How to Clean a Kitchen When Moving Out

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

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You'll be gone, so why clean? Well, there's the general issue of consideration for others, and then...renters who leave a disaster area behind can be charged a portion of the security deposit. In some cases, your landlord might even call you up to talk about it. General standards exist for leaving your kitchen "in the same way you found it," and they apply to cleanliness, not just to repairs. You probably completed a checklist when you moved in detailing existing conditions. A good cleaning, together with this checklist, will ensure that the money gets sent back to you.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Step1

Obviously, the dishes have to be done (and packed away) leaving the counter and sink area clear. Get residual food out of the drain and off of counter areas.

Step2

Sweep and mop the floors. They don't have to be spotless, but they should be free of large/sticky stains like the juice carton you spilled Friday.

Step3

Clean out the fridge. Don't leave anything behind (except maybe baking soda and a couple of sealed cans/bottles). The fridge, too, should be free of stains that will affect food placed inside by new tenants.

Step4

Clean the stove surface area. Usually, you don't have to bother with the burners/plates and the oven interior. If they want clean stovetops, they'll buy new. But if there's any material left inside the stove or oven that could cause fire, that's not cool.

Step5

Get all of your stuff out of the cupboards. Again, a basic rule of thumb applies: new tenants and landlords will tolerate several items left in a particular cabinet, but it they open up the doors and find the cupboards full of stuff, you're probably going to get charged.