Move-out cleaning: do it yourself or hire someone?

The question isn't cost versus nothing

Cleaning a home yourself before you leave isn't free, it's unpaid. A normal-sized flat takes one to two full days for someone who doesn't do it professionally, and those days fall in the same week as the move. So the comparison isn't cost against zero, but cost against your time – plus who carries the risk if the inspection doesn't pass.

What RUT does to the arithmetic

Move-out cleaning is RUT work. Skatteverket counts cleaning for someone moving into or out of a home as work qualifying for the RUT deduction, and the deduction is 50 per cent of the labour cost. ROT and RUT are counted together up to a maximum of SEK 75,000 per person per year, of which ROT may be at most SEK 50,000 – a ceiling a move-out clean rarely comes near in practice.

Two things worth knowing: the deduction applies to labour, not materials or travel, and the company must be approved for F-tax. Heavy-duty cleaning with more advanced equipment does not qualify according to Skatteverket – an ordinary move-out clean does.

Doing it yourself: when it's the right call

• You have real time before the handover, not just one day.
• The home is small and in good condition.
• You know what the inspection looks at – oven, extractor filter, behind appliances, inside wardrobes, windows.
• You have the equipment. A squeegee, oven cleaner, limescale remover, a working vacuum, and a ladder if there are high windows.

What usually defeats a DIY move-out clean isn't ability but timing. The clean has to happen after the home is emptied and before the inspection, and in practice that window is a single day.

Hiring: what you buy beyond the labour

• A re-clean guarantee. This is the real argument: if the inspection doesn't pass, the company comes back. Do it yourself and you redo it yourself, with the keys already handed over.
• Someone who knows the standard. A company doing move-out cleans every week knows the inspection protocol better than you do.
• Time back in the week you have least of it.
• Liability for damage, provided the company carries insurance. Check that it does.

Ask explicitly whether a re-clean is included and for how long after the visit it applies. A guarantee that expires before the inspection happens is not a guarantee.

The middle path

A common arrangement few people ask about: you do the bulk – empty the place, wipe down, vacuum – and order only the parts that need time and equipment, typically the oven, the windows and the bathroom. Not every company offers it, but those that do give you a lower cost without leaving you alone with the parts that usually draw remarks.

See prices and available times for move-out cleaning, and work through the checklist before you decide – it shows how much work this actually is.