There are a few main reasons why move-out cleanings are so important, the first being fairly obvious. Move-out cleanings are a basic sign of respect for your landlord and the next residents of wherever you’re moving out of. Rather than leaving both your landlord and the future tenants to deal with your mess, it’s important (and respectful) to take care of the mess yourself and leave the apartment or home in good condition. Whether you’re selling your own place or moving out of a rented residence, by getting a move-out cleaning done, you’ll ensure that the new tenants will want to live there and get to enjoy a clean space. 

Beyond that, getting a move-out cleaning done will also greatly increase the chances that you can get your security deposit back from your landlord if you were renting. These days, landlords or rental companies typically have very high cleanliness standards for residents who are moving out. They truly expect the place to shine from floor to ceiling prior to move-out day. Although extenuating circumstances can arise, generally speaking, by having a move-out cleaning done that follows the exact checklist provided by your landlord, you should be able to get your security deposit back in full. 

As mentioned above, standards for cleaning a home/apartment before moving out are truly higher than ever. Landlords and rental companies expect residences to almost look brand new which means that your place will definitely require a deep cleaning in order to get your security deposit back. Doing a cleaning that you think is ‘good enough’ likely won’t cut it. Landlords and rental companies are providing detailed, extensive cleaning checklists to tenants these days that dictate exactly how much of your security deposit they will keep if you do not complete specific cleaning tasks. It is essential to complete each and every cleaning task that they outline to a high standard if you want to get all of your money back upon move-out. 

Move-out cleanings need to be customizable in order to align with the exact expectations of your landlord or rental company. Here at Miraculous Maids, our move-out cleaning service is personalizable and we will be sure to have a detailed conversation with you prior to completing your clean in order to ensure that we’re meeting all of your needs and checking off each task on your checklist. 

Here at Miraculous Maids we also provide professional steam cleaning services for your carpet which is often required but rarely included in a move-out cleaning.

Move-out cleanings, such as Miraculous Maids’ Sparkling Moves service, are completely customizable but do typically include thorough cleaning and sanitization of the following: 

• Kitchen 
  • Cupboards and counters
  • Fridge exterior
  • Microwave (inside and outside)
  • Hood and fans
  • Tables and chairs
  • Doors, handles, and frames
  • Windowsills and frames
  • Counters
  • Windows
  • Light fixtures
  • Sinks and taps
  • Stovetop and oven exterior
  • Backsplash 
  • Light switches and plugins
  • Ledges and other surfaces
  • Interior glass
  • Baseboards 
  • Walls 
  • Blinds

• Bathrooms
  • Vanity, cupboards, and counters
  • Walls
  • Tubs
  • Sinks and taps (shined)
  • Baseboards
  • Light switches and plugs
  • Ledges and surfaces
  • Doors, handles, and frames
  • Walls
  • Blinds
  • Toilet (inside, outside, and behind)
  • Shower Glass and taps shined
  • Light fixtures
  • Glass and mirrors shined
  • Windowsills and frames
  • Floors hand washed and shined
  • Windows 

• Dusting
  • All surfaces, shelves, and ledges
  • Baseboards
  • Doors, handles, and frames
  • Interior glass
  • Windows 
  • Furniture and decor
  • Mirrors and glass shined
  • Windowsills and frames
  • Walls 
  • Blinds

• Additional services
  • Steam cleaning of carpets 
  • All floors vacuumed and mopped
  • Garage swept out
  • Garbages emptied 

Similar to the cost of recurring maid services and deep cleaning services here in Edmonton, the cost of move-out cleaning services is dependent on a number of factors and isn’t according to a set rate. Costs of move-out cleanings in Edmonton are dictated by the size of your home or apartment, the current level of cleanliness, and your specific cleaning needs. Detailed, customizable pricing calculators can be used by cleaning service providers in order to give you an estimate prior to completion of the move-out cleaning. Here at Miraculous Maids, our friendly, knowledgeable representatives are more than happy to provide you with a free over-the-phone estimate when you give us a call. 

As nice as it would be for landlords or rental companies to take care of them, move-out cleanings are, in fact, the responsibility of the tenant or resident who is moving out. 

The financial responsibility of move-out cleanings also falls to the tenant or resident, but this cost is typically worth it when your security deposit is handed back to you in full! 

(P.S. If you know someone who is moving and want to give them a very useful, meaningful gift, you could definitely pay for a thorough move-out cleaning for them… Just an idea!)

When it comes to repairs, you as the tenant or resident are only responsible to repair any issues or damage that you personally caused. Typically, before you move in to a place, you should do a walkthrough of your residence with your landlord to establish any issues or damage that were established prior to your move-in. This way, when it comes time to move out, you’ll have a detailed record of what damages you did and did not cause. 

Nail holes, paint scratches, small dents, or other small damages that you’ve caused from decorating and/or moving things around your apartment or home are your responsibility and should be fixed prior to your move-out. Again, by fixing up these issues that you personally caused, you can help make the place more welcoming for the next tenant to move into. 

When completing a move-out cleaning, it’s important to use cleaning products that are non-toxic and both child and pet friendly. Using these products will not only ensure that you don’t damage, bleach, or stain anything, but will also make sure that children or pets that move in in the future are safe from harmful chemicals or fumes. 

Timelines for move-out cleanings are also dependent on scope of work and the size of your home or apartment. The detailed calculators that were mentioned above help our friendly, knowledgeable representatives here at Miraculous Maids to provide you with an accurate estimate for how long your move-out cleaning will take. However, generally speaking, smaller, cleaner places will take 2-4 hours while larger, dirtier places can take up to 8 hours to clean.

When it comes time to decide whether you want to do your move-out cleaning yourself or hire someone to do it for you, there are a couple of circumstantial factors to consider. 

The first, and likely most important factor is time. As discussed above, moving can be very stressful because of all of the moving parts. (Was that play on words funny this time? No? Hey, it was worth one more try…right?) When you only have a few days to get everything done at your old place and ready at your new place, time is of the essence. Hiring a maid service, such as Miraculous Maids, to provide you with a move-out cleaning service removes a huge amount of pressure from your moving timeline, giving you more time to focus on more important things.

Another essential factor to consider is how badly you want your security deposit returned to you. If you’re relying on getting it back for moving costs or for your next month’s rent, hiring a cleaning service is definitely worth it with the high standards that landlords hold these days. Plus, by hiring a cleaning company to do your move-out cleaning, you won’t have to worry about purchasing, storing, or moving all of the cleaning supplies that these deep cleanings require. 

The best time to book your move-out cleaning is when you put in your notice to your landlord that you’ll be moving out. Typically, this is about 2-4 weeks in advance of your move-out date, depending on your specific lease agreement. If you book too far in advance (months early), you may risk having to cancel or change your booking due to changes in circumstance. But, if you wait until the last minute (days in advance) to book your move-out cleaning, you may not be able to find availability and might find yourself up the stream without a paddle (or moving without a move-out cleaning service)!