Move-Out Cleaning in Philadelphia (2026): What Renters Actually Pay

Across 30 Pennsylvania move-in and move-out cleans we completed between February and October 2026, the median job total was $522, add-ons included. 12 of them were in the city of Philadelphia; the rest were in the suburbs and the Lancaster area, from apartments and rowhomes to four- and five-bedroom houses. This guide shows what Pennsylvania customers actually paid by home size, the extras that change the price, what Philadelphia landlords look at, and how to keep the bill down.

What move-out cleaning costs in Philadelphia and the suburbs

Our move-out cleaning starts at $190 for a small apartment. Real totals depend on bedrooms and bathrooms, the condition of the home and the extras you add. These are the totals our Pennsylvania customers paid, by home size:

Pennsylvania move-in and move-out cleaning, completed jobs, February–October 2026, add-ons included

Home size	Median paid	Range paid	Jobs
1 bedroom	$430	$284–$467	3
2 bedrooms	$412	$376–$478	5
3 bedrooms	$553	$368–$675	8
4 bedrooms	$807	$546–$889	5
5+ bedrooms	$882	$504–$1,094	5

Two things stand out. First, the ranges overlap: a 1-bedroom median of $430 is not far from a 2-bedroom median of $412, because condition and extras matter as much as size. A one-bedroom with a greasy oven, a full fridge and pet hair in every corner takes longer than a tidy two-bedroom. Second, the jump comes at three and four bedrooms ($553 and $807), where extra bathrooms, stairs and a basement add hours. Your own price is always confirmed in writing before you book.

The extras Pennsylvania movers add most

Out of 30 Pennsylvania move jobs, 19 added appliances cleaned inside and out and 14 added walls and ceilings wiped. 5 added pet hair removal, 5 added deep carpet cleaning and 3 added exterior windows. Those are also the things a landlord sees first at the walk-through, so they are worth including from the start rather than paying for a return visit.

• Inside the oven and fridge: the single most common deduction on a move-out list
• Walls and ceilings: scuffs along stairwells and hallways, cooking film in kitchens
• Pet hair: it collects on stair treads, radiators and along baseboards
• Carpet: stair runners and bedroom carpets, best done while rooms are empty

What Philadelphia landlords check

Much of the city’s rental stock is rowhomes and twins built long before modern kitchens, plus converted apartments in older buildings and newer complexes along the river and in the suburbs. Older homes have their own trouble spots, and a good move-out clean covers them:

• Radiators and baseboard heaters, where dust bakes on all winter
• Steep stairs: treads, risers, railings and the wall alongside
• Window sills and sash tracks, which collect city grit
• The basement laundry area: washer and dryer tops, utility sink, the floor around them
• Kitchens: inside the oven, fridge, cabinets and drawers, range hood degreased
• Bathrooms: tub and tile descaled, grout, fixtures and the toilet base
• Floors swept and mopped, front steps and vestibule swept

Pennsylvania law gives the landlord 30 days to return the deposit with a written list of damages, and ordinary wear and tear cannot be charged. Cleaning that returns the home to how you received it is a different matter, so photograph every room on both days. Read our Philadelphia deposit guide for the details, and see the full move-out cleaning checklist.

Apartment, rowhome or house: how the type changes the job

Bedroom count is the starting point for a price, but the kind of home changes how long the work takes. Three patterns come up again and again in our Pennsylvania jobs:

• Apartments and condos are usually quickest per bedroom: one level, newer kitchens, no basement. The time goes on the kitchen and bathroom, and on balconies or patios if you have them.
• Rowhomes and twins stack the same space over three floors. Stairs, radiators, older sash windows and a basement laundry add time that a flat apartment doesn’t have, even when the bedroom count is the same.
• Detached houses in the suburbs and Lancaster County add more bathrooms, a finished basement, a mudroom or a garage, and often more glass. That is why four- and five-bedroom totals sit well above the rest of the table.

When you ask for a quote, mention the number of floors, whether there is a basement to clean, and anything unusual such as a second kitchen or an in-law suite. It is the quickest way to get a price that won’t change on the day.

What a move-out clean includes, and what it doesn’t

A move-out clean is a top-to-bottom clean of an empty home: every room dusted and wiped from ceiling corners to baseboards, kitchens and bathrooms cleaned thoroughly, inside cabinets, closets and drawers, and floors vacuumed and mopped. Inside appliances, walls, carpets and exterior windows are add-ons, priced up front.

It isn’t painting, patching nail holes, repairs or hauling furniture and trash. If the home still has a lot of belongings in it, or needs clearing before it can be cleaned, that is a heavy-duty clean-up instead, and we will tell you which one fits before anything is booked.

Lancaster, Reading and York

Outside Philadelphia, more of our move cleans are houses rather than apartments: twins and colonials in Lancaster and York, stone farmhouses in the county, and newer homes around Lititz, Ephrata and Elizabethtown. Larger homes with finished basements sit at the top of the price table. In limestone country the water is hard, so ask for showers, glass doors and faucets to be descaled; white scale is one of the first things a landlord or buyer notices.

When to book

22 of our 30 Pennsylvania move cleans fell between April and July, around spring and summer lease ends. Book one to two weeks ahead in that window, and schedule the clean after the movers leave and before the walk-through. In winter, leave a little slack: snow and ice can move arrival times, and salt tracked in by movers is easier to clean once the last box is out.

Is a move-in clean worth it too?

If you are moving within the region, many people book both: a move-out clean at the old place and a move-in clean at the new one before the boxes arrive. A move-in clean uses the same checklist, focused on sanitizing kitchens and bathrooms and wiping the inside of every cabinet, closet and drawer while they are empty. Take dated photos of the new home before the clean, so you have a record of the condition you were handed for your own move-out one day.

How to keep the price down

• Empty the home completely before the cleaners arrive, including the basement and closets
• Defrost and empty the fridge the day before
• Send photos with the quote request so the price is confirmed first
• Combine move-out and carpet cleaning in one visit while rooms are empty
• Point out problem areas in advance: heavy grease, pet hair, hard-water scale or a damp basement
• Tell us about parking: on narrow Philadelphia streets a reserved spot saves time

What to do next

Tell us the size of the home and your move date and we will confirm a price before anything is booked: get a free quote, or see the Pennsylvania areas we cover for move-out cleaning, including Philadelphia, West Chester, King of Prussia and Lancaster.