Move-Out Cleaning, Washington DC

Not always. It depends on who gets the keys next.

If you rent: in DC you owe the landlord the home in the condition you received it, less ordinary wear and tear. The law defines that as deterioration from the intended use of the home, including things that wear out or break down with age. Faded paint, small nail holes and a carpet path by the door are wear and tear. Grease inside the oven, a fridge that smells and a bathroom that was never scrubbed are not.

If you hand the home back within that standard, a DC landlord cannot charge you a professional cleaning fee. Some leases still say the home must be returned professionally cleaned, or ask for a receipt. Read yours before you decide. If it asks for a professional clean, our invoice says exactly that.

If you are selling: there is no cleaning law between you and a buyer. It is whatever the purchase contract says, and most say something like broom-clean and free of debris; check yours. The buyer walks through right before closing, often the same morning, and anything they find then turns into a credit, a delay or an argument at the settlement table. A clean home on walkthrough day is the cheapest way to close on time.

If you own or manage the unit: nothing requires it, but the next tenant does, and so do the listing photos. A unit cleaned between every tenancy shows and rents the same week, and the cost is a line on the turnover invoice rather than a deduction to argue over. Same checklist, same standard, every turnover.

If you have a free day and the energy, do it yourself: our DC move-out checklist is free and it is built around what landlords actually check. If you would rather spend that day moving, that is what we are for. Either way, patching nail holes and repainting are repairs, not cleaning, and nobody should sell you a clean for them.

DC law defines it as deterioration that results from the intended use of the home, including things that break or wear out with age. In practice that is faded paint, small nail holes, a worn patch of carpet by the door. Grease in the oven, a fridge that smells, mould in the shower and dirt inside cabinets are cleaning, not wear and tear, and they are what deposits get deducted for.

There can be. A DC landlord may hold a move-out inspection, with at least 10 days' written notice, within three business days of the end of your tenancy. It is not compulsory. If you want one, ask for it in writing and be there for it. Base housing and many managed buildings run their own inspection to a written checklist; we clean to that.

Standard is surface-level maintenance cleaning: kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, living areas, floors and surfaces. Deep cleaning goes further — baseboards, doors and door frames, and a tougher scrub on kitchen and bathroom fixtures — and it's recommended if it's been 30+ days since a professional clean. Move-in/out cleaning is for an empty home (fridge and cabinets emptied, power and water on) and is meant to meet landlord inspection or move-in standards — it covers appliances inside and out, baseboards and windows.

Empty is best — it's how we reach every cabinet, appliance and floor. If a few pieces are staying, tell us what they are when you book and we'll confirm the same day whether the move-out package still fits or what to change.

Move-in/out cleaning starts at $320 for a studio or 1-bedroom and scales with bedrooms and bathrooms, up to $420 for a larger 4-bedroom home (apartment prices; houses 1,500–2,000 sq ft add $25), including a one-time $160 move-in/out scope fee on the first visit. Larger homes, more bathrooms and extras land above the table. It is a flat rate, not hourly, and you see the exact price on our booking page before you book.

Often, yes. The booking page shows the next open slots for your address, so you can see today whether tomorrow is available. For same-day requests call (301) 615-2590 and we will tell you straight away what is possible.

Leave a key, a lockbox code, or arrange the handoff through your leasing office, or we can call you when we arrive so you can let us in remotely. Whatever's easiest for you. All of our cleaners have been vetted and we are insured.

Yes. Inside the oven, inside the fridge, inside cabinets and drawers, and inside windows and blinds are all part of the move-out scope. That is the difference between a move-out clean and a standard clean, and it is what the $160 move-in/out fee covers.

Yes — our team brings all standard cleaning supplies and equipment. If you'd like eco/green products used instead, that's available as an add-on.

We send a two-person team, which is faster and more thorough than a single cleaner working alone. Time depends on home size and condition — a 2BR typically runs around 2 hours, larger homes longer. We'll confirm your arrival window when you book.

Tell us and we will send a team back to fix anything that was missed, free. Keep our dated invoice: it shows the home was professionally cleaned on the day, which is what a landlord has to argue against when they itemise a deduction.

Yes. A move-in clean is the same scope as a move-out clean, done in the empty home before your furniture arrives. Book it for the gap between getting the keys and the movers.

If something is not done to your satisfaction, we'll fix it. Let us know immediately after your cleaning if something is not right and we'll send a team out to make it right and do a FREE re-clean.

No. Leave a key, a lockbox code or a leasing-office handoff, and we'll message you when we're done. If someone else will inspect — a landlord's agent, a buyer — tell us who, so we clean to the same checklist they'll use.

Tell us the time the keys are due, not just the day. Crews arrive inside a two-hour window and a two-person team takes about two hours on a 2-bed, so we can tell you before you book whether the slot genuinely works. Same-day requests: call (301) 615-2590.

Yes, for the home as you described it. It only changes if the home has rooms we didn't count — a basement, den, garage or extra bathroom — or needs heavy-duty work, and you approve any change before we start.

Maybe not. If the oven is done and the cabinets are empty and clean, a standard clean plus only the extras you still need can be cheaper. Call and we'll price both.

Yes. We'll do the move-out clean at the old address, the move-in clean at the new one, and if you already have a recurring clean with us we'll move it over — same crew if you'd like.