Move-in cleaning checklist: what to clean before you unpack
Moving into a new home is easier when the rooms you need first are ready before the boxes arrive. Start with a usable bathroom, a kitchen you can put food into and a bedroom where you can make the bed. Then work through the remaining rooms from higher surfaces down to the floors.
This checklist helps you plan the work, decide what to do yourself and choose the right scope if you hire a cleaner. An empty home is usually easier to reach throughout, but a move-in clean can still be planned around furniture and boxes when you explain the access in advance.
Before cleaning day: make the home ready to work in
Confirm when you will have possession and access to the property. Book cleaning for a time when the team can actually enter and work, ideally before furniture delivery. Leave enough time between cleaning and the movers; don't assume the two jobs can share every room at once.
Before the appointment:
- Confirm the address, access instructions and who will meet the team or provide the key.
- Make sure water and electricity are available.
- Arrange parking and any building access, concierge requirements or service-elevator booking. These arrangements are the customer's responsibility where required.
- Remove leftover belongings and rubbish from the areas you want cleaned.
- Empty any cupboards or appliances you want cleaned inside, or agree on handling requirements beforehand.
- Tell the cleaner about renovation dust, unusual residue, delicate finishes or areas that need assessment.
- Photograph existing damage and point it out before work starts.
- Agree on the rooms and extras in the quote, including any basement, balcony or garage work.
If renovation work has just finished, say so when requesting a quote. A general move-in clean and post-construction dust removal need different planning. Our after-renovation cleaning guide helps you identify the work to discuss.
Kitchen: clean storage before filling it
An empty kitchen gives you a chance to reach shelves, corners and surfaces that become harder to access once everything is unpacked. Work from the upper surfaces down, and leave the floor until the rest of the room is finished.
Start with the surfaces you will use immediately
Wipe reachable shelves and surfaces, then clean the counter, sink, taps, backsplash and handles. Check the edges around the sink and the places where crumbs collect. Clean the exteriors of appliances and finish the accessible floor before putting groceries or cookware away.
Use a method suited to each surface and follow the product and appliance instructions. A delicate finish may need a different approach from a tiled wall or stainless-steel exterior.
Decide separately on fridge, oven and cupboard interiors
Do not assume that “kitchen cleaning” includes the inside of every appliance or cupboard. At Heron, kitchen cleaning covers the selected kitchen's surfaces, appliance exteriors and floor. Fridge interiors, oven interiors and inside cabinets are separate optional add-ons for a move-in clean.
The current residential add-on prices are fridge interior +$39, oven interior from +$19 and inside cabinets +$29, before HST. Additional handling requirements should be discussed before the visit. Review the selections in the cleaning calculator and add-on list so the quoted work matches the home you are moving into.
If you choose an interior clean, leave the appliance or storage area accessible and ready for that work. Do not unpack it and expect the team to infer that moving the contents is included.
Bathrooms: prepare one for the first night
Finish at least one bathroom early so it is ready when the move gets busy. Work through reachable surfaces, shelves, mirrors, taps, sink, shower or bath, toilet and floor. Pay attention to handles and the edges around fixtures, while using products suitable for the material.
Check how each bathroom is described in the quote. At Heron, full bathrooms and powder rooms are separate selections. A bedroom count does not automatically include every bathroom in the house.
Leave towels, toilet paper and your first-night supplies outside the room until cleaning is finished. Then unpack those essentials before moving on to less urgent storage.
Bedrooms and living spaces: work around the unpacking order
Dust reachable upper surfaces first, then work through ledges, sills, accessible baseboards, doors and frames. Vacuum and mop appropriate accessible floors after the dusting is done. Move boxes into finished areas rather than repeatedly shifting them through rooms that still need cleaning.
Window glass and blinds deserve their own decision. Heron's residential interior-window option is a package based on home size and bedroom count; it is not a standard inclusion in every move-in clean. Blinds and balcony work have separate selections. See the deep-cleaning checklist for other detailed tasks you may want to discuss.
