Move-out and move-in cleaning · Portland, ME
Greater Portland
More than half of Portland's homes are rented. Here is how Maine's deposit deadlines work, what to do in an older building, and how a Moving Clean fits into leaving a lease.
What's Covered
The One-Time Moving Clean covers every surface and area that appears on a typical landlord move-out inspection report, not just the surfaces that are easy to clean. Interior appliances, cabinet interiors, baseboards, window sills, and grout are the most common sources of security deposit deductions. All are standard checklist items.
TotalCare Cleaning will work with buyers, sellers, landlords, property managers, and real estate agents in Portland. Coordination with tenants or management can be arranged directly. We will work around closing dates and move-out deadlines.
Pricing starts at $391 for 1 bedroom through $817 for 5 bedrooms. All priced by the home, all supplies included.
🏠 Throughout the Home
🍽️ Kitchen
🚿 Bathrooms
Trust & Safety
Every TotalCare Cleaning professional will be background-checked and screened before their first job in Portland.
✓ Background-checkedEvery TotalCare Cleaning house cleaning in Portland will be covered by $1,000,000 in general liability insurance. From hardwood floors to granite countertops and custom cabinetry, if anything is damaged during the clean, you are fully protected.
✓ Fully InsuredTotalCare Cleaning does not retain, copy, or transport house keys. Entry and access instructions are handled securely through our booking system. You control access to your Portland property at every step.
✓ Keys Stay HomeIf an area on your checklist was missed, report it in your customer portal or by email by the end of the day after your clean, with a photo, and a professional returns to re-clean that area at no charge. No forms, no friction, no arguments.
✓ Re-Clean GuaranteeWe will follow the same standard operating procedure on every single job in Portland. The TotalCare Cleaning standard is not a marketing claim. It is a documented, auditable procedure that governs every hour of work in your home.
Move-out and move-in cleaning Pricing
Priced by the home, not by the hour. Prices start at the amounts shown, from the current Portland rate card, with supplies included.
| Home Size | What's Covered | One-Time Moving Clean (Move-Out) Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Bed / 1 Bathabout 800 sq ft | The full TotalCare Cleaning standard, appliances, cabinet interiors | starting at$391supplies included | Join → |
| 2 Bed / 2 Bathabout 1,600 sq ft | The full TotalCare Cleaning standard, appliances, cabinet interiors | starting at$493supplies included | Join → |
| 3 Bed / 2 Bathabout 2,000 sq ft | The full TotalCare Cleaning standard, appliances, cabinet interiors | starting at$538supplies included | Join → |
| 4 Bed / 3 Bathabout 2,800 sq ft | The full TotalCare Cleaning standard, appliances, cabinet interiors | starting at$640supplies included | Join → |
| 5 Bed / 4 Bathabout 4,500 sq ft | The full TotalCare Cleaning standard, appliances, cabinet interiors | starting at$817supplies included | Join → |
Priced by the home, never by the hour. Prices start at the amounts shown; your exact price is set by your home. Home sizes assume the square footage shown, and a larger home, extra half baths or add-ons change the price.
Join the Opening List →About 53 percent of occupied homes in the city of Portland are rented, along with about 42 percent in South Portland. With so many apartments in older buildings, a move-out here usually means narrow stairs, a tight parking spot and a landlord who knows the building well. Here is how to handle it.
Maine law requires a landlord to return a security deposit, or give a written itemized statement of what is kept, within the lease's stated time of no more than 30 days. For a tenancy at will, the deadline is 21 days.
That makes it worth knowing which arrangement you have. If you have a written lease, read what it says about the return date. If you are month to month with no written term, you may be a tenant at will, so the shorter window can apply. Give your landlord a written forwarding address and keep a copy, so that a refund or statement can reach you.
If there is a dispute with a business, the Maine Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division runs a Consumer Information and Mediation Service that uses trained volunteers to mediate consumer complaints.
A One-Time Moving Clean includes everything in a deep clean, such as hand washed baseboards, wet-wiped blinds, window tracks, ceiling fans and vents wiped in place, degreased cabinet fronts, treated shower glass, detailed faucets and soaked stovetop grates. It then adds the inside of the oven, refrigerator and cabinets.
Prices run $391.00 to $817.00 across five home sizes, starting at $391.00. The same clean suits someone moving in, particularly in an apartment that has just changed hands. See the cost page for the rest of the table.
With about 46 percent of city units built in 1939 or earlier, your landlord's list may involve features you would not see in a new building: old radiators, painted-over windows, worn floors. Take clear dated photos of every room, inside the oven and refrigerator, and anything that was already worn when you arrived. Normal age in a building like that is different from a mess you left.
Old paint needs care. Maine DEP says that most lead poisonings in Maine come from dust from old lead paint, especially in buildings built before 1950. Do not scrape or sand anything to tidy up before you leave, and report flaking paint in writing.
In a triple-decker or similar building, about 27 percent of units in the city being in structures of two to four, you may share stairs and entries with neighbors. Let them know your moving day, and sweep the stairs after the last load.
If your lease ends in the cold months, plan on snow. The Jetport averages 18.6 inches in January, and about 74 days a year have at least an inch on the ground. South Portland bans unattended overnight parking on city streets from midnight to 6 am every night from December 1 to April 1, and Falmouth prohibits parking on town roads from midnight to 6 am between November 15 and April 15.
Keep a moving truck within those rules, and schedule the clean for after the last box leaves. A team of movers in wet boots will undo a freshly mopped floor. Cleaners do not haul furniture, so empty the place first and leave them room to work.
Disposal rules vary around the bay. Cape Elizabeth has no town curbside trash pickup; residents use the Recycling Center off Spurwink Avenue with a permit or hire a private hauler. Falmouth runs a pay as you throw curbside program that requires town carts and official yellow Town of Falmouth trash bags, set out by 7 am. Check your own town's rules ahead of time, since a truckload of leftover items is hard to manage on the last day.
Frequently Asked Questions
TotalCare Cleaning will service Portland 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.
