When a lease ends or a flat is being prepared for sale, people often ask for “apartment cleanout and cleaning, everything included.” That phrase can hide three separate jobs: removing furniture and rubbish, doing a normal clean, or deep-cleaning an empty flat for handover. Separate them before asking for quotes and you are far less likely to argue about price, timing or what “finished” was supposed to mean.
Three different services hiding behind “everything”
An apartment cleanout is mainly about objects. Someone has to sort belongings, dismantle furniture, carry it through the building and load it into a vehicle. Disposal is another part of the job: transport, reuse where possible, and legal handling of waste. A cleaning crew works on surfaces. It is not automatically equipped to move a heavy wardrobe down four flights of stairs.
A regular clean suits an occupied flat that has been maintained reasonably well. It normally covers vacuuming, mopping, dusting, and a basic pass through the kitchen and bathroom. Apartment handover cleaning goes further. Think empty cupboards, grease above the hob, the oven and fridge, limescale, skirting boards, doors, and the strip of floor that has spent five years under a sofa. Window cleaning is often priced separately, so do not assume it is included.
This distinction matters because one supplier may not safely cover every stage. A clearance crew might sweep after loading the van, but that does not make them specialists in degreasing an induction hob. A cleaner may not have a suitable vehicle, lifting equipment or a route for construction waste. One company can coordinate the whole sequence; the quote should still say who does each job and how unwanted material will be handled.
How to tell what the flat actually needs
Start with volume, not room count. A Prague studio occupied for ten years can hold more than a lightly furnished two-bedroom flat. Walk through the property and split everything into four groups: staying, moving elsewhere, suitable for reuse, and waste. Give approximate dimensions for furniture. In photos, “just a few things” has a habit of turning into a sofa, a mattress and twelve full bags.
Then look at the dirt. Open the oven, extractor hood and cupboard beneath the sink. Check behind the washing machine, around the bath seal and along the floor edges. A regular clean is enough for dust, crumbs and recent marks. Burnt-on grease, heavy limescale, pet residue or nicotine takes longer and may need different products. Mould that has damaged plaster is not merely a cleaning task. The owner or a tradesperson needs to deal with the cause and repair.
The required finish also changes the brief. A tenant needs to return the flat in the condition set by the lease and handover record, allowing for normal wear. An owner dealing with a neglected property may need clearance first, repairs second and post-move cleaning last. If the flat is going on the market, it may also need to be ready for listing photographs. A polished tap will not save the viewing if a dismantled wardrobe is still lying in the corner.
One Prague 7 flat still sticks in my mind. It was described on the phone as “basically empty.” Two fitted cupboards were full of small items, an old carpet remained, and nobody had mentioned the storage cage in the basement. Cleaning was booked for the morning and key handover for that evening. In reality, sorting and carrying took half a day before a cleaner could sensibly begin. The people were not the problem. One vague sentence was.
The right order prevents cleaning the same floor twice
Sort first and remove everything that will not remain in the flat. Next come minor repairs: dealing with wall plugs as agreed with the owner, filling holes, replacing damaged silicone, or painting. Deep cleaning is the final trade through the door. Plaster dust and dirty footprints from furniture removal can undo hours of careful work.
The route through the building deserves attention too. An older block in Žižkov may have a narrow staircase; a panel building can have a small lift and strict house rules. Check whether the lift needs protection, whether wooden floors should be covered, and where a van can stop. Cardboard and floor protection cost much less than repairing a scratched door. Inspect the shared corridor after the load-out and clean any mess left there.
Leave breathing room between wet cleaning and handover. Floors need to dry, an oven may need airing, and missed marks are easier to see in daylight. Two or three hours is a practical minimum. For a larger flat or a job that includes windows, a final check the next morning is calmer and usually more useful.
What to photograph and include in the request
A useful request does not need to be long. It needs evidence. Send one wide photo of every room, then close-ups of the worst areas. In the kitchen, show the open oven, extractor and cupboard interiors. Photograph bathroom grout, the shower enclosure and any limescale. Do not hide a problem behind a box because it looks embarrassing; the supplier will see it on arrival anyway.
For clearance, list the items in plain terms: one sofa bed, one 160 × 200 cm mattress, three chairs, a washing machine and eight mixed bags. Add the floor number, lift dimensions or capacity, any stairs without lift access, the distance from the entrance and parking conditions. In central Prague, a thirty-metre carry from the front door to the van can affect labour time more than another small cabinet.
For move-out cleaning, name the surfaces and appliances: windows and frames, cupboard interiors, oven, fridge, radiators, doors, wall tiles and balcony. Include the floor area, number of bathrooms and handover deadline. Mention timber, natural stone or another sensitive material. “Do the lot” does not tell a team whether to bring window tools, a steam cleaner, or a second person for furniture.
How to compare quotes without falling for a false low price
The smallest number in the first message is not necessarily the cheapest completed job. A cleanout quote should separate labour, vehicle costs, carrying from the floor and disposal fees. A cleaning quote should make clear whether products, equipment, windows and appliances are included. Ask whether VAT is included and how the price changes if the real volume differs from the photographs.
A fixed price works well for an empty, well-documented flat. An hourly estimate is often fairer when belongings are still being sorted or the dirt level cannot be judged remotely. Neither model is inherently bad. The warning sign is a number with no defined scope behind it.
The written confirmation should include the date, address, task list, pricing method and rules for extra work. For removal, confirm excluded items such as paint, chemicals, rubble or electrical appliances. If the property differs from the brief, the supplier should explain the price change before doing extra work, not after the invoice appears.
Check the flat before handing over the keys
Inspect the work before the crew leaves. Open every cupboard and appliance. Look across floors towards the light, then check taps, toilet, shower, window frames and corners behind doors. If an agreed task is unfinished, photograph it and arrange the correction immediately. A dried streak is simple to fix while the equipment is still in the flat; it becomes an awkward phone call after the keys have changed hands.
Take final photographs of the empty rooms, kitchen, bathroom, meters and existing damage. Cleaning cannot repair a chipped tile or a scratched worktop. Put those defects in the handover record so they are not confused with cleaning quality. Record the number of keys as well.
If the flat is already cleared and needs a proper final clean, contact ČistýKout with a few photographs for a no-obligation cleaning request in Prague. Say clearly whether removal is complete. You will get a more useful answer than you would from “everything included,” and it becomes much easier to schedule clearance, repairs and post-move cleaning in the right order.
