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

The best time to clean a house is the one moment it’s completely empty: after the keys are in your hand and before the first box comes through the door.

Even if the previous owners “had it cleaned,” it’s worth going over. Their idea of clean might not be yours, and in a new build, construction dust is still sitting on every surface. Here’s what to do, room by room.

Before you start

• Do it before the movers come. You can reach inside every cabinet, closet and corner now. You won’t be able to later.
• Start high and work down. Ceiling fans and vents first, floors last.
• Change the HVAC filter on day one, especially in a new build or a home that sat vacant.

Kitchen

The kitchen is where your food and dishes will live, so it gets the most attention.

• Inside the oven
• Inside the fridge and freezer, every shelf and drawer
• Inside the microwave
• Inside every cabinet and drawer, top to bottom
• Shelves and the pantry
• Backsplash and countertops, then disinfect the counters
• Stovetop and range hood
• Outside of all appliances, including handles
• Scrub the sink and polish the faucet
• Baseboards, ceiling fan and window blinds
• Under and around appliances if you can reach
• Sweep and mop

Bathrooms

• Scrub the shower, tub and sink
• Disinfect the toilet, counters and every handle
• Inside the vanity cabinets and drawers
• Polish mirrors and faucets
• Baseboards and window blinds and sills
• Mop the floor

Tip: run water in every sink, tub and shower, and flush every toilet. In a home that sat empty, it clears stale water and shows you any leaks before your stuff is in the way.

Bedrooms and living areas

• Inside closets, including shelves and rods
• Dust ceiling fans, light fixtures and vents
• Wipe light switches, outlets and door handles
• Blinds and window sills
• Baseboards
• Vacuum carpets, then sweep and mop hard floors

New build? Expect construction dust

Newer communities in Gilbert, Chandler, Mesa and the West Valley are full of brand-new homes, and “builder clean” usually means the big debris is gone, not the dust. Fine drywall dust settles inside cabinets, on top of door frames, in window tracks and in vents for weeks.

Wipe inside every cabinet and drawer before you put dishes away, and expect dust to keep showing up for a little while as the HVAC runs. If it’s heavy, a post-construction clean is built for exactly this.

How long does it take?

For one person, a thorough move-in clean on an empty 2,000 sq ft home is usually a full day, longer if the oven and fridge need real work. A team can usually do it in a few hours.

Hand it off

If you’re juggling closing, utilities and movers, this is the easiest thing to outsource. Our move-in and move-out cleaning covers everything on this list. Moving out of your old place at the same time? Here’s our move-out cleaning checklist for Phoenix renters. Get a free quote and tell us your move-in date.