Move-Out Cleaning Checklist for Massachusetts Tenants
By Extol Cleaning, owner Tamiris Kempner · Updated
A tenant's move-out cleaning checklist covers the empty home top to bottom: inside every cabinet and appliance, bathrooms, baseboards, doors, light fixtures, interior windows and floors, done after the last box leaves.
What should a tenant clean before moving out?
A tenant should clean everything a lived-in cleaning skips, because an empty home shows every mark. That means inside cabinets and drawers, inside the oven, fridge and dishwasher, the washer and dryer if the unit has them, baseboards, doors, light fixtures, interior windows, bathrooms and floors.
The order matters as much as the list. Work top to bottom in each room, dusting light fixtures and the tops of doors before you wipe counters and baseboards, and finish with the floors so falling dust lands on a surface you have not cleaned yet.
A clean, empty home also makes the final walk-through smoother, because the condition of each room is easy to see.
A move-out cleaning is a deep cleaning of an empty home, plus the inside of everything that was full.
When should you schedule the move-out cleaning?
Schedule the move-out cleaning after everything is out of the home, and before the final walk-through or key handover. Cleaning while boxes and furniture are still inside means cleaning around them, and moving furniture out tracks dirt across floors that were just cleaned.
In Greater Boston, many leases turn over around September 1, so movers, trucks and cleaners book up fast in late August. Plan the cleaning as early as you plan the truck. A practical order:
- Move everything out, including the items in closets, cabinets and the fridge.
- Clean the empty home, top to bottom.
- Do a final walk-through yourself, with photos of each room.
- Hand over the keys.
With Extol Cleaning, book at least 24 hours ahead, and earlier around the end of the month. Visits run Monday to Friday, 7 am to 10 pm, with weekends only by special arrangement.
What is on the kitchen move-out checklist?
The kitchen is the room that takes the most work at move-out. Every cabinet and drawer gets emptied and wiped inside and out, and every appliance gets cleaned inside, including the oven, fridge and dishwasher. Counters, backsplash, sink and floor finish the room.
Kitchen checklist:
- Inside and outside of every cabinet and drawer, including shelves and handles
- Inside the oven: racks, walls, door glass
- Stovetop, burners and range hood
- Inside the fridge and freezer: shelves, drawers and door seals, with the fridge fully emptied
- Inside the dishwasher, including the filter
- Inside and outside of the microwave
- Counters, backsplash and sink
- Light fixtures, switches and outlet covers
- Baseboards and the floor, including along the edges
Do not forget the filter in the dishwasher. It is easy to miss and holds food residue and odor.
What is on the bathroom move-out checklist?
Bathrooms need a full scrub at move-out: toilet, tub, shower, sink, mirror, cabinets and floor. Soap scum, hard water marks and hair in corners are what stand out most in an empty bathroom, so give the shower and the floor edges extra attention.
Bathroom checklist:
- Toilet inside, outside, around the base and behind it
- Tub, shower walls and glass door, including the tracks
- Sink, faucet and vanity top
- Inside and outside of the vanity and medicine cabinet
- Mirror without streaks
- Towel bars, hooks and the toilet paper holder
- Exhaust fan cover and light fixtures dusted
- Baseboards, door and floor, with extra care around the toilet base
Empty every cabinet and shelf in the bathroom before the cleaning, so the inside can be cleaned too.
What about bedrooms, living areas and laundry?
Bedrooms and living areas are quick in an empty home, but details show. Closets, baseboards, doors, light fixtures, interior windows and floors are the core. If the unit has a washer and dryer, clean them inside, including the lint area, because they stay with the apartment.
Bedrooms and living areas:
- Closets: shelves, rods and closet floor
- Baseboards and door frames
- Doors on both sides, including handles
- Light fixtures, ceiling fans, switches and outlet covers
- Interior windows, sills and tracks
- Walls dusted and spot-cleaned for marks
- Floors vacuumed and mopped, including corners and closet floors
Laundry area:
- Washer inside, including the drum, door seal and detergent tray
- Dryer inside, including the lint trap area
- Top and sides of both machines and the floor around them
If the whole list feels like too much on top of the move itself, Call (781) 528-7227Text us and share the size of the home and your move-out date.
