You walk into an empty house and think:
There is nothing here. Why should it cost more to clean?
It is a fair question.
There is no furniture to work around. No toys on the floor. No clothes. No dishes on the counter. No beds, dressers or couches getting in the way.
So shouldn’t an empty house be easier and cheaper to clean?
Not necessarily.
Because once the furniture and belongings are gone, every square inch is exposed.
And suddenly, we can see and reach parts of the home that may have been hidden for years.
That is the biggest difference between a regular maintenance cleaning and a professional move-in cleaning.
A regular maintenance cleaning is about maintaining the home while you live in it.
A move-in cleaning is about cleaning the home itself before you begin living in it.
And that is a much bigger job.
What Is the Difference Between Regular House Cleaning and Move-In Cleaning?
This is probably the easiest way to understand why the price is different.
During a regular maintenance cleaning, the home is being lived in.
Your dishes are inside the kitchen cabinets.
Your toiletries are inside the bathroom drawers.
Your clothes are hanging in the closets.
Furniture is covering portions of the floors and baseboards.
Your belongings are throughout the home.
So with regular maintenance cleaning, we are primarily cleaning the outside of things and maintaining the exposed areas of the home.
The outside of the kitchen cabinets.
The outside of drawers and vanities.
The counters.
The bathrooms.
The accessible baseboards.
The floors.
The surfaces we can reach around the way you live in your home.
A move-in cleaning is completely different.
The home is empty.
The dishes are gone.
The drawers are empty.
The closets are empty.
The furniture has been removed.
And once all of those belongings disappear, areas that were previously hidden suddenly become part of the cleaning.
Now we can clean the baseboard that was behind the dresser.
The floor that was underneath the bed.
The areas that had furniture sitting against them.
But it doesn’t stop there.
With a move-in cleaning, we are also cleaning inside the empty cabinets, drawers and closets.
That is a lot more surface area.
So the difference is not simply that one house has furniture and the other one doesn’t.
The difference is how much of the home is now accessible – and expected to be cleaned.
Why Does Move-In Cleaning Cost More?
Because it takes more labour.
It really is that simple.
A professional move-in cleaning is not someone walking through an empty home with a vacuum, quickly wiping the counters and washing the floors.
There is considerably more detail involved.
More surfaces.
More edges.
More baseboards.
More cabinet interiors.
More drawers.
More closets.
More areas that were previously hidden.
And often, more buildup than anyone realized was there.
You are opening.
Wiping.
Scrubbing.
Checking.
Moving from cabinet to cabinet.
Drawer to drawer.
Closet to closet.
Room to room.
These are hard-work cleans.
An empty 2,000-square-foot house does not suddenly become a small cleaning job because someone carried the couch out the front door.
The furniture may be gone.
The square footage isn’t.
In fact, now we can see more of it.
Empty Does Not Mean Clean
This is one of the biggest misconceptions we see with move-in cleaning.
A home can look pretty clean when you first walk through it.
Then you start looking a little closer.
You open the kitchen cabinets.
You pull open the drawers.
You look inside the bathroom vanity.
You look along the baseboards where furniture used to sit.
And suddenly the house tells a very different story.
Once the previous occupants’ belongings are removed, you may find:
- Dust and grime behind furniture
- Hair and debris around bathroom edges
- Crumbs inside kitchen cabinets and drawers
- Sticky residue on shelving
- Grease and buildup in the kitchen
- Dust inside closets
- Dirt along baseboards
- Buildup around sinks, tubs, showers and toilets
- Areas of flooring that may not have been properly accessible for years
Empty and clean are not the same thing.
And if you are about to put your own plates into those cabinets, your clothes into those closets and your toiletries into those drawers, this is the perfect opportunity to clean those areas before you fill them again.
Before You Move In, Move Them Out
When we say:
Before you move in, move them out.
We are not talking about the previous owners or tenants.
The moving truck already took care of their furniture and belongings.
We mean move out what they left behind.
Their dirt.
Their grime.
The germs.
The hair caught around the bathroom.
The crumbs sitting inside the kitchen cabinets.
The sticky residue left inside a drawer.
The grease in the kitchen.
The dust inside the closets.
The buildup along the baseboards.
The traces of everyday life that belonged to somebody else.
The moving truck takes their belongings. A move-in cleaning takes care of what the moving truck leaves behind.
Before your plates go into those cabinets.
