The move-out cleaning checklist Cincinnati landlords actually check

Do this before you clean anything

1. Move out completely first. Cleaning around boxes guarantees a second pass. Empty, then clean.
2. Find your move-in condition report and photos. Damage that was documented on the way in cannot be charged to you on the way out. This document is worth more than a day of scrubbing.
3. Read the cleaning clause in your lease. Some Cincinnati leases specify carpet cleaning by a professional with a receipt. If yours does, no amount of vacuuming substitutes for the receipt.
4. Photograph everything once it is empty and clean. Timestamped, every room, including inside the oven and fridge. This is your evidence if a deduction is disputed later.

Kitchen — where most of the money is lost

• Inside the oven, including the racks and the door glassThe single most common deduction there is. Oven racks are best left to soak while you do everything else. Between the panes of the door glass counts, and inspectors do look.
• Inside and behind the fridgeEmpty, shelves and drawers out and washed, seals wiped, and the floor and wall behind it cleaned. Defrost the freezer with enough time to spare — this takes hours, not minutes.
• Inside every cabinet and drawerCrumbs, liner paper, the sticky ring where a bottle sat. Cabinet doors get fingerprints along the top edge and grease on the ones nearest the stove.
• Range hood and filterThe metal mesh filter lifts out and goes in hot soapy water. Almost nobody does this and it is very visible when it has not been done.
• Stovetop, including under the burners and the drip traysLift everything that lifts.
• Dishwasher filter and door sealThe filter unscrews from the bottom of the machine. The rubber seal collects black mold at the bottom corners.
• Sink, drain and faucetsHard-water buildup on the faucet base is normal in Cincinnati water and comes off with a lime remover and patience rather than force.

Bathrooms

• Grout and siliconeDiscolored grout is the second most common deduction. Mold in the silicone bead at the base of the tub or shower often will not clean and needs replacing — that is cheap, and much cheaper than the deduction.
• Shower glass and screenHard-water film needs a lime remover, not a general spray. This is the difference between a bathroom that looks cleaned and one that looks new.
• Toilet, including behind and the base of the pedestalThe bolts and the floor at the back of the toilet are checked because they are where nobody cleans.
• Exhaust fan coverIt clips off. The dust behind it is gray and thick and takes a minute to deal with.
• Mirror, cabinet interior and light fixturesToothpaste flecks on a mirror are the first thing anybody sees.

Every room

• Walls and light switchesScuffs at hand height near switches and door handles. A magic-eraser style pad handles most, but test it — it takes the sheen off some paint finishes, which turns a small mark into a bigger one.
• Baseboards, door frames and doorsDamp cloth along every baseboard. It is tedious and it is the thing that makes a home read as properly cleaned.
• Window interiors, sills and tracksThe track is where dead insects and grit collect. A vacuum crevice tool then a damp cloth.
• Ceiling fans and light fixturesDust on fan blades, and dead insects in the bowls of ceiling lights.
• Closets, inside and the shelf aboveEmpty means empty, including the hanging rail.
• Floors, edges includedVacuum the carpet edges with the crevice tool rather than the head. Hard floors get vacuumed and then mopped.
• Air vents and returnsGrilles come off with a screwdriver, and behind them is worse than you expect.
• BlindsSlat by slat, top to bottom. Slow, visible, frequently deducted for.

The five places deposits actually go

If you are short on time, spend it here first. In rough order of how often it is charged for:

1. The oven. Every time.
2. Bathroom grout and silicone.
3. Carpet stains and pet odor. Odor especially — it is judged in the first three seconds of a walkthrough and it does not go away by itself.
4. Trash left behind. Including anything left in a garage, a basement, a shed or on a balcony. A single bag left in a garage has cost people a surprising amount.
5. Nail holes and wall marks. Filling and touching up is normally allowed and normally expected. Painting a whole wall a slightly different white is worse than leaving the holes.

If a deduction is unfair

Ohio law does not allow a landlord to charge you for ordinary wear and tear — carpet that has simply aged, paint that has faded, small scuffs from normal living. Damage is different from wear.

If you receive a deduction you believe is wrong, ask in writing for the itemized list required by ORC 5321.16 and compare it against your move-in report and your move-out photos. Most disputes end there, because most deductions are made on the assumption that nobody kept evidence.