Move-in cleaning checklist: clean before you unpack

The best time to clean a new home is while it is empty, before you unpack a single box. With no furniture in the way you can reach every surface, inside cupboards, behind where appliances will sit, on top of units, that become awkward once you move in. Focus first on the kitchen and bathroom, then work through the other rooms top to bottom, so you start life in your new home genuinely fresh.

Why clean before you move in?

However nice a property looks, you do not know how thoroughly the previous occupants cleaned, or what has settled while it stood empty. An empty home is the one moment everything is accessible. Trying to deep clean later, around boxes, furniture and unpacking fatigue, is far harder and rarely gets done properly.

Kitchen

• Clean inside and on top of all cupboards and drawers.
• Clean inside the oven, hob, extractor, fridge and any other appliances.
• Wipe down worktops, tiles and splashbacks, and descale the taps and sink.
• Clean the floor last, including the gaps where appliances slot in.

Bathroom

Disinfect the toilet inside and out, descale and clean the shower, bath, screen, taps and tiles, and clean inside any cabinets. Clear the extractor fan and wipe the windowsill and frame. You want this room spotless before it is yours, so do not rush it.

Bedrooms and living areas

Dust and wipe from the top down, light fittings, shelves, skirting boards and radiators, then clean inside fitted wardrobes and storage. Clean the windows, sills and frames while you can reach them easily, and vacuum or mop the floors thoroughly as the final step in each room.

Don't forget these spots

• Light switches, door handles and door frames, high-touch and often missed.
• Inside and on top of fitted wardrobes and units.
• Radiators and behind them.
• The inside of windows and the tracks they sit in.

Move-in clean vs end of tenancy clean

A move-in clean and an end of tenancy clean cover similar ground, both are empty-property deep cleans. The difference is the goal: end of tenancy is about meeting the inventory to protect a deposit, while a move-in clean is about a fresh, hygienic start for you. If you are also leaving a property, our end of tenancy checklist covers the other side of the move.

Let us clean it before you arrive

Moving is exhausting, and cleaning is the last thing you want to do on top of it. Our team can deep clean your new home in the window before you move in, across Derby and Derbyshire, so the keys turn and everything is already spotless. Ask about combining it with a clean of the property you are leaving.