DIY GUIDE · CLEANING

How to clean an empty home before you move in
A day before the furniture arrives. €20–€22 in products and a mop.

Flush the water, then top to bottom: presses, appliances, bathroom, windows, floors last.

DIFFICULTY
Easy
no licence needed
TIME
A day
for an empty three-bedroom house, before the furniture arrives
MATERIALS
€20–€22
a multi-surface cleaner, a descaler, two packs of cloths, a spray mop, refuse sacks and gloves
A PRO CHARGES
€110–€400
typically €240
  • Every step, start to finish
  • Checked October 2026 — sources at the end
  • Honest about when to call a pro

FIRST, THE HONEST ANSWER

Do it yourself, or get a cleaner?

Do it yourself if…

  • You have the keys at least a day before the furniture arrives
  • The home is structurally sound and has power and water connected
  • The previous occupants left it in ordinary condition
  • You can open windows and run the heating while you work

Get a pro if…

  • You get the keys and the van on the same morning
  • The home has been empty for a long time and smells damp or musty throughout
  • Previous occupants left rubbish, furniture or heavy grime
  • There are signs of mould, pests or a leak that need dealing with before anyone moves in

Safety first

  • In a home that has stood empty, run the taps and shower before use and keep your face out of the first spray; the HSA identifies stagnant water and shower heads as sources of Legionella, caught by breathing in droplets.
  • Never mix cleaning products. The HSA warns that bleach in contact with ammonia, toilet cleaners or drain cleaners gives off a harmful gas.
  • Leftover chemicals from the previous occupants are an unknown. Keep them capped, upright and separate, and take them to a civic amenity site.
  • Use a stepladder, never a chair, and stay off the top two steps.
  • If you find needles or sharps, do not pick them up with bare hands; the HSA's guidance for cleaners stresses gloves and a sharps container.
  • Unplug appliances before you clean inside them.

MATERIALCOVERAGEFOR THIS JOB
Multi-surface cleanerDiluted as its label saysOne bottle
Limescale removerAcid-resistant surfaces only, label contact timeOne bottle
Bicarbonate of sodaA tablespoon in half a litre of lukewarm water for the fridgeA small tub
Laminate or tile floor cleanerA small measure in a bucket of lukewarm waterOne bottle

How long the empty-house clean takes

Hours ≈ bedrooms × 0.75 + bathrooms × 1 + kitchen 2.5 + living rooms × 0.75 + hall and stairs 0.5. Example: a three-bedroom house with one bathroom, a downstairs toilet counted as half, and one living room: 2.25 + 1.5 + 2.5 + 0.75 + 0.5 = 7.5 hours — a full day.

An empty home is quicker room for room than a lived-in one; it is the kitchen and bathrooms that set the pace.

Water first: flush what has been standing

Water left standing in pipes, tanks and shower heads is where bacteria grow. The HSA notes that the bacteria that cause Legionnaires' disease grow at 25 and 45 °C, best around 35 °C, in stagnant water, and that people can be exposed by breathing in fine droplets — shower heads are one of the sources it names. In a home that has stood empty, run every tap and the shower for a few minutes before using them, keep your face away from the spray, and descale the shower head.

Damp dusting, not dry

An empty house is dusty everywhere. The HSE suggests a clean damp cloth to wipe surfaces, because dry dusting can spread allergens further, and a vacuum fitted with a high-efficiency particulate filter. That matters most if anyone moving in has asthma or allergies; dust the bedroom they will sleep in first, so it has longest to settle.

One kit, few products

A multi-surface cleaner, a limescale remover, washing-up liquid and bicarbonate of soda do almost all of it. The HSA's cleaning guidance is to dilute as the maker says and never combine products. Do not use the previous occupants' leftover bottles; you do not know what is in them or what they will react with.

Appliances that stood idle

A fridge left closed and switched off grows mould; a washing machine that stood unused grows it in the door seal fold, one maker notes; a dishwasher filter can be full of old food. The makers' cleaning methods are simple: a bicarbonate wash for the fridge, the filter rinsed under the tap for the dishwasher, a wipe-out of the seal for the washing machine. Do them before your food and clothes go anywhere near.

The order: top to bottom, back to front

Start in the rooms furthest from the front door and upstairs, and work back towards the door, so you are never walking through rooms you have finished. Within each room, go high to low and dry to wet: cobwebs and light fittings, then walls and doors, then presses and sills, then floors. Leave the hall and stairs for last; that is where the furniture comes in.

