How do you clean a home before selling it?
Clean a home for sale in three stages: a deep clean after decluttering and repairs, one or two days before listing photos; quick touch-ups before showings and open houses; and a final clean before the buyer's walk-through at closing. In Palm Beach County, a pre-listing deep clean costs $278 for a 2-bedroom home, a vacant home clean $268, and touch-ups from $120.
Why cleaning before you list matters
Most buyers see your home first in listing photos, and decide from those whether to visit at all. Clean glass lets in more light, clean surfaces reflect it, and a spotless kitchen and bathroom read as a home that has been looked after.
In person, buyers go further than they would as guests. They open the oven, the refrigerator, closets and cabinets, look at shower grout and run a hand along the counter. A clean home doesn't hide anything, but it keeps attention on the house itself instead of on the dirt.
The cleaning timeline for a home sale
| Stage | When | What kind of clean |
|---|---|---|
| Declutter and repairs | First | Done by you or your contractors; clean after, not before |
| Pre-listing deep clean | 1 to 2 days before listing photos | Deep clean (occupied) or empty-home clean (vacant) |
| Listing photos | Right after the clean | Nothing; just keep surfaces clear |
| Showings and open houses | Before each open house, or weekly while listed | Quick standard clean: kitchen, bathrooms, floors, glass |
| Under contract | Before the buyer's final walk-through | Final clean of the empty or nearly empty home |
The most common mistake is cleaning too early. If painting, repairs or decluttering happen after the clean, the dust comes back and you pay for the clean twice.
What pre-listing cleaning costs
Prices are our published rates. Supplies, equipment and insurance are included.
| Home size | Occupied: deep clean | Vacant: empty-home clean | Showing touch-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $180 | $174 | $120 |
| 1 bedroom | $225 | $218 | $150 |
| 2 bedrooms | $278 | $268 | $185 |
| 3 bedrooms | $345 | $334 | $230 |
| 4+ bedrooms | $420 | $406 | $280 |
The empty-home clean includes the inside of the oven, fridge, dishwasher and every cabinet. For an occupied home, add inside the oven ($45), inside the fridge ($35) and interior windows ($50), since buyers check all three. Very large homes are quoted after we hear about the home.
Pre-listing cleaning checklist
Kitchen: buyers open everything
- Inside the oven and microwave, racks and glass door
- Inside the refrigerator, shelves, drawers and door seals
- Cabinet fronts, handles and the inside of cabinets buyers will open
- Stovetop, range hood and backsplash degreased
- Sink and faucet descaled and polished
Bathrooms
- Shower glass free of soap scum and water spots
- Grout scrubbed and tile wiped
- Toilets, including the base and behind
- Mirrors, fixtures and vanity tops polished
- Inside vanity cabinets cleared and wiped
Light, glass and floors
- Interior windows, sliding doors and glass doors cleaned for photos
- Light fixtures and ceiling fans dusted
- Baseboards, door frames and switch plates wiped
- Floors vacuumed and mopped edge to edge
First impressions
- Entryway, front door and threshold
- Closets clean and half-empty, so storage looks generous
- Laundry room and garage swept
- Trash and recycling out of sight
Most of this is in our deep clean. A garage sweep ($60) and inside cabinets ($55) can be added for an occupied home.
Occupied vs vacant listings
You're still living there
Deep clean once before photos, then keep it show-ready with a quick standard clean before open houses or a weekly visit while the home is listed. Daily habits matter: dishes away, beds made, counters clear, bathrooms wiped.
The home is empty
An empty home gets an empty-home clean, the same one we do for move-outs, reaching inside every cabinet, closet and appliance. Then schedule touch-ups every week or two while it's listed: dust settles, insects find their way in, and a closed Florida house starts to smell musty surprisingly fast.
Florida-specific issues for homes on the market
- Humidity and musty smells. Keep the air conditioning running in a listed home, even when it's empty, and keep bathrooms dry.
- Mildew in grout and window tracks. Buyers notice dark grout and black tracks; they come off in a deep clean.
- Salt film near the coast. Glass facing the water dulls quickly and shows in photos.
- Seasonal and second homes. If you're selling a home you only live in part of the year, our snowbird home cleaning guide covers how to keep an empty house fresh.
- Hurricane season. If a storm passes while the home is listed, schedule a clean after any repairs and before the next showing.
The closing clean
Once you're under contract, the last clean happens after your belongings are out and before the buyer's final walk-through. Many Florida purchase contracts expect the seller to leave the home free of personal items and trash and swept clean at closing. Check your contract, or ask your agent, for the exact wording.
Going beyond “swept clean” with a full empty-home clean is a goodwill gesture that makes the walk-through smoother and avoids last-minute disputes.
What cleaning can't fix
- Repairs, leaks and anything a buyer's inspection will flag
- Worn or stained carpet that needs shampooing or replacing
- Odors from mold, water damage or smoke, which need remediation
- Paint, scuffed walls beyond spot-cleaning, and dated finishes
- Exterior work: pressure washing, exterior windows, landscaping
Do these first, then clean. That order saves you from paying for the clean twice.
For real estate agents and stagers
- One contact for all your listings. Book cleans for each listing, with lockbox or access details kept on file.
- Scheduled around your calendar. Tell us when the photographer and open houses are booked, and we clean before each.
- Vacant listings kept fresh. Recurring touch-ups so a listing that sits for a few weeks still shows well.
- Insured and background-checked cleaners. We can provide a certificate of insurance for HOA or condo buildings.
We respond within 2 hours during business hours. We clean homes for sale across Palm Beach County, including West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Jupiter, Lake Worth Beach and Greenacres.