What Does Move-In Cleaning Include for an Austin, TX Home?
Move-in cleaning is work done on a property before your furniture arrives, which is why the scope runs wider than a routine visit. Our crews handle it throughout Austin, TX, and the empty rooms let us clean surfaces that vanish behind a sofa or a bed frame the moment you unpack.
Every cleaner on that job has cleared an interview and a nationwide background check, and roughly one in ten applicants gets through that process.
Most people who book us for a move-in clean are not reacting to dirt they can see. They are reacting to not knowing who lived there before, what spilled inside the cabinet under the sink, or how long the refrigerator door seals went unwiped. That uncertainty decides which rooms get the most hours.
What a Move-In Clean Covers Room by Room
Kitchens and bathrooms take the largest share of the time, because those two rooms hold the residue a previous occupant leaves behind. In the kitchen, we clean cabinet and drawer interiors, countertops and backsplash, the sink and faucet, appliance exteriors, the stovetop with its burners and control panels, and inside the microwave.
Our move-in and move-out cleaning service follows a room-by-room checklist rather than a time allowance, so the work is defined by what gets cleaned instead of how long the crew stays.
Bathrooms get the shower or tub, the sink and vanity, mirrors and glass, and the toilet inside and out, with the surrounding floor and wall. Bedrooms, living areas, and hallways get cobwebs removed, light fixtures and ceiling fans dusted, blinds and windowsills wiped, mirrors cleaned, and floors vacuumed, swept, or mopped.
Where Move-In Cleaning Separates From a Standard Visit
A standard clean maintains a home somebody already lives in, which means working around furniture and a routine. Move-in cleaning has no routine to maintain. The job is to reset a space to a condition you would accept before putting your own things into it, which puts attention on interiors and edges rather than visible surfaces.
That makes the work closer to what deep cleaning covers than to a weekly visit, with one difference. A deep clean fights accumulated buildup in a lived-in home. A move-in clean removes someone else's traces, so disinfection and interior access matter more than scrubbing years of soap scum.
What an Empty Property Lets Us Reach
An empty home is the only time certain surfaces are available without moving anything heavy. Once a bed, a dresser, and a sofa are in place, those floors and baseboards stay covered until the next move.
Surfaces that are reachable now and effectively gone after you unpack:
- Floor area under where beds, sofas, and dressers will sit
- Baseboards along every wall rather than the exposed stretches
- Closet shelving, rods and closet floors before clothes go in
- Cabinet and drawer interiors throughout the kitchen and bathrooms
- Wall corners and ceiling corners where cobwebs collect out of sight
Crews work top to bottom in each room for the same reason, so dust knocked loose from a fixture lands on a floor still to be cleaned. In an empty property, that sequence actually holds.
Book the clean before the moving truck gets there. Our online form returns an instant quote built from your square footage, bedrooms, and bathrooms, and first-time customers take 10 percent off.
What Our Move-In Cleaning Does Not Cover
Being clear about scope prevents a disappointing handover. We do not clean exterior windows or blinds, and we do not reach areas inaccessible from the ground, which includes high windows, high light fixtures, and ceilings. We do not shampoo carpet or upholstery, and we do not remove trash.
Hoarding conditions, biohazards, and active infestations are declined, and a job stopped for one of those is refunded. Interior refrigerator, interior oven, interior windows, and inside-cabinet work are add-ons rather than part of the base clean, so request them at booking instead of on the day.
Timing the Clean Around Your Move Date
The useful window is one to two days before your belongings arrive, and the reason is practical. A clean property that then absorbs two days of foot traffic, box cardboard, and door-propping is not the property we left, so scheduling close to the delivery date protects the work.
If you are handling part of the job yourself, decide the split before booking so the crew knows which rooms to prioritize, and our guide to what to clean before moving in walks through that division. Cancellations and reschedules are free up to 24 hours ahead, with a $50 fee for a later change and $100 for a same-day cancellation, which matters when closing dates slip.
Frequently Asked Questions
Contact Us
Tell us the address, the property size and your move-in date, and we will confirm scope and price before anyone is scheduled. Crews work seven days a week across Travis and Williamson counties.
Call (512) 763-5441, email support@tidyhandstx.com, or visit 720 Airport Blvd, Austin, TX 78702. Hours are Monday through Sunday, open 24 hours.
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