Move-out cleaning checklist: room by room
Start after the furniture and boxes are out. Check every room, decide which appliance interiors need attention, and leave time to review the finished clean before handing over the keys.
The short checklist: clear the home, dust and detail empty rooms, clean the bathrooms and kitchen, check inside any appliances and cupboards you want cleaned, then finish the floors. Balcony, basement and window work need their own checks.
This is a planning checklist. With Heron, the Move-in / Move-out service is Basic cleaning plus an empty-home detail upgrade. Bathrooms, kitchen and appliance interiors are choices you add to your quote; mopping is included.
How do you get the home ready for a move-out clean?
Book the clean for the window between the last moving load and the handover, empty the closets, cupboards and fridge you want cleaned inside, and settle keys, parking and elevator access by phone first.
Choose a cleaning window between the last moving load and your handover. Cleaning while boxes are still being carried through the home creates extra dust and makes it harder to reach floor edges. If the timing is tight, explain the access and key-return deadlines when you call.
Keep the home’s water and power available for the visit. In a condo, confirm the cleaner’s access window separately from your moving-elevator booking. Paid parking and difficult access can affect the final quote, so settle those details by phone first.
What goes on a room-by-room move-out cleaning checklist?
Every room in the empty home, top down: reachable surfaces, baseboards, frames, switches, the insides of empty closets and shelves, sills and tracks, then the kitchen and each bathroom in detail, then the floors last. Appliance interiors, windows, balcony and basement are separate decisions.
Tick each item as you review it. If you are hiring help, use the list to agree the scope rather than assuming every item belongs to the same service.
Bedrooms, living spaces and halls
Vacuuming and carpet shampooing are different jobs. Heron’s move-out clean does not include carpet shampooing or damage repair. For marks on painted surfaces, discuss what can be spot-cleaned without affecting the finish; whole-wall washing is outside the offered scope.
Kitchen
Mopping is part of every Heron clean: hard floors throughout the home are washed, and the kitchen and bathroom floors are washed with those rooms when you add them.
Bathrooms and powder rooms
Bathrooms are selected separately even for a move-out clean. The cleaning type sets the level of detail; the room selections tell us where to carry it out.
Windows, balcony and basement
A basement is not silently included in the above-ground home size. Exterior windows above the ground floor and balcony pressure washing are outside Heron’s offered scope. Ask about any job that does not match a published selection before counting it in your plan.
What is the difference between a move-out clean and a regular clean?
A regular (Basic) clean keeps a lived-in home up: dusting, vacuuming and mopping around your things. A move-out clean is the same Basic clean plus an empty-home detail upgrade, priced by floor area from +$87 to +$307: baseboards, door frames and door tops, switches and handles, sills and tracks, the insides of empty closets and built-ins, and the marks furniture used to hide. That detail is why it costs more and why the home needs to be empty.
For the three-bedroom, 900 sq ft home with two bathrooms and the kitchen that every Heron price page uses, the three levels are:
| Clean | What it adds | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Basic clean with two bathrooms and the kitchen | Dusting, vacuuming and mopping; the selected rooms in detail | $235 |
| Deep clean | Baseboards, frames, tracks, fixtures, edges and buildup in a furnished home (+$65 at this size) | $322 |
| Move-in / move-out clean | The same detail in an empty home, plus closets and built-ins inside (+$87 at this size) | $322 |
If the furniture is staying and the home just needs a reset, book the Deep clean instead; if the home is being handed over empty, the move-out level is the one that reaches the surfaces a landlord or buyer will look at. Appliance interiors and cabinets are separate on either.
What is included, and what should you add?
Heron's move-in / move-out clean is the Basic clean (dusting, vacuuming, mopping, priced by bedrooms) plus an empty-home detail upgrade from +$87 by floor area. Bathrooms (+$22 each), the kitchen (+$28), the oven interior (from +$21) and fridge interior (+$43) and empty cabinets (+$32) are added only when you choose them.
The empty-home upgrade adds detail to Basic dusting, vacuuming and mopping: baseboards and frames, reachable tracks and fixtures, empty closets and shelving, and appropriate spot-cleaning where furniture stood. Appliances and extra rooms keep their own prices.
| Selection | How it is priced |
|---|---|
| Basic dusting, vacuuming and mopping | By bedrooms, from $89, plus any home-size adjustment |
| Move-in / move-out detail | From +$87, by home size |
| Full bathroom | +$22 each |
| Powder room | +$13 each |
| Kitchen | +$28 |
| Oven / fridge interior | from +$21 / +$43 each |
| Inside empty kitchen cabinets | +$32 |
Compare Basic, Deep and Move-in / Move-out cleaning, or check the complete add-on list for windows, balcony options and basement rates. For a furnished home that needs a reset, Deep cleaning may fit better than an empty-home service. The move-out upgrade by floor area, beside the Deep upgrade and the size adjustment, is tabled in how much house cleaning costs in Oakville.
What does a move-out clean cost? From $176 ($89 Basic + $87 upgrade)
A move-out clean starts at $176 for a one-bedroom: Heron's $89 Basic clean plus the +$87 empty-home upgrade, before HST. Rooms are added at their own price. For a three-bedroom, 900 sq ft house with two full bathrooms, the kitchen, one oven, one fridge and empty kitchen cabinets it is $418 before HST ($472.34 with HST), from rate card 2026-11-11; without the appliances and cabinets, $322.
