I see from your profile that you live in one of the states where non-refundable cleaning deposits are allowed by law. This is not always the case everywhere.

If I were you I would ask your landlord what is expected and get it in writing everything you are suppose to do. I'm sure that they have a checklist that they used when they go through the place. Get a copy. Wash windows? Clean oven? Pull appliances out from wall to clean the floor or leave them in place? Just tell them you are unsure of what has to be done and don't want to miss something.

When you do a walk through you have the opporunity to remedy anything missed. You should get that opportunity! It's not a case of "Ooooh, it looks like you missed the dust on top of the ceiling fan blades and we are going to hold you security deposit." You should get a chance to redust. If you completed everything on the 'cleaning list' and have them sign off on it, they should have no reason to keep your security deposit and you will have your paperwork in order to show in court. If they don't give you a checklist when you ask, keep a record of your conversation and use that as evidence of compliance if you should have to go to court. It is really not fair that they should keep you scratching your head over what is expected.

I think you're probably going to be OK, you seem very conscientious ;) That $300 deposit can't be held against you unless there are damages (or perhaps broken lease/lost rents, depends on your state laws). So cleaning and damages deposits are divided, which is rather nice, I think.

There has been no damage done to the apartment, so how well am I expected to clean it? I can only tell you what I like and don't like to see.

If I can walk through and it looks presentable as if you were expecting company, I'm pretty content. I'm not your mama nor your maid and what I don't want to see (and what really sets me off when tenants do this to me): personal grunge of any kind anywhere in the bathroom. Disgusting. I want to see porcelain and chrome/glass/mirrors that *sparkle* at me (that can be had in 30 minutes with a bottle of Tilex or X14 and Windex). I don't want to see greasy food splatters from various dinners on the kitchen walls, cobwebs dangling up in the corners, a layer of dust on top the baseboards. I don't want to see threads, dust bunnies and bits of paper and 'stuff' in the corners of hardwood floors or embedded in matted down carpet. I want to look through the window glass and see outside. Not look through splatters of unknown origin, fingerprints, smears, etc. before I can see the world. I don't want to see a layer of scum in the kitchen sink and crumbs all over the counter and I sure don't want to stick to the kitchen floor.

I guess you get the idea. I won't fill this up with stories, but I have found all the above and then some as far as cleanliness. I really resent it when a tenant thinks they can swish a rag over a counter and call it a day because I'll be 'cleaning anyway'. It was not like that when they moved in. What I do between tenants is deep, disinfecting, sanitizing type cleaning. The kind of cleaning I would want done were it my own place I was moving into. I will have floors scrubbed and sparkling, fresh clean carpet, washed/painted walls, all bath fixtures waxed and shining, no stale odors of any kind etc. all on my dime. But I don't want my time and efforts hindered by having to get past a tenant's personal layer of crud in order to be able to do my part ;)

Again, you seem very conscientious, it's nice you care. You could do as bud suggests and ask them, it never hurts and covering that base will probably get you some brownie points (it would in my book, because few tenants bother to even ask, let alone follow through). Any tenant that pays on time, does no damage and leaves me a clean house gets a written letter of recommendation from me, so they'll always have it for their records ;)

Thank you both. I will ask her specifically when I put in my notice to vacate.

moonshadow, I agree with your idea of clean, but then why would I have to pay $200? It just seems like a way to rip people off to make them pay that much (non-refundable) and then expect them to clean it very well. I would try to clean it perfectly if I wasn't already paying for an obviously expensive cleaning service. Just seems so weird to me.

From now on I will not move in to a place that asks for a non-refundable deposit, unless it's for a pet.

My apartment actually gave me a list. It's been some years ago now but I still remember:

1. clean the stove (including oven)
2. empty and clean refrigerator
3. wipe down kitchen counters
3. mop (not scrub) all floors
4. Clean the bathroom, including the tile in the tub/shower
5. vacuum

I got my whole security deposit back and that is exactly what I did and no more (did not wipe kitchen cabinets, dust ceiling fans, clean patio doors). Although I was a pretty clean person anyway, I think they kind of just wanted the first layer of dirt off. LOL!

We're getting ready to move the beginning of next month and our apartment gave us a list that's one legal-sized page long of what has to be cleaned. I was going to have it professionally done, but the cost was really high and I still wouldn't know if they did everything. Almost everthing is stuff we just automatically clean, but not some things like:

Clean all metal A/C vents.
Clean all vertical blind slats and top and bottom of the blind rods.
Clean all windows and sliding doors (inside and out) windowsills and window/door tracks.
Clean, repair or replace all dirty receptacle, phone or cable plates.
All light fixtures must have a full complement of working bulbs. (They do.)
Wipe down all doors to remove any dust that may have settled in beveled areas.
Clean inside of dishwasher. (Say WHAT??)

Those rules sure weren't followed when we moved in. It took a good hour to clean the sliding door track then. Won't be so hard this time.

I understand the need for a security deposit and feel for landlords that have a mess to clean up, but I have a feeling there's no way I can recoup our whole deposit.

You get the idea. That's in addition to leaving the baths sparkling (with instructions to shine sink faucets and fixtures). Same with kitchen and appliances.

We're pretty clean to begin with and plan to come back and do a good job when the place is empty, but I feel like some drill sargeant is coming to inspect. Wow--this is some list. Sigh!

Good luck with your move.

moonshadow, I agree with your idea of clean, but then why would I have to pay $200? It just seems like a way to rip people off to make them pay that much (non-refundable) and then expect them to clean it very well. I would try to clean it perfectly if I wasn't already paying for an obviously expensive cleaning service.

A lot of it depends on what your state will and won't allow. (I don't keep non-refundables for cleaning, so am taking a stab at it here). Let's say they want to make sure the carpet is cleaned properly and thoroughly by a pro. They don't want a tenant bringing in a friends machine that wet cleans and saturates the rug. If your state allows it, then that $200 would go for that. (My state recently changed that law, we cannot charge tenants for carpet cleaning any longer.) Depending on where you're at (city or suburban or rural) if a cleaning crew is utilized they could well use up the $200. In my suburban area it would not, in the city (Chicago) it probably would quickly. So there are lots of variables. I really don't have a specific answer because I'm not sure what you're landlords are trying to cover. And I think it's definitely more a means to cover themselves rather than rip tenants off. Maintaining property worth hundreds of thousands of $$ (including keeping it as new and clean looking as possible for longer life) is a must and isn't always cheap ;)

pdg777 reinforced my line of thinking: I just want that first layer of dirt off so I can get down to the nitty gritty and make sure that's clean and sanitized.

patti: cleaning the inside of the dishwasher is not what you're thinking, I think ;D
DW (and washing machine) manuals will state that routine cleaning helps prolong the life span. It's done by running the machine through it's cycle empty of dishes, hot setting, sometimes using baking soda and vinegar, etc. as a cleaner, sometimes a little bleach as disinfectant. (I'd google that one for other options, because vinegar ate through the tubes/guts of my coffee pot and destroyed it, water leaked everywhere!). Not necessary to crawl around on the floor trying to clean up inside it with a sponge or something! :D

Thanks, moonshadow. I just couldn't figure out, so I asked the manager. What they mean is to clean around the inside of the door--not the whole inside.

I think the bottom line is that we who rent should leave the apartment as clean as we'd like to move into. All it takes is a little time and elbow grease.