Let us be honest for a second. Is there anything on this planet universally dreaded than moving to a new place?
Now take the stress of packing up your entire life into cardboard boxes and add the unique chaotic flavor of doing it in Los Angeles. You are navigating an U-Haul truck down impossibly narrow winding streets in the Hollywood Hills. You are arguing with your building manager about reserving the freight elevator. You are sweating through your shirt while trying to merge onto the 405 with a backseat of fragile houseplants.
Moving to a place is, without a doubt one of the most physically exhausting and emotionally draining experiences we go through. By the time you finally get the keys to your place or by the time you are dragging the very last garbage bag out of your old place your energy tank is not just empty. It is in the negative.
Then the horrible realization hits you. You look around at the rooms and you realize… You still have to clean the place.
If you are moving out of your place you are staring down the barrel of an intense magnifying-glass inspection from your landlord who is looking for any excuse to keep your security deposit. If you are moving into a place you are looking at the mystery stains the dusty baseboards and the lingering smells left behind by the previous tenants realizing this space does not feel like your new place yet.
This is the moment when you need to drop the sponge step away from the harsh chemical sprays and call in the professionals who specialize in Home Cleaning. Hiring a top-tier Home Cleaning Company to handle your Move-In/Move-Out Cleaning is not a luxury. It is the survival strategy, for moving to a new place. Let us break down why outsourcing this nightmare of Move-In/Move-Out Cleaning is the best money you will spend during your entire transition of moving to a new place.
1. The “Broom Clean” Myth and the Ghost of Tenants Past
When you sign a lease or close, on a house the contract usually says that the people who lived there before have to leave the house clean. They have to leave the house in a condition, which is called “broom clean”.. What does “broom clean” really mean?
The thing is, “broom clean” does not really mean anything all.
What You Can’t See Will Hurt You
When people say a place is “broom clean” it really just means they tidied up the middle of the floors. They got rid of any piles of trash.. That does not mean the house is actually clean. The house is not sanitized. The house is not safe.
When you move into a house you are basically moving into a big space that has been used by someone else. This person has left behind their germs and habits and messes. Think about the parts of your home that you do not like to clean. The Broom clean house still has these areas. Now think about this: the person who lived in the house before you probably did not like to clean these areas.. They probably ignored them for a long time. The Broom clean house still has these areas.
The Refrigerator Nightmare
I have pulled out the crisper drawers of a used refrigerator before. It is really scary. There is always spilled milk and rotting vegetable juices and sticky stuff that you do not know what it is, in the corners. The refrigerator needs to be cleaned and sanitized well. You cannot just put your groceries in a fridge that is not clean. The bottom crisper drawers of a used refrigerator are pretty gross. You have to make sure the refrigerator is very clean before you put your food in it.
The Oven and Stove Top
When people cook grease can splatter everywhere. Food can burn. The ovens in homes are really bad about getting covered in a thick yucky layer of old grease. Let us say you turn on the oven to bake a pizza in your home and the smoke alarm goes off right away. This happens because the old grease from the tenants bacon is burning. So your first night in the home is pretty much ruined because of the oven and the old bacon grease. The ovens in homes and the grease they have are a big problem, for people who like to cook.
Bathroom Bacteria and Grime
For people this is the one thing that will stop them from liking a place. Nobody wants to soak in a bathtub that has soap scum and hard water stains from someone and hair that does not belong to them. To feel okay with walking around the bathroom without shoes it needs to be really clean like a hospital.
A team of cleaners will use strong steam and disinfectants to make the bathroom clean and they will pay close attention to all the details so it will be like the people who lived there before never existed. They will make the bathroom feel like new so you can feel comfortable in it and that is what bathrooms need to be, like, clean and comfortable like a bathroom should be and that is what the professional cleaners will do they will make the bathroom clean. That is the bathroom you want a clean one.
2. Securing Your Deposit: The Move-Out Magic
So now we have to think about the side of things. You are moving out of your apartment in Los Angeles. You paid a lot of money for the security deposit when you first moved in and now you really need that money back so you can pay for things in your apartment in Los Angeles. You want your security deposit from your old apartment, in Los Angeles because you have a lot of expenses to pay for your new place.
LA Landlords Are Looking for Deductions
The rental market in Los Angeles is really tough. Landlords and property management companies have lists of things they check when you move out. They want everything to be perfect. The State of California Department of Justice says that landlords can take money from your deposit if the place is not clean when you leave. They can charge you for cleaning if the property is not in the condition as when you rented it. Landlords will look for any reason to charge you a lot of money for cleaning. The rental market, in Los Angeles and landlords will check everything to see if they can take money from your deposit for cleaning costs.
