Closing day is the finish line for a home sale. Before it, buyers usually do a final walkthrough to make sure the house is in the condition they expect. A clean, empty home makes that walkthrough simple. We covered the whole selling process in Cleaning a Home for Sale: Listing Photos, Showings and Closing. This one is about the last clean before you hand over the keys.
As always, your sale contract and your agent are the place to go for what is required. Some contracts say "broom clean," some say more and some say nothing. This list is what we suggest for leaving the house in genuinely good shape.
Do it after the movers, before the walkthrough
The final clean has to happen after everything is out of the house. Movers drop dirt, scuff walls and leave packing debris. If the walkthrough is the day before closing, schedule the clean the day before that, or the morning of if you have to. Leave enough time to fix anything you find on your own final look.
If closing gets pushed back, which happens more often than anyone likes, do not panic about the clean. An empty, clean house stays clean for a while as long as nobody is walking through it. A quick dust and a vacuum the day before the new walkthrough is usually enough to bring it back.
The kitchen buyers will open
New owners open everything. They look inside the oven, the fridge if it stays, the dishwasher and every cabinet. Clean:
- Inside the oven, the racks and the drawer below.
- Inside the fridge and freezer, if they convey with the house.
- The dishwasher filter, the door edges and the front.
- Inside every cabinet and drawer, especially under the sink.
- The range hood filter and the cabinets around the stove.
- Counters, backsplash, sink and faucet.
Leave appliance manuals and warranty papers in a kitchen drawer. Buyers appreciate it.
Wipe the fronts and handles of every appliance last. Stainless steel picks up fingerprints the moment someone opens a door, and the walkthrough is when a buyer is most likely to open everything. A soft cloth and a little stainless cleaner, wiped with the grain, makes the whole kitchen look finished.
Bathrooms, top to bottom
Clean the shower glass and tile, descale the fixtures, scrub the tub and the toilet inside and out, wipe inside the vanity and drawers, and clean the mirror and lights. Do not forget the exhaust fan cover. In homes across Ellis County, hard water spots on the shower glass are the most common thing we see left behind, so give them extra time.
Also run each faucet and flush each toilet once you are done. It rinses away any cleaner residue, and it lets you spot a slow drain or a running toilet before the buyer does. If something is not working, tell your agent rather than leaving it as a surprise.
Bedrooms, closets and living spaces
- Dust ceiling fans, light fixtures and vents.
- Wipe window sills, tracks and blinds.
- Clean closet shelves and floors.
- Wipe baseboards, door frames and light switches.
- Spot-clean scuffs on walls, especially where furniture sat or movers carried things through.
- Vacuum carpets slowly and mop hard floors last.
Garage, attic and outside
The garage is one of the most common places for leftover items. Clear everything that is not staying with the house, then sweep. Check the attic or any storage spaces you used. Outside, sweep the porch and patio, empty the trash cans if they stay and pick up after pets. In fall, a quick pass on leaves around the doors helps the place look cared for.
What to leave behind on purpose
Some things are helpful to leave for the new owners:
- All keys, garage remotes, gate fobs and mailbox keys, labeled.
- Appliance manuals and warranty information.
- Leftover paint for touch-ups, if labeled and if the buyers want it.
- Contact info for the trash pickup day or the HOA, if you have one.
Everything else, including old paint you do not need, cleaning chemicals and furniture that did not sell, should go with you or to the right disposal spot. Check with your agent if you are not sure what conveys.
A final walk with fresh eyes
Before you leave for the last time, walk every room with the lights on. Open each cabinet and closet, look at the floors from the doorway and check the garage. It is amazing what turns up: a phone charger in an outlet, a toothbrush in a drawer or a forgotten box on a shelf. Take some photos for your own records. Many families selling homes around Red Oak and Ovilla find something left behind on this last walk.
Closing soon?
We clean empty homes before closing day across the south DFW area. Tell us the date and the size of the house for a free quote.
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Handing over a clean house is a good feeling. It shows care for the home you lived in and makes the new owners' first day easier. For our full empty-house service, see our move-in and move-out cleaning page.