DIY GUIDE · CLEANING

How to clean an empty home before you move in yourself
A day, ideally before the furniture arrives. £24–£38 in cleaners, cloths, gloves and a mask.

Inside every cupboard, behind every appliance space, the inherited appliances, and flushing the water through.

DIFFICULTY
Easy
no licence needed
TIME
A day
for an empty two or three-bedroom home with one person; two people can finish before the van arrives
MATERIALS
£24–£38
multi-surface, bathroom and limescale cleaners, a degreaser, toilet cleaner, cloths, gloves and a mask
A PRO CHARGES
£90–£350
typically £200
  • 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 can get into the home a day before your belongings arrive, or at least a morning
  • The home is in ordinary condition — dusty and a bit grimy, not neglected
  • Water, electricity and lighting are on so you can see and rinse
  • You are inheriting ordinary appliances — fridge, washing machine, oven, extractor

Get a pro if…

  • The home has been empty for a long time, or left very dirty, mouldy or with pest signs
  • You have only hours between key collection and the removal van
  • There is heavy grease or limescale that will need several passes
  • You would rather spend the day on utilities, keys and boxes

Safety first

  • Where the home has stood empty, run each tap and the shower for a few minutes before use. HSE guidance on legionella advises flushing outlets that have not been used, without releasing a spray — let the shower run pointing down, and stand back while it does.
  • Never mix cleaning products; HSE warns that bleach with acid cleaners or ammonia gives off harmful gases.
  • Wear gloves for wet work and a mask when vacuuming unknown dust, droppings or mould.
  • Turn appliances off at the wall before cleaning inside or behind them, and do not move a gas cooker yourself.
  • Use a stepladder with all four feet on the floor for wall cupboards and light fittings, and stay off its top steps.
  • Check smoke and carbon monoxide alarms work while you are on the stepladder — press the test button.

MATERIALCOVERAGEFOR THIS JOB
Multi-surface sprayCupboards, doors, switches, skirtingOne bottle
Bathroom cleaner and limescale removerAcid; follow the label timeOne of each
Kitchen degreaserCupboard doors and the wall behind the hobOne bottle
Toilet cleanerNever with another product in the bowlOne bottle
Bicarbonate of sodaFor the fridgeOne box

How long before the van

Hours ≈ kitchen 2.5 + 1 per bathroom + 0.75 per bedroom + living rooms 0.75 each + floors 1. A three-bedroom house with one bathroom and one living room is 2.5 + 1 + 2.25 + 0.75 + 1 = 7.5 hours for one person, about 4 for two.

If you only have the morning, do the kitchen and bathroom first, then the wardrobes. Everything else can be cleaned round furniture.

Clean before the boxes

An empty home cleans in half the time of a furnished one. If you can, do it the day before the move; if not, keep the van waiting outside the kitchen and bathroom until they are done, because those are the rooms you will need first.

Top floor down, back to front

Start upstairs at the room furthest from the stairs and work down and towards the front door, so dust and drips always fall onto areas you have not cleaned yet and you never walk across a finished floor.

Inside every storage space

Wardrobes, drawers, kitchen units, bathroom cabinets, under the sink. These are the places you will never empty again, so they are the reason to do a move-in clean at all. Vacuum, wipe with multi-surface spray, and leave doors open to dry.

The appliances you inherit

A fridge maker suggests a mild solution — 1 tbsp of bicarbonate of soda in ½ L of lukewarm water — for the inside and the door seal, and checking the drain hole at the back. A washing machine maker recommends a maintenance clean every three months and a filter check; you have no idea when the last one was. A cooker hood maker says grease filters should be cleaned monthly and that neglected filters are a fire risk.

Water that has stood

HSE's legionella guidance treats outlets that are rarely used as ones to flush through regularly, and says shower heads should be dismantled, cleaned and descaled. In a home that has been empty, flush every tap and shower before you drink from them or shower, and clean the shower head.

A small kit

Multi-surface spray, a bathroom and limescale cleaner, toilet cleaner, degreaser, colour-coded microfibre, gloves, a mask, a vacuum with attachments, a mop and two buckets.

Note any damage, mould or faults before you clean, with photos — if you are renting, they belong on the check-in inventory.
Change the toilet seat if you want to; it is the one fitting many people replace on day one.

