Short answer
Read your lease's move-out section first, then clean room by room with extra time on the oven, fridge, cabinets, bathrooms, floors, baseboards and window tracks. Take dated photos when you're done, return every key, and give your landlord a written forwarding address. Under Texas Property Code 92.107, the 30-day refund clock doesn't have to start until they have it.
Moving out is stressful enough without losing part of your deposit over a greasy oven. In our experience, cleaning deductions usually come down to a short list of spots that get rushed on the last day. This checklist covers those spots first, then the rest of the place, then the Texas steps that matter once the keys are handed back.
This isn't legal advice. Your lease and the Texas Property Code control what a landlord can charge. Our Texas security deposit guide walks through the law section by section.
Before you start cleaning
Read the move-out part of your lease. Look for a move-out or cleaning section and any addendum. Some leases list specific cleaning duties. Some require proof of professional carpet cleaning. If yours does, vacuuming won't satisfy it, so schedule it early and keep the receipt.
Find your move-in photos or inspection form. You're aiming to match the condition you moved into, minus normal wear and tear. Texas Property Code 92.001 defines normal wear and tear as deterioration from intended use, not from negligence, carelessness, accident or abuse.
Give notice the way the lease says. Under Property Code 92.103(b), a lease rule that makes advance notice a condition of getting your deposit back only counts if it's underlined or in conspicuous bold print. Check yours and follow it.
Don't skip the last month's rent. Property Code 92.108 says a tenant can't withhold the last month's rent on the idea that the deposit covers it. Doing that is presumed bad faith and can cost three times the rent withheld plus attorney's fees.
Move out first, then clean. It's much faster to clean an empty unit than to clean around boxes.
The spots that cost deposits
- Inside the oven. Racks, door glass, the floor of the oven and the drawer underneath. Our baking soda paste guide helps.
- Range hood and filter. Grease builds up here in every kitchen.
- Fridge and freezer. Empty, defrost if needed, wash shelves and drawers, wipe the door seals. Leave the door the way the lease or the manager says.
- Cabinets and drawers. Empty and wipe inside, plus the fronts and handles.
- Shower glass and tub. Soap scum and hard water haze make a bathroom look dirty even when it isn't. See our hard water spot remover.
- Toilet base and behind the toilet. Easy to miss, always checked.
- Floors in corners and closets. Vacuum edges and closet floors before mopping.
- Baseboards and window tracks. Dust collects in both.
Room-by-room checklist
Kitchen
- Clean inside the oven, the racks and the drawer under it
- Degrease the stovetop, knobs, drip pans and range hood filter
- Wipe the microwave inside and out
- Empty and clean the fridge and freezer, including seals
- Wipe inside and outside all cabinets and drawers
- Clean the dishwasher door, edges and filter if it has one
- Clean the sink, faucet and the disposal's rubber splash guard
- Wipe the backsplash and counters
- Sweep the toe kicks, then mop
Bathrooms
- Remove hard water and soap scum from glass, tile, tub and fixtures
- Scrub grout along the tub and shower floor
- Clean the toilet top to bottom, including the base and bolt caps
- Empty and wipe the medicine cabinet, drawers and vanity
- Clean mirrors and light fixtures
- Dust the exhaust fan cover
- Mop, getting behind the toilet and into corners
Bedrooms and living areas
- Dust ceiling fans, light fixtures and the tops of door frames
- Wipe baseboards, doors, light switches and outlet covers
- Dust blinds and wipe window sills
- Vacuum window tracks and sliding door tracks
- Vacuum closets and wipe closet shelves
- Vacuum carpets slowly, edges first, or clean hard floors
Laundry area
- Pull out the lint filter and clean it. The U.S. Fire Administration also says to clean behind the dryer, where lint builds up
- Wipe the washer and dryer tops and the inside of the washer door seal
- Sweep and mop the floor
Patio, balcony, garage and storage
Many leases cover these too. Sweep, wipe railings, remove cobwebs, and take everything with you. Anything left behind can mean a haul-off charge.
Careful with walls and baseboards
Scuff marks can usually be wiped with a barely damp cloth and a little dish soap. Test a hidden spot first, because scrubbing flat paint can leave a shiny patch that looks worse than the scuff.
Go easy on water near baseboards. The IICRC warns that many newer homes have MDF baseboards, which are pressed fiberboard, and that water can make unsealed MDF swell in a way that can't be fixed.
Nail holes and paint touch-ups are a lease question, not a cleaning one. Some leases allow small nail holes. Others want them filled. Check before you patch, since a mismatched touch-up can cause a bigger charge than the hole.
When you're done
- Take photos or video. Every room, the inside of the oven and fridge, the bathrooms, closets and outdoor spaces. Make sure the date is recorded.
- Return every key, fob, garage remote and parking tag the way the lease says.
- Give a written forwarding address. Property Code 92.107 says the landlord doesn't have to refund or send an itemized list until you give one in writing. Keep a copy or a screenshot of the email.
- Ask for a walkthrough if the property offers one. Go if you can.
The Texas Attorney General's renter guide sums it up. Give a written forwarding address, and you should get your deposit back within 30 days after you move out, minus any itemized charges for damages. Under Property Code 92.104, the landlord can't keep money for normal wear and tear.
What cleaning can't fix
A good clean takes care of cleaning charges. It can't fix damage. Holes in walls, broken blinds, burns in the carpet or pet urine that soaked into the pad are separate issues, and those can still be charged if they go beyond normal wear and tear. The Attorney General's example is a good one. Carpet worn from normal walking is wear and tear. Carpet mildewed from a leaking waterbed is damage.
Common questions
How clean does an apartment have to be when you move out in Texas?
It depends on your lease. Texas law lets a landlord deduct charges you're legally responsible for under the lease, but not normal wear and tear (Property Code 92.104). Read the move-out and cleaning sections of your lease, and aim to leave the place as clean as it was when you moved in.
Can a landlord charge for cleaning after move-out in Texas?
If the lease makes you responsible for cleaning and the unit is left dirty, a landlord can deduct reasonable charges. They can't deduct for normal wear and tear, and they must send an itemized list of any deductions (Property Code 92.104).
What do landlords check first at move-out?
In our experience, the kitchen and bathrooms. Inside the oven and fridge, grease on the stove and hood, soap scum and hard water on shower glass, the toilet base and floors in corners and closets get looked at closely.
Should I take pictures after cleaning?
Yes. Take dated photos or a slow video of every room, the inside of the oven and fridge, the bathrooms and any patio or garage. If there's a dispute later, Texas law puts the burden on the landlord to prove a deduction was reasonable (Property Code 92.109), and your photos help.
Rather have someone else do it?
V&V cleans homes across Dallas-Fort Worth. Free estimates, insured, se habla español.
Sources
- Texas Property Code Chapter 92, Residential Tenancies (Secs. 92.001, 92.103, 92.104, 92.107, 92.108, 92.109) (accessed Oct 8, 2026)
- Renter's Rights (Office of the Texas Attorney General) (accessed Oct 8, 2026)
- Room by Room Cleaning Guide (American Cleaning Institute) (accessed Oct 8, 2026)
- Consumer Floor and Furnishings Care Information, tile, stone and grout (IICRC tip sheet) (accessed Oct 8, 2026)
- Clothes Dryer Fire Safety flyer (U.S. Fire Administration) (accessed Oct 8, 2026)