What a $450 Move-Out Clean Includes, and What It Doesn't

A move-out clean from Critical Care Cleaning starts at $450 per unit, for units of 2,000 square feet or less. A starting number is only useful if you know what sits inside it. So here's the whole list, including the parts that aren't in it.

What's included at no extra charge

These are complimentary parts of the clean. You don't have to ask for them or add them to the estimate:

• The microwave
• Ceiling fans, as long as the ceiling is no higher than 8 feet
• Light fixtures, same 8 foot limit
• Light covers, same 8 foot limit
• Baseboards
• Window sills

Anything above 8 feet falls outside that complimentary list, so if your unit has tall ceilings, mention it when you ask for the estimate.

These items matter more than they sound. Baseboards and window sills collect whatever settles out of the air for months, and they sit right at the height where a buyer or a new tenant's eyes land on a walk-through. Ceiling fans and light covers are the things you stop seeing once you live somewhere. Once the furniture is gone and the room is empty, a gray edge along a fan blade is easy to spot from the doorway.

One more note on the list: it's the same list whether the unit is a studio or a three-bedroom house, as long as it's within the 2,000 square foot line. Bigger rooms take longer, but nothing on the complimentary list turns into an add-on because the place has more of it.

What's priced separately

The refrigerator, the range, and cabinet and drawer interiors and exteriors are priced separately. That isn't a way to pad the bill. A fridge that was emptied and wiped last week is a very different job from one that sat closed for a season. A drawer that held paper plates is not the same as a cabinet that held cooking oil for ten years. Pricing those spots on their own means the base number stays honest, and you only pay for the time they actually need.

If you want them done, say so up front. The consultation is free, and it's the easiest moment to point at the oven and ask what it would take.

What isn't part of the service

Some work falls outside any contracted service. Knowing the list ahead of time saves a lot of frustration on the day you hand over keys:

• Blinds
• Windows
• Porches and patios
• Hauling and disposal of large furniture
• Hauling and disposal of trash
• Carpet cleaning, other than vacuuming

The furniture and trash lines are the ones that trip people up. A clean can only happen on surfaces that can be reached. If a couch, a broken shelf and six bags are still in the living room, the floor underneath stays exactly as it was. Get the unit emptied first. Book a hauler if you need one. Then the clean can be about cleaning instead of about stepping around things.

Carpet works the same way. Vacuuming is part of the job. A set-in stain or a deep odor in the carpet is a job for a carpet cleaning company, and it's far better to find that out before the final walk-through than during it.

Units over 2,000 square feet

The $450 starting price applies to units of 2,000 square feet or less. Larger places are scheduled by phone or email instead of by a formula you can look up. Tell me roughly how big the place is and what condition it's in, and we'll work out the schedule from there. My number is (423) 596-7632.

What you can do before the clean

A few small steps make the day go better, and they work for landlords, agents and tenants on their way out alike:

• Empty the unit of belongings and trash so every surface is reachable.
• Decide about the fridge, range and cabinets ahead of time, so they get quoted rather than discovered.
• Mention anything unusual: heavy grease in the kitchen, long-standing hard water in a bathroom, a pet that lived there.
• Leave the blinds and windows off your expectations, since neither is part of the service.

A unit that looks untouched makes the final walk-through easier for everyone. The move-in and move-out cleaning page on this site lays out how the work is organized, and the about page explains why I'm so particular. Before I started this business, I was an emergency room, trauma, critical care and Navy nurse. Clean enough never cut it in that job, and it doesn't here either.