What Does a Westside Move-Out Cleaning Include?

A move-out cleaning applies the full Signature 50-Point scope to an empty home — 12 kitchen points, 12 bathroom points, 12 living-area points, 6 bedroom points, and 8 all-around-the-house points. Inside the oven, inside the refrigerator, inside cabinets and drawers, and interior window cleaning are optional paid add-ons. 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 advantage of cleaning after the truck leaves: baseboards, closet interiors, cabinet fronts, and the floor beneath where the couch sat all become reachable in a single pass. Cabinet and drawer interiors remain optional paid add-ons.

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?

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

For a move-out specifically, many tenants select one or more of the four. An oven with baked-on residue, a refrigerator with shelf stains, crumbs inside cabinets, and interior glass are easy for a landlord to flag during a walkthrough.

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

That review reflects one specific 800 sq ft condo and crew, not a universal duration. A larger Palms 90034 walk-up can require a different working window because condition, crew size, access, and selected add-ons all change elapsed time. Tracks, blinds, and baseboards remain in the base scope; the four interior add-ons stay separate. Critical-condition work may be scheduled hourly.

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.