The Move-Out Cleaning Supplies List (Pack These Last)

That Cleaning Girl · Move-In / Move-Out

The quickest way to slow down a move-out clean is to realize your sponges are packed in a box on a truck headed to the new house. Cleaning supplies should be the last thing you pack, or better, the thing that rides in your car. In What Affects the Price of a Move-Out Cleaning?, we looked at what shapes the price of a clean. If you are doing it yourself, here is the kit.

The basics

These handle most of the house:

• All-purpose cleaner: counters, cabinets, doors, light switches and baseboards.
• Glass cleaner: mirrors, windows and shower doors.
• Degreaser or dish soap: the stovetop, range hood and cabinets near the stove.
• Descaler or white vinegar: hard water on glass, faucets and shower heads.
• Toilet bowl cleaner: the ring and under the rim.
• Baking soda: a gentle scrub for ovens, sinks and grout.

Check labels before you mix anything. Never mix bleach with vinegar or ammonia, and rinse between products.

If you have a cleaner you already love at home, bring it. There is no need to buy a new product for every surface. The list above covers a whole house, and most of it is probably under your sink right now. The one thing worth buying fresh is a descaler if you have hard water, because North Texas showers and faucets need more than an all-purpose spray.

The tools

• Microfiber cloths: lots of them, more than you think. They pick up dust instead of pushing it around.
• Non-scratch sponges or pads: for tubs, sinks and stovetops.
• An old toothbrush or detail brush: grout, faucets and the tracks of sliding doors.
• A plastic scraper: for baked-on oven grime and stickers.
• A razor scraper: for glass cooktops and glass doors, held flat and wet.
• A melamine sponge: for scuffs, used gently.
• A step stool: for fans, cabinet tops and high corners.
• Rubber gloves: to protect your hands.

Floors

• A vacuum with a crevice tool and a brush attachment.
• A broom and dustpan.
• A mop and bucket, or a flat mop with washable pads.
• A rubber broom, if you have pets, for pulling hair out of carpet.
• The right floor cleaner for your surface: tile, wood, laminate or vinyl.

If you have already packed or moved your vacuum, borrowing one from a neighbor or friend is better than skipping the floors.

Empty the vacuum and rinse the mop head before you start the last round. A full vacuum bin loses suction, and a dirty mop just spreads yesterday's dirt across today's floor. Bring a spare mop pad or two so you can swap to a clean one for each room.

Trash and hauling

• Heavy-duty trash bags, more than you think.
• A box for items to donate.
• A box for things that belong at the new house that turn up during the clean.
• A plan for household chemicals, which often cannot go in regular trash.

Garages and closets always turn up something, so have a plan for it before you start.

What you can skip

You do not need a cabinet full of specialty products. A handful of basics covers almost everything. Skip harsh products you have never used, especially on surfaces you are not sure about, like natural stone or older finishes. A product that damages a surface creates a problem bigger than the dirt.

You can also skip most single-use gadgets. A plain cloth, a bucket of warm water and a little dish soap do more work on a move-out than a shelf of sprays. Spend your money on good microfiber and a decent scrub brush, and you will use them for years.

Packing the supply kit

Put everything in a bucket or a tote with handles. Carry it room by room as you work, with a trash bag hooked over the side. When the clean is done, the kit goes in your car, so it is ready for the move-in clean at the new house.

Many families moving around Waxahachie and Ennis go from one empty house to another in the same week. A single kit that travels with you saves a trip to the store at each end.

Safety basics

Open windows or run the exhaust fans when using stronger products. Wear gloves. Keep products away from kids and pets, especially when the house is in chaos and things are left on counters. Read labels, especially for oven cleaners, and never mix products. A safe clean is a faster clean, because nobody has to stop.

The last box, the first box

Your cleaning kit is the last box out of the old house and the first one into the new house. Keep it close and the end of your move gets a lot easier. For help with either end, see our move-in and move-out cleaning services.