Before your clothes go into those closets.
Before your toothbrush goes into that bathroom drawer.
Before the couch covers the baseboards again.
Before the beds, dressers and boxes arrive.
There is a short window when almost every part of the home is exposed and accessible.
Take advantage of it.
Move out their dirt.
Move out their grime.
Move out the germs and residue they left behind.
Then bring your life in.
What Is Included in a Professional Move-In Cleaning?
This is a question worth asking before you hire anyone because not every company means the same thing when they say “move-in cleaning.”
Ask what is actually included.
A true move-in cleaning should take advantage of the fact that the property is empty.
That means cleaning areas that normally wouldn’t be accessible during a regular maintenance cleaning, as well as cleaning the inside and outside of empty cabinets and drawers, closets, baseboards and the other accessible areas included in the service.
Kitchens and bathrooms can require significant time because they tend to contain many of the surfaces where grime and everyday buildup collect.
So when you compare prices from cleaning companies, don’t compare only the number at the bottom of the quote.
Compare what they are actually going to clean.
You can see our complete Move-In & Move-Out Cleaning in Laval service to see exactly how our move-in and move-out services differ.
Should I Have My New House Cleaned Before Moving In?
Whenever possible, yes.
The best time to clean a new home is after the previous occupants have completely moved out and before your belongings arrive.
There is a very small window when almost everything is accessible.
Once the moving truck arrives, things change quickly.
Boxes start getting stacked against walls.
Furniture gets placed.
The kitchen cabinets get filled.
Bathroom drawers get filled.
Clothes go into the closets.
And suddenly many of those completely accessible areas are hidden again.
Whether you are moving into a condo in Chomedey, a bungalow in Fabreville or a multi-level home in Duvernay, the ideal sequence is the same:
Previous occupants move out → Move-in cleaning → You move in
It gives you the best opportunity to have the home cleaned while it is still open and accessible.
Does the House Need to Be Completely Empty for a Move-In Cleaning?
For the most complete move-in cleaning, empty is best.
Can a house still be cleaned if some furniture or boxes have already arrived?
Of course.
But we can only clean what is accessible.
If boxes are stacked against a wall, the area behind those boxes is no longer accessible.
If your dishes are already inside the kitchen cabinets, the cabinets are no longer empty.
If your clothes are hanging in the closet, the opportunity to clean the empty closet has passed.
The more empty and accessible the home is, the more complete the move-in cleaning can be.
Do I Need Move-In Cleaning If the Previous Owners Already Cleaned?
Maybe.
The problem is that everyone’s definition of clean is different.
Some homeowners leave a property in fantastic condition.
Others vacuum, wipe down the counters, wash the floors and consider the house clean.
Neither one necessarily tells you whether someone cleaned:
- Inside the kitchen cabinets
- Inside the drawers
- Inside the bathroom vanity
- Inside the closets
- Along baseboards previously hidden by furniture
- Areas that could not easily be reached while the home was occupied
An empty house can look clean from the doorway.
You often discover what was actually left behind when you start opening things.
What Affects the Cost of Move-In Cleaning in Laval?
There is no responsible one-price-fits-all answer.
A 900-square-foot condo in Laval-des-Rapides and a large multi-level house in Laval-sur-le-Lac are obviously two very different cleaning projects.
But even homes with similar square footage can require very different amounts of work.
For example, a well-maintained bungalow in Vimont with one bathroom and a smaller kitchen may take considerably less time than another home of similar size in Sainte-Rose with several bathrooms, extensive cabinetry and heavier buildup.
So what affects the price?
Size of the Home
More square footage generally means more surfaces to clean.
But square footage is only the beginning.
Number of Bathrooms
Bathrooms are labour-intensive.
A house with several bathrooms requires more cleaning time than a similar-sized home with one.
The Kitchen
The amount of cabinetry matters.
So does the condition of the kitchen.
Grease, cabinet interiors, drawers, shelving and buildup all take time.
Overall Condition
Two homes can be exactly the same size and require completely different amounts of labour.
A well-maintained home should not automatically take the same amount of time as one with years of accumulated buildup.
Number of Floors
Layout matters too.
A one-level condo and a multi-level house are not the same cleaning project, even when their total square footage is similar.
What You Are Asking to Have Cleaned
Scope matters.
What is included – and what isn’t directly affects how much labour the cleaning requires.
