The final walkthrough is where deposits are won or lost, and most deductions come from the same handful of places: the oven, the fridge, the bathroom and the floors under where furniture used to sit. An empty home is also the easiest home to clean well, so timing and a good checklist do most of the work.
When to book the move-out clean
Book it for after the last box leaves and before the walkthrough. Cleaning around furniture and boxes means missing exactly the spots a landlord looks at. If your lease ends on a Friday, a Thursday or Friday morning clean is ideal. Read your lease too: some require professional carpet cleaning or specific items, and it is easier to plan for them than to argue about them later.
The checklist, room by room
| Room | What gets checked |
|---|---|
| Kitchen | Inside oven and racks, inside fridge and freezer, inside cabinets and drawers, stovetop and hood, sink and faucet, backsplash |
| Bathrooms | Toilet base and behind it, tub and shower grout, glass doors, vanity inside and out, mirrors, exhaust fan cover |
| Bedrooms | Closet shelves and rods, baseboards, windowsills and tracks, light switches, ceiling fan |
| Living areas | Floors along the walls, blinds, outlets, door frames, marks on walls |
| Everywhere | Nothing left behind, trash out, all floors vacuumed and mopped |
The four places deposits disappear
The oven. Baked-on grease is the most common cleaning deduction, and the one that takes the longest to remove. The fridge. Crumbs in drawers and sticky shelves. Bathroom grout. Especially in showers that were used daily for a year. Floors under furniture. Dust lines where the bed and sofa stood are the first thing anyone sees in an empty room.
Moving out in Raleigh, Cary or Durham?
Our move-out clean covers the full checklist above, inside cabinets and appliances included. Tell us your walkthrough date and we plan around it.
Get my free quoteYour move-out week, day by day
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Two weeks out | Read the move-out section of your lease. Book the clean and, if needed, carpet cleaning. |
| One week out | Use up food in the fridge and freezer. Donate what you will not move. |
| Moving day | Empty every cabinet, closet and drawer. Take out all trash. |
| Day after | Professional move-out clean in the empty home. |
| Walkthrough | Photos of every room, then hand over the keys. |
Do not forget these spots
- Behind and under the fridge and stove, if they can be moved safely.
- Inside the dishwasher and the filter at the bottom.
- Light fixtures and ceiling fans, which collect dust and dead insects.
- Window tracks and blinds, especially in bedrooms.
- The garage, patio and storage closet, which many leases include.
- Smoke detectors and air vents, dusted and left working.
Carpets
Vacuuming is part of every move-out clean. Some leases require professional carpet cleaning with a receipt. If yours does, schedule it after the cleaning so the carpet is the last thing done, and keep the receipt with your photos.
Walls: clean, touch up or paint?
Scuffs and small marks can often be wiped. Nail holes and larger marks usually need filling and a touch-up, and many leases expect walls back in the original color. Lara Maids now offers interior painting, so wall touch-ups and the final clean can be handled in one visit, by one team, before you hand back the keys.
Take photos when it is done
Once the home is clean and empty, walk through with your phone and photograph every room, the inside of the appliances and the bathrooms. Date-stamped photos are the easiest way to settle any disagreement about the condition you left the home in.
Moving in instead?
The same checklist works in reverse. A move-in clean before your furniture arrives is the only time you will be able to reach inside every cabinet and behind every appliance easily. If you are relocating to the area, our guide on settling into a new home in Cary, Apex or Holly Springs covers the first month.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a move-out clean take?
It depends on the size and condition of the home. We give you a time estimate with the quote so you can plan the walkthrough.
Do you clean inside the oven and fridge?
Yes, both are part of our move-out and move-in cleaning.
Do you work with property managers and realtors?
Yes. We clean between tenants and before listings across Raleigh, Cary, Apex and Durham.
See everything included on our move in and move out cleaning page, or call (919) 601-3676.