The “Wear and Tear” Debate
Landlords will not charge you for the wear and tear on a place like when the carpet gets faded from the sun.. They will charge you for dirty things like dirt and grime if you are not taking care of the place. If there is a lot of dust on the ceiling fans that is something they will deduct from your deposit. The same thing goes for mildew in the shower grout or grease on the kitchen cabinets. These are all things that can result in a deduction. Landlords really do charge you for dirt and grime and for not taking care of the place so you have to be careful about these things, like dirt and grime and negligence when you are renting a place.
The Appliance Inspection
When you move out property managers will open the microwave to check it. They will also look inside the dishwasher to see if it is clean. Property managers will even pull the stove away from the wall to see if you cleaned underneath it. You will probably miss these things if you try to clean everything in a hurry on your last day.
If you hire a cleaning crew it is like buying protection for your security deposit. We know what property managers look for when they check a place. Property managers want everything to be clean. We clean everything the way property managers, like it so you will probably get your security deposit back.
3. Why DIY Cleaning During a Move is a Terrible Idea
We have all been there. We take a look at our moving budget. It is a lot to handle. Then we think, “You know what? I will just clean the place myself.” I will buy a couple of pizzas get a six-pack of beer and ask my friends to help me with the moving in exchange, for food and drinks.
Please for your sanity do not do this with your moving.
The Exhaustion Factor
Moving is a job that needs a lot of small decisions. Do you put this vase in bubble wrap or, in the towel box? Should you take the 101 or just drive on the streets? By the time you are done lifting and moving all the furniture you are really tired your brain is tired. Your body is tired. Moving furniture is work and it makes you feel completely exhausted.
Physical Burnout
After you have been carrying boxes and lifting mattresses and going up and down stairs for eight hours the last thing your body can handle is getting down on your hands and knees to scrub the baseboards. Your back is aching. Your knees are hurting. You just want to go to sleep. If you keep pushing yourself to do physical work like this you are going to get hurt and be completely exhausted. The baseboards can wait your body needs a break, from all the lifting and moving.
Decision Fatigue
When you are really tired the way you do things is not as good as it usually is. You might want to do a job like when you clean the kitchen sink and make it really clean.. By the time you get to the guest bathroom you are just using a wet paper towel to wipe the mirror and you are done. A team of cleaning people come to your house and they are not tired they have a lot of energy. They only think about cleaning. Cleaning is their job and that is all they have to do so they do not get tired of making decisions, about how to clean things. They are a team and they do the cleaning job.
4. Setting the Stage: The Psychological Power of a Clean Slate
Moving into a home is a really big deal. This new place is where your life is going to happen. It is where you will make memories cook new meals and live a new part of your life in LA. This space is like a start for you. You will do lots of things in this new home, in LA.
The Ultimate Reset Button
You just cannot feel at home in a place if it really bothers you. I mean, if you are thinking about all the dirt in the carpets or if you notice the stuff on the light switches you will be on edge all the time. Your brain is like always warning you of something. It is like you are just visiting someone Home. It is not very clean so you do not feel like you belong there. You feel like a guest, in a house that’s not yours and that is not a nice feeling.
Indoor Air Quality
When a house is empty for a while or when lots of people like contractors and movers are walking in and out with shoes the air inside the house gets really bad. Dust gets over the place. The Environmental Protection Agency says that bad air inside a house can give you headaches make you feel tired and make your allergies worse. A good deep clean by a professional can get rid of all the dust, in the air using vacuums with HEPA filters and it really changes the way the air smells and feels in your new house.
Unpacking with Pure Joy
You walk into your home and it feels great. The floors are really clean and shiny. The bathrooms have a smell, like fresh eucalyptus. Your kitchen cabinets are clean and ready for your dishes. You do not have to spend your first weekend cleaning. You can pour a glass of wine play some music and have fun decorating your home and unpacking your things. You will love your home right away. You get to enjoy your home and make it feel like yours. Your new home is where you want to be. You can make it perfect, for you.
5. How Residential Cleaning Services Actually Transform the Space
When you give the keys to an Apartment Cleaning crew they do a really thorough job. It is like a reset of the whole place. They do a lot more than the usual weekly cleaning.
Here is what they do to make a change in an empty home:
- Inside Everything: When a home is empty it is the best time to clean everything inside. They clean the inside of every kitchen cabinet bathroom vanity and hallway closet.
- The High-Wire Act: They use poles and ladders to clean the high parts of the home like the ceiling fans, the top shelves of the closets and the fancy lights in the living room.
