Moving is exhausting. You’re coordinating movers, forwarding mail, managing a hundred small tasks at once, and trying to get everyone settled without losing your mind. The last thing you want to do is deep-clean someone else’s house before you can even start unpacking.
That’s where a move-in cleaning comes in. Before the boxes land and the furniture gets placed, a thorough professional cleaning sets you up to actually start fresh. Here’s what it involves and why it matters.
Why move-in cleaning is different from regular cleaning
A move-in cleaning is not the same as a recurring visit. It’s a one-time, top-to-bottom clean done while the home is empty, before your things are there to work around.
Empty homes show everything. Dust along baseboards, grease around the stove, residue in bathroom corners, grime inside cabinets. These are the things that get overlooked when furniture is in the way and a house looks “good enough” from the doorway. An empty house, properly cleaned, doesn’t have those surprises hiding in it.
Cincinnati’s older housing stock, especially in neighborhoods like Hyde Park, Oakley and Mariemont, often means homes that have been lived in for decades. Even well-kept homes benefit from a full clean before new occupants move in. The same applies to newer construction in Mason or West Chester, where construction dust and post-build residue can linger in unexpected places.
What a move-in cleaning covers
A move-in cleaning goes further than a standard visit. At Loveland Cleaning, it includes:
- Kitchen: inside and outside of all cabinets and drawers, stovetop and the inside of the oven, inside the refrigerator (empty), microwave, countertops and backsplash, sink and fixtures, floor swept and mopped.
- Bathrooms: full scrub of toilet, tub and shower, including grout and tile. Sink and vanity, inside the medicine cabinet and linen closets, mirrors, floor.
- Bedrooms and living areas: baseboards wiped down, ceiling fans dusted, windowsills, doors and door frames, light switches and outlets, floors vacuumed or mopped depending on the surface.
- Throughout the home: built-in shelving cleaned inside and out, closet shelves wiped, entry and hallways done.
Blinds, walls and interior windows are available as add-ons if you want them done before you move in.
The goal is that when you walk in with your first box, the home is genuinely clean. Not just visually acceptable. Clean.
How it’s priced
Move-in cleaning is the standard price for your home’s size plus a move-in add-on that covers the extra work:
| Bedrooms | Move-in add-on |
|---|---|
| 1–2 | $150 |
| 3 | $200 |
| 4 | $250 |
| 5 | $300 |
| 6 | $350 |
For example, a 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom home of 1,500 to 1,999 sq ft is $265 for the standard clean plus $200 for move-in, so $465 before the 7.8% sales tax. The full price is shown online before you book; see pricing for the complete grid.
When to schedule it
Timing matters. Ideally, you schedule the cleaning after the previous residents or owners have fully moved out and before your own move-in date. Even a one-day window is enough.
If you’re renting, ask your landlord whether a professional cleaning was done between tenants. Even if they say yes, a move-in cleaning is still worth doing. “Cleaned between tenants” and “thoroughly cleaned” are not always the same thing.
If you’re buying, your closing date and move-in date are rarely the same day. Use that gap. Schedule the cleaning right after closing, before the moving truck arrives.
We’re based in Loveland and serve 33 areas across Greater Cincinnati, including Anderson Township. See all areas.
One less thing to think about
Moving is already a lot. A move-in cleaning is one thing you can fully hand off. You don’t need to show up, supervise, or do any of it yourself. Book it, give us access, and walk into a clean home.
Loveland Cleaning is locally owned, our cleaners are background-checked, and the company is insured. Every clean is backed by our 24-hour re-clean guarantee: tell us within 24 hours if something was missed and we’ll come back to fix it at no charge.
Ready to schedule your move-in cleaning? Book online or call (513) 951-7799, any day from 8 AM to 8 PM.
