Key points
- You cannot see most of what a previous occupant left in the home from a viewing, which only shows you surfaces.
- An empty home is easier to deep clean: every room and surface is clear and easy to reach.
- The deep clean covers limescale, grout, skirting boards, light switches, door frames and interior windows (not the sills).
- Inside the oven, fridge and cupboards are paid extras you can add, and carpet cleaning is its own service.
You cannot see most of what a previous occupant left in the home. A viewing shows you layout, light and surfaces, not the limescale under a shower screen or the dust along the skirting boards. That is the case for a deep clean before moving in: you start from a home you know, not one you inherited.
The best time to do it is the gap between getting the keys and your belongings arriving. The rooms are empty, so every surface is easy to reach.
Why does a new home need a deep clean?
A viewing is short, and you spend it looking at the layout, the light and how the rooms feel. Grout, the edge of a shower screen, the top of a door frame and the skirting boards are not what most people look at.
None of this means the last person was careless. These are simply places that are easy to overlook, whoever lived there. A deep clean before you move in means you are not finding them out one at a time once you are living there.
Why is an empty home easier to deep clean?
With nothing in the way, every room and surface is clear and easy to reach. Once your belongings arrive, boxes and bags fill the floor and some of the clean is harder to get to.
There is a simpler reason too. You are about to cook in this kitchen, shower in this bathroom and sleep in these rooms. A deep clean first means you know the condition of the home from day one.
Cupboards are the clearest example. The easiest time to clean inside them is before you fill them, which is why it is worth deciding on that extra before you book. More on that below.
What does a move-in deep clean cover?
Our deep clean goes after the surfaces a quick tidy leaves:
- Limescale around taps and shower screens.
- Grout in the bathroom and kitchen.
- Skirting boards, light switches and door frames.
- Interior windows. The sills are not included.
If the new home has carpets, carpet cleaning is a separate service with its own price, so ask about it at the same time.
When should you book a deep clean before moving in?
- Find out the date and time you collect the keys.
- Send the details: bedrooms, bathrooms, the condition you can see and any extras you want. Your price comes back within 30 minutes.
- Pick the day between getting the keys and your belongings arriving. Same-day availability is there if the dates are tight, and we are open 7 days, 8am to 10pm.
- Check the finished home against the list above before you start unpacking.
You will not have unpacked your cleaning supplies yet. That does not matter: the team brings its own equipment and eco products.
Not sure what it will cost? What decides the price of a deep clean covers size, condition and extras. Our price reflects condition, not history, so describe the home as it is today.
What should you check before you unpack?
Once the deep clean is done, walk through the empty rooms before the first box comes in. This is your chance to see the home as it will be.
- Bathroom: the shower screen, taps and grout.
- Kitchen: the surfaces, and the inside of any cupboards you chose to have cleaned.
- Every room: skirting boards, light switches and door frames.
- Windows: the glass on the inside. The sills are not part of the deep clean.
If the home has just had building work, that is a different job. See our after builders cleaning.
What if you cannot clean before you move in?
Sometimes the dates do not line up and you have to move in straight away. Book the deep clean for as soon after as you can. The longer you live with the build-up, the easier it is to stop noticing it and put the job off.
If you are renting, do not assume the last tenant's clean covered everything. Ask your agent for a copy of the check-in inventory, read it room by room when you arrive and take dated photos of anything that does not match.
What comes after the deep clean?
A deep clean is a one-off reset. Regular cleaning is what keeps the home at that standard afterwards. Regular cleaning vs deep cleaning sets out the difference, including a test you can run yourself.
If you want help with the upkeep, our residential cleaning is the weekly maintenance service. Starting it on a home that has just been deep cleaned means it is maintaining a standard you chose.
Questions people ask
Before, if you can. An empty home is easier to clean because every room and surface is clear. Book the deep clean for the gap between getting the keys and your belongings arriving. We have same-day availability and are open 7 days, 8am to 10pm.
It is still worth checking. A tidy home on the day you collect the keys can still have limescale, grout and dust in places you do not look. Check limescale, grout, skirting boards, light switches and door frames, and book if they need work.
No. Inside the oven, fridge and cupboards are paid extras on every service. Tell us which you want when you ask for your price and we add them to it. Interior windows are included, but not the sills.
The scope is the same. The difference is timing: an empty home is easier to reach than a lived-in one, so the clean is simpler to do before your belongings arrive.
It depends on the size of the home, its condition and any paid extras you add. Our price comes back within 30 minutes once you have sent the details, and you see it before you pick a day.
Written by M.A. Published .
Keep reading
Deep clean cost in Manchester: what decides the price
Two homes of the same size can price very differently. Here is what decides the cost of a deep clean, what is a paid extra and what a fair quote should ask.
Regular cleaning vs deep cleaning: what is the difference?
They are not two speeds of the same job. See what each one covers, compare them in a table and run a simple test to tell which your home needs now.
Best deep cleaning service in Manchester: what to compare
What a deep clean should include, how to compare scope lists between companies, what's a paid extra and why the price follows your rooms and their condition.
