Move Out Cleaning in Spanish | Speak Like A Real Tenant

The cleanest way to say it is “limpieza de mudanza”, a plain phrase Spanish speakers use for the deep clean tied to a move.

If you’re moving out and you need Spanish that lands well with a landlord, agent, or cleaning crew, you don’t need fancy grammar. You need the right nouns, the right verbs, and a few polite lines that don’t sound stiff.

This page gives you the Spanish people actually use for move-out cleaning, plus room-by-room wording, “don’t-miss” tasks, and ready-to-send messages you can copy and tweak.

Move Out Cleaning in Spanish: what people actually say

The most common label is limpieza de mudanza. You’ll also hear limpieza de salida (cleaning for moving out) and limpieza final (final cleaning), especially in rental listings and agency talk.

If you’re speaking with a landlord, a safe one-liner is: “Voy a hacer una limpieza de mudanza antes de entregar las llaves.” That means you’ll do the move-out clean before handing back the keys.

Quick word choices that save you from awkward moments

• Mudanza = the move itself (the relocation). The Real Academia Española defines mudanza as the act of moving or changing home. RAE definition of “mudanza” is a solid reference if you want the official sense.
• Limpieza = cleaning (the act or the result). RAE definition of “limpieza” matches what landlords mean when they say the place must be left clean.
• Limpiar = to clean. If you want the neutral, everyday verb, stick with limpiar. RAE definition of “limpiar” backs the core meaning.

Three Spanish phrases that fit most rental situations

Limpieza de mudanza is the all-purpose phrase. It sounds normal in Spain and across Latin America.

Limpieza final sounds a bit more “agency-style” and often shows up in checklists or handover notes.

Dejar el piso/la casa impecable means “leave the apartment/house spotless.” It’s common in casual speech. If you worry it sounds too strong, swap impecable for limpio.

How to describe the level of cleaning without sounding dramatic

Move-out cleaning usually means more than a weekly tidy. In Spanish, you can describe that extra depth with simple add-ons:

• limpieza a fondo = deep clean
• limpieza profunda = deep clean (also common)
• limpieza general = general clean (broad, less “deep”)
• desengrasar = remove grease (kitchen wording that landlords love)
• desinfectar = disinfect (use only if you truly mean it)

A clean, non-pushy sentence: “Haré una limpieza a fondo, sobre todo en cocina y baño.”

Room-by-room Spanish you can use while cleaning

These are the verbs and nouns that show up in real checklists. Read them once, then you’ll spot patterns: quitar (remove), limpiar (clean), fregar (scrub/mop), pasar la aspiradora (vacuum), vaciar (empty).

Kitchen phrases that match move-out expectations

desengrasar la campana (degrease the range hood), limpiar el horno por dentro (clean the oven inside), limpiar la nevera (clean the fridge), fregar los azulejos (scrub wall tiles).

If you’re leaving appliances, it helps to say you’ll leave them clean and empty: “Dejo la nevera vacía y limpia.”

Bathroom phrases that sound natural

quitar la cal (remove limescale), limpiar la mampara (clean the shower screen), fregar los sanitarios (scrub fixtures), limpiar los desagües (clean drains).

If you mean mildew, the plain term is moho. A direct line: “Quitaré el moho de las juntas.”

Floors, walls, and “handover” details

pasar la mopa (mop with a dust mop), fregar el suelo (wet mop), quitar manchas de la pared (remove wall marks), limpiar los rodapiés (clean baseboards).

For windows: limpiar los cristales. For blinds: limpiar las persianas. For doorframes: limpiar los marcos de las puertas.

Move-out cleaning tasks in Spanish you can tick off

Landlords tend to check the same pain points: grease, limescale, dust on edges, and hidden crumbs. The list below keeps you on track and gives you Spanish labels you can reuse in messages.

Checklist you can follow on cleaning day

• Vaciar armarios y cajones, luego limpiar por dentro.
• Quitar polvo de zócalos/rodapiés, marcos y enchufes.
• Limpiar cristales y guías de ventanas.
• Desengrasar cocina: fogones, campana, horno, azulejos.
• Quitar cal en baño: grifos, ducha, mampara, juntas.
• Pasar aspiradora y fregar suelos, también debajo de muebles si quedan.
• Sacar la basura y dejar el cubo limpio.

Tip that saves stress: take a few photos after you finish. If a landlord questions the condition, you’ve got a clean record of what you left behind.

Vocabulary table for move-out cleaning in Spanish

This table is built for speed: you can glance at it while you clean, or use it to write a clear handover note.

