ServicesMove-In Cleaning
Move-In Cleaning in Los Angeles
Vacant rooms let us reach every shelf, corner and appliance before your furniture covers them. We clean cabinets, the kitchen, bathrooms, vent covers and floors ahead of the movers, so you unpack onto clean surfaces and your equipment isn't fighting the last occupant's dust and grease.
What move-in cleaning is for
Move-in cleaning is a full clean of a vacant home, scheduled after the last occupant moves out and before your things arrive. Because nothing is in the way, we get to areas routine cleaning skips: the far corners of cabinet shelves, the floor where the refrigerator sat, closet door tracks and the stretch of baseboard that sat behind a couch for years.
There is a practical payoff in how the home runs, too. Dust and lint caked onto return-air grilles choke the airflow your heating and cooling system depends on, and a refrigerator with dusty condenser coils has to run longer to stay cold. Removing that buildup on day one lets both work with less strain, which means steadier comfort and, over time, lower running costs.
We handle move-in cleaning throughout Los Angeles and in nearby towns such as Culver City, Inglewood and Santa Monica. Handing back keys to your old place as well? Our move-out cleaning takes care of that one.
What the move-in clean covers
Every cabinet and drawer
We start each cabinet with a vacuum nozzle to lift crumbs and grit out of the corners, then wipe the interior walls, hinges and pulls by hand. Peeling shelf liner left by the last occupant gets lifted so we can clean the wood underneath.
Oven, range, fridge and dishwasher
We degrease the oven interior and racks, the cooktop and the range hood filter. The refrigerator and freezer are wiped out, and the dishwasher door gasket is cleaned. If the fridge can be pulled out safely, we clean the floor behind it and vacuum the reachable condenser coils and grille.
Showers, tubs and toilets
Tile, grout, tubs and shower walls are scrubbed to break down soap film and the hard-water scale locked inside it. Toilets are cleaned all the way to the base and bolt caps. Vanity interiors, mirrors and exhaust fan covers are part of the job too.
Supply registers and return grilles
We clear lint and dust off registers and return-air grilles, so your heating and cooling system can pull air without restriction the first time it runs. We clean the covers only; filters and ductwork are work for an HVAC technician.
Glass, sliding tracks and door frames
Interior glass and sills are cleaned, packed grit is scraped out of sliding door and window tracks, and door faces, frames and switch plates are wiped.
Floors and baseboards
We vacuum carpet from wall to wall, wash hard floors with a cleaner suited to the material, and hand-wipe the baseboards in every room.
Signs your new place needs a move-in clean
Sticky film inside the cabinets
Cooking grease drifts and settles on cabinet interiors and the tops of upper cabinets. If a shelf feels tacky, it will hold dust against your dishes.
Gray fuzz on the vent covers
Visible lint on registers and return grilles means dust is collecting where the system draws air. That restricts airflow and spreads dust through rooms once the system is running.
Dust lines where furniture stood
Outlines on the carpet or floor show how long areas went untouched. Pet hair, dust mites and allergens collect in those spots.
Cloudy shower glass and faucets
White crust on glass and fixtures is mineral scale from hard water. It needs a descaler and dwell time, not just a quick wipe.
A smell from the oven or fridge
Odors usually come from baked-on spills or a soiled door gasket. Cleaning them out before you cook or store food keeps the smell out of your groceries.
How the cleaning day runs
- 1
Walk-through and plan
We start by walking the home with you or with access details you've given us, noting problem areas such as scaled glass, heavy oven grease or carpet stains. That lets us set the order of work and flag anything outside a cleaning, like a broken fixture, before we begin.
- 2
Top to bottom, dry before wet
Dust falls, so we work from ceiling fans, light fixtures and the tops of cabinets down to baseboards. Dry dusting and vacuuming come first so wet cleaning doesn't turn loose dust into streaks and mud in the corners.
- 3
Kitchen and bathrooms with dwell time
Degreasers and descalers are applied early and left to work while we clean elsewhere. Letting the product sit does the heavy lifting, which means less scrubbing pressure on stone, enamel and stainless finishes.
- 4
Floors last and a final check
Floors are cleaned after everything above them is done. We then walk the rooms again, check cabinet interiors and appliance seals, and leave the home ready for the movers.
What sets the price of a move-in cleaning
We quote move-in cleaning after learning about the specific home, because two places with the same square footage can need very different amounts of work. Call us, describe the property and its condition, and we'll explain what's included and what affects the number before anything is booked.
- Size and layout
- Square footage, the number of bathrooms and the count of cabinets and closets drive most of the time on site. A home with a large kitchen takes longer than an open studio of the same size.
- How it was left
- Heavy oven grease, thick soap scale or pet hair in the carpet add time and specific products. A home that was cleaned at move-out by the last occupant usually moves faster.
- Appliances and extras
- Ovens, refrigerators, dishwashers, interior windows and sliding-door tracks are each part of the scope we discuss. Telling us which appliances stay with the home keeps the quote accurate.
- Access and timing
- Stairs, building parking and narrow gaps between closing and move-in day can affect scheduling. Booking while the home is still empty is the most efficient way to do it.
Move-in cleaning questions
Something not covered here? (213) 449-4724
When is the best time to book a move-in clean?
The window between getting the keys and the moving truck pulling up is the right time. With no boxes or furniture in the way, we can get into cabinet interiors, closet floors and the gap behind appliances directly. After move-in, the same clean takes longer and reaches less.
What separates move-in cleaning from a deep cleaning?
Deep cleaning is built for a lived-in home, so we work around furniture and your belongings. Move-in cleaning starts from vacant rooms, which lets us include every cabinet and drawer interior plus the floor and wall areas furniture usually hides. If your things are already unpacked, deep cleaning is the service to ask about.
Are the oven and refrigerator included?
Yes, we cover both when they stay with the home, and we confirm that on the phone. The refrigerator gets its interior, shelves, bins and door gaskets cleaned; the oven gets its interior and racks degreased. Knowing which appliances convey lets us plan enough time for them.
Can clean vents and coils cut my energy use?
They can help, though we won't put a figure on it. Unblocked return grilles let your heating and cooling system pull air without working harder than it should, and a fridge with dust cleared from its coils releases heat more easily. Changing filters and servicing the system are jobs for a qualified technician, not a cleaner.
Does someone have to let you in and stay during the clean?
Not at all. Plenty of people hand off access through a real estate agent, a property manager or a lockbox code. We settle the access plan during your call, and when we finish we tell you about anything worth knowing, such as a stain that didn't come out or a fixture that's cracked.
Start in a clean home
Tell us the size of the place, its condition and your move date, and we'll lay out what the cleaning covers. Quotes are given over the phone.