Look while you clean

This is the only time you will see behind and under everything. Note signs of damp, mould behind where furniture stood, droppings under the sink, leaks at pipe joints and damaged sealant. Photograph anything you find, and if you are renting, report it to the landlord in writing before you move in.

If you are moving out of your own home for a sale, the same order works; leave keys, manuals and meter readings for the buyer.
Leftover chemicals from the previous occupants are hazardous waste, not something for your bin.

THE PART THAT DECIDES THE FINISH

Preparing each part of the home — by what you find

Walk through the empty home first and find the situations below. Each has its own preparation before the main clean starts.

Kitchen presses, drawers and shelves

Crumbs, grease, sticky shelf liners left behind.

  1. Open every door and drawer and photograph the inside before you start
  2. Peel off old shelf liners and lift out any left items
  3. Vacuum crumbs from corners and hinge recesses
  4. Check under the sink for drips, damp or droppings
Fridge, freezer and other appliances

Anything left behind, switched off, closed up or still running.

  1. Unplug the fridge and open it; if it was left closed, expect a smell
  2. Take out shelves and drawers to wash in the sink
  3. Pull out the dishwasher's lower rack and find the filter at the base
  4. Look in the washing machine door seal fold and detergent drawer
Bathroom and taps

Scale, soap scum and water that has stood in the pipes.

  1. Open the window and run the extractor fan
  2. Run each tap and the shower for a few minutes, keeping your face out of the spray
  3. Unscrew the shower head and aerators if they come off by hand
  4. Check the sealant and grout for mould and gaps
Bedrooms and wardrobes

Dust, cobwebs and the inside of fitted wardrobes.

  1. Open the windows to air the rooms
  2. Look at the corners, behind radiators and inside wardrobes on outside walls for mould
  3. Vacuum the inside of wardrobes and the tops of doors
  4. Clean the bedroom of anyone with allergies first
Floors: carpet, laminate, wood, tiles

Clear wall to wall for the only time.

  1. Note what each floor is so you use the right method
  2. Look under where furniture stood for marks, damp or damage
  3. Plan to do the floors last in each room
  4. Book a carpet washer early if carpets need it, so they dry before the furniture
Leftovers from the previous occupants

Paint tins, bottles of cleaner, old batteries, bulbs.

  1. Gather them in one place outside, upright and capped
  2. Do not mix or pour anything away
  3. Sort out what is hazardous — paint, chemicals, aerosols, batteries
  4. Plan a trip to a civic amenity site that takes them

THE JOB

How to clean an empty home before you move in, in order

  1. Walk through, air it and flush the water

    30 min

    Use the surfaces section above as you walk every room, photographing anything wrong. Open the windows throughout. Then run every tap — hot and cold — and the shower, one at a time, for a few minutes each, keeping your face out of the spray. The HSA names stagnant water and shower heads among the places Legionella bacteria live, so a home that has stood empty gets this first.

    • Start with the tap furthest from where the water comes in
    • Put the heating on low to start drying the house
    • Note any tap that runs brown or splutters

    Mistake to avoid: Taking a shower in a home that has stood empty for weeks before flushing the water. The first spray is the one to avoid breathing in.

  2. Clear out what was left

    30 min

    Bag any rubbish and sort recycling. Gather leftover paint, cleaning products, aerosols and batteries outside, upright and capped, and do not mix or pour anything away. These are hazardous waste: mywaste.ie lists the civic amenity sites and local authority collection days that accept them. Take down old shower curtains and peel off shelf liners while you are at it.

    • Keep a box for manuals, spare keys and fobs you find
    • Old light bulbs and batteries go to a WEEE or battery drop-off
    • If you rent, tell the landlord what was left before you dispose of it

    Mistake to avoid: Using the previous occupants' cleaning bottles. You do not know what is in them, or whether two of them will react together.

  3. High dusting with a damp cloth

    1 hour

    Work room by room from the top floor down. From a stepladder, take down cobwebs and wipe the tops of doors, wardrobes, presses and curtain rails. Switch off and let light fittings cool before you wipe them. Use a clean damp cloth rather than a dry duster; the HSE notes that dry dusting can spread allergens. Vacuum vents, radiators and skirting boards as you go.

    • Stay off the top two steps of the stepladder
    • Rinse the cloth often in clean water
    • Do the allergy sufferer's bedroom first

    Mistake to avoid: Dry dusting the whole house before vacuuming. The dust goes airborne and settles back on everything you have already done.