THE PART THAT DECIDES THE FINISH

Before you start — the empty home, area by area

Walk the home once with your phone before any cleaning, photographing condition, then prepare each area below.

Kitchen units and worktops

Inside and out.

  1. Open every door and drawer and vacuum crumbs out of the corners and runners
  2. Check under the sink for leaks and damp before you put anything there
  3. Find the worktop type — stone and quartz have strict product limits
  4. Have a degreaser ready for the doors and the wall behind the hob
Inherited appliances

Fridge, freezer, washing machine, oven, hood.

  1. Switch the fridge off at the wall and prop the doors open
  2. Lay a towel and a shallow tray in front of the washing machine filter
  3. Take out the extractor hood's grease filters, with the hood off at the wall
  4. Look inside the oven; a heavy one is a separate overnight soak
Bathrooms

The room you will need tonight.

  1. Open the window and run the extractor
  2. Flush every tap, the shower and the toilet, letting the shower run pointing down into the tray
  3. Unscrew the shower head to descale it
  4. Put toilet cleaner in the bowl and limescale remover on taps — never in the same place
Wardrobes and bedrooms

Where your clothes will live.

  1. Vacuum the floor of every wardrobe and the tops inside
  2. Wipe rails, shelves and drawer bases
  3. Vacuum under and behind radiators before furniture blocks them
  4. Check window frames and sills for mould while they are bare
Floors, skirting and radiators

Last, and easiest now.

  1. Vacuum along every skirting with the crevice tool
  2. Clean behind radiators with a radiator brush, heating off
  3. Look at carpets in daylight — decide now if they need machine cleaning before furniture goes on
  4. Mop hard floors once everything above them is done
Your old home on the way out

The other half of moving.

  1. Do its kitchen and bathroom the day before you leave, after packing
  2. Clean inside cupboards and appliances once they are empty
  3. Vacuum and mop as the last job before the keys go back
  4. If you rent, use the check-in inventory as the standard — see the end-of-tenancy guide

THE JOB

How to clean an empty home, in order

  1. Walk round, photograph and open up

    20 min

    Open every window. Walk each room with your phone and photograph its condition, including inside cupboards and appliances, and any marks, damage, damp or mould. Test the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. Note the meter readings.

    • Renters: these photos belong with your check-in inventory
    • Note anything broken for the landlord or seller
    • Check every light works so you can see what you are cleaning

    Mistake to avoid: Cleaning before recording the condition. If something is wrong, you have just wiped away the evidence.

  2. Flush the water through

    15 min

    Run each cold tap and each hot tap for a few minutes, starting with the furthest from where the water comes in. Flush the toilets. Let the shower run with the head pointing down into the tray and the cubicle door closed, standing back, so any spray stays low — HSE's guidance is to flush through without releasing aerosols. Then unscrew the shower head to descale it.

    • Run the shower before anyone uses it
    • Put the shower head to soak in white vinegar while you clean
    • Check under each sink for drips while the water runs

    Mistake to avoid: Taking the first shower straight away in a home that has stood empty. Flush and clean the head first.

  3. Start the bathroom products

    10 min

    With gloves on and the extractor running, put toilet cleaner in the bowl and under the rim. Spray limescale remover on the taps and screen and a bathroom cleaner on the bath and basin. Leave them working while you go upstairs.

    • One product in the toilet bowl only
    • Note the label's contact time
    • Close the door and leave the window open

    Mistake to avoid: Following a limescale spray with bleach without rinsing. The mixture gives off harmful gas.

  4. Upstairs first: wardrobes and bedrooms

    2 hrs

    Start in the room furthest from the stairs. Dust light fittings and the tops of doors and wardrobes. Vacuum inside wardrobes and drawers, then wipe rails, shelves and bases with multi-surface spray and leave the doors open to dry. Wipe window sills, frames, skirting, switches and door handles. Vacuum behind and under radiators while there is no furniture in the way. Clothes and bedding go in only once the shelves are dry, so nothing picks up damp.

    • Work clockwise from the door in each room
    • Leave wardrobe doors open to air
    • Vacuum floors at the end of each room, last thing before leaving it

    Mistake to avoid: Leaving wardrobes for after the move. Once full, they stay as they are for years.

