New Home Cleaning Checklist

Moving into a new home marks the start of a brand-new chapter, and between packing and planning, it can be both a stressful and exciting process. 

Once you get to your new place, you’ll likely be eager to start unloading the moving truck and setting up your new pad. That said, you may want to take advantage of a completely empty place and give it a thorough deep clean to set you and your home up for success! 

As your local trusted cleaning experts, we’re here to provide some helpful tips to make the moving process as smooth—and clean—as possible. 

You’re looking forward to a fresh start in your new home—let COIT help you get there. 

Why a Move-In Clean Is Non-Negotiable

While the phrase “move-in ready” implies a space is in good condition to move into immediately and doesn’t require extensive repairs, it doesn’t always mean a home has been deep-cleaned before new residents take over. While the previous owners or landlord may have completed a surface-level clean, there could be leftover allergens, grime, bacteria, and odors hidden in various spaces that might pose issues later. 

Room-by-Room New Home Cleaning Checklist

Deep cleaning refers to a thorough and detailed cleaning that involves removing dust, dirt, and grime from every corner of the home and even the most hard-to-reach places, like under the fridge or inside the air ducts. While it can feel like a lot of work, going in with a game plan for how to tackle each section of the home can help break down the work into bite-sized chunks and make your deep cleaning process less overwhelming. 

Below, we’ll walk you through a room-by-room pre-move cleaning checklist, so you can have the fresh start you deserve. 

Entryways and Common Areas 

First impressions matter, and you want your entryway to feel warm, clean, and inviting for you and your future guests. In high-traffic areas like entryways and common areas, here are a few key areas to address:

• Dust all light fixtures and shelves
• Clean the door and door handle with disinfectant
• Consider installing a doormat to limit the amount of dirt tracked in
• Sweep, vacuum, and mop the floors
• To promote healthy air quality and circulation, thoroughly clean the inner workings of your air duct system 

Kitchen 

Food safety is crucial, and prioritizing kitchen sanitization is essential for creating a healthy home. Here are a few areas to deep clean before moving in your plates, utensils, appliances, and decor:

• Dust all surfaces, including the top of the fridge, the ceiling fan, the windowsills, and the cabinets
• Clean and disinfect all cabinet doors and drawer handles
• Wipe down the exterior and interior of the refrigerator, microwave, and stove/oven
• Wipe down the sink and flush the drain by pouring in a 1:1 ratio of baking soda and vinegar, followed by boiling water
• Run the dishwasher on empty
• Sweep, vacuum, and mop floors (we suggest doing this last, as dusting will cause particles to fall to the floor)
• Clean and scrub the kitchen backsplash/tile and grout lines
• Deep clean the stove ventilation hood

Bathrooms 

Bathrooms are prone to higher levels of moisture, which means they are also susceptible to mold growth and require consistent cleaning to remain hygienic. Here are a few key areas to address while deep cleaning your new bathroom:

• Dust all surfaces, including the fan cover, mirror, windowsills, and cabinets
• Using bathroom cleaner, scrub the shower and bathtub
• Wipe down and disinfect all countertops
• Using toilet bowl cleaner, scrub the bowl with a toilet brush, then wipe down the toilet seat, exterior, and behind the toilet
• Scrub floor/ tile grout with a stiff-bristle brush

Bedrooms and Living Rooms 

Bedrooms and living rooms are where families gather to spend quality time and rest. Because of this, it should be a place that is welcoming and free of potential hidden allergens. Here are a few ways you can ensure your space is clean and allergen-free:

• Dust and wipe down all surfaces, including shelves, windowsills, ceiling fans, and vents
• Sweep and vacuum the entire floor to remove surface-level dust and debris
• Wash and wipe down windows using window cleaner

When to Call in the Pros

When moving into a new home, it’s important to have a real fresh start, and sometimes it helps to rely on professional cleaning services with state-of-the-art tools, experienced technicians, and expert cleaning methods to ensure your new space is in tip-top shape before you settle in. 

While standard household tools and cleaning solutions can achieve a good clean, DIY cleaning can miss key problem areas such as deep-set carpet stains or allergens trapped in air duct systems. 

By scheduling a professional cleaning service, you can save time and ensure the exact desired results without any of the guesswork or potential DIY mistakes, which can often prolong the cleaning process or become more costly down the line. 

Services to Consider Before Move-In

If you’re interested in scheduling professional cleaning services before moving into your new space, here are a few key areas we recommend tackling. 

• Carpet Cleaning: When moving into a new home, especially if there were previous owners or pets, it’s a good idea to consider a professional carpet cleaning before move-in day to remove any stains, odors, pet dander, and bacteria that may be lingering in carpet fibers.
• Tile & Grout Cleaning: Over time, porous grout lines can harbor bacteria and dirt, ultimately causing them to appear dull and lackluster. If your new home has any tiled surfaces, such as in the bathroom or kitchen, it might be in your best interest to have these surfaces professionally deep-cleaned before moving in.
• Air Duct Cleaning: Despite being one of the most important areas of the home to maintain, air ducts are often overlooked and under-cleaned. Clean air ducts contribute to healthy indoor air quality, and having them professionally cleaned can help remove harmful bacteria from the air, reduce allergy symptoms, and improve energy efficiency. 

Dryer Vent Cleaning: Nearly 92% of house fires involve clothes dryers, and when you move into a new home, it can sometimes be hard to tell when the last time the dryer ducts were cleaned. As an added safety measure and for peace of mind, consider having your dryer vents professionally cleaned to prevent a potential fire hazard down the line.

Schedule Your Move-In Clean Today

COIT has been in the business of cleaning and restoring homes and businesses for 75 years and counting. With so many years of experience, it’s safe to say we know a thing or two about what it takes to ensure properties are cleaned to the highest possible standard. The best part? We have the industry’s strongest 100% satisfaction guarantee, which means if you aren’t happy with the clean, we’ll do everything in our power to make it right.

Only one clean is COIT clean—start your move fresh with COIT by your side. 

To request a free estimate or schedule your move-in deep clean, contact COIT today.