Selling your home
How to clean your home before selling it
Quick answer: Clean twice. Before the listing photos, deep clean the furnished home: light fittings and glass, the kitchen and bathrooms, the floors, and anything that smells. Hold that standard with a short reset before each open home. Then, once the removalists have gone, clean the empty home before the buyer's final inspection, with every belonging and all rubbish removed.
What the camera and buyers notice, a room-by-room list for a lived-in home, keeping it ready through the campaign, and what your contract usually asks for at settlement.
- End of lease clean
- From $423, live from our booking calculator, checked 9 October 2026
- Our record
- 1,726 completed end of lease cleans
The order: declutter, deep clean, photos, open homes, settlement
Declutter first, deep clean in the days before the photographer comes, reset before every open home, and clean the empty home after the removalists, before the buyer's final inspection.
Declutter and start packing
Clear benches, shelves, vanities and floors, and box what you won't use before the move. Every surface you clear is one that can be cleaned and photographed.
Do the small fixes before the clean
Blown globes, loose handles, a sticking door. Repairs aren't part of a clean, and the dust from them undoes one, so finish them first.
Deep clean in the days before the photos
Buyers see the listing photos before they decide to visit, and the same photos stay up for the whole campaign. Leave time to walk through afterwards and fix anything you notice.
Reset before every open home
A short surface reset, not another deep clean: benches, bathrooms, bins, beds and the main floors.
Clean the empty home after the removalists
Inside the cupboards, wardrobes and appliances, with every belonging and all rubbish gone. Finish before the buyer's final inspection.
Hand over
Leave the keys, remotes and anything else the contract includes, the way your agent or conveyancer asks.
What buyers and the camera notice
Light, glass and smells, then the kitchen and bathrooms. Listing photos are taken with the blinds open and every light on, so dusty fittings, smeared glass and marked walls are easy to see.
Australian agencies' photo checklists ask for much the same things: blinds and curtains open, every light on, benches and vanities cleared, and the windows clean. LJ Hooker's photo guide notes that the camera tends to magnify anything that isn't right. That makes a few things matter more than they do day to day:
- Light fittings and globes. With every light on, dust, dead insects and a blown globe are in the picture.
- Glass and shiny surfaces. Windows, mirrors, shower screens, the splashback and stainless steel show smears and water marks.
- Pale walls and doors. Scuffs around light switches, door edges and hallways read as wear.
At open homes, buyers do what the camera can't: they open things. Expect them to look inside the oven, the pantry, the wardrobes and the shower, and to notice smells you've stopped noticing.
The photographer is there to take photos, not to tidy. One Sydney agency's photo checklist says so plainly, so have the home ready before they arrive.
The pre-listing clean, room by room
For a furnished home, before the photos. Work top to bottom in each room and finish with the floors, so dust that falls is picked up last.
Every step in this view is ticked. Untick ‘Hide steps I’ve ticked’ to see them again.
Before you start
Leave one or two things out in each room. Box the rest; it has to be packed anyway.
The oven, the fridge, the pantry and the kitchen drawers. Buyers open them.
Every light is on for the photos.
Entry and living areas
The first things buyers touch and walk on.
Dust the fan blades and light covers before the lights go on.
Marks collect at hand and foot height.
Test a hidden patch first: scrubbing flat paint can leave a shiny patch that shows more than the mark.
They're open for the photos, so the slats and tracks show.
They sit high on a wall the camera faces.
Kitchen
That's where grease builds up.
Grease on the underside shows when the rangehood light is on.
Buyers open it, and the door glass shows from across the room.
If they're staying through the open homes, they get opened too.
Water marks show in photos, so dry and buff after wiping.
A common source of a kitchen smell.
Bathrooms and laundry
Water marks and scale on the glass show in photos.
Grout that won't come clean is stained or worn. That's regrouting, a trade job, not cleaning.
Leave the seat down for the photos.
Dust on the grille is visible from the doorway.
Mould that keeps coming back can mean damp, so find the cause. Mould removal isn't part of our cleans.
Buyers look in here too.
Bedrooms
Mirrored doors show every smear.
Windows and glass
Vacuum the tracks before you wipe them.
Brush or wash them; a dusty screen dulls the view through the glass.
Upper-storey glass is a job for a window cleaner. Exterior windows aren't part of our cleans.
Floors, last
Vacuuming is part of every clean. Carpet steam cleaning is a separate trade.
Work back towards the door.
Not a contract or legal list: the order we'd use for a furnished home, so nothing gets dirty again once it's done.