  5. Finish the bathroom

    1 hr

    Rinse the limescale remover off, scrub taps and screen, and rinse the shower head and refit it. Clean the toilet thoroughly — bowl, rim, seat and hinges, cistern and the floor round the pan — with the toilet cloth. Clean the basin, bath, mirror and cabinet inside and out, then the floor.

    • Run the shower briefly after refitting the head
    • Undo the seat hinge covers to clean underneath
    • Leave the cabinet door open to dry

    Mistake to avoid: Stocking the bathroom cabinet before it has been cleaned. Last occupant's residue ends up on your toothbrush.

  6. Kitchen units

    1 hr

    Vacuum and wipe inside every cupboard and drawer, top units first. Degrease the doors, handles and the tops of wall units, then the splashback and the wall behind the hob. Clean the worktops last, following the worktop maker's product limits on stone and quartz. A kitchen you have cleaned to the inside of every unit is one you will never need to empty for cleaning again.

    • Line drawers if you like, but only once they are dry
    • Check under the sink for damp before stocking it
    • Wipe the extractor hood body while you are up there

    Mistake to avoid: Unpacking crockery into cupboards that have not been cleaned. Dust and grease transfer to everything.

  7. The inherited appliances

    1 hr 15

    Fridge: switched off, shelves out and washed, the inside and door seal wiped with the fridge maker's mild bicarbonate solution, the drain hole cleared, dried and left open before switching on. Washing machine: power and water off, drain into the tray, unscrew and clear the filter, refit it tightly, then run the maker's maintenance clean empty. Extractor: wash the grease filters and refit dry. Oven: start an overnight soak if it needs it.

    • Fridge on and cold before food goes in
    • Screw the washing machine filter in firmly
    • Check the hood's charcoal filter type

    Mistake to avoid: Switching the fridge on and filling it straight away. Give it time to dry and reach temperature.

  8. Floors last

    1 hr

    Vacuum every room top floor down and back to front, edges first. Machine-clean carpets now if they need it, while the rooms are empty. Mop hard floors in two buckets, finishing at the door.

    • Carpets cleaned now, dry before furniture
    • Two buckets for mopping
    • Put a mat at the front door before the van arrives

    Mistake to avoid: Mopping before vacuuming. Grit in the water scratches the floor and leaves a gritty film.

  9. Protect it on moving day

    15 min

    Lay old sheets or floor protectors in the hall and on the stairs for the removers, and put the doormats down. Keep one room clean and closed as a place for the first night's essentials.

    • Floor protection on stairs and hall
    • First-night box in the clean bathroom or bedroom
    • Prop doors open with stops, not boxes

    Mistake to avoid: Letting the removers walk muddy boots across freshly cleaned carpets.

  10. The home you are leaving

    Half a day

    After packing, clean the old home's kitchen and bathroom, then inside empty cupboards and appliances, and finally vacuum and mop as you leave. If you are renting, work from the check-in inventory and photograph the finished clean — the end-of-tenancy guide covers it in detail.

    • Leave the fridge open and switched off if you are taking it
    • Take every last item, including from the loft and shed
    • Photograph each room when you hand back the keys

    Mistake to avoid: Leaving the old home's clean until after the van has gone, with nothing to clean with.

The mistakes that waste the empty-home window

  • Unpacking before cupboards and wardrobes are cleaned
  • Showering or drinking from taps that have stood unused without flushing them
  • Not recording the condition before cleaning, if you rent
  • Mixing bathroom limescale cleaners with bleach

Stop here and get a move-in cleaner

  • The home has been empty a long time or left neglected, with heavy grease, scale or mould
  • You see droppings, insects or other pest signs
  • There are leaks, damp, faulty appliances or alarms that do not work — those are repairs, not cleaning
  • You have no time between keys and the van
How to hire a moving cleaner →

