Move-In Cleaning in NYC Before the Boxes Arrive
Somebody else lived here. Our move-in cleaning team scrubs every cabinet, closet, appliance, and bathroom in your empty apartment so the first thing you unpack is not a sponge.
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What a Vacant NYC Apartment Is Really Hiding
The apartment you just signed for was cleaned by whoever the landlord hired, on whatever budget the landlord set, sometime between the last tenant leaving and your walkthrough. That could mean a full scrub or a quick pass with a broom. Once you are standing in the empty living room with the keys, there is no way to tell which one you got. A move-in cleaning in NYC settles the question before your first night.
Empty apartments hide things. Kitchen drawers that look fine until you open them and find crumbs in the runners. A refrigerator that smells like the previous tenant's leftovers once the door has been shut for a week. A shower where the caulk line has gone gray. A hall closet with a shelf nobody has wiped since the building was converted. In a pre-war unit there is plaster dust on top of every door frame, and in a new glass tower there is construction grit still sitting in the window tracks.
Our move-in cleaning service in NYC is built for the gap between the keys and the boxes. Because the unit is empty, our team can do work that is impossible in a furnished home: every cabinet and drawer wiped inside and out, every closet shelf cleaned, the full floor swept and mopped with nothing to work around, the linen closet and the pantry done properly. Bathrooms are scrubbed and disinfected from the exhaust fan cover down to the base of the toilet.
We clean move-ins in walk-ups on the Lower East Side, doorman co-ops on the Upper West Side, brownstone floor-throughs in Bed-Stuy, converted lofts in Long Island City, and two-family houses in Riverdale. We know how to get a key from a super, how to work inside a building's move-in hours, and how to finish a unit without tripping over the freight elevator rules. Tell us the building and we will handle the logistics.
The point is simple. When your movers carry the first box through the door, you should be able to put plates straight into the cabinets, hang clothes in the closet, and take a shower that night without thinking about who lived there before you. That is what a move-in clean from NYC Cleaning Service delivers.
Everything Our Move-In Clean Covers
This is a full interior clean for a vacant home. Cabinets, drawers, closets, and pantry shelves are included because the unit is empty and we can reach them.
Kitchen
- Remove cobwebs
- Dust light fixtures
- Dust all windowsills, window frames, and ledges
- Dust blinds
- Dust ceiling fans
- Clean and dry sink and soap dish
- Clean countertops and backsplash
- Clean microwave (inside and outside)
- Clean stovetop, burners, and control panels
- Clean exteriors of large appliances (fridge, oven, dishwasher)
- Clean all light switches and doorknobs
- Spot clean cabinets and clean all handles
- Sweep, vacuum, and mop floors
- Clean oven hood vent
- Wipe down exteriors of all cabinets and drawers
- Wipe down all doors and door frames
- Dust and wipe down baseboards
- Sweep, vacuum, and mop pantry floor and wipe down shelves
- Wipe down insides of cabinets and drawers
- Clean inside closets and wipe down shelves
Bathroom(s)
- Remove cobwebs
- Dust light fixtures and shelves
- Dust doors, windowsills, and window frames
- Dust blinds
- Clean and dry shower and tub
- Clean and dry sink, countertops, and soap dish
- Clean all mirrors and glass
- Polish towel racks and toilet paper holder
- Clean inside, outside, and around toilet
- Clean all light switches and doorknobs
- Wipe down and disinfect cabinets
- Sweep, vacuum, and mop floors
- Scrub tile grout in shower
- Wipe down all doors and door frames
- Dust and wipe down baseboards
- Wipe down inside of linen closet and shelves
- Wipe down inside all cabinets and drawers
- Clean inside closets and wipe down shelves
Bedrooms
- Remove cobwebs
- Dust light fixtures
- Dust windowsills and window frames
- Dust blinds
- Dust ceiling fans
- Dust furniture, lamps, and lampshades
- Clean all mirrors
- Clean all light switches and doorknobs
- Sweep, vacuum, and mop floors
- Wipe down doors and door frames
- Dust and wipe down baseboards
- Clean inside closets and wipe down shelves
Living Areas & Common Spaces
- Remove cobwebs
- Dust light fixtures
- Dust windowsills and window frames
- Dust blinds
- Dust ceiling fans
- Dust furniture, lamps, and lampshades
- Clean all mirrors
- Clean all light switches and doorknobs
- Sweep, vacuum, and mop floors
- Wipe down doors and door frames
- Dust and wipe down baseboards
- Clean inside closets and wipe down shelves
The Right Moment to Book Move-In Cleaning
1Keys in Hand, Movers Not Until the Weekend
That gap is the best possible time. The unit is empty, the elevator is free, and we can finish without stepping around a single box. Even one day of early access is enough.
2Buying a Co-op or Condo
Closings drag, and the seller usually leaves the unit in whatever state the last showing found it. Book a move-in clean for the days between closing and the first delivery so the place is ready for furniture and for any contractors coming after.
