Moving In or Out of Westborough: A Room-by-Room Move Cleaning Checklist

In a lived-in home, furniture, rugs and full cabinets hide a lot. Once everything is out, you see the dust lines where a dresser stood, crumbs inside empty drawers, grease on the wall behind the stove and the floor under the refrigerator that has not been seen in years.

For sellers, a clean, empty home makes a better impression at the final walkthrough. For renters, it is usually a condition of getting the security deposit back. For buyers, cleaning before the boxes arrive is the easiest it will ever be.

The kitchen takes the longest in most move cleanings. Empty and wipe every cabinet and drawer inside and out, including the shelves and the cabinet tops. Clean inside the oven and the oven door glass, the stovetop and burner areas, and the range hood and its filter.

Clean the refrigerator inside and out, including drawers and shelves, and pull it out if you can to clean the floor and wall behind it. Clean inside the microwave and dishwasher, scrub the sink and faucet, wipe the backsplash, and finish with the floor, edges and corners included.

In each bathroom, clean the toilet inside and out, including the base and the back of the tank. Scrub the tub, shower walls, grout and glass doors, and remove hard water spots from fixtures. Empty and wipe the vanity drawers and cabinet, clean the sink, counter and mirror, and wipe the medicine cabinet inside.

Do not forget the exhaust fan cover, light fixtures, towel bars and the floor behind the toilet. These are the spots buyers and landlords notice in a final walkthrough.

In every room, start high: dust ceiling fans, light fixtures, the tops of door frames and window casings. Wipe window sills and vacuum window tracks. Wipe closet shelves and rods, and vacuum closet floors, which collect dust bunnies and lost hangers.

Then work down: wipe light switches, outlet covers and door handles, clean baseboards all the way around the room, and spot-clean scuffs on walls where possible. Finish with the floors, vacuumed and mopped edge to edge.

If the home has a basement or laundry room, sweep or vacuum the floor, wipe the washer and dryer if they stay, clean the lint area and wipe utility sinks. Clear cobwebs from corners and ceilings. In a garage, a good sweep and removing leftover items is usually expected.

The best time for a move-out cleaning is after the last box and piece of furniture is gone, and before the final walkthrough or the lease end date. Trying to clean around movers usually means doing the floors twice. For a move-in, schedule the cleaning between getting the keys and the moving truck arriving.

Plan ahead around busy periods. Late spring and summer are peak moving months in Massachusetts, and the end and beginning of each month are always busy for rentals. Booking your cleaning early keeps it from becoming a last-minute scramble.

Moving in winter brings its own challenge: snow, slush and road salt carried in on every trip by the movers. Lay down temporary floor protection at entries during the move, and save the floor cleaning for after the movers leave. Salt residue should be mopped with a pH-neutral cleaner so it does not dull hardwood or tile.

Even careful movers tend to miss the same handful of spots. The top of the refrigerator and the space behind it, the inside of the dishwasher filter, the oven drawer, the inside of light fixtures where insects collect, the tops of kitchen cabinets, the shelf above the washer and dryer, closet shelves above eye level and the inside of medicine cabinets.

Also check the backs of doors, door hinges, the tracks of sliding closet doors and the corners behind toilets. Walk through every room with fresh eyes before the final walkthrough, and look at it from the angle a buyer, landlord or new owner will.

Move cleanings typically cost more than a standard recurring visit, because they include inside cabinets, appliances and closets and often take several hours longer. The final price usually depends on the size of the home, the number of bathrooms, the condition it is in and extras like inside the oven or refrigerator. The best way to know is to ask for a quote based on your home.

DSA Cleaning Service is based in Marlborough, a short drive up I-495 from Westborough, and has 9 years of experience cleaning homes, including move-in and move-out cleanings. Detail is our focus, which is exactly what a final walkthrough tests. See our house cleaning in Westborough page, or call or text (351) 210-0798 with the size of the home and your moving date.