What does a professional move-out cleaning include?
A professional move-out cleaning includes everything in a deep cleaning, plus the parts of an empty home that are only reachable after the move. At Extol Cleaning that means the oven, fridge, interior windows, baseboards, doors and light fixtures, plus inside cabinets, the washer and dryer, and the dishwasher inside with its filter.
| Area | Included in Extol move-out cleaning |
|---|---|
| Kitchen, bathrooms, dusting, floors | Yes |
| Inside the oven and fridge | Yes |
| Interior windows | Yes |
| Baseboards, doors, light fixtures | Yes |
| Inside cabinets | Yes (empty homes only) |
| Washer and dryer | Yes |
| Dishwasher inside, with filter | Yes |
| Walls | Dusted and spot-cleaned, never fully washed |
| Exterior windows | Add-on |
Extol brings all supplies, with an eco-friendly option, and you do not need to be there; a key or door code is fine. A client who used Extol for an apartment before moving in described the condition they found:
"They cleaned my apartment before I moved in. The last tenants had left it in a less than hygienic state. They did an unbelievably fantastic job and I will hire than as my regular cleaners." (John F., September 2025)
That review is a move-in, not a move-out, but it shows the other side of the same apartment: the next tenant notices how a home was left.
Want a move-out cleaning done for you?
If you want this done for you, see what Extol Cleaning's move-out cleaning includes for empty homes. Extol Cleaning is a women-owned, insured company based in Malden, MA, serving Greater Boston, the North Shore and Salem, NH. Tamiris Kempner has cleaned homes since 2019 and opened Extol Cleaning in 2023.
Tamiris prefers to see the home before quoting, and quotes without a visit when needed. If anything is missed, tell the team within 24 hours and they come back and redo it at no cost. Call (781) 528-7227Text us for your cleaning estimate.
Frequently asked questions
Should the home be empty for a move-out cleaning?
Yes, ideally. A move-out cleaning works best after every box, piece of furniture and item in the cabinets and fridge is gone. At Extol Cleaning, inside cabinets are cleaned only in empty homes. Cleaning an empty home also means floors, baseboards and closets can be reached completely, without working around furniture.
What does a move-out cleaning include that a deep cleaning does not?
At Extol Cleaning, a deep cleaning covers the oven, fridge, interior windows, baseboards, doors and light fixtures in a lived-in home. A move-out cleaning includes all of that, plus what only an empty home allows: inside the cabinets, the washer and dryer, and the inside of the dishwasher with its filter. Exterior windows are an add-on in both services.
Does a move-out cleaning include washing walls?
No. At Extol Cleaning, walls are dusted and spot-cleaned where needed, but never fully washed. Spot-cleaning handles common marks such as fingerprints near switches or light scuffs near doors. Anything beyond dusting and spot-cleaning walls falls outside what Extol Cleaning's visit covers.
Do I need to be there during the move-out cleaning?
No. Many tenants are already in their new home on cleaning day. With Extol Cleaning, a key or door code is fine, and the team brings all supplies. Afterward, walk through the home or ask someone to do it for you, and report anything missed within 24 hours so the team can come back and redo it.
When is the best time to book a move-out cleaning in the Boston area?
Book as soon as you know your move-out date, especially for the end of August and the start of September, when many Greater Boston leases turn over. With Extol Cleaning, book at least 24 hours ahead, depending on availability, and visits run Monday to Friday. Weekend cleanings are possible only by special arrangement.
What is the difference between move-in and move-out cleaning?
The checklist is the same: a deep cleaning plus inside cabinets, the washer and dryer, and the dishwasher inside with its filter. The difference is who books it and when. Move-out cleaning is booked by the tenant leaving, after the last box goes. Move-in cleaning is booked by the new tenant, before the first box arrives.
Extol Cleaning, owner Tamiris Kempner. Updated October 27, 2026.
