Apartment and Condo Move-Out Cleaning
Apartment and condo move-out cleaning is the end-of-lease deep clean scaled to a smaller unit, with the extra planning that comes from living in a building. A one-bedroom takes far fewer hours than a house, but the rules around elevators, parking and move times can matter as much as the scrubbing.
Describe the job and add your city. Free to request, no obligation.
In a compact unit, a few spots do most of the work for the inspection: the kitchen and its appliances, the single bathroom, balcony door tracks and the closets. Because everything is close together, grease and dust from one area end up in another, and a missed corner stands out.
Many buildings require movers to book the elevator and ask for the unit to be left in a stated condition. Share your building rules and your move-out date in the request, so the clean is planned around the same window.
What the work includes
- Kitchen: inside oven, fridge and cabinets, stovetop, hood, counters and sink
- Bathroom: tub or shower, toilet, vanity, mirror and exhaust fan cover
- Balcony door tracks and interior glass cleaned
- Closets, shelves and built-in storage wiped
- Baseboards, doors and door frames wiped
- Light fixtures, switches and wall vents dusted and wiped
- Floors vacuumed and mopped
- Entry area, mailbox key area and front door wiped
Signs your small unit needs a proper move-out clean
Open-plan kitchen grease has settled on cabinets and nearby walls
One bathroom has carried the whole household for the whole lease
Balcony door tracks collect grit and dead leaves
Building management requires the unit to be returned in clean condition
A short lease means little time between the movers and the inspection
How the work goes, step by step
Check building rules
Ask about elevator booking, move-out hours and any cleaning condition the building enforces.
Send the unit details
Include size, bathrooms, floor type, move-out date and photos of the kitchen and bathroom.
Receive the checklist and quote
You get a written scope sized to the unit, with add-ons shown separately.
Arrange access
Leave a fob, key or note with the concierge, or be present to let the cleaner in.
Final walk-through
Check the unit against the checklist and report anything missed before the inspection.
What changes the price
- Unit size
- Studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units are priced differently, with bathrooms making the biggest change.
- Building access
- Concierge sign-in, key fobs and limited elevator hours add time.
- Parking and loading
- Buildings without visitor parking may require extra planning that can show up in the quote.
- Condition
- Grease on the stove and hood, and soap scum in the shower, set the time more than the size does.
- Add-ons
- Carpet extraction and spot wall repairs are scoped separately.
What a good quote spells out
- A price for your unit size with the oven, fridge and cabinets named
- How the cleaner gets into the building and the unit
- Who covers parking or elevator fees the building charges
- Whether balcony glass, blinds and window tracks are included
- The date and time window relative to your move-out slot
Condo & Apartment Move: questions people ask
How much time does an apartment move-out clean take?
It depends on size and condition. A studio or one-bedroom is a fraction of a house, though ovens and bathrooms still take time. The quote will give an estimate for your unit.
Do condo boards require a move-out clean?
Some buildings and leases do, and others only care about damage. Check your lease and building rules, and keep the written scope on file.
Can the cleaning happen the same day as the move?
Often yes, after the last box is out. Book the elevator and the clean with a gap between them, so the cleaner is not working around movers.
What if the building has no visitor parking?
Mention it in the request. The specialist can plan around loading zones or street parking, and any cost should be in the quote.
Other Shiftclair services
Moving Out or Moving In? Get a Written Quote.
Tell us about the unit, the move date and its condition. We review every request, and a specialist who serves your area follows up with next steps.
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