Move-In Cleaning — Salt and Slate Cleaning Company

Residential Services — Move-In Cleaning

Start fresh in a home that feels yours

Make your new home pristine before you unpack. We clean every surface so your fresh start is truly fresh.

The previous owners left, the realtor handed over the keys, and now you are standing in a home that technically belongs to you but does not quite feel like it yet. There are scuffs on the walls from their furniture, dust in the vents from their years of living, and residue on surfaces you would rather not think about. A move-in cleaning from Salt & Slate erases every trace of the previous occupants so your first night feels like a fresh start.

We clean your new home before your furniture arrives, which means we have full access to every floor, every closet, every cabinet. We sanitize bathrooms, degrease kitchens, wash interior windows, and vacuum every square foot. We clean inside cabinets and drawers so your dishes and clothes go into spotless storage. We even address the details builders and previous owners overlook: paint splatters on hardware, adhesive residue from stickers, and dust trapped in air vents.

Timing a move-in cleaning around your closing date and moving day requires coordination. We build buffer into our scheduling so delays on the seller side do not leave you scrambling. Tell us your expected closing date and we will hold a window for you, confirming the exact day as soon as you have keys in hand.

Room by Room

Full Cleaning Checklist

Our most comprehensive cleaning service. A move-in clean is designed for empty or nearly empty homes and covers every surface top to bottom — including inside cabinets, drawers, closets, and appliances. This is the clean that leaves a home ready for its next chapter.

Kitchen

Included

✓ Remove cobwebs
✓ Dust light fixtures
✓ Dust all windowsills, window frames, & ledges
✓ Dust blinds
✓ Dust ceiling fans
✓ Dry dust decor and picture frames
✓ Clean & dry sink & soap dish
✓ Clean countertops & backsplash
✓ Clean microwave (inside & outside)
✓ Clean stovetop, burners, & control panels
✓ Clean exteriors of large appliances (fridge, oven, dishwasher)
✓ Clean exterior of stationary items (toaster, coffee maker, etc.)
✓ Clean all light switches & doorknobs
✓ Spot clean cabinets & clean all handles
✓ Empty trash can & wipe down exterior
✓ Sweep / vacuum / mop floors
✓ Clean oven hood vent
✓ Wipe down exteriors of all cabinets and drawers
✓ Wipe down interior doors & door frames
✓ Wipe down windowsills and window frames
✓ Dust & wipe down baseboards
✓ Sweep / vacuum / mop pantry floor & wipe down shelves
✓ Wipe down insides of cabinets & drawers
✓ Clean inside closets & wipe down shelves
✓ Clean inside of fridge
✓ Clean inside of oven

Not included in this service

— Clean interior window glass & window tracks
— Wet wipe blinds
— Clean ceilings
— Clean walls*
— Clean sliding glass doors & door tracks

Not applicable (empty home)

n/a Wipe down table & chairs
n/a Load dishes in dishwasher**

Bathrooms

Included

✓ Remove cobwebs
✓ Dust light fixtures and shelves
✓ Dust doors, windowsills & window frames
✓ Dust blinds
✓ Dust & tidy personal items & hand towels
✓ Clean & dry shower/tub
✓ Clean & dry sink, countertops, & soap dish
✓ Clean all mirrors & glass
✓ Polish towel racks, toilet paper holder
✓ Clean inside, outside & around toilet
✓ Clean all light switches & doorknobs
✓ Wipe down & disinfect cabinets
✓ Sweep / vacuum / mop floors
✓ Empty garbage and replace bag
✓ Scrub tile grout in shower
✓ Wipe down interior doors & door frames
✓ Wipe down windowsills & window frames
✓ Dust & wipe down baseboards
✓ Wipe down inside of linen closet & shelves
✓ Wipe down inside all cabinets & drawers
✓ Clean inside closets & wipe down shelves

Not included in this service

— Clean interior window glass & window tracks
— Wet wipe blinds
— Clean ceilings
— Clean walls*
— Clean sliding glass doors & door tracks

Bedrooms

Included

✓ Remove cobwebs
✓ Dust light fixtures
✓ Dust windowsills & window frames
✓ Dust blinds
✓ Dust ceiling fans
✓ Dust furniture, lamps & lampshades
✓ Tidy area(s), fold blankets, arrange pillows, etc.
✓ Clean all mirrors
✓ Clean all light switches & doorknobs
✓ Sweep / vacuum / mop floors
✓ Empty garbage and replace the bag
✓ Wipe down interior doors and door frames
✓ Wipe down windowsills and window frames
✓ Dust & wipe down baseboards
✓ Clean inside closets & wipe down shelves
✓ Clean inside cabinets & drawers