If furniture is already in place, explain which areas will be accessible. A useful plan for a partly furnished home is to finish one sleeping area, one bathroom and the kitchen, then clean the remaining rooms as access allows.
Closets, entryways and extra spaces
Check closet shelves and accessible floors before hanging clothes. Wipe the entry surfaces you will touch while moving and leave the main entrance floor until the heaviest traffic has passed where timing allows.
A basement, garage or balcony can add meaningful work. Choose those spaces deliberately instead of assuming the main-home quote covers them. Explain the condition and what you want done, especially when a space contains stored items or residue that needs assessment.
Make a short priority list for the final walkthrough. It should refer to the agreed work: the rooms selected, any appliance or cabinet interiors, and the areas you need ready first. If something was missed, report it under the applicable re-clean terms; an additional task is not automatically part of the original scope.
How much does a move-in clean cost?
The total depends on the home, its size, the service upgrade, selected bathrooms and kitchen, and any optional extras. Compare complete selections rather than a starting price alone.
Here is one Heron example for a one-bedroom house of 750 sq ft, with a Move-In / Move-Out clean, one full bathroom and one kitchen, booked as a one-time visit, with no basement or other optional extras:
| Selected work | Before HST |
|---|---|
| Basic clean for a one-bedroom house | $89.00 |
| Move-In / Move-Out upgrade for a home under 1,000 sq ft | $79.00 |
| One full bathroom | $20.00 |
| One kitchen | $25.00 |
| Subtotal | $213.00 |
| HST at 13% | $27.69 |
| Total | $240.69 |
This example excludes fridge, oven and cabinet interiors, windows, blinds, balcony, basement and garage selections. It assumes the selected home size and scope; a different home or extra work changes the quote. Check the current calculator for your own selections and confirm access, condition and appointment availability with the team.
Moving within Halton or Mississauga
Heron serves Oakville, Burlington, Milton, Mississauga and the entire Town of Halton Hills. In Halton Hills, coverage includes Georgetown, Acton, hamlets and rural areas within the Town. The Georgetown and Halton Hills coverage page explains the wider service area without requiring you to live in Georgetown itself.
For moving-service scope in the other cities, see Oakville, Burlington, Milton or Mississauga. These existing pages cover Move-In / Move-Out cleaning even though their URLs use “move-out.” If you are also leaving a home, the move-out cleaning checklist helps you plan that separate job.
Common move-in cleaning questions
Should I clean before or after the movers arrive?
Before furniture and boxes arrive is usually the most practical time to reach floors, storage and surfaces. If the schedule overlaps, agree on which rooms will stay clear and what can realistically be completed. Confirm possession and access before choosing a time.
Are appliance interiors included in move-in cleaning?
At Heron, they are optional add-ons. Select fridge and oven interiors separately, and choose inside-cabinet cleaning if you want that work. A kitchen selection includes appliance exteriors, not an automatic clean inside every appliance.
Is move-in cleaning different from move-out cleaning?
They share many tasks, but the priorities differ. Moving in is about preparing the rooms and storage you will use next. Moving out is about leaving the agreed areas ready to hand over. Heron's calculator uses the Move-In / Move-Out option for both; the selected scope and access details still need to match the property.
Does an online quote reserve my appointment?
An online price helps you choose and discuss the work. Confirm the appointment, access and any special conditions with Heron before treating the visit as booked.
When you are ready, review your booking details or call 289-813-7484. Share the home size, selected rooms, move date and any extra work so the team can confirm the right scope.
Sources
The service selections and prices in this guide come from Heron Cleaning’s rate card. The worked example is illustrative; confirm your selected scope, access and appointment with the team.
- Heron Cleaning, rate card 2026-10-08-1: every Heron price on this page, before HST, generated by the same engine as the calculator.
