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Deep clean vs move-out clean: what's the difference?
Short answer: A deep clean is a top-to-bottom clean of a home you live in: everything in a regular clean plus baseboards, doors, fans, vents, blinds, window sills and tracks, and scrubbed shower grout. A move-out clean is a deep clean of an empty home plus the insides of every cabinet, drawer and closet, the fridge and the oven. With Wrenly Home in the Peoria area a deep clean is $175-$429 and a move-out (or move-in) clean is $229-$575, depending on bedrooms. Book a move-out clean when the home is empty (leaving a rental, selling, moving in); book a deep clean when you're living there.
Updated 2026-10-22. Our prices come straight from our live price list; other figures carry a source number (read on 2026-10-22). Disclosure: Wrenly Home sells deep and move-out cleaning in the Peoria, IL area. Not legal advice.
Deep clean vs move-out clean, side by side
What a Wrenly Home visit of each type covers. The full lists are on our what's included page, and the room-by-room deep cleaning checklist marks every task that's move-out only.
| Task | Deep clean | Move-out clean |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen counters, backsplash, sink, stovetop and appliance fronts | Yes | Yes |
| Bathrooms: toilet, tub/shower, sink, mirrors and fixtures cleaned and disinfected | Yes | Yes |
| Shower and tub detailing: soap scum and grout scrubbed | Yes | Yes |
| Dust reachable surfaces, sills, ledges, switches and handles | Yes | Yes |
| Baseboards, door frames and doors hand-wiped | Yes | Yes |
| Ceiling fans, vents and blinds dusted | Yes | Yes |
| Window sills and tracks | Yes | Yes |
| Kitchen cabinet fronts fully wiped | Yes | Yes |
| Inside the microwave; outside of fridge and range hood | Yes | Yes |
| Inside the oven | On request | Yes |
| Inside the fridge | No | Yes |
| Inside all kitchen and bathroom cabinets and drawers (empty) | No | Yes |
| Closets: shelves wiped and floors cleaned | No | Yes |
| Vacuum and mop all floors | Yes, around furniture | Yes, wall to wall in empty rooms |
| Beds made | Yes | No beds (home is empty) |
| Home condition | Lived-in, furniture in place | Empty or nearly empty; water and power on |
Not included in either: exterior windows, gutters, garages, decks; moving furniture heavier than one person can safely lift; biohazards (mold remediation, pests, bodily fluids), hoarding situations; anything that needs a ladder taller than a two-step stool; laundry, dishes beyond a sink load, and organizing. We don't shampoo carpets or patch and paint walls.
Prices by home size
Both are one-time cleans, paid when you book, supplies included. The gap between them is the inside-of-everything work.
| Home | Deep clean | Move-out / move-in clean | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio / 1 bed | $175 | $229 | +$54 |
| 2 bed | $209 | $289 | +$80 |
| 3 bed | $269 | $369 | +$100 |
| 4 bed | $339 | $459 | +$120 |
| 5 bed | $429 | $575 | +$146 |
| Each extra bathroom | +$25 | +$30 | +$5 |
New customers can use code WELCOME40 for $40 off either one.
Which one do you need?
| Your situation | Book |
|---|---|
| Leaving a rental and handing back the keys | Move-out clean, after the furniture is out |
| Selling, or the house is empty before closing | Move-out clean |
| Moving into a home, before your boxes arrive | Move-in clean (same checklist as move-out) |
| Still packing, furniture in place | Deep clean now, or move-out once it's empty |
| Living in the home: spring or fall reset, before the holidays, before guests | Deep clean |
| Starting a weekly, every-2-weeks or monthly plan | Nothing extra: the first recurring visit is a deep clean |
Moves are common here: 15.3% of people in the city of Peoria, and 10.9% across the Peoria metro, lived in a different house a year earlier[5].
Renters: the deposit question
A move-out clean is usually about the deposit, so here is what Illinois law says, in short:
- A landlord who keeps any part of a deposit for damage must give you an itemized statement with the cost of each repair and paid receipts (or copies) within 30 days after you move out; if there's no statement, the full deposit is due within 45 days[1].
- If your lease names a specific cost for cleaning, the landlord may withhold it, but lease-specified costs must be for damage beyond normal wear and tear and reasonable to restore the unit to its condition when the lease began[1].
- Illinois Legal Aid Online says a landlord may use the deposit to clean the unit if it's left in disrepair[2], and that a deposit can't be used for normal wear and tear[3].
