A move-out cleaning checklist for Oakland County, MI is a room-by-room pass on an empty or nearly empty home. Right Key Cleaning uses it for renters, sellers, and landlords who need the place walked before keys change hands. The lease and the landlord’s inspection decide any deposit, and a cleaning visit does not mean that deposit is guaranteed. Use this list to see what an empty-home clean covers, then request a quote for the actual unit.
Kitchen
The kitchen is where walkthroughs slow down. Empty the fridge and the freezer before the appointment if you can, and wipe what you leave for us so we are cleaning a vacant appliance rather than sorting food. The interior, the drawers, and the gasket are in scope on a move-out. The oven interior, including the racks when they come out, is in scope. The dishwasher interior is wiped. Cabinet shelves and drawers are wiped once they are empty. We do not haul leftover food or boxes of pans.
- Sink, faucet, and countertops, including the backsplash crumbs
- Stovetop, drip pans if they lift out, and the outside of the range
- Exterior of the dishwasher, fridge, and microwave
- Inside the fridge, freezer, oven, and empty cabinets
- Floor, including the edge under where the trash can sat
If the fridge is still full, say so. A packed appliance is not the same task as an empty one, and it changes the house cleaning quote. Water and power need to be on, including the light in the fridge, or we are wiping in the dark and the interior cannot be finished properly.
Bathrooms
Every bathroom gets a full clean, including a powder room that feels too small to mention. Toilet, tub or shower, sink, mirror, and the hardware. Empty the vanity and the medicine cabinet if you want the interiors done. Hair in the drain cover and soap film on the glass are the spots people notice after the towels are gone. Exhaust fans are dusted when the cover comes off without tools. We do not rebuild caulk or replace a torn liner. If the shower needs a repair, that is a maintenance task before the clean, not during it.
Bedrooms, closets, and living areas
Closets are part of the move-out once they are empty. Sweep or vacuum the floor, wipe the shelf, and check the corners for hangers and dust. Bedrooms without furniture show scuffs and cobwebs that a made bed used to hide. We dust baseboards, window sills, and reachable ceiling corners. Switch plates are wiped. We do not fill nail holes or patch paint. Sellers sometimes want those repairs; they are not a cleaning line.
Living rooms and halls get the same surface pass: cobwebs, sills, baseboards, and floors. If a rug is staying, we vacuum it. We do not extract carpet and we do not offer a carpet-cleaning service. If your lease asks for professional carpet extraction, that is a different vendor. Tell us so the quote does not pretend we will steam the wall-to-wall.
Entries, laundry, and the small rooms
The laundry room is easy to forget because it is not on the tour until the washer is pulled into the conversation. Wipe the exteriors. If the machines are empty and you want the drums wiped, say so. The dryer vent line is not a cleaning-company disassembly. Utility sinks get the same treatment as a kitchen sink. Balconies are swept of loose debris. We do not pressure-wash decks.
Entries matter in this county because salt, sand, and sidewalk grit sit in the threshold. An empty apartment or condo still needs the unit door, the inside of the threshold, and a note about the fob, the elevator, and where we may park. We clean the unit you control. Building corridors, gyms, and mailrooms stay with the association unless your agreement says otherwise and you have written that into the request.
What this checklist does not decide
Oakland County is the place the rental sits. The county site is not a deposit schedule, and neither is this page. Landlords look for different things. Some care about the oven racks. Some care about a smell in the carpet we are not going to extract. A careful clean makes the walkthrough easier to follow. It does not guarantee a refund, a full deposit, or a passed inspection. Read the lease for the standard you were given.
Book the visit as a move-out clean, not as a quick regular visit with a hope attached. The deep cleaning versus regular cleaning page explains why cabinets and appliance interiors sit on the heavy side of the line. Send the city, the beds and baths, whether the home is empty, and any room that is off limits. If several units in one building are turning over, quote them separately. A tidy model unit is not a template for the one the tenants just left.
Questions people ask first
Does a move-out clean guarantee I will get the security deposit back?
No. The deposit depends on the lease and on the landlord’s inspection, which can include damage, odor, and carpet condition that a surface clean does not change. Right Key Cleaning cleans the empty home to the checklist you book. We do not promise a refund or a passed walkthrough. Ask the landlord what that inspection actually checks before you assume the clean covers it.
Do you extract carpet or haul junk during a move-out?
We vacuum floors, including carpet that remains, and we mop hard floors. We do not extract carpet and we do not offer carpet cleaning as its own service. We also do not haul furniture, trash, or leftover household goods. Empty the rooms and the appliances you want cleaned inside. If extraction is required by the lease, hire a carpet vendor for that line.