ServicesMove-In Cleaning
Move-In Cleaning in Santa Fe Springs
Move-in cleaning gets your new home clean while it is still empty, so cabinets, appliances and floors are done before a single box comes through the door. We schedule it between key handoff and moving day and set the cost early with a free quote by phone.
Why we clean an empty home first
An empty home is the easiest it will ever be to clean. Every shelf, baseboard and outlet cover is reachable, and nothing has to be shifted out of the way. Once furniture and boxes land, the inside of kitchen drawers and the floor where the refrigerator stands can go untouched for years.
Previous occupants rarely clean the spots you will use most: the cabinet interiors where your dishes go, the oven cavity, the shower door track where soap scum and mineral scale collect. A home handed over broom clean usually means swept floors and little else.
This works best when you plan it. Calling a week or two before your keys arrive lets us hold a date that fits between the final walkthrough and the moving truck, and lets you put the cost into your moving budget instead of discovering it the night before.
What our move-in cleaning covers
Cabinets and drawers, inside and out
We vacuum crumbs and debris from every drawer and shelf, then wipe the interiors, the faces and the hinges. Pulls and the cabinet edges above the range get a degreaser, because cooking vapor leaves a sticky film there that holds dust.
Appliance interiors
Oven cavity and racks, range hood and its filter, microwave, refrigerator shelves and crisper drawers, and the dishwasher filter and door gasket. A greasy hood filter and a dirty dishwasher filter are the two most common sources of old-kitchen odor, so both get attention.
Bathrooms down to the fixtures
Toilets including the base and bolt caps, tub and shower walls, glass doors and their tracks, sinks and faucet aerators. Hard water leaves white calcium scale on chrome and glass, so we use a descaler and then dry the surfaces so new spots do not form right away.
Baseboards, doors and touch points
Baseboards, door frames, window sills and sliding-door tracks, light switches and outlet covers are hand-wiped. These collect dust and fingerprints that are easy to overlook once a room is full.
Closets, laundry area and storage
Closet shelves and rods, the linen closet, and the laundry area, including the floor where the washer and dryer will sit if that space is open.
Floors, done last
We work top to bottom, so floors come last. Carpets are vacuumed along the edges where dust packs in, and hard floors are damp-mopped with a cleaner suited to the surface, whether tile, laminate, vinyl plank or sealed wood.
When a move-in clean is the right call
Your keys come before your furniture
Any gap between closing or lease start and moving day is the window. Even one empty day is enough for us to do the whole home.
The last owner left it broom clean
Swept floors do not mean clean cabinets, a clean oven or a scale-free shower. If you opened a drawer at the walkthrough and found crumbs, the rest of the kitchen likely matches.
The kitchen smells of old cooking
A lingering food smell usually traces back to grease on the hood filter, cabinet tops or the backsplash, or to a clogged dishwasher filter. Cleaning those sources removes the odor instead of covering it.
Someone in your family has allergies
Pet dander and dust from the previous occupants settle in carpet, on vent grilles and on top of door frames. Clearing them before you unpack keeps that dust off your bedding and clothes.
The home sat vacant
A house or condo that stayed on the market collects fine dust on every flat surface, insects on window sills and dried water rings in toilets and sinks.
How a move-in clean runs
- 1
A free quote by phone
You tell us the square footage, bedrooms and bathrooms, and how the previous occupants left things. We give you a free quote and pick a date between your key handoff and moving day.
- 2
Access and utilities
Water and power need to be on, since we clean the oven, run the disposal and need working lights. Let us know how we get in, whether that is a lockbox, your agent or you meeting us at the door.
- 3
Top to bottom, room by room
We start high with ceiling fan blades, vent grilles and light fixtures, then work down so falling dust lands on surfaces we have not cleaned yet. Kitchens and bathrooms take the most time because grease and scale need dwell time to break down.
- 4
A final walkthrough
Before we leave, we tell you about anything we noticed, such as a loose cabinet hinge, a stain that would not lift or a slow drain. You hear about it before the movers arrive, while it is still easy to raise with the seller or landlord.
What sets the price of a move-in clean
We price move-in cleaning by the job, based on the home and the state it was left in. Because the rooms are empty, we can quote accurately over the phone. Getting that number early means it sits in your moving budget alongside the truck and deposits.
- Size and layout
- Bedrooms, bathrooms and square footage drive most of the time. A two-story home adds stair cleaning and more trips up and down.
- Condition left behind
- Heavy grease in the kitchen, thick scale on shower glass or pet hair in carpet takes longer than light dust. Tell us what you saw at the walkthrough so the quote matches the job.
- Appliances and extras
- An oven with baked-on spills, a refrigerator left with spoiled food, or interior windows and tracks you want included all add time. We list what is in the quote so you know what you are paying for.
- Timing
- Dates near the end and start of the month fill first because that is when most leases turn over. Calling early gives you more choice of day.
Move-in cleaning questions
Something not covered here? (562) 609-3066
Should the cleaning happen before or after the movers?
Before, whenever you can. Once furniture and boxes are in, we cannot reach cabinet interiors, closet floors or the space under beds and sofas. Even a single day between keys and moving day is enough.
How is this different from your deep cleaning?
Deep Cleaning is for a home you already live in, so we work around furniture and belongings. Move-in cleaning happens in an empty home, which lets us cover cabinet and drawer interiors, closets and every inch of floor. It is the more complete clean of the two because nothing is in the way.
Do I need to be there while you clean?
No. Many customers are still packing at their old place. Arrange access with us when you call, and we will walk you through what we found once we finish.
I am also leaving my old place. Can you clean both?
Yes. Our Move-Out Cleaning service covers the home you are leaving, which helps with a deposit or a buyer walkthrough. Planning both together on one call lets us line up the dates so neither one lands in a rush.
How far ahead should I call?
One to two weeks before your key date is a good target, and earlier if you are moving at the end of the month. That gives us time to fit the clean into your gap and gives you a firm cost to plan around. We work across Santa Fe Springs and nearby towns like Norwalk, Downey and Whittier.
Set your move-in clean before moving week
Give us your key date and a few details about the home, and we will give you a free quote by phone and hold a date that fits before the truck arrives.