Austin Move-In & Move-Out Month: Cleaning Tips for August Chaos
If it feels like half the city is moving this month, you’re not wrong. August in Austin is move-in and move-out season — between UT students arriving, leases turning over, and new homeowners settling in, the whole city’s basically in moving boxes.
And if you’ve ever moved in Austin in August, you know: it’s hot, it’s hectic, and cleaning is the last thing you want to deal with when you’ve got a truck full of stuff.
We’ve been in and out of Hyde Park apartments, Mueller townhomes, and South Lamar condos all month, and we’ve seen everything — from construction dust in brand-new units to mystery fridge spills in places that “looked clean” at first glance.
Whether you’re getting your deposit back or selling your home, move-out cleaning is where the details matter. Scuffs on the walls and dust on baseboards? Gone. Cabinets and drawers wiped out so there’s no old crumbs hiding in corners. Ovens and fridges scrubbed so they don’t look like a science experiment. Floors swept, vacuumed, and mopped so it feels fresh. Bathrooms cleaned so they look ready for a showing, not like they’ve been “lived in.”
For move-ins, the best time to deep clean is before you unpack a single box. Dust the entire place from top to bottom — fans, light fixtures, blinds, vents. Get inside every cabinet and closet so your stuff goes into a truly clean space. Sanitize the bathrooms and kitchen surfaces so you’re not cooking or showering with someone else’s leftovers. And don’t forget the corners, edges, and under appliances — those spots almost always get missed during a basic turnover clean.
August makes all of this harder. It’s not just the heat — it’s that every cleaner, mover, and landlord in town is booked solid. A “basic clean” from a property manager isn’t always up to par when they’re rushing to turn units over. If you’re moving this month, book early and be specific about what you need done. Even better, let us handle it so you can focus on packing, paperwork, and keeping track of your keys.
Moving is stressful enough. Cleaning doesn’t have to be. Whether you’re moving out of a studio in West Campus or into your dream home in Barton Hills, we’ve got the tools, the crew, and the system to make sure your place shines.