We clean about forty move-outs a month, and the walk-through notes landlords send back are almost always the same. They rarely mention floors or counters. They mention the places nobody looks at while they live somewhere.
The seven spots that come up most
- The oven, especially the bottom and the glass inside the door.
- The fridge door gasket, where crumbs and mold collect in the folds.
- The bathroom exhaust fan cover, which is usually grey with dust.
- Window tracks, full of dirt, bugs and cottonwood fluff.
- The tops of door frames and baseboards.
- Inside kitchen cabinets, especially under the sink.
- The toilet base and the floor behind it.
If you only have an hour, spend it on these. A spotless counter won’t save a deposit when the oven is crusted.
What Colorado law says about timing
Under Colorado’s security deposit law (C.R.S. 38-12-103), a landlord has one month after you move out to return the deposit or send a written list of deductions, or up to 60 days if your lease says so. Normal wear and tear can’t be deducted. Dirt can. That is the whole reason move-out cleaning exists.
Photograph before you hand in the keys
Take a photo of every room from the doorway, then close-ups of the seven spots above. Our teams send you that set when they finish, but photos you take with the date on your own phone are worth having too.
When to book the clean
After the movers, before the walk-through, ideally the day before. Clean an empty unit, not one with boxes still against the walls, or you will pay for a second visit to do the corners the boxes covered.