Not included in this service

— Clean interior window glass & window tracks
— Wet wipe blinds
— Clean ceilings
— Clean walls*
— Clean sliding glass doors & door tracks

Not applicable (empty home)

n/a Dust & tidy decor & personal items
n/a Make bed(s) & change sheets (if left out on edge of bed)
n/a Vacuum furniture
n/a Clean under furniture (if reachable) and in between couch cushions

Common Areas

Included

✓ Remove cobwebs
✓ Dust light fixtures
✓ Dust windowsills & window frames
✓ Dust blinds
✓ Dust ceiling fans
✓ Dust furniture, lamps & lampshades
✓ Tidy area(s), fold blankets, arrange pillows, etc.
✓ Clean all mirrors
✓ Clean all light switches & doorknobs
✓ Sweep / vacuum / mop floors
✓ Empty garbage and replace the bag
✓ Wipe down interior doors and door frames
✓ Wipe down windowsills and window frames
✓ Dust & wipe down baseboards
✓ Clean inside cabinets & drawers
✓ Clean inside closets & wipe down shelves

Not included in this service

— Clean interior window glass & window tracks
— Wet wipe blinds
— Clean ceilings
— Clean walls*
— Clean sliding glass doors & door tracks

Not applicable (empty home)

n/a Dust & tidy decor & personal items
n/a Vacuum furniture
n/a Clean under furniture (if reachable) and in between couch cushions

* Salt and Slate Cleaning Company will spot-clean walls only when requested or permitted, as wall paint — especially flat paint, older paint, or builder-grade paint — is highly susceptible to burnishing, streaking, dull patches, or full removal when scrubbed. Certain substances like permanent marker, crayons, dye transfer, oils, adhesive residue, and scuffs may not come off without removing or damaging paint. Salt and Slate Cleaning Company cannot guarantee the removal of marks from walls and is not liable for damage to paint or finishes during wall spot-cleaning.

** Homeowner is responsible for running dishwasher as Salt and Slate Cleaning Company is not able to determine which setting customer wants unless told specifically.

Available Add-Ons

Add any of these to your move-in cleaning when you book or at any time during your service.

Wet wipe blinds $4/set

Interior window glass & tracks $4/window

Sweep + tidy balcony $20

Green clean upcharge $20

Sweep garage $20

Sliding glass doors (interior glass + tracks) $8/door

Is This Right for You?

Who it’s for

Anyone moving into a new home, whether purchased or rented. Especially valuable after new construction where fine dust from drywall, paint, and flooring installation settles into every crevice. Realtors and property managers also book move-in cleanings to prepare homes for new buyers and tenants.

→ You have keys but no furniture yet and want every surface done before anything goes in
→ The previous occupants cleaned well enough by their standard, not yours
→ Inside every cabinet, drawer, closet, and appliance needs to be clean before your things touch them
→ It's new construction and drywall dust, caulk residue, and debris are still present
→ You're coordinating around a closing date and need a team that can slot in between key handoff and moving day

Scope & Preparation

A few important notes

What's included in pricing

Move-in cleaning pricing covers the interior of one oven and one refrigerator. Additional ovens, refrigerators, freezers, or wall ovens are billed as add-ons ($60 per oven, $40 per fridge).

Before our team arrives

All interior storage spaces — cabinets, drawers, refrigerator, freezer, pantry, closets, and garage shelving — need to be empty before we clean. We clean surfaces thoroughly once spaces are clear; we do not sort, bag, move, or remove personal belongings, perishable food, or items left behind by previous occupants.

The Process

How it works

Share your timeline

Give us your expected closing or move-in date, the home size, and whether it is new construction or a resale. We hold a scheduling window for you.

Confirm and clean

Once you have keys, confirm the date. Our team arrives with all supplies and works room by room through every surface in the home.

Inspect before you unpack

Walk through the cleaned home before your furniture arrives. If anything needs another pass, we handle it on the spot.

Move in with confidence

Your belongings go into a home that has been cleaned to your standard. No surprises behind appliances or inside cabinets.

Common Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

How is a move-in cleaning different from a deep clean?

The scope is broader and the home is empty. A move-in cleaning includes everything in a deep clean plus inside every appliance, inside every cabinet, drawer, and closet, and the pantry floor and shelves. Because the home is empty, we have full access to every floor, every corner, and every surface without working around furniture.

When should I schedule the move-in cleaning?

After you have keys and before any furniture arrives. That window is the sweet spot. We can work around your closing date — tell us when you expect to take possession and we'll hold a time block. Once you confirm keys, we confirm the appointment.

Do you clean new construction homes?

Yes. If the level of construction debris is significant — drywall dust in HVAC vents, paint overspray, adhesive residue — it may be reclassified as a post-construction clean at a different rate. We'll confirm scope when you describe the situation.

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