  4. Kitchen presses, drawers and worktops

    1 hour

    Wipe inside every press and drawer with warm water and a multi-surface cleaner, shelves first, then sides, then the base, and dry them before closing. Clean the hinges, handles and door fronts, where grease and fingerprints collect. Wipe worktops with a cleaner suited to the surface — mild detergent on wood and stone — and clean the sink and tap last.

    • Leave doors open for an hour so they air
    • Line drawers only once they are completely dry
    • Check the hob and the oven; the oven guide covers a deep clean

    Mistake to avoid: Closing presses while they are still damp. Moisture trapped inside smells musty and can swell chipboard.

  5. Fridge, dishwasher and washing machine

    1 hour

    Unplug the fridge, wash the shelves and drawers in the sink, then wipe the inside and the door seal with half a litre of lukewarm water mixed with a tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda, as one fridge maker suggests, and dry it. Flush the drain hole at the back with the same mix. Clean the dishwasher filter under the tap with a small brush, and wipe the washing machine door seal fold and detergent drawer. Run the washing machine empty on a hot wash.

    • Leave the fridge door open until it has dried and aired
    • Lock the dishwasher filter back in until the arrows line up
    • Wipe the tops and sides of appliances too

    Mistake to avoid: Switching the fridge on and loading it straight after a wet wipe. Damp seals and drawers are where the next mould starts.

  6. The bathroom

    1 hour

    Remove the shower head and aerators and soak them in descaler diluted as its label says, while you descale the taps and screen on acid-resistant surfaces, keeping to the label's time and rinsing well. Scrub grout, clean the bath, basin and toilet, and wipe the extractor fan cover. One descaler maker warns against using its product on marble or other calcareous stone, so check what any stone surface is first.

    • Toilet last, with its own gloves and cloth
    • Rinse and refit the shower head, then run the shower for a minute
    • Look at the sealant; renew it before you move in if it is mouldy

    Mistake to avoid: Using bleach on mould and a descaler on the taps at the same time. The HSA warns bleach mixed with some cleaners gives off a harmful gas.

  7. Windows, sills and frames

    45 min

    Clean the inside glass of every window with water and a few drops of washing-up liquid, then squeegee or dry with a lint-free cloth. Wipe the sills and frames and clean condensation channels and drainage slots. Check window restrictors work on upper floors, especially if children are moving in. Only clean outsides you can reach from the ground.

    • Work on the shaded side first
    • Clean the frame before the glass so grit is not dragged across it
    • Note any misted sealed units to report

    Mistake to avoid: Leaning out of upstairs windows to clean the outsides. That is a job for a window cleaner, from the ground.

  8. Floors last, front door last of all

    1.5 hours

    Vacuum every floor wall to wall, including the edges and under radiators. Mop hard floors with the right cleaner: for laminate, one maker uses a small measure of laminate cleaner in a bucket of lukewarm water and a wrung-out mop, left to dry on its own; tiles take a similar mix. Start in the far rooms upstairs and work back to the front door, so you finish outside.

    • Wring the mop hard on laminate and wood
    • Leave doors open so floors dry quickly
    • Lay old towels as a path if you have to cross a wet floor

    Mistake to avoid: Mopping the hall first. Everyone walks through it all day, and it is the room the furniture comes through.

  9. Final check before the van

    20 min

    Walk through once more with the photos you took at the start. Check every press is dry, the fridge is aired and running, the taps run clear, and the floors are dry. Read and photograph the meters. Put the cleaning kit in one box in the kitchen so you can find it on moving day, and leave the windows open a crack if it is safe to do so.

    • Keep a roll of kitchen paper and a spray handy for moving day
    • Leave the box of manuals and keys on the worktop
    • Report any problem you found to the landlord or seller in writing

    Mistake to avoid: Letting the van unload onto damp floors. Furniture feet mark wet laminate and carpet, and the marks stay.

The mistakes people make on moving day

  • Using the shower before running the water in a home that stood empty
  • Dry dusting, which spreads dust and allergens around the house
  • Using leftover cleaning products from the previous occupants
  • Loading a fridge that was cleaned but not dried and aired
  • Mopping the hall and stairs before the rooms beyond them

Stop here and get a move-in cleaning service

  • You get the keys and the furniture on the same day
  • The home has been empty long enough to smell damp throughout
  • There is heavy grime, rubbish or furniture left behind
  • You find mould, droppings or a leak — those need dealing with before cleaning
How to hire a moving cleaner →

