What Does a Westside Move-Out Cleaning Include?

A move-out cleaning runs the full 50-Point Checklist — 12 kitchen points, 12 bathroom points, 12 living-area points, 6 bedroom points, and 8 all-around-the-house points — plus the paid add-ons landlords check first: inside the oven, inside the refrigerator, and interior windows. On the Westside it falls inside our published $200–$550+ range, quoted upfront.

What does the 50-Point Checklist cover in an empty unit?

The same fifty points as a deep clean, except nothing is blocked by furniture. That is the entire advantage of cleaning after the truck leaves: baseboards, closet interiors, cabinet boxes, and the floor beneath where the couch sat all become reachable in a single pass.

The split is fixed — 12 kitchen, 12 bathrooms, 12 living areas, 6 bedrooms, and 8 all-around-the-house. In an empty West LA one-bedroom in 90025, that means every one of those points gets executed rather than worked around.

Which items are add-ons rather than checklist points?

Three, and they are the three most likely to appear on an inspection report. Inside the oven, inside the refrigerator, and interior windows sit outside the 50 points and are priced as paid extras.

For a move-out specifically, most tenants add all three. An oven with baked-on residue and a fridge with shelf stains are among the easiest things for a landlord to point at, and interior glass is the first thing a walkthrough sees in daylight.

Choosing them at the quote stage means the visit is scoped and priced before the crew arrives — and anything beyond that scope is approved by you first.

What do Westside landlords actually inspect?

Different buildings, remarkably similar checklists. Based on the turnovers we run across the Westside, this is roughly the order an inspection moves in.

1. The oven and stovetop. Baked-on grease is the most commonly cited item on any move-out report.
2. Inside the refrigerator. Shelves, drawers, door seals, and the drip tray.
3. Cabinet and drawer interiors. Crumbs and liner residue in the boxes themselves, not just the fronts.
4. Bathroom grout, glass, and fixtures. Mineral film on shower doors reads as neglect even when the tile is clean.
5. Window tracks and sills. In older Westside stock these hold grit, and they are easy for an inspector to check with one finger.
6. Baseboards and door frames. Scuffs and dust lines at floor level.
7. Blinds and light fixtures. Slats and bowls collect dust that nobody notices until the room is empty.
8. Floors and floor edges. Especially the perimeter, where vacuums usually stop short.

Move-out cleaning vs. deep cleaning: what's the difference?

They overlap heavily. The real distinction is that a move-out clean is performed on an empty unit against someone else's standard, while a deep clean is performed on a lived-in home against yours.

If the unit you are entering also needs work, move-in cleaning is the mirror image — the same empty-unit thoroughness, done before your furniture arrives instead of after it leaves.

How long does a move-out clean take?

Longer than most people plan for, because empty units expose everything. One of our published customer reviews gives a sense of the lower end.

"Great work! Two ladies did a move out cleaning in our 800 sq ft condo. Everything is spotless in 2 hours." — J Lin wrote on Google

Two hours is a small, well-maintained unit with two cleaners working it. Read it as a floor rather than a ceiling: a larger Palms 90034 walk-up with a used oven and mineral-filmed glass runs considerably longer. The point is the scope: tracks, blinds, oven, cabinets, and baseboards are all part of the work, not optional extras of effort.

When should you schedule it?

After the last item leaves and before the walkthrough — with a buffer. Booking a move-out clean while boxes are still in the unit means the crew cleans around them, which is precisely what an inspection will catch.

Aim to have the unit empty at least a day before your key handoff. In Mar Vista 90066 and across 90064, where turnovers cluster at month-end, that buffer is also what protects you if the moving truck runs late.

Does a move-out clean decide your deposit?

No cleaning company can promise that, and you should be skeptical of any that does. Deposits also cover damage, unpaid rent, and repairs that have nothing to do with cleanliness. A professional move-out clean addresses the cleaning items a final walkthrough reviews and documents the completed work.

What we do stand behind is the work itself. Every visit carries our 100% satisfaction promise — if something was missed, we return and re-clean it free. Photo verification is available on request, which is what most tenants actually want when a landlord disputes the condition later.

Should you clean it yourself instead?

If you have the time and the unit is in good shape, it is a reasonable call. The math usually turns on the add-ons: an oven interior and mineral-filmed shower glass are the two jobs that consume an entire afternoon and still look unfinished without the right products.

Most Westside renters we work with are moving and working in the same week, and the published $200–$550+ range is set against a deposit that is typically far larger. Recurring maid service, by contrast, sits at $120–$300+, but that is upkeep pricing for a lived-in home, not a turnover.

How do you get a price?

Send the address, bedroom and bathroom count, whether the unit will be empty, and which add-ons you want. We reply as soon as possible during business hours with a written upfront estimate. Same-day availability depends on the schedule.

Art's Cleaning Services has cleaned 5,000+ homes since 2021 and holds a 4.9 rating across 850+ five-star reviews. If your unit is in a condo or managed building, read what's different about cleaning an LA apartment or condo for the access rules that decide your scheduling — and our guide to house cleaning costs in West LA and Santa Monica for what moves a quote.