3Sublets and Room Takeovers
Taking over someone's lease or moving into a room in a shared apartment? You are inheriting their cleaning habits. A move-in clean gives your room and the shared kitchen and bathroom a real reset.
4Furnished Rentals
A furnished unit still needs a proper clean under the sofa, inside the fridge, and along the mattress edges. We work around the landlord's furniture and get everything else done.
5Renovated or Newly Delivered Units
A fresh renovation looks clean and is not. Drywall dust in the closets, grout haze on the tile, and sticker residue on the appliances are standard. If the work was heavy, our post-construction cleaning is the better fit, and we will tell you which one you need.
Stay Move-In Clean All Year
Set up weekly, biweekly, or monthly visits once you are settled and keep the apartment at the standard it started with
Weekly
For full households, pets, roommates, and anyone who entertains
15% OFFBi-Weekly
The rhythm most New York apartments settle into
10% OFFMonthly
A reset for studios, one-bedrooms, and tidy solo households
Quarterly
A seasonal deep clean four times a year, radiator dust included.
Nobody in this city has spare hours for scrubbing. Between the commute, late nights at work, and weekends that fill up on their own, the apartment gets pushed down the list. A standing visit takes it off the list entirely. Choose weekly, every other week, or monthly, and we hold the slot for you. Traveling or hosting on a different day? Move the visit with a day's notice at no charge.
Why New Yorkers Book NYC Cleaning Service for Move-In Cleaning
Scheduled Around Your Lease Dates
Move-in dates slip when a closing stalls or the last tenant runs late. We hold your slot and shift it when your timeline shifts, including short-notice changes near the first of the month.
Cabinet and Closet Interiors Included
Move-in cleaning includes the inside of every cabinet, drawer, and closet as standard, not as an add-on. The empty unit is the whole reason to book this service.
Access Without You Present
Key with the doorman, lockbox from the broker, a super who meets us in the lobby. We coordinate access directly so you do not need to take a day off before the move.
Familiar With Every Building Type
Six-floor walk-ups, full-service buildings with freight elevator reservations, brownstones with three sets of stairs, and new towers with a resident portal. We have cleaned in all of them.
Other Cleaning Services We Offer in NYC
Leaving a place too? Our move-out cleaning is built around the final walkthrough. For furnished homes we offer deep cleaning and recurring apartment and house cleaning, and for freshly renovated units, post-construction cleanup.
Apartment Cleaning
Studios, one-bedrooms, and shared units in walk-ups and doorman buildings alike. We work quietly, follow your building's rules, and leave every room ready for company.
Apartment Cleaning NYCHouse Cleaning
Brownstones, row houses, and multi-floor homes across the boroughs. Kitchens, bathrooms, floors, and dusting handled on a weekly, biweekly, or monthly rhythm you set.
House Cleaning NYCDeep Cleaning
For the buildup a routine visit skips: radiator dust, grease above the stove, grout, baseboards, and the space behind and under the furniture nobody has moved in years.
Deep Cleaning NYCMove-In Cleaning
The previous tenant's dust, the contractor's grit, the empty fridge. We scrub the whole unit while it is still empty so your boxes land in a clean apartment.
Move-In Cleaning NYCMove-Out Cleaning
A walkthrough-ready clean built around what New York landlords and management companies check: appliances, closets, cabinets, bathrooms, and floors, top to bottom.
Move-Out Cleaning NYCPost-Construction Cleaning
Renovation over? Drywall dust settles on every surface and inside every vent. We clear the fine debris, wipe down the millwork, and bring the space back to livable.
Post-Construction Cleaning NYCMove-In Cleaning Questions
Ideally after you have the keys and before the movers arrive, so the unit is empty. If you cannot get early access, the morning of move-in day still works as long as the truck comes in the afternoon. Book ahead for the last week of the month, since that is when most NYC leases turn over.
The exteriors of both are included. Interior oven and interior refrigerator cleaning are available as add-ons when you book, and we recommend both for a move-in, since you have no idea what the previous tenant cooked.
Yes, but send photos when you book. Heavy grease, mold in the bathroom, or leftover trash and furniture take extra time, and we would rather price it correctly up front than surprise you on the day.
No. Most of our move-in clients are not. We can collect keys from a doorman or super, use a lockbox code, or coordinate with your broker or the management office. Just make sure the building knows to expect us.
Yes. Some clients book the full move-in clean on the empty unit and a shorter standard clean once everything is unpacked to deal with box dust and packing debris. Ask about pairing the two when you request a quote.
We do. We clean vacant units for owners and managers between tenants, often on a repeat basis. If you handle multiple apartments, reach out and we will set up a simple process for keys, scheduling, and invoicing.
Walk Into a Clean Apartment on Moving Day
Send us your move-in date and the building details. We will confirm a window, sort out access, and have the unit spotless before the first box comes through the door.