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

Move-in cleaning checklist for an empty home in Snohomish & King County: what to photograph, order of work, cabinets, appliances. Text for a written price.

By Yuri and Tatiana, owners of Shining Cleanse LLC, a family cleaning company based in Everett, WA and licensed in 10 cities across Snohomish and King County.

A move-in cleaning checklist is easiest to follow while the home is still empty: photograph every room first, then clean top to bottom, starting inside cabinets and closets, then appliances, then bathrooms, and finish with the floors. Doing it before the boxes arrive is much faster than cleaning around them, and nothing you own touches the last occupant’s grime.

This checklist covers the same areas as our move-in and move-out cleanings, written so you can do it yourself. It works for a rental or a home you just bought.

What should I photograph at move-in?

Photograph every room, every appliance inside and out, and anything already worn, stained or broken, before you clean and before you move anything in. For renters, those photos back up the move-in checklist; for owners, they record what the house was like when you got the keys.

In Washington, a landlord who collects a deposit must give you a written checklist describing the condition and cleanliness of the unit, signed and dated by both of you, under RCW 59.18.260. Read it line by line against what you see and add anything missing before you sign. Under RCW 59.18.280, a landlord may not charge for repairing fixtures, appliances or furnishings whose condition was not reasonably documented on that checklist. This is general information, not legal advice.

Your day-one photo list:

• A wide shot of each room from the doorway, then each wall
• Carpet: stains, worn paths, burns, loose seams
• Walls: holes, marks, scuffs, patched spots
• Inside the oven, fridge, freezer, dishwasher and microwave
• Under the kitchen and bathroom sinks, for leaks or water stains
• Tub, shower, grout and caulk; the toilet base
• Window sills, tracks, screens and blinds
• Closets, doors, light fixtures and smoke alarms

Keep the photos with the signed checklist. At move-out they are the baseline for the difference between normal wear and tear and damage, and our move-out cleaning checklist for Washington tenants picks up from there.

In what order should you clean an empty house?

Work top to bottom, dry before wet, and back to front, so dust and drips always fall onto something you have not cleaned yet. Start in the room farthest from the front door and finish at the exit.

Bring more microfiber cloths than you think you need, a degreaser, a bathroom cleaner, a vacuum with good filtration, a mop, trash bags and a step stool. Fresh water for each room helps more than a stronger product. We color-code our cloths (red for toilets, yellow for bathroom counters, blue for the kitchen, green for dusting) so a toilet cloth never reaches a counter.

Before

After

Should I clean inside cabinets and appliances before unpacking?

Yes. The kitchen is where the last occupant leaves the most behind and where your food will go, and empty shelves are quick to clean.

Cabinets and drawers

• Vacuum crumbs from shelves and drawer corners first, then wipe
• Shelves, shelf edges, drawer tracks, hinges and the underside of upper cabinets
• Cabinet doors and handles, inside and out
• Old shelf liner out; let shelves dry before new liner goes in

Appliances

• Fridge and freezer: shelves and drawers out and washed, walls wiped, door seals cleaned, then left to air out
• Oven: racks out to soak, interior and door glass, the drawer underneath; here is how we clean an oven with steam instead of harsh chemicals
• Stovetop, burners and the range hood filter
• Microwave inside and out
• Dishwasher filter, door edges and spray arms

Surfaces

• Backsplash, counters and the tops of the fridge and upper cabinets
• Sink, faucet and drain stopper; run the disposal with water

What should I clean before moving into a new home?

Beyond the kitchen: everything your body, clothes and furniture will touch, meaning bathrooms, closets, vents, baseboards and floors.

Bathrooms

Clean bathrooms after the kitchen and before the floors, from the ceiling down. Scale on shower glass and fixtures takes the longest, so apply a descaler there first and let it sit while you do the rest.

• Exhaust fan cover and light fixture
• Mirror and medicine cabinet, inside and out
• Shower and tub: soap scum and scale on glass, tile, grout and fixtures; we use dry steam (about 290°F at the nozzle) on grout and fixtures
• Vanity inside and out, sink and faucet
• Toilet inside, outside, the base and the bolts behind it
• Towel bars, toilet paper holder, door and door frame
• Floor last, including behind the toilet and the door

Bedrooms, closets and living areas

Work high to low in each room.

• Ceiling fans and light fixtures (within safe reach of a step stool)
• Tops of door frames, doors, handles and switch plates
• Window sills, tracks and the inside of the glass; blinds slat by slat
• Closet shelves, rods and the closet floor
• Vent covers and registers vacuumed and wiped
• Baseboards wiped by hand; walls spot-cleaned where you see marks

Floors last

Start in the farthest room and back out to the door. Vacuum first, then mop, so you are not pushing grit around with water.

• Vacuum edges and corners with a crevice tool; that is where dust collects in an empty room
• Hard floors: a cleaner suited to the surface, fresh water between rooms
• Carpet: vacuum slowly in two directions with a sealed vacuum
• If the carpet has stains or smells, have it extracted before furniture arrives; we add hot water extraction to a move-in clean for $59 per room, with a two-room minimum

When is it worth hiring a move-in cleaner?

When the move-in date is tight, the home was left in rough shape, or you would rather spend the day unpacking. We price move-in and move-out cleaning by work hours at $60 each: $360 for a 1-bedroom (6 work hours; a studio is often $300), $540 for a 2-bedroom and $720 for a 3-bedroom; homes with 4 or more bedrooms are quoted. Inside the fridge, the oven, every cabinet and the interior windows are included, and the before-and-after photos double as your day-one record. All prices are on our pricing page, and our move-out cleaning cost guide explains what drives them. Whoever you hire, check the 7 red flags of house cleaning scams before you pay anything up front. If you only want help with part of the job, see what a house cleaner can do in 3 hours.

If you are deciding between this and a regular deep clean for an occupied home, see move-in cleaning vs deep cleaning. We work in Kenmore and our nine other licensed cities in Snohomish and King County.

Our job

FAQ

How long does a move-in clean take?

For one person, an empty 2-bedroom is usually a long day. Two of us with professional equipment usually need 3–6 hours on site, which is 6–12 work hours, depending on size and condition. Heavy grease, hard-water scale or pet hair push it toward the upper end.

Can the cleaning happen before the moving truck arrives?

Yes, and it is the easiest time. We need access only, such as a key or a lockbox code, and we send photos when we finish. Booking the day before the truck gives floors and any extracted carpet time to dry.

Should I clean a newly built home before moving in?

Usually, yes. New construction leaves fine dust in cabinets, vents, window tracks and on top of door frames. Vacuum it with a filtered vacuum before wiping, or the dust turns into a paste on damp cloths.

What is worth replacing instead of cleaning?

A new shower curtain liner and a new toilet seat are inexpensive and worth it in a home where you do not know the history.

Get a written price

Text 2–4 photos of the kitchen and bathrooms, the size of the home and your move-in date to (425) 539-5492 or request a written quote. We reply with a written price the same business day (Mon–Fri 9am–7pm, Sat 9am–5pm).

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