Whether it's a deposit return on a rented property or a goodwill goodbye to a sold home, the cleaning standard matters. Here is the room-by-room method.
Cleaning the old property before move day is one of the categories that customers underestimate most consistently. For tenants, the cleaning standard determines deposit return — the difference between “leaving it clean” and “leaving it deposit-return clean” is the difference between a few hundred pounds back and nothing. For owners, the goodwill standard matters less but the relationship with the new buyer can be affected. After forty years of Sussex moves we’ve seen both sides.
This guide is the room-by-room checklist. The detail covers what needs cleaning, what standard to aim for, and how to coordinate the cleaning with the move-day logistics. For genuinely time-pressured moves, the right answer is often a professional one-off cleaning service rather than DIY; we cover that option too.
The kitchen is where most deposit disputes happen. Tenancy contracts almost always specify the kitchen needs to be returned “in clean and tenantable condition”, and the inspector finds the things that have been missed. The list: oven and hob (interior and exterior, including the rings and the grill pan), extractor hood (filter removed and cleaned), all kitchen cabinets (interior and doors), fridge and freezer (defrosted and cleaned), dishwasher (interior including the door seal), washing machine (drum and door seal), microwave (interior including the rotating plate).
Counters: clear of everything, wiped clean, including under any toaster or coffee machine that’s been sitting in the same spot for years. Sink: descale the taps and the drain, clean the sink itself including under the rim. Floor: swept and mopped, including under the kitchen units where the spider colony has been living for two years.
The oven is the single biggest variable. A neglected oven can take 90 minutes of deep cleaning with proper oven cleaner; a regularly-cleaned oven takes 15 minutes with a wipe. For end-of-tenancy moves, build the time. For owner-moves where the buyer is taking the house, an honest oven is fine but a perfectly-cleaned one is the right goodwill gesture.
Bathrooms have predictable cleaning needs. Toilet (interior bowl, exterior including the base, behind the cistern), shower or bath (limescale on the screen, the taps, the drain), sink (taps, drain, behind the U-bend if accessible), tiles (grout lines included — a separate cleaning product), mirror (no streaks), towel rail (if heated, the rail itself plus underneath).
Limescale is the bathroom’s main villain in hard-water areas. Sussex is moderate-to-hard water; limescale builds up on taps, shower screens, and around drains. A descaling product (Viakal or equivalent) handles this in 15 minutes; without it, the bathroom never quite looks “clean”. Apply, wait the recommended time, scrub, rinse.
Grout lines are the secondary issue. Yellow or dark grout between bathroom tiles signals long-term mould or staining. Specialist grout cleaner brightens this significantly; bleach pen works for spot cleaning. For genuinely degraded grout, regrouting may be the only real fix, but for end-of-tenancy purposes the deep clean is usually enough.
Bedrooms are usually the easiest rooms because they accumulate less dirt than the wet rooms. The list: wardrobes (interior, including the rail and any shelves), drawers (interior, including the inside-back if there’s a removable back), under-bed (vacuum, including under the mattress edges), behind any free-standing furniture that’s lived in the same spot for years, windowsills, light switches and door handles.
Carpet is the bedroom variable. For carpeted bedrooms, a thorough vacuum is the baseline; for end-of-tenancy with deposit at stake, a one-off carpet clean is worth the £30–£60 it costs. The carpet looks visibly different after professional cleaning and the deposit-return inspection notes this.
Curtains and blinds are sometimes part of the cleaning checklist depending on the tenancy contract. Some require curtains washed or dry-cleaned; some specify only “clean and intact”. Read the contract or ask the agent. For owner-moves, the new buyer typically wants the curtains either left in or taken out cleanly; clarify which.
Living rooms get heavy use and accumulate the most surface dirt. Sofas usually move with the customer, but the spots they sat in for years often show as outlines on the floor. The list: dust all surfaces (mantelpiece, shelving, picture rails, TV stands), vacuum thoroughly including under the sofa-was-here mark, clean the windows from the inside, clean the windowsills, light switches, door handles.
Hardwood floors need a sweep and a damp mop with a wood-specific cleaner. Avoid soaking; standing water damages most hardwood finishes. Laminate floors are more tolerant but still benefit from a mild detergent and a barely-damp mop. Tile floors take any mild cleaner; just rinse afterwards to avoid residue.
For fireplaces (whether working or decorative), the inside of the firebox should be swept clean. Working fireplaces benefit from a proper chimney sweep before move day if it’s been more than 12 months; the new owner will appreciate this and any insurance claim against you for fire damage from soot accumulation is harder to substantiate.
The categories everyone forgets: loft — sweep clean of dust and any cobwebs, remove any leftover items even small ones (loft sweep with a torch). Garage — floor swept, walls dust-free, any oil stains attended to. Garden — if the tenancy specifies garden maintenance, lawn mowed, hedges trimmed, leaves cleared.
Bin storage area: empty the bins, clean the inside of the bins themselves (a thorough hose-down), clean the bin storage area floor and walls. Most tenants forget the bins entirely; landlords always notice. The same applies to recycling bins.
External walls and front doors: at least a wipe of cobwebs and a brush of the front step. The front of the property is the first thing the deposit-return inspector sees; the impression matters for the wider assessment. For owner-moves where the new buyer is arriving the same day, the front of the house is what they walk into; the goodwill effort is worth more than the time it takes.
The timing question: do the deep clean before move day, after move day, or pay someone else. Before move day means cleaning around your possessions, which is operationally annoying but ensures you’re not stuck cleaning after the lorry leaves. After move day means cleaning an empty house, which is cleaner work but adds 3–5 hours to the move day. Hiring a cleaner is the third option — £100–£200 for a one-off end-of-tenancy clean, scheduled for the afternoon after the lorry leaves.
For end-of-tenancy deposit returns, hiring a professional cleaner is almost always the better choice. The deposit return is at stake, the standard professional cleaners deliver is higher than most DIY attempts, and the cleaner’s receipt is itself evidence in any deposit dispute. The cost is £100–£200 against a typical deposit at risk of £500–£2,000.
For owner-moves where the goodwill standard is enough, DIY is fine. Plan to do the deep clean the day after move day in an empty house. The kitchen and bathrooms in the morning, the bedrooms and living rooms in the afternoon, the loft and garage to finish. The 8-week preparation guide covers how to schedule this around the wider move logistics.
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Professional-clean standard for full deposit return. Anything less means a partial deduction. The cost of a professional cleaner (£100–£200) is almost always worth it against a deposit at risk of £500–£2,000.
Kitchen first (highest deposit-deduction risk), bathrooms second, bedrooms third, living rooms fourth, then the hidden categories (loft, garage, outdoor spaces).
After is operationally cleaner (empty house). Before is logistically easier (no second visit). Hiring a professional cleaner the day after move day is usually the right answer for end-of-tenancy returns.
For carpeted homes in tenancy, yes — usually £30–£60 per carpet and the deposit return inspection notes it. For owner-moves, vacuum thoroughly and that's enough.
The single biggest variable. A neglected oven needs 90 minutes of deep cleaning; a regularly-cleaned one takes 15. Build the time into your plan or use a specialist oven-cleaning service (£50–£100 typically).