Quick wins or deep work: what each job needs
Quick wins are surface jobs you repeat before every open home. Deep work is done once, before the photos. Most of the deep work is on our deep clean's checklist; a few jobs are extras, and some need a specialist.
| Job | When | In our deep clean? |
|---|---|---|
| Benches, vanities, sinks and taps | Quick win: before the photos and every open home | Included. Clearing them first is yours |
| Mirrors and glass surfaces | Quick win | Included |
| Interior window glass | Deep work, before the photos | An optional extra |
| Window sills and tracks | Deep work | Included |
| Inside the oven, the rangehood and its filters | Deep work | Included |
| Inside the fridge, the dishwasher, kitchen cupboards and drawers | Deep work | Included |
| Shower screen scale, tiles and grout | Deep work | Included. Regrouting and sealing aren't part of any clean |
| Skirting boards, door frames and light switches | Deep work | Included |
| Ceiling fans, light fittings and cobwebs | Deep work | Included |
| Marks on walls | Spot marks: quick win. Whole walls: deep work | Light marks included. Washing every wall in a room is an extra, per room |
| Blinds | Deep work | An extra, per blind |
| Inside wardrobes and built-ins | Deep work, if buyers will open them | Not in a deep clean. Included in an end of lease clean |
| Balcony, patio or garage | Deep work | Extras |
| Carpets | Vacuum: quick win. Steam cleaning: a carpet cleaner | Vacuuming included. Carpet steam cleaning isn't offered |
| Mould, exterior windows, gardening and repairs | A specialist or a trade | Not part of our cleans |
From the deep clean checklist and extras on our deep cleaning service page. Extras are priced in booking before you confirm. Sources are listed at the end of this guide. Checked 6 October 2026. General information, not legal advice.
Smells: find the source, then air the house
You stop noticing your own home's smell, so ask someone who doesn't live there. Then remove the source rather than cover it. Bins, the fridge, drains, pet bedding and damp towels are common ones.
- Bins: empty and wash the kitchen and outside bins, and keep them out of sight for photos and open homes.
- Fridge and dishwasher: clear out old food, wipe the door seals and clean the dishwasher filter.
- Drains: pull the hair out of the shower and basin drains.
- Soft things: wash pet bedding, throws, cushion covers, bathmats and towels.
- Pets: RACV's open-home advice is to take pets out, put their bowls, beds and toys away, and clear fur and hair from the rooms.
- Cooking: keep open-home days to plain food, and run the rangehood when you cook.
Open the windows before each open home if the weather allows. A strong scent is a smell too, so if you use one, keep it faint.
A musty smell that comes back after cleaning can mean damp. That needs fixing at the cause, and mould removal isn't part of our cleans.
Outside: clean, don't landscape
Clean what buyers pass on the way in: the front door, the letterbox, paths, the porch light and outdoor furniture. Mowing, pruning and garden beds are gardening, a separate job from cleaning.
- Sweep the paths, steps and porch, and clear leaves and cobwebs from the entry.
- Wipe the front door, its handle, the doorbell and the porch light cover.
- Wipe down outdoor furniture, and put away hoses, toys and tools.
- Put bins out of sight, and move cars, trailers and boats off the driveway for the photos.
- Brush the flyscreens and clean any glass you can reach from the ground.
Check the water rules before you hose hard surfaces. In Sydney, Sydney Water's rules don't allow paths, driveways or paved areas to be cleaned with water except for safety, health, emergency, construction or surface contamination. In Victoria, the Permanent Water Saving Rules allow it only for an accident, a hazard or another emergency, during construction, or for staining once a season. Use high-pressure equipment, a trigger-nozzle hose or a bucket. Washing windows is allowed in both. Elsewhere, check with your local water authority.
On a deep clean, a balcony or patio and the garage can be added as extras. Gardening and exterior windows aren't part of our cleans.
Staying clean through the campaign
Don't deep clean every week. Run a short reset before each open home: benches, bathrooms, bins, beds and the main floors, then blinds open and lights on.
The open-home reset
- Benches and vanities clear and wiped; dishes away.
- Toilets, basins and mirrors wiped; fresh towels out.
- Bins emptied and out of sight.
- Beds made; clothes, shoes and toys put away.
- Entry and living-room floors vacuumed.
- Pets, their bowls and their beds out of the house.
- Windows opened earlier to air the rooms, then blinds open and lights on before buyers arrive.
Small daily habits save the night-before rush: squeegee the shower screen after use, run the rangehood when you cook, and empty the kitchen bin every day.
If the campaign runs for several weeks, a standard clean before the weekend's open homes keeps the kitchen, bathrooms and floors where the deep clean left them.
The clean before settlement: what your contract usually asks
Usually vacant possession: your belongings and rubbish gone, and the home in the condition it was in when the buyer agreed to buy, allowing for fair wear and tear. None of the official guidance we read requires a professional clean. The buyer gets a final inspection, so finish the clean before it.
