Move-out and move-in cleaning · Wilmington, NC
Wilmington area
The Moving Clean for Wilmington rentals and sales, explained alongside North Carolina's 30 day deposit rule, the city's three truck bulky pickup and the county's Hazwagon.
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 Wilmington. Coordination with tenants or management can be arranged directly. We will work around closing dates and move-out deadlines.
Pricing starts at $350 for 1 bedroom through $727 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 Wilmington.
✓ Background-checkedEvery TotalCare Cleaning house cleaning in Wilmington 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 Wilmington 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 Wilmington. 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 Wilmington 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$350supplies included | Join → |
| 2 Bed / 2 Bathabout 1,600 sq ft | The full TotalCare Cleaning standard, appliances, cabinet interiors | starting at$440supplies included | Join → |
| 3 Bed / 2 Bathabout 2,000 sq ft | The full TotalCare Cleaning standard, appliances, cabinet interiors | starting at$480supplies included | Join → |
| 4 Bed / 3 Bathabout 2,800 sq ft | The full TotalCare Cleaning standard, appliances, cabinet interiors | starting at$570supplies included | Join → |
| 5 Bed / 4 Bathabout 4,500 sq ft | The full TotalCare Cleaning standard, appliances, cabinet interiors | starting at$727supplies 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 →More than half of occupied homes in Wilmington are rented, and UNCW alone has nearly 19,000 students, so a lot of people here hand back keys on a regular basis. Getting a deposit back starts with knowing the rule.
This guide covers what North Carolina law says, how to clear a home using local services, and what a One-Time Moving Clean from TotalCare Cleaning will include.
North Carolina law requires a landlord to return a security deposit, with a written itemized list of any damage, within 30 days after the tenancy ends and possession is returned. It also bars deductions for normal wear and tear. That makes the date you hand back keys important, so write it down and leave a forwarding address.
The state also caps deposits: two weeks' rent for week to week tenancies, one and one-half months' rent for month to month and two months' rent for longer terms. On your way out, take dated photos of each room and keep them with your cleaning record. A clean home at the walkthrough removes one easy disagreement. This is general information rather than legal advice, so read your lease and seek help for a specific dispute.
About 52 percent of occupied homes in Wilmington are rented, compared with about 39 percent across New Hanover County. The city's median age is 37.1, and UNC Wilmington's student population adds to the moves around the school year. About 15 percent of units in the city are in buildings of 20 or more apartments, so many tenants deal with elevators, management checklists and dumpster rules.
If you are in a big complex, ask the manager for any move-out list well ahead of time. If you are in an older rental, remember that about 38 percent of the city's homes date from before 1980. Worn finishes may simply be normal for their age, and dated photos help you separate that from anything recent.
A Moving Clean is built for an empty home. Cleaners bag ordinary household trash but do not haul furniture, debris or construction waste, so plan that part first.
City of Wilmington Solid Waste Services picks up bulky items by appointment at no additional charge, if you schedule by 4:30 p.m. the business day before trash day. Sort it properly, because the city asks residents to set bulky items, metal, electronics and yard waste in separate piles at the curb, since three different trucks collect them. New Hanover County runs a no cost mobile unit called the Hazwagon for hazardous waste and electronics, which suits old paint and chemicals.
Other towns have their own systems. Carolina Beach contracts with GFL Environmental for trash and recycling through the monthly utility bill. Pender County residents take household trash and recycling to convenience centers with a county decal on the windshield, and they can bring household items under 200 pounds to the Hampstead transfer station scale house.
The One-Time Moving Clean includes everything in a One-Time Deep Clean, such as hand washed baseboards, wet-wiped blinds, cleared window tracks and detailed faucets. It then adds the inside of the oven, the inside of the refrigerator and the inside of kitchen and bathroom cabinets and drawers. Walls get spot cleaned and interior doors get wiped.
In this climate, keep the air conditioning running until after the clean if your lease allows it. A closed, hot home can start to smell musty quickly in the wet months of August and September, and grout and closet corners can show it. If you find mold or water damage, report it to the landlord in writing, because it needs a specialist rather than a cleaner.
The same service suits a buyer or a tenant coming into an empty home. Across the river, about 88 percent of Leland's homes date from 2000 or later, and the town keeps growing, so plenty of people there are moving into something recently finished. A new house may still have fine dust in the vents and tracks, although debris and construction waste are not part of the clean. Sellers can schedule it once the home is empty, before photos or a final walkthrough. Starting prices are in the table on this page, and the cost page explains how a row is chosen.
Frequently Asked Questions
TotalCare Cleaning will service Wilmington 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.
