The Preferred Cleaning Co.

Choosing a service

What is included in a move in cleaning?

The full scope on an empty house, why the empty part matters, and why we pair it with recurring service.

By The Preferred Cleaning Co. · Carmel, Indiana · 2 minute read · Updated 2026-07-30

The short answer

A move in clean covers inside every cabinet and drawer, inside the oven and refrigerator, appliance exteriors and the spaces beside and behind them, closets and shelving, baseboards and door frames, light fixtures and switch plates, a full bathroom reset, and floors throughout. The scope assumes the home is empty, because an empty house is the only time anyone gets to clean everything. Every item still in the house is a surface that cannot be cleaned under. We take move in cleans for households that are starting recurring service with us, and we do not offer move out cleaning.

Room by room

Kitchen: inside all cabinets and drawers, inside the oven, inside the refrigerator, appliance fronts and sides, the gap the refrigerator was sitting in, backsplash, sink and fixtures, counters. Bathrooms: shower or tub taken back to bare including tracks and glass, toilet inside and out and behind, vanity inside and out, mirror, fixtures, exhaust vent. Everywhere: closets and shelving, baseboards, door frames and doors, switch plates, light fixtures, window sills, and floors vacuumed and mopped throughout.

An empty house is the only chance anyone gets to clean everything.

Why it is the easiest version of this job

The identical scope is far quicker before your furniture arrives. Cabinets wiped out before you load them rather than after. Floors done while there is nothing standing on them. It is the cheapest and easiest this job will ever be, and it is a one time window.

We pair it with recurring service

A move in clean sets a house to a standard. That is worth doing when someone intends to hold it there, so we take these for customers starting a weekly, biweekly or monthly plan rather than as a standalone job. We do not take move out cleans at all.

Timing

Move windows are tight and they move. Give us the closing date and the realistic access window as early as you can. Late in the month is the busiest stretch for everyone in this business, so early notice is what determines whether we can hold the slot you need.

What an empty house reveals

Furniture hides wear. Once the rooms are bare you will see scuffed baseboards, worn grout, sun faded flooring and marks on walls that nobody knew were there. We clean all of it. We cannot make it new, and we will say so rather than let anyone expect otherwise.

A home cleaned by The Preferred Cleaning Co. in Carmel, Indiana

Questions

Quick answers

Should the house be empty before you clean?

Yes, ideally completely. An empty house is the entire reason this service is worth booking.

Do you clean inside the refrigerator and oven?

Yes, both are included in a move in clean.

Do you offer move out cleaning?

No. We focus on households we can serve on an ongoing basis, so we do not take move out cleans.

Do you do post construction cleaning?

No. It is a different job done properly and we refer it to specialists rather than do it badly.

Next step

Start with a walkthrough, not a quote

Every new customer gets a free in person visit before we talk price. James does them himself, it takes about half an hour, and there is no obligation and no deposit.