Moving is a stressful affair that takes time and planning. There are a lot of moving parts you need to coordinate including everything from packing to cleaning.
Move-in/move-out cleaning is one of those things you want to do right.
Leaving the apartment clean when you move ensures you don’t lose your security deposit, and the whole move-in/move-out cleaning process makes certain that your new home is also clean when you arrive.
In this article, we will share 8 McLean, VA move-out cleaning service tips to help ensure everything goes smoothly and stands up to the high standards of even the most discerning landlord.
Table of Contents
1. Review your lease
Make sure you review your lease and understand the issues that can increase the risk of losing your security deposit. This often includes minor repairs.
We always recommend tenants take photos of anything damaged in an apartment at the time they move in and report it to their landlord to avoid footing the bill for damage you didn’t cause.
Have your landlord do a walkthrough before you move so you can discuss anything they feel needs attention.
This will ensure you can deal with the issues and not find yourself paying fees unnecessarily.
2. Know why you need move-out cleaning services
Your lease has a clause that indicates you have to leave your rental unit as close to the same condition as it was when you moved in.
Although normal wear and tear is a given, a thorough cleaning removes the ick factor for the new tenants, while ensuring you aren’t handed a cleaning and repair bill from your ex-landlord when you fail to meet their move-out inspection.
Professional move-out cleaning services in McLean, VA follow a strict and detailed cleaning list to ensure everything stands up to your landlord’s expectations.
It also allows you to move into your new home without worrying about scrubbing the tub, so it’s kind of like paying it forward!
3. Know what a move-out clean includes
Before you hire McLean move-out cleaning services, make sure you understand what cleaning tasks are expected by your landlord.
This typically includes:
Bathroom:
- Bathtub and shower enclosure
- Inside, out, and behind the toilet
- Lights, mirrors, sink, countertops
- Vacuum ceiling fan cover
- Light switches, door knobs
- Empty garbage bin
- Vacuum and mop floors
- Wipe baseboards
- Wipe vanity inside and out
Bedrooms:
- Dust counters, table tops, picture frames
- Clean mirrors and polish ornaments
- Wipe switches, door knobs
- Vacuum and mop floors
- Wipe baseboards
- Wipe window ledges
Kitchen:
- Inside fridge and oven
- Stovetop
- Polish fridge front
- Inside the microwave
- Backsplash, countertops, cupboard fronts
- Sink
- Wipe light switches and door knobs
- Vacuum and mop floors
- Clean baseboards
- Wipe window ledges
- Clean inside cabinets
- Wipe inside drawers
Living/dining room:
- Clean mirrors and polish ornaments
- Wipe switches and door knobs
- Vacuum and mop floors
- Wipe baseboards
- Wipe window ledges
Laundry room:
- Clear air vent
- Clear lint trap
- Wipe washer and dryer
- Clean floors
4. Compare move-out cleaning costs
Although you might not want to foot the bill for cleaning costs, it will be far more affordable than being handed a cleaning bill by your landlord.
Get a few quotes from dependable McLean move-out cleaning services and compare what cleaning services are provided.
Also, be sure your quotes are from providers that offer a specific offering called “move-in/move-out cleaning,” as it is a very specialized service requiring a deeper clean than your everyday cleaning.
5. Schedule your move-out cleaning services in advance
The end of the month puts high demand on moving-related services in the Northern Virginia area, including movers, moving vans, and move-out cleaning services.
To avoid disappointment, you should book your cleaning services at least two to four weeks out so you have one less thing to worry about.
6. Access and timing for move-out cleaning services
This can be tricky to coordinate. You need the cleaners to have total access to an empty apartment.
You also don’t want them overlapped with your movers, as moving is dirty work. The last thing you need is for the movers to dirty up floors that the cleaners have already cleaned.
You need the apartment to be empty and avoid being there while the cleaners work. It can also be hard to know what time you will have everything moved out of the unit.
All things considered, a good rule of thumb is to ask the cleaners what they suggest.
They do this for a living, so they can recommend a good time, and ensure they have the access they need without causing too much of an inconvenience.
Also, it depends on your lease agreement and when you move. If you’re moving out a few days early, this makes it a lot easier to coordinate a cleaning time.
The important thing is that the unit is clean before you do a walkthrough with your landlord and hand over the keys.
7. Make sure the move-out cleaning services has a guarantee
This is an important job that requires cleaning standards to meet the requirements of your lease agreement.
Be sure you hire a move-out cleaning service that has a guarantee. If things are not cleaned properly, they will return to complete the job to your satisfaction.
8. What happens if your unit isn’t considered move-in clean?
Your landlord has a right to charge you or hold onto your security deposit if they feel your apartment is not cleaned properly.
A good rule of thumb is to take a before and after shot of your apartment so you have proof the apartment was in fact cleaned.
Also, maintain your McLean move-out cleaning services bill to show the landlord.
If the cleaning is not up to snuff, and you followed our advice and hired a cleaning service with a guarantee, you can call them and have them take care of the areas the landlord feels are not clean enough.
Think of move-out cleaning as a courtesy. You wouldn’t want the home you’re moving into to be filthy, and it just makes sense that the new tenants in your old apartment won’t want to either.
It’s something that needs to be done to ensure you get your security deposit back, and it also feels good knowing you left the apartment in the same condition it was when you moved in.
Contact the McLean Move-In/Move-Out Cleaning Experts
At Nordland Cleaning, we specialize in McLean move-in/move-out cleaning services. For more information, you can call us at (240) 603-0727 or contact us online.
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