The fridge smells even after cleaningIt was left closed while off. Clean the drain hole and drip tray, wash again with the bicarbonate solution, and leave the door open for a day before switching on.
The water runs brown from one tapSediment or rust disturbed after standing. Run it until clear; if it stays discoloured, contact the landlord or a plumber.
A musty smell in one roomLook for mould behind where furniture stood, in wardrobes on outside walls and under the sink. Air the room and read the mould guide.
Black in the washing machine sealMould from standing unused. Wipe the fold, run a hot empty wash with a machine cleaner and leave the door open after use.
Droppings in a press or under the sinkSigns of mice. Wear gloves, do not sweep them dry, clean the area, and get pest control before you unpack food.
Shower head sprays unevenlyScale in the nozzles. Soak it in descaler as the label says, brush the nozzles and rinse well.
Laminate is dull and streakyOld polish or too much cleaner. Mop with plain warm water and a well wrung-out mop, then use laminate cleaner at the right dilution.
Sticky marks where shelf liners wereAdhesive left behind. Warm it with a cloth soaked in hot water and roll it off; test a sticker remover on a hidden spot.

WHAT YOU SAVE

What it costs to do it yourself

Multi-surface cleaner€1.29–€1.49
Limescale remover€1.99–€3.99
Microfibre cloths, two packs of four€2.98
Spray mop€9.99
Refuse sacks, roll of forty€1.99
Rubber gloves€1.49
Total€20–€22
DIY total€20–€22
A moving cleaner charges per visit
LOW
€110
TYPICAL
€240
HIGH
€400
Move-in / Move-out Cleaning price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

The mop and cloths stay with you in the new home, so this clean doubles as setting up your cleaning kit. Bicarbonate of soda and washing-up liquid are in most kitchen presses already.

RATHER NOT?

Moving cleaners near you, with prices shown

The ones who cover your area, nearest first, with one score from every review. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

Keep the water moving

Use every tap and the shower regularly in the first weeks; any rarely used tap in a spare room is worth running weekly.

Dispose of what was left

Rubbish and recycling go in the right bins; paint, chemicals and aerosols to a civic amenity site that accepts household hazardous waste, and batteries and bulbs to a WEEE drop-off — mywaste.ie lists them.

Set up your routine

With the home clean from day one, a weekly routine keeps it that way; see the regular cleaning guide.

Store the products safely

Keep cleaners high up, capped, in their own bottles and away from children and pets — especially with boxes everywhere.

Cleaning an empty home before you move in: questions people ask

Run the taps and shower to flush standing water, then clean top to bottom: high dusting, kitchen presses, appliances, bathroom, windows, and floors last, finishing at the front door.

Yes. The HSA notes Legionella bacteria grow in stagnant water and shower heads and are caught by breathing in droplets. Run each tap and the shower for a few minutes and keep your face out of the first spray.

Wash the shelves and drawers, wipe the inside and seal with half a litre of lukewarm water and a tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda, flush the drain hole and leave it open to air, as one fridge maker suggests.

Do not use or mix them. Keep them capped and upright and bring them to a civic amenity site or local authority hazardous waste collection, which mywaste.ie lists.

The Locufy price guide puts a professional move-in or move-out clean at €110–€400 per visit, typically €240. Larger homes, ovens and carpets add to it.

Before, if you possibly can. An empty home lets you clean inside every press and wall to wall, and the floors can dry before anything stands on them.

MORE GUIDES

More DIY guides

Cleaning a rented home before you hand back the keysDeep-cleaning a kitchen and bathroomDeep-cleaning an oven by handCleaning a whole house from top to bottom in a daySetting up a weekly cleaning routine you can keepBlitzing a home that has got on top of youSpring-cleaning the jobs the weekly clean missesCleaning up after building work
All 90 DIY guides →How to hire a moving cleaner →Move-in / Move-out Cleaning price guide →Moving cleaners on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Beko — how to clean a fridge freezer
  2. Bosch — cleaning a dishwasher filter
  3. Bosch — cleaning a washing machine door seal
  4. HG — limescale remover foam spray: directions and surfaces
  5. HG — laminate cleaner: dilution and mopping
  6. HSA — Safety in Contract Cleaning: Legionella, sharps, incompatible chemicals
  7. HSA — using ladders safely
  8. HSE — preventing allergic rhinitis: damp dusting and vacuums
  9. MyWaste.ie — household hazardous waste
  10. MyWaste.ie — paint
  11. Mr Price — price check: multi-surface sprays, October 2026
  12. Mr Price — price check: limescale removers, October 2026
  13. Mr Price — price check: microfibre cloths, October 2026
  14. Mr Price — price check: mops, October 2026
  15. Mr Price — price check: refuse sacks, October 2026
  16. Mr Price — price check: rubber gloves, October 2026