Checklist
Move-out cleaning checklist, room by room
Set the number of bedrooms and bathrooms and what the home has. The checklist counts the supplies, then lists each room from the top down so nothing is cleaned twice.
Supplies to keep out of the boxes
Every room, top to bottom
Kitchen
Bathrooms
Floors, last
Outside and storage
Before you lock up
Tips for this list
- Clean after the boxes are out, not around them. An empty room takes a fraction of the time and you can see what you are doing.
- Work top to bottom and dry to wet: dust first, then wipe, then floors. Dust that falls onto a mopped floor means mopping twice.
- Start the oven and the bathroom cleaners first and do other rooms while they work.
- Supply counts are estimates from the room numbers you enter. One spare pack of cloths costs less than a trip to the shop mid-clean.
Questions
How clean does a rental have to be when I move out?
The standard is whatever your lease and your landlord's move-out instructions say, usually compared with the condition at check-in. Ask for their list; this checklist covers the usual rooms and surfaces but cannot know your contract.
In what order should I clean an empty home?
Top to bottom in each room, kitchen and bathrooms started early because their cleaners need time, floors last, and the room nearest the front door at the very end so you clean your way out.
How long does a move-out clean take?
It depends on the size and state of the home and how many people help, so the page does not give a figure. As a planning guide, treat the kitchen as the longest single room and the oven as the longest single task.
Related lists
Apartment move-out checklist
For renters: notice, small repairs, the inspection, keys and the record of how you left the place.
Moving day checklist
One day, in order: before the truck, loading, locking up, unloading and the first evening.
First home move-in checklist
For new owners: before the keys, key day and the first month of finding out how the house works.