Two things decide what you owe the buyer at settlement: what your contract says, and the home's condition when the buyer signed. Some contracts add special conditions about cleaning or rubbish, so read yours or ask your conveyancer. This is general information, not legal advice.
- Take everything that isn't sold with the home. Furniture, boxes, garden waste, and whatever is in the garage and the shed. Cleaners don't remove rubbish or left items.
- Leave what is. Check the contract's inclusions. In NSW, fixtures are included unless the contract excludes them. Leave keys, remotes and manuals the way your agent asks.
- Clean the empty home. With the furniture gone, you can reach inside the wardrobes and cupboards, behind where the fridge stood, and the floor under the beds.
- Keep the power and water on until the clean is done. A cleaner needs lights and hot water.
- Time it before the buyer's final inspection. In NSW the standard contract gives the buyer one inspection in the 3 days before completion. In Victoria it's any reasonable time in the week before settlement, and Queensland's government advises buyers to inspect 2 to 3 days before.
For the empty home, our end of lease clean is the package: the checklist we use for an empty rental, booked once your furniture is out. Walk through afterwards. If something on the list was missed, tell us within 48 hours and we come back to re-clean it under our terms.
What the contract or official guidance says, by state
NSW and South Australia: vacant possession. Victoria: the same condition as when it sold. Queensland: vacant and clean. WA: vehicles, rubbish and chattels removed. We couldn't verify an ACT position, so ask your conveyancer there.
| State | What the seller hands over | The buyer's final inspection | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | Vacant possession on completion, normally | One inspection in the 3 days before completion | Standard contract for the sale and purchase of land, 2026 edition, cl 17.1 and 12.3 |
| Victoria | The property in the same condition as when it was sold | Any reasonable time in the week before settlement | Consumer Affairs Victoria |
| Queensland | The home vacant and clean | Government advice to buyers: 2 to 3 days before settlement | Queensland Government |
| Western Australia | All vehicles, rubbish and chattels removed, other than those sold. No professional clean unless the contract says so | Not covered in the guidance we read | General Conditions cl 6.1(b)(2), as explained by REIWA |
| South Australia | Vacant possession, usually | Not covered in the guidance we read | Legal Services Commission of South Australia |
| ACT | Not verified. Ask your conveyancer | Not verified | No official guidance found |
Contracts vary, and special conditions can change any of these. Your conveyancer or solicitor can tell you what yours says. Sources are listed at the end of this guide. Checked 6 October 2026. General information, not legal advice.
When people book a move clean
About a week ahead, most often for a Saturday or a Monday. One in six started in the afternoon, once the furniture had gone.
Simply Maid booking history · not today’s price
- 7 days
- median time between booking and the clean (middle half: 3 to 14 days)
- 53.5%
- booked within a week of the clean; 8.7% the same or next day
- Sat and Mon
- the busiest days, about 19% of move cleans each
- 1 in 6
- started at 3 pm or later (17.0%), against 11.8% of other one-off cleans
1,716 completed move cleans (moving in and moving out together) on our previous booking platform, December 2015 to March 2025, for 1,604 customers; 82% of them in Sydney. Computed 5 October 2026.
How this differs from an end-of-lease clean
The work overlaps, but the judge doesn't. An end-of-lease clean is checked by an agent against your entry condition report, with your bond at stake. A pre-sale clean is judged by buyers and the camera, and the settlement clean by your contract and the buyer's final inspection.
Our end of lease clean covers the inside of the oven, cupboards, drawers, wardrobes and dishwasher, interior window glass, tracks and frames, walls wiped for marks, grout scrubbed and bathrooms descaled. It doesn't include carpet steam cleaning, exterior windows, rubbish removal, mould removal or repairs. If you're renting rather than selling, the final inspection guide covers what the agent checks.
| What differs | Before the photos | Before settlement | End of lease (renting) |
|---|---|---|---|
| The home | Furnished and lived in | Empty | Empty |
| Who looks | Buyers, and the camera | The buyer, at the final inspection | The agent or landlord, at the final inspection |
| Measured against | First impressions, in photos and in person | Your contract, and the condition when the buyer signed | The entry condition report, fair wear and tear excepted |
| What matters most | Light, glass, smells, the kitchen and bathrooms | Belongings and rubbish gone; nothing worse than when it sold | Every room against the entry report |
| Our clean | Deep clean | End of lease clean, booked for your empty home | End of lease clean |
Sources are listed at the end of this guide. Checked 6 October 2026. General information, not legal advice.
What will the cleans cost?
A deep clean starts from $329 and an end of lease clean from $423, priced by bedrooms and bathrooms. The price guides show every home size and what's included.
See deep cleaning costs for the clean before the photos, and end of lease cleaning costs for the clean before settlement.