The water runs brown or cloudy at firstSediment or air after the home stood empty. Keep the tap running until it clears; if it does not, contact the water supplier.
The fridge smells even after cleaningFood trapped in the drain hole or seal. Clear the drain hole, wipe the seal folds, and leave the door ajar with the fridge off for a day.
The washing machine smellsOld detergent and lint. Clean the filter and drawer, wipe the door seal and run the maker's maintenance clean empty.
Wardrobes smell mustyDamp air shut in. Wipe them, leave doors open with the window open, and check the wall behind for damp.
The shower spray is unevenScale in the head. Soak it in white vinegar within the maker's limits and rub the nozzles.
Black spots on window seals and framesCondensation mould. Treat as a small mould patch, then improve ventilation.
The extractor hood barely pullsClogged grease filters or a spent charcoal filter. Clean or replace them.
Smoke or carbon monoxide alarm does not sound on testBattery or alarm failure. Replace the battery or the alarm; if you rent, tell the landlord at once.
Sticky residue inside kitchen drawersOld spills and liner adhesive. Warm soapy water and a plastic scraper lift it; dry the drawer fully before lining it again.
Grey dust keeps appearing on new surfacesDust is still coming from behind radiators, the tops of wardrobes or the extractor. Clean those, change the vacuum bag or filter, and dust again from the top down.

WHAT YOU SAVE

What it costs to do it yourself

Multi-surface spray£2.40
Bathroom cleaner and limescale remover£6.40–£9
Kitchen degreaser£1.20–£5
Toilet cleaner£1.50–£1.80
Microfibre cloths£2.30–£3.49
Gloves and a disposable mask£9.85–£16
Total£24–£38
DIY total£24–£38
A moving cleaner charges per visit
LOW
£90
TYPICAL
£200
HIGH
£350
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.

Most of the kit comes with you to the new home anyway. A carpet machine hire or an oven kit adds to it if those need doing.

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.

Air it before unpacking soft things

Leave windows open and wardrobe doors ajar for an hour or two after cleaning, before clothes and bedding go in.

Dispose of the old occupants' leftovers

Anything left behind goes through your council: recycling and general waste collections, the household waste recycling centre, or a bulky waste collection for furniture. Old cleaning products go to the recycling centre's hazardous waste container.

Set up the routine

Note when you did the washing machine, fridge and hood filters, so their makers' intervals start from now.

Report what you found

Leaks, damp, faulty appliances and alarms to the landlord in writing if you rent, or on your snagging list if you bought.

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

Inside every cupboard, drawer and wardrobe, the bathroom including the toilet and shower head, the kitchen including the inherited fridge, washing machine filter and extractor filters, behind radiators, and the floors last.

Yes. HSE's legionella guidance treats rarely used outlets as ones to flush through regularly, without releasing spray. Run each tap and the shower for a few minutes, shower head pointing down, and clean and descale the head.

Before, if you possibly can. An empty home cleans in about half the time, and wardrobes and cupboards are never easier to reach.

Turn off the power and water, drain and clean the filter, wipe the door seal and drawer, then run the maker's maintenance clean with the drum empty.

The Locufy UK price guide puts move-in and move-out cleaning at £90–£350 per visit, typically £200. Larger homes, ovens and carpets cost more.

If you rent, yes — the deposit depends on it, measured against the check-in inventory. If you sold, the contract usually expects it to be left in a reasonable state and empty.

MORE GUIDES

More DIY guides

Cleaning a rented home at the end of a tenancyDeep-cleaning a kitchen and bathroomCleaning an ovenDeep-cleaning a fitted carpetCleaning a whole house in a dayKeeping a home clean week to weekRescuing a neglected home in one big cleanSpring-cleaning a home
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. HSE — legionnaires' disease: things to consider in hot and cold water systems (flushing, shower heads)
  2. HSE — safe use of cleaning substances (CAIS22): never mix
  3. Beko — how to clean your fridge freezer
  4. Bosch — cleaning your washing machine: every three months
  5. Bosch — cleaning a washing machine filter
  6. Beko — how to clean a cooker hood filter
  7. Sainsbury's — price check: multi-surface cleaners and toilet cleaners, October 2026
  8. Sainsbury's — price check: bathroom cleaners, October 2026
  9. Sainsbury's — price check: degreasers, October 2026
  10. Sainsbury's — price check: limescale removers, October 2026
  11. Sainsbury's — price check: microfibre cloths, October 2026
  12. B&Q — price check: rubber gloves, October 2026
  13. B&Q — price check: FFP3 masks, October 2026
  14. GOV.UK — recycling collections: find your council