So the insides of the fridge, oven, cabinets and closets matter for renters, and a deep clean doesn't do them. No cleaning service can promise your deposit back; photograph the clean, empty unit with dates. More: Illinois security deposit law for Peoria renters and our printable move-out checklist.
What other Peoria companies charge
Companies name and scope these cleans differently, so compare checklists, not labels. One Peoria company that publishes its prices, CottageCare (Peoria), lists a first-time cleaning at $209-$393 (typical $287, from $188) and a vacant move-out at $349-$786 (from $313; inside fridge +$65, inside oven +$75)[4]. Its example 3 bed / 2.5 bath two-story, about 2,200 sq ft home is $273 for a first-time cleaning and $546 for a vacant move-out, before the fridge and oven add-ons[4]. Wrenly Home's prices include the inside of the fridge and oven on a move-out clean. For a wider look at local prices see house cleaning cost in Peoria, IL.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between a deep clean and a move-out clean?
A deep clean is a top-to-bottom clean of a lived-in home: everything in a regular clean plus baseboards, doors, ceiling fans, vents, blinds, window sills and tracks, and scrubbed shower grout. A move-out clean is all of that in an empty home, plus the insides of every kitchen and bathroom cabinet and drawer, the inside of the fridge and oven, and closet shelves and floors. With Wrenly Home a move-out clean costs $54 to $146 more than a deep clean of the same home.
Which one do I need when I'm moving out of a rental?
A move-out clean, booked after your furniture and boxes are out. Landlords usually check the places only a move-out clean covers: inside the fridge, oven, cabinets and drawers, and closets. Under the Illinois Security Deposit Return Act, a landlord who keeps part of a deposit must send an itemized statement with receipts within 30 days after you move out, and cleaning charges written into a lease can only cover damage beyond normal wear and tear. See our Illinois security deposit guide.
Can I book a deep clean while I'm still packing?
Yes. A deep clean works around furniture and your things. It won't include the insides of cabinets, drawers, closets or the fridge, because those need to be empty. If you want those done for a landlord or buyer, book a move-out clean for after the movers leave, with water and power still on.
Is a move-in clean the same as a move-out clean?
Yes, same checklist and same price ($229 to $575 by bedrooms). The difference is timing: a move-in clean happens in the empty home before your things arrive. More on our move-in cleaning page.
Will a move-out clean guarantee my security deposit back?
No one can promise that. Your landlord decides deductions under your lease and Illinois law, and cleaning can't fix damage. Illinois Legal Aid Online says a landlord may use the deposit to clean a unit left in disrepair, but deductions are for damage beyond normal wear and tear. A move-out clean removes the cleaning question; take dated photos afterwards for your records.
Does either one include carpet shampooing, walls or exterior windows?
No. Neither includes carpet shampooing or steam cleaning, patching or painting walls, exterior windows, gutters, garages or decks, moving heavy furniture, or biohazards such as mold, pests or hoarding situations. Interior window sills and tracks are included in both.
Is the first visit of a recurring plan a deep clean or a move-out clean?
A deep clean. On a recurring plan the first visit is billed at the deep-clean price ($269 for a 3-bedroom home), and later visits drop to the recurring price ($165 every two weeks for the same home). If you've just moved in to an empty home, book a move-in clean first and start the plan after.
Sources
- Illinois Compiled Statutes, Security Deposit Return Act, 765 ILCS 710 (Illinois General Assembly; Section 1 as amended by P.A. 103-224, eff. 1-1-24). https://www.ilga.gov/Legislation/ILCS/Articles?ActID=2202&ChapterID=62. Accessed 2026-10-22.
- Illinois Legal Aid Online, "Security deposits" (Guide; last full review September 14, 2026). https://www.illinoislegalaid.org/legal-information/security-deposits-guide. Accessed 2026-10-22.
- Illinois Legal Aid Online, "Using a security deposit for repairs" (FAQ; last full review September 14, 2026). https://www.illinoislegalaid.org/legal-information/using-security-deposit-repairs. Accessed 2026-10-22.
- CottageCare (Peoria), house cleaning prices page ("Last updated September 2026"). https://cottagecare.com/locations/peoria/house-cleaning-prices/. Accessed 2026-10-22.
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, table B07003 (geographical mobility in the past year, population 1 year and over), via Census Reporter, ACS 2024 5-year. https://censusreporter.org/tables/B07003/. Accessed 2026-10-22.
This is a summary, not legal advice. If anything here is out of date, email hello@wrenlyhome.com and we'll correct it.