Questions people ask
Should I clean my house before selling?
Yes. Buyers see the listing photos before they decide to visit, and the camera shows dust, smeared glass and wall marks you stop noticing day to day. A deep clean before the photos, then a short reset before each open home, covers most of it.
Do I have to clean the house before settlement?
Your contract decides. Standard contracts and official guidance usually ask for vacant possession, with your belongings and rubbish removed and the home in the condition the buyer bought it. Queensland's government guidance tells sellers to leave the home vacant and clean. None of the official guidance we read requires a professional clean. Ask your conveyancer what yours says.
When should I clean before the listing photos?
In the few days before the photographer comes, after you've decluttered and finished any small repairs. Leave time to walk through and fix what you notice, because the photographer shoots the home as they find it.
Is a deep clean or an end-of-lease clean better before selling?
A deep clean while you're still living there: it works around the furniture and goes inside the oven, fridge and kitchen cupboards. Once you've moved out, the end of lease clean suits the empty home, because it adds inside wardrobes, interior window glass and walls wiped for marks.
Do I need to steam clean the carpets before selling?
None of the official guidance we read requires it, unless your contract says so. Stained carpet does show in photos. We don't offer carpet steam cleaning; vacuuming is part of every clean, so book a carpet cleaner separately if you want one.
How do I get rid of smells before an open home?
Find the source and remove it: bins, the fridge, drains, pet bedding and damp towels are common ones. Air the house before buyers arrive, and if you use a scent, keep it faint. A musty smell that keeps returning can mean damp, which needs fixing at the cause.
Can the cleaners take rubbish away before settlement?
Not ours. Our cleans don't include rubbish removal or moving furniture, so arrange a removalist, a skip or a council collection first, then book the clean for the empty home.
When you're ready
Book the clean before the photographer comes
See the price of a deep clean for your home in about a minute. Nothing is booked or paid at this step.
Moved out and heading for settlement? See the end of lease clean
Sources
The laws, regulators and services this guide relies on, with the date we read each one.
- Contract for the sale and purchase of land, 2026 edition (sample), The Law Society of New South Wales and the Real Estate Institute of New South Wales. Read 6 October 2026. Vacant possession on completion (cl 17.1); one buyer's inspection in the 3 days before completion (cl 12.3); fair wear and tear before completion (cl 10.1.4).
- Selling a home: before you sell, The Law Society of New South Wales. Read 6 October 2026. A home is sold in the state it's found unless the contract says otherwise; fixtures are included unless excluded.
- Before property settlement, Consumer Affairs Victoria (2022-09-09). Read 6 October 2026. Same condition as when sold; the buyer may inspect in the week before settlement.
- Settlement day when selling your home, Queensland Government (2020-11-03). Read 6 October 2026. Leave the home vacant and clean; the buyer inspects shortly before settlement.
- Inspections, Queensland Government (2024-08-22). Read 6 October 2026. Buyers are advised to inspect 2 to 3 days before settlement.
- What condition should the property be in at settlement, REIWA. Read 6 October 2026. General Conditions cl 6.1(b)(2): vehicles, rubbish and chattels removed; no professional clean unless the contract says so.
- Possession, Legal Services Commission of South Australia (Law Handbook). Read 6 October 2026. Vacant possession is usually given at settlement.
- Water Wise Guidelines, Sydney Water. Read 6 October 2026. Hard surfaces may not be cleaned with water except for safety, health, emergency, construction or surface contamination; windows may be washed.
- Permanent Water Saving Rules, Yarra Valley Water. Read 6 October 2026. Victoria's rule on cleaning hard surfaces, its exceptions and the allowed equipment.
- Preparing your home to maximise photo potential, LJ Hooker (2018-11-01). Read 6 October 2026. An agency's photo preparation list (updated 10 January 2025).
- Property photography preparation checklist, Property Providers (2018-06-28). Read 6 October 2026. A Sydney agency's photo checklist: the photographer doesn't tidy; cars off the driveway.
- Open house inspection tips: buyer and seller guide, RACV (2025-10-09). Read 6 October 2026. Seller tips for open homes: light, odours and pets.
- Open home checklist, Ray White Aspley. Read 6 October 2026. An agency's open-home checklist.
- Moving out of a rental home, NSW Fair Trading. Read 6 October 2026. The renter's end-of-lease standard, for the comparison.
- Deep cleaning, Simply Maid. Read 6 October 2026. What a deep clean includes, its extras and exclusions.
- End of lease cleaning, Simply Maid. Read 6 October 2026. What an end of lease clean includes and excludes.
- Terms of service, Simply Maid. Read 6 October 2026. Re-clean terms: report within 48 hours.
General information, not legal advice. Tenancy law differs by state and changes; check the official source for your state before you act.