English	Spanish	How it’s used
Move-out cleaning	Limpieza de mudanza	The standard phrase for the full clean linked to moving.
Final cleaning	Limpieza final	Common in agency notes and handover checklists.
Deep clean	Limpieza a fondo	Signals extra detail beyond weekly cleaning.
Vacuum	Pasar la aspiradora	Natural phrasing; “aspirar” also works.
Mop (wet mop)	Fregar el suelo	Used for scrubbing/mopping floors with water.
Dust (remove dust)	Quitar el polvo	Use for surfaces, corners, baseboards, blinds.
Degrease	Desengrasar	Kitchen word that fits ovens, hoods, tiles.
Limescale	Cal	Bathroom term for taps, showerheads, glass.
Baseboards	Rodapiés / zócalos	“Rodapiés” common in Spain; both are understood.
Keys handover	Entrega de llaves	Standard phrase for returning keys to owner/agent.

How to ask for the cleaning standard in Spanish

When you’re not sure what “clean enough” means, ask for a written checklist. It keeps everyone calm and cuts guesswork.

Polite questions that don’t sound demanding

• “¿Hay una lista de limpieza para la entrega?”
• “¿Qué puntos revisáis el día de la entrega de llaves?”
• “¿Queréis que deje los electrodomésticos limpios y vacíos?”

If you’re talking to an agency, revisar (to check/inspect) is a good verb. It sounds neutral and businesslike.

Spanish phrases for hiring a cleaner and avoiding misunderstandings

If you’re booking a cleaning service, you want to state the scope plainly: what rooms, what appliances, and whether you want inside cabinets or inside the oven.

Scope words that matter

• por dentro / por fuera (inside / outside)
• incluye / no incluye (includes / doesn’t include)
• productos de limpieza (cleaning products)
• materiales (supplies/tools)
• horno, nevera, campana (oven, fridge, hood)

Two lines that keep a quote honest

“Es una limpieza de mudanza: cocina y baño a fondo, suelos y cristales.”

“¿El precio incluye horno y nevera por dentro?”

Message templates you can copy in Spanish

These are short on purpose. They read like a human wrote them, and they keep the focus on the handover.

Situation	Spanish message	When to send it
Tell landlord you’ll do the clean	Hola, haré una limpieza de mudanza antes de la entrega de llaves. ¿Hay una lista de puntos que queréis revisar?	As soon as you confirm your move-out date.
Ask about deposit standard	Para evitar dudas, ¿podéis indicarme el nivel de limpieza que esperáis para devolver la fianza?	When the deposit is tied to condition.
Confirm appliances	Dejaré horno, nevera y campana limpios. ¿Queréis también limpieza por dentro de armarios y cajones?	When appliances stay in the unit.
Ask cleaner for a quote	Buenos días. Necesito una limpieza de mudanza. Piso de ___ m², ___ habitaciones, cocina y baño a fondo. ¿Me dais presupuesto?	When requesting pricing by message.
Confirm appointment time	Perfecto. Confirmo la limpieza el día ___ a las ___. Estaré allí para abrir y cerrar.	The day you lock the time in.
Send handover note after cleaning	He terminado la limpieza y dejo el piso listo para la entrega. Adjunto fotos por si hacen falta. ¿A qué hora os viene bien recoger las llaves?	Right after you finish.

Small Spanish details that make you sound natural

These tiny choices can change the tone. They’re not “grammar class” stuff. They’re the bits people notice in real messages.

Choose “piso” or “casa” based on the place

Piso is common for an apartment (Spain). Departamento is common across much of Latin America. If you’re unsure, use vivienda (dwelling). It fits almost anywhere.

Use “vosotros” or “ustedes” the easy way

If you’re writing to one person (landlord or agent), tú or usted works. If you’re writing to a business, ustedes is safe in most regions. In Spain, you may see vosotros on forms and emails, but you don’t need it to be clear.

Simple verbs that keep your Spanish clean

• Dejar: “Dejo el piso limpio.”
• Entregar: “Entrego las llaves el lunes.”
• Revisar: “¿Qué vais a revisar?”
• Adjuntar: “Adjunto fotos.”

End-of-move checklist you can run in 10 minutes

This is the last pass that catches the sneaky stuff: grime in corners, dust lines, and that one forgotten drawer. If you do this, you’ll feel good handing over keys.

• Luces: limpiar interruptores y quitar polvo de lámparas accesibles.
• Marcos: repasar marcos de puertas y ventanas.
• Cocina: revisar campana, horno, fogones, fregadero, grifo.
• Baño: repasar grifos, espejo, juntas, desagüe.
• Armarios: comprobar que están vacíos y limpios.
• Suelos: repasar esquinas y debajo de radiadores.
• Basura: sacar bolsas, limpiar cubo, dejar olores fuera.

Move Out Cleaning in Spanish wording you can reuse

If you only take five phrases from this page, take these. They cover the handover, the standard, and the proof.

• limpieza de mudanza
• limpieza a fondo
• entrega de llaves
• dejar el piso limpio
• adjunto fotos

Use them in short sentences, keep your message polite, and you’ll sound steady and clear.