- Appliance Rehabilitation: They take apart the shelves, in the refrigerator. Wash them in the sink. They scrub the oven hard. They make the stainless steel shine like it is new.
- The Perimeter Sweep: They wipe down every baseboard, door frame, window light switch by hand to remove the dust and fingerprints that have built up over time.
- Floor Rejuvenation: They use cleaning solutions on the hardwood floors to make them look new again. They vacuum the carpets well to get rid of the dirt and dust that is deep down.
This level of detail is virtually impossible to achieve when the house is fully furnished. The empty space provides a rare, golden opportunity to sanitize the home from corner to corner.
The Sparkle & Shine LA Experience: Your Move, Perfected
At Sparkle & Shine LA we really get how crazy life can be in this city. We know that sometimes moving dates change escrows get held up and U-Haul reservations get messed up. That is why you need a cleaning partner that’s flexible really reliable and completely committed to doing a great job.
When you hire our Residential Cleaning Services you are not just crossing something off your list of things to do. You are getting some peace of mind. Our teams are carefully checked out fully insured and trained well in the details of cleaning for people who are moving in or out. We take care of your house so you can get your deposit back and we take care of your new house like it is your own special place.
Do not let a dirty house stress you out when you are starting a part of your life. If you want to know how much it costs to have this peace of mind just take a look, at our prices. See what Sparkle & Shine LA offers.
Let Us Handle the Dirty Work!
You have packed a lot of boxes dealt with a lot of traffic in Los Angeles and worried about a lot of moving details. It is time for someone to take care of things. Whether you are moving out of a little house in Brentwood moving to a really nice apartment with a view of the ocean in Santa Monica or moving into a new place in Venice, the people who work for Sparkle & Shine LA are ready to make moving very easy for you. You want to get your security deposit you want your family to be healthy and you want to start your new life in a clean and nice place. Contact Sparkle & Shine LA today and they will make sure your new home is perfect, for you.
10 Frequently Asked Questions About Move-In/Move-Out Cleaning
- Do I need to provide the cleaning supplies or vacuums?
Absolutely not! Moving is chaotic enough without trying to find where you packed the glass cleaner. Our professional teams arrive 100% equipped with heavy-duty vacuums, microfiber cloths, extension poles, and top-tier cleaning agents to handle the entire job.
- Should the house be completely empty before you arrive?
Yes, for the absolute best results, the home should be entirely free of furniture, moving boxes, and trash. This allows our team to move quickly and ensure every single inch of the floors, baseboards, and closets are flawlessly cleaned without obstruction.
- What happens if my moving truck is delayed and I need to reschedule?
We know that in Los Angeles, traffic and moving logistics can be a nightmare. We pride ourselves on being flexible. If your timeline shifts unexpectedly, just call our office as soon as possible, and we will do everything in our power to adjust your cleaning schedule without any hassle.
- Will you clean the inside of my refrigerator and oven?
Yes! This is a core part of our move-in/move-out package. We completely sanitize the inside of the fridge, freezer, and oven to ensure they are safe, odor-free, and ready for your food.
- How long does a move-out clean take compared to a normal clean?
Because the house is empty, we can clean areas we normally can’t reach. However, we are also doing intensive tasks like scrubbing inside cabinets and appliances. Generally, it takes about 30% to 50% longer than a standard maintenance clean, depending on the condition the home was left in.
- Can you guarantee I will get my full security deposit back?
While we cannot control your landlord’s overall evaluation (for things like wall damage or broken blinds), we absolutely guarantee that they will not be able to deduct money for cleanliness. We clean to the highest property management standards.
- Do you clean the windows during a move-out?
We always clean the interior glass of your windows, as well as vacuum and wipe down the window tracks and sills. Exterior window cleaning is usually a separate specialized service, but interior glass is always included to let that beautiful California sunshine in.
- Is there anything you won’t clean during a move-out?
For the safety of our staff, we do not handle biohazards, mold remediation inside walls, or the removal of large, heavy furniture or massive piles of discarded trash left behind. The home should be empty of garbage before we begin the detailing process.
- Are your cleaning products safe if I’m moving in with a baby or a dog?
100% yes. We know you are moving your precious family into this new space. We prioritize eco-friendly, non-toxic, and pet-safe cleaning solutions that effectively eradicate germs without leaving behind harsh, dangerous chemical fumes.
- How far in advance should I book my move-in clean?
The end and beginning of the month are the busiest times for real estate and moving in LA. To ensure you get the exact date and time that aligns perfectly with your key handoff, we highly recommend booking your cleaning at least two to three weeks in advance.
