For new Nashville residents: who your water comes from, how curbside trash and recycling are set up through Metro, where to take bulky items and what to clean before the first box comes off the truck.
Moving into a new home in Nashville means sorting out a handful of local services at the same time as unpacking. Water, trash and recycling work differently depending on where the address sits, and the suburbs each have their own systems.
This guide covers the local basics, then the cleaning that is worth doing in an empty home before furniture and boxes make it impossible.
Inside Davidson County, water comes from Metro Water Services, which delivers about 109 million gallons a day to the county and to parts of Rutherford and Williamson Counties. Metro draws from the Cumberland River and treats it at two plants, K.R. Harrington and Omohundro.
Metro's 2025 water quality report shows calcium hardness averaging about 75 milligrams per liter, which the U.S. Geological Survey classifies as moderately hard, and total dissolved solids averaging about 146 milligrams per liter, well under the 500 milligram secondary standard.
Suburbs vary. The City of Brentwood buys its water from Harpeth Valley Utility District and Metro Water Services, though some eastern and western Brentwood addresses are served by other utilities. Murfreesboro Water Resources draws from the East Fork of the Stones River and J. Percy Priest Lake. Check your closing papers or lease to see which utility serves the address.
For single family homes in the Urban Services District, Metro Nashville collects curbside trash weekly and recycling every other week. New residents sign up through hubNashville. Apartment and condo buildings usually handle trash through the building, so ask management.
Moving creates a lot of cardboard and a few items that will not fit in any cart. Metro asks residents to take bulky items to a Convenience Center, which accepts one bulk furniture item at no charge and up to four mattresses or box springs a month. Plan that trip in the first week, because cleaners do not haul furniture, boxes or large items.
An empty home is the easiest it will ever be to clean properly. A Moving Clean covers everything in a One-Time Deep Clean plus the inside of the oven, refrigerator and cabinets, so shelves and drawers are ready before dishes and linens go in.
Nashville-Davidson's housing spans a wide range of ages. About 41 percent of homes were built before 1980 and about 18 percent before 1960, while about 21 percent date from 2010 or later. In an older home, a first clean focuses on decades of buildup on trim, inside cabinets and around old fixtures, using gentle products on original finishes. In a newer home, it focuses on construction dust that keeps drifting from vents and settling on ledges.
About 48 percent of homes in the county are rented. If you are moving into a rental, photograph every room before you clean or unpack. Tennessee law sets out a move-out inspection process, and a clear record of the condition when you moved in is useful later. The move-out cleaning guide explains the rules.
Newcomers are often surprised by the pollen. Tree pollen can start in February and the regional allergy season runs until the first hard frost. Summer is humid, with July dew points near 68 degrees. The seasonal cleaning calendar lays out what to expect month by month.
The questions Nashville homeowners ask most often about this topic, answered plainly.
TotalCare Cleaning will service Nashville and surrounding areas with background-checked cleaners and is insured up to $1 million. Re-clean guarantee: if we missed something, tell us by the end of the next day and we come back to fix it. Beyond Clean. TotalCare.
