Move-Out Cleaning Checklist: Get Your Deposit Back (Palm Beach County)

Quick answer: a move-out cleaning is a detailed clean of an empty home — inside every cabinet, closet and appliance, every bathroom, every baseboard and every floor — done after the movers leave and before the final walkthrough. In Palm Beach County, where leases, closings and seasonal rentals turn over constantly, it is the single most effective way to get a full deposit back or hand a buyer a home they are happy to sign for. Below is the room-by-room checklist we use, what landlords and buyers actually inspect, and when it makes sense to hire it out.

Before you start

Three things make a move-out clean go smoothly. First, the home should be empty: cleaning around boxes means missing the baseboards, closet floors and the space under the refrigerator that an inspector looks at first. Second, schedule the clean for the day after moving day and at least a day before the walkthrough, so you have time to fix anything you notice. Third, read your lease or your contract: many Palm Beach County leases specify “professionally cleaned, including carpets” and some HOA and condo buildings require proof of a professional clean before a new occupant moves in.

Gather the basics if you are doing it yourself: an all-purpose cleaner, a degreaser for the kitchen, a bathroom cleaner that handles soap scum and hard water (South Florida water leaves mineral film on glass and fixtures), glass cleaner, microfiber cloths, a scrub brush for grout, a vacuum with a crevice tool, a mop, trash bags and a magic eraser for wall scuffs.

Kitchen checklist

The kitchen is where most deposit deductions happen, because grease and food residue hide in places a quick clean never reaches.

• Empty and wipe inside every cabinet and drawer; remove shelf liners if the lease requires it.
• Clean the inside of the oven — racks, door glass and the drawer beneath — and the stovetop, burners or glass surface, and the control panel.
• Degrease the range hood and filter, the backsplash and the wall behind the stove.
• Clean the inside of the refrigerator and freezer: remove shelves and drawers, wash them, wipe the gaskets, and pull the unit out to clean the floor and wall behind it.
• Run a cleaning cycle on the dishwasher, wipe the door edges and filter, and clean the exterior of every appliance including the microwave inside and out.
• Scrub the sink, polish the faucet, and clear the disposal with ice and citrus.
• Wipe counters, the undersides of upper cabinets, light switches, outlet covers and the pantry shelves.
• Sweep and mop, including under and behind the appliances you pulled out.

Bathroom checklist

• Scrub tubs, showers, tile and grout; remove soap scum and the hard-water film on glass doors.
• Clean toilets inside and out, including the base and behind the tank.
• Empty and wipe inside vanities, drawers and medicine cabinets.
• Polish mirrors, faucets and towel bars; replace or remove the shower liner.
• Dust the exhaust fan cover and any vents.
• Mop the floor and wipe the baseboards — bathroom baseboards collect hair and dust that inspectors notice immediately.

Bedrooms, living areas and closets

• Wipe every closet shelf and rod; vacuum closet floors and corners.
• Dust ceiling fans, light fixtures and vents; replace any burned-out bulbs.
• Clean blinds slat by slat, window sills and tracks (sand and salt collect in tracks near the coast), and interior window glass.
• Wipe baseboards, door frames, doors and door handles; spot-clean wall scuffs with a magic eraser and fill nail holes if your lease requires it.
• Vacuum carpets, edges and under where furniture stood; if the lease requires carpet cleaning, book it after the general clean.
• Sweep and mop hard floors, including the laundry area, and wipe the washer and dryer inside and out.

Don’t forget

• Garage or storage: sweep, remove everything, wipe shelves.
• Patio, balcony or lanai: sweep, hose or wipe railings and the screen frame, remove cobwebs.
• Entry: front door inside and out, doorbell, light fixture, mailbox.
• Air filters: replace the HVAC filter — many Florida leases require it at move-out.
• Trash: remove every bag and anything left in bins; a full bin is a common deduction.
• Final walk: photograph every room, inside the appliances and cabinets, with a timestamp. This is your evidence if a deduction is disputed.

What landlords and buyers actually inspect

From years of cleaning for Palm Beach County landlords, property managers and listing agents, the walkthrough almost always focuses on the same places: inside the oven and refrigerator, the shower grout and glass, the toilet base, the baseboards in bathrooms and bedrooms, closet floors, the window tracks, and the garage. Walls and carpets are judged on stains rather than dust. If those areas are right, the rest of the home is usually accepted without comment.

DIY or hire it out?

Doing it yourself works for a small condo in good condition if you have a full day and the right products. Hiring it out makes sense when the home is large, when the oven or bathrooms have been neglected, when you are moving out of state and cannot come back to fix a missed spot, or when the clean has to land in a narrow window between the movers and the walkthrough. A professional move-out clean is priced by size and condition and comes with a team that knows what inspectors look for; for most tenants the cost is a fraction of a typical cleaning deduction, and for sellers it is the difference between a buyer walking in impressed or making a list.