-on to a deep clean.

Does a move-in clean include the inside of cabinets?

Yes. Every cabinet and drawer is wiped inside and out — the main difference from a deep clean in an occupied home.

Does a move-in clean include windows?

Window sills and tracks are included. Interior glass and blinds are quoted separately, by count.

When should you book a move-in clean?

After you get the keys and before the movers arrive. Even one day with the home empty is enough.

How much does a move-in clean cost?

At Maid VIP, $450–$650 up to 1,500 sq ft, $650–$1,000 for a 3-bed house, $1,000–$1,400 to 3,500 sq ft and $1,400+ for estates, plus $70 per bathroom beyond two — a flat quote before the visit.