Here is one specific example: a three-bedroom house with 900 sq ft of above-ground living area, two full bathrooms, a kitchen, one oven, one fridge and empty kitchen cabinets. It excludes basement, balcony and window work.
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Basic Cleaning | $163 |
| Move-In / Move-Out upgrade | $87 |
| Full bathrooms (2 × $22) | $44 |
| Kitchen | $28 |
| Inside oven (1 × from $21) | $21 |
| Inside fridge (1 × $43) | $43 |
| Inside kitchen cabinets | $32 |
| Subtotal | $418 |
| HST | $54.34 |
| Total | $472.34 |
The example changes when your room count, floor area or selections change. Open this example in the quote calculator and adjust it for your home. Unusual conditions or access needs are confirmed by phone before the booking. For what other companies charge for a move-out clean, see house cleaning prices in Ontario.
What should you check before handing over the keys?
Walk the empty rooms once with the agreed list: the surfaces, the insides of the appliances and cabinets you selected, and the floors. Keep cleaning concerns separate from repairs, and keep the access instructions and the finished checklist together.
Walk through the rooms once they are clear. Check the agreed cleaning list, look inside the appliances and cabinets you selected, and separate cleaning concerns from repairs. Keep access instructions and the finished checklist together so you can discuss a missed item clearly.
For broader moving and inspection planning, see CMHC’s moving-out guide. Cleaning does not repair existing damage or determine a landlord’s or buyer’s acceptance of the property.
Move-out cleaning questions
What does a move-out clean include?
The move-in / move-out upgrade is the Deep level of detail on an empty home: baseboards, door frames and door tops, switches and handles, sills and tracks, closets and built-in shelving wiped inside, and the marks furniture used to hide. Inside the oven, inside the fridge, inside the kitchen cabinets and interior windows are separate add-ons with their own prices, so they are only done when you add them, and you see the total before you book.
How much does a move-out clean cost?
Build it like any other clean: the Basic clean for your home, plus the house Move-in / move-out upgrade priced by size (+$87 under 1,000 sq ft, +$149 for 1,500–1,599 sq ft, up to +$307 for 3,500–3,999 sq ft), then the rooms and jobs you want. A one-bedroom condo starts at $220. A 900 sq ft 3-bedroom home with two bathrooms and the kitchen is $322; inside the oven (from +$21), inside the fridge (+$43), inside the cabinets (+$32) and interior windows (from +$43 per home by size and bedrooms) are added only if you want them. All before HST.
Does the move-out clean include the oven, fridge and cabinets?
No. Inside the oven is from +$21 and inside the fridge +$43 and the inside of empty kitchen cabinets is +$32, on any clean, and they are only done when you add them. The example above includes all three; without them the same home is $322 before HST.
Does the home need to be empty?
For the move-out level of detail, yes: the upgrade covers the insides of empty closets and shelving and the marks furniture used to hide, which cannot be reached in a furnished home. If the furniture is staying, book a Deep clean instead.
Do I need to be there during the clean?
No. A key, a lockbox code or a concierge arrangement is fine. Tell us how to get in, where to park and how to return the keys when you book, and we confirm the access window separately from your moving-elevator booking.
What should you arrange for a move-out in the new service areas?
For Brampton, identify the dwelling you are handing over, including whether a basement suite is part of the booking. For Hamilton, Waterdown or Dundas, arrange keys and entry so cleaning can happen after belongings are removed and before the agreed handover.
In Carlisle, Kilbride and Campbellville, give the full address and describe any separate access points. Check the agreed task list for oven, fridge and cabinet interiors instead of assuming they are included. A cleaning booking does not certify the property condition or determine a landlord's or buyer's acceptance.
How do you book a move-out clean?
Build the clean on the calculator, then call 289-813-7484 with the reference code and your moving dates. An online quote does not reserve a time; the call does.
For the other end of the move, prepare your new home before unpacking. The incoming-home checklist helps you plan the rooms and interiors before your belongings arrive.
Heron offers this service in Oakville, Burlington, Milton and Mississauga, plus Halton Hills, Brampton and Hamilton. Check the service page for your area, build your quote, and call with the reference code and your moving dates.
The quote is online. Booking is by phone. An online quote does not reserve a time. We confirm the scope, final price and availability when you call.
Get your quoteCall 289-813-7484
For move-in or move-out cleaning in Georgetown, confirm the selected rooms and access before booking. The Downtown Georgetown page helps distinguish a home move from a business clean, while Georgetown South cabinet preparation explains emptying cabinets before interior cleaning.
Where can I book help with these cleaning tasks?
Find cleaning help for the tasks covered here. For preparation and booking details, see Credit Valley cleaning in Brampton or Ainslie Wood cleaning in Hamilton. Each guide explains local access planning and how to choose the requested rooms and extras.
Sources
Checked September 26, 2026. Heron's prices come from its own published rate card; everything else on this page comes from the sources below.
- Heron Cleaning, rate card 2026-11-11: every Heron price on this page, before HST, generated by the same engine as the calculator.
- Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Moving out: the tenant's moving-out and inspection steps referred to above.
