Move-In Cleaning Cost: What to Budget for a New Home

Move-in cleaning costs $120 to $400 for most homes, based on HomeAdvisor and Angi cost data. A small apartment or condo can come in under $150. A large single-family home, or one that has been vacant for a while, typically runs $250 to $400 or more. The primary drivers are square footage, the number of bathrooms, and the property's condition.

What does move-in cleaning cost on average?

HomeAdvisor and Angi report a national range of $120 to $400 for a professional move-in cleaning job. Most single-family homes fall between $150 and $300.

Cleaning companies price move-in jobs similarly to deep cleans - usually by home size and bathroom count, sometimes per hour. Because the home is empty, most services include reaching areas a standard recurring clean skips: inside cabinets and drawers, inside the refrigerator, behind where appliances sit, and the full interior of closets.

Move-in cleaning typically costs more than a recurring maintenance clean for the same home because it is more thorough and takes longer. A standard recurring visit for a 3-bedroom home might take 1.5 to 2 hours; a move-in clean of the same home typically takes 3 to 5 hours.

Move-in cleaning cost by home size

Home size is the single biggest cost driver. More square footage means more surfaces to clean, more time, and more cleaning supplies.

Ranges from HomeAdvisor and Angi national survey data. High-cost metros add 25 to 40 percent.

Bathroom count matters as much as bedroom count. A 3-bedroom home with 3.5 bathrooms takes meaningfully longer than the same footprint with 2. Ask your cleaner whether they price by the bathroom or only by square footage - some include extra bathrooms at a flat add-on rate.

What is included in a professional move-in clean?

A standard move-in cleaning covers substantially more than a routine maintenance visit. Because the home is empty, cleaners can access areas that are normally blocked by furniture and personal belongings.

Kitchen. Inside all cabinets and drawers (wiped clean), countertops and backsplash, inside the oven (if included), inside the refrigerator (if included), sink and faucet, exterior of appliances, range hood, and floor.

Bathrooms. Full scrub of toilet including behind and under the tank, bathtub and shower including grout scrubbing, sink and countertop, cabinet interiors, mirror, floor, and exhaust fan.

Bedrooms and living areas. Ceiling fans and light fixtures dusted, windowsills and window tracks cleaned, baseboards, closet interiors, doors and door frames, and floors.

Whole home. Interior windows (usually an add-on, not standard), all light switches and outlet covers, interior of all closets, and floor cleaning appropriate to the floor type.

The two items most commonly NOT included in a standard move-in package are interior window cleaning and interior oven cleaning. Ask explicitly whether those are included or priced separately - these are worth adding before furniture and belongings arrive, when access is easy.

Move-in clean vs. move-out clean: key differences

The scope of work is nearly identical - both are deep cleans of an empty or nearly-empty property. The difference is in the audience and the motivation.

A move-out clean is defensive. The departing tenant or seller is trying to meet someone else's cleanliness standard, often with a security deposit or property sale on the line. Corners that are not literally checked by a landlord may be cut.

A move-in clean is for your own standard. You are not trying to pass an inspection - you are establishing a baseline before your belongings go in. This means you can prioritize areas that matter to you personally and add services you care about (interior windows, refrigerator, carpet cleaning) without worrying about what the previous occupant's contract required.

The practical difference: specify exactly what matters to you rather than assuming the service matches what the previous occupants were required to do. A move-out checklist is an external standard; your move-in priorities may be different.

Standard clean vs. deep clean for a new home: which do you need?

For a home that has been occupied until recently by people who maintained it reasonably well, a standard move-in clean - which is already more thorough than a recurring clean - is typically sufficient.

For properties that have been vacant for an extended period, experienced tenant neglect, had animals living in them, or recently underwent renovation work, a deep clean is the appropriate starting point. For a full comparison of what differentiates the two services, see our guide on deep clean vs. standard clean.

Signs that a property may need more than a standard move-in clean: visible grime in grout, heavy odors that persist when windows are opened, staining on surfaces beyond what normal cleaning removes, or obvious deferred maintenance in the kitchen or bathrooms.

Additional services to consider before your first night

An empty home is the easiest time to tackle cleaning tasks that become much harder once furniture is placed and life starts up. Consider adding these to a move-in clean:

Interior window cleaning. Clean windows make an immediate visual difference. On the interior, this is straightforward for a cleaning crew. On the exterior, it may require a ladder and different equipment. If the home has second-story windows, ask whether the company can access them or whether you need a separate window cleaning specialist.

Carpet cleaning. New occupants often assume carpets were cleaned between tenants. Whether they were or not, cleaning them in an empty home is significantly easier than after furniture placement. See move-out cleaning cost for a comparison of what landlords typically require vs. what a new occupant might want.

Grout sealing. After cleaning tile and grout, sealing extends the time before professional cleaning is needed again and prevents staining from setting into the porous grout surface. This is an add-on, not a standard service, and runs $50 to $150 depending on the area.

Air vent and return cleaning. A new property is a good time to check air vents and returns for accumulated debris or pet hair from previous occupants. This is a separate service from duct cleaning - simply vacuuming registers and grilles is a reasonable starting point.

How to schedule a move-in clean before your move date

The ideal window is 1 to 3 days before your furniture arrives. This gives the cleaning crew a fully empty space to work in, and it gives you time to inspect the results before your belongings are delivered. If something was missed or needs a second pass, an empty home is the right time to catch it.

Coordinate the timing with your closing date or lease start. Cleaning crews often need at least 48 to 72 hours notice to confirm availability, especially in busy spring and summer moving seasons. Book before you finalize your moving date, not after - popular cleaning services fill up quickly during peak moving periods (May through August).

If you are buying a home and closing is uncertain, book tentatively and ask about the cancellation policy. Most services allow rescheduling with 24 to 48 hours notice without a penalty.

Move-in cleaning checklist: what to verify when the service is done

Walk through the home after the cleaning is complete, before the crew leaves. Bring the service's written scope and check each item.

Run your hand along the top of ceiling fans and door frames - these are frequently missed even by professional cleaners. Check inside all cabinets and drawers. Open the oven and refrigerator if they were included in the scope. Run your hand along the window tracks to check for remaining grit. Look at the baseboards in corners where they meet the floor.

If anything was missed, address it while the crew is still present. Most companies will complete missed areas without question during the same visit. For more on how to communicate expectations and handle issues, see what to expect on your first cleaning visit - much of the same framework applies here.

A move-in clean is one of the most straightforward professional cleaning purchases you can make - an empty home, a clear scope, and a single visit before your life settles in. The cost is modest relative to the convenience of starting with a clean baseline. Schedule it before furniture arrives, add the optional services that matter to you, and walk through with the crew before they leave.

For related services, our deep cleaning cost guide explains the full scope of a comprehensive one-time clean and what the higher cost reflects. If you are also managing a departure from a previous home, move-out cleaning cost covers that side of the equation.