That is why a proper move-in cleaning estimate needs to consider more than the number of square feet listed for the property.
Square footage matters. But square footage alone doesn’t tell the whole story.
How Much Does Move-In Cleaning Cost in Laval?
The cost of move-in cleaning in Laval depends on the size, layout, number of bathrooms, kitchen, condition of the home and the actual scope of cleaning required.
There isn’t one price that makes sense for every home.
A smaller condo with one bathroom and very little buildup may require considerably less labour than a large house with several bathrooms, extensive cabinetry and years of residue left behind.
And Laval has a huge variety of homes.
Condos in Chomedey.
Bungalows in Fabreville and Vimont.
Split-level homes.
Larger multi-floor properties in Duvernay and other areas of Laval.
The house itself matters.
That is why a good estimate should be based on the work that actually needs to be completed not simply an arbitrary number of hours assigned because the property is empty.
If you would like to know what cleaning your home would involve, you can request a free cleaning estimate based on your actual home and needs.
How Long Does Move-In Cleaning Take?
There is no universal number of hours.
How long a move-in cleaning takes depends on:
- Square footage
- Number of floors
- Number of bathrooms
- Kitchen size and condition
- Number of cabinets and drawers
- Overall condition of the home
- Amount of buildup
- The scope of the cleaning
A smaller condo in excellent condition can take considerably less time than a large multi-level house that has not received detailed cleaning in years.
And when you are comparing cleaning companies, don’t choose based simply on who says they can get out of the house fastest.
The goal isn’t to get out of the house quickly.
The goal is to get the house clean.
What Is the Difference Between Move-In Cleaning and Move-Out Cleaning?
Both happen when a property is empty or becoming empty, but they don’t necessarily have the same goal or scope.
A move-in cleaning is about preparing the home for the person or family who is about to live there.
You want the previous occupants’ dirt, grime and germs moved out before your belongings move in.
A move-out cleaning is about leaving the property clean after your belongings have been removed, whether the home is being prepared for a buyer, landlord or next tenant.
This is another reason to ask what is included rather than assuming that every company means the same thing by “moving clean.”
You can see the difference between our move-in and move-out cleaning services in Laval here.
Moving In? Move Them Out First.
Moving into a new home should feel like a fresh start.
So before you unpack the dishes, hang the clothes and make the beds, take advantage of that small window when almost every part of the home is open and accessible.
Move out what the previous occupants left behind.
Their dirt.
Their grime.
Their germs.
Their crumbs.
Their grease.
Their dust.
Their everyday buildup.
Then move yourself in.
Because your new home should start with your life – not somebody else’s mess.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Why does move-in cleaning cost more than regular cleaning?
Move-in cleaning usually costs more because considerably more of the home is being cleaned. Regular maintenance cleaning focuses primarily on exposed and accessible surfaces. When a home is empty, areas previously hidden by furniture become accessible, and empty cabinets, drawers and closets can also be cleaned.
What is included in a move-in cleaning?
A move-in cleaning can include detailed cleaning of kitchens, bathrooms, baseboards, closets and accessible areas throughout an empty home, including the interiors and exteriors of empty cabinets and drawers. Always compare the actual scope because what is included in a “move-in clean” can vary between cleaning companies.
Should a house be empty for move-in cleaning?
Yes, whenever possible. An empty home gives the cleaning team much better access. Once boxes, furniture, dishes and personal belongings arrive, surfaces become hidden or inaccessible. The ideal time is after the previous occupants have left and before your belongings arrive.
How much does move-in cleaning cost in Laval?
The price of move-in cleaning in Laval depends on the home’s size, layout, bathrooms, kitchen, overall condition and scope of cleaning required. Two homes with the same square footage can require very different amounts of labour, which is why square footage alone does not determine the price.
How long does move-in cleaning take?
The time depends on the home’s size, number of floors and bathrooms, kitchen, cabinetry, overall condition and cleaning scope. A small, well-maintained condo can take considerably less time than a large multi-level home with more bathrooms, cabinetry and accumulated buildup.
What is the difference between move-in cleaning and regular house cleaning?
Regular maintenance cleaning focuses primarily on maintaining the exposed and accessible areas of a lived-in home. During a move-in cleaning, the home is empty, which makes previously hidden areas accessible and allows the interiors of empty cabinets, drawers and closets to be cleaned as well.
