You collect the keys at 9 a.m. and the movers arrive at 2 p.m. That gives you five hours for cleaning an apartment before moving in, minus the handover paperwork, a missing bottle of cleaner and whatever surprise the flat has saved for moving day. Do not aim to clean everything. Use the empty space for jobs that will cost more, take longer or become unsafe once wardrobes, beds and boxes are in the way.
My working schedule is blunt: 9:00–9:20 inspect, 9:20–11:00 clean soon-to-be-blocked areas, 11:00–12:30 make the bathroom and kitchen usable, 12:30–1:30 finish floors and carrying routes, 1:30–2:00 keep as buffer. In a Prague apartment building, that buffer can disappear while you wait for the caretaker, work around a broken lift or discover that the hot water has not been switched on.
Before handover, agree on what "clean" actually means
"The flat will be clean" is not a useful specification. To a landlord it may mean that the rubbish is gone and the floor has been swept. To you it probably includes an odour-free fridge, a degreased worktop, a hygienic toilet and cupboards without old crumbs. With only five hours, that gap in expectations matters.
Ask for current photographs a day or two before handover. You need to see the kitchen, bathroom, windows and the inside of built-in storage. Ask direct questions: Has the fridge been emptied and washed? Is the oven heavily burnt? Are the cupboards empty? If building work has just finished, check whether anyone has removed fine construction dust from door frames, radiators and high ledges. One quick mop will not deal with it.
A handover clean is also not waste removal, repair work or mould remediation. Bags left by the former tenant, a leaking waste pipe, a loose socket or an established patch of mould belong in the handover report and usually need the owner or a qualified contractor. Spraying bleach over mould at 1:55 p.m. does not solve it. It merely leaves you with fumes when the movers walk in.
Set a backup plan before the morning starts. Decide who you will call if the keys are late, whether the moving company can shift its arrival, and which three outcomes are non-negotiable. I would choose a usable bathroom, a clean food-preparation area with a clean fridge, and finished flooring where heavy furniture will stand.
Spend the first 20 minutes inspecting, not mopping
At 9 a.m. the empty floor will tempt you. Leave the mop in the bucket. Walk through with your phone, a sheet of paper and a small charger. Run hot and cold water, flush the toilet, watch how the sinks drain and look under the kitchen unit for leaks. Test lights, accessible sockets and appliances that come with the property. You do not need a full oven cycle, but you do want to know if switching it on trips the breaker.
Photograph scratches, cracks, water marks, damaged worktops and the condition of each appliance. Take wide shots of every room too. By 2 p.m. a stack of boxes may hide half a wall, and nobody will remember with confidence whether a mark on the parquet was there before the move.
Sort what you find into three groups:
- dirt that can be removed safely with ordinary cleaning;
- a defect, such as a leaking trap, loose socket or dead fridge;
- a hazard, including mould, broken glass behind a cabinet, pest traces or exposed wiring.
Clean the first group. Record and report the second. Stop work around the third until the right person deals with it. This distinction saves time because extra scrubbing will never repair failed sealant or a damaged electrical fitting.
Start with places furniture will block
From about 9:20, access is more important than shine. Open built-in wardrobes, kitchen drawers and the cabinet under the sink. Vacuum out grit and crumbs before wiping. Clean high cupboard edges, skirting boards, radiators and the space behind the fridge or washing machine if the appliance can be moved safely. Never tilt a heavy appliance alone, and do not move it while it is connected to power or water.
Work from high to low and dry to wet. Lift dust with a vacuum or dry microfibre cloth first, then use a damp cloth. If you take a wet sponge to dry dust, you make grey paste and create another round of work. Warm water and a small amount of neutral cleaner will handle many washable surfaces, but timber, natural stone, lacquer and some matt kitchen finishes need products made for that material.
During one moving-day clean in Holešovice, I watched two tenants spend twenty minutes polishing a mirror while a greasy strip of dust sat behind the spot marked for a custom bookcase. The bookcase arrived at 2 p.m. Once assembled, it could not be shifted without taking it apart. The mirror could have waited until Tuesday. That is the whole logic of this timetable.
Do not finish all the floors yet. Dust from shelves, cupboard tops and skirting boards will land on them again. The exception is flooring under a heavy wardrobe or bed that the movers will place first. Clean that patch now and mark its edge with low-tack painter's tape if the position is not obvious.
Make the bathroom and kitchen usable for the first night
Around 11 a.m., move to the two rooms you will need even if every other possession stays boxed. In the bathroom, prioritise the toilet, both sides of the seat, flush control, basin, taps and shower tray or bath. In the kitchen, deal with the worktop, sink, tap, handles and fridge interior. The oven, extractor and cosmetic details come later if time remains.
Test a product on a hidden patch and follow its label. Acidic limescale remover can damage marble and other sensitive natural stone. Never mix chlorine products with acid, vinegar, ammonia or another cleaner. Rinse surfaces that will touch food or skin with clean water after treatment.
Time pressure often makes people reach for the strongest bottle. I would not. Aggressive chemicals require correct dilution, ventilation and contact time. A small bathroom full of sharp-smelling aerosol and a wet floor is the last thing movers need at 1:55. If you cannot identify the surface, use the gentler method and put the stubborn mark on a later list.
Your first-night minimum is modest: a clean toilet and shower, a washed basin, open drains, one clean shelf for toiletries, a hygienic worktop and sink, and a fridge that does not smell. Those things matter more than spotless windows in a room filled with cartons.
With one hour left, switch from detail to move-in minimum
At 1 p.m., stop and walk through the flat as if you were carrying a washing machine. Where will people enter, turn and set down heavy items? Which parts of the floor will disappear under furniture? Finish those areas. Vacuum first, mop with the right method, and let the main carrying route dry. On timber flooring, use a well-wrung mop rather than leaving standing water.
Use this order for the final hour:
- close out the toilet, shower, sink and fridge;
- vacuum and mop the movers' route;
- finish flooring under heavy furniture;
- remove rubbish and put chemicals somewhere safe;
- ventilate, then keep ten to fifteen minutes for delays.
Windows, a burnt oven, grout, door frames and isolated smears can wait if they do not prevent normal use. Write a five-item list for the first week. "Finish the flat" will hang over you for days. "Degrease the extractor filter on Tuesday" is a job you can actually complete.
If the apartment is much dirtier than promised
Suppose it is 9:15 and you are facing food in the fridge, bags of rubbish, heavy kitchen grease and extensive mould in the bathroom. The original pre move in cleaning plan is over. Photograph everything and contact the landlord or seller. Agree in writing who will arrange disposal, repair or specialist cleaning, and whether handover or the move itself will be delayed.
If the movers cannot change time, create one clean hygiene zone, one safe food area and one clear carrying route. Keep the boxes together in a single dry room instead of distributing them across the entire flat. The remaining empty apartment cleaning can then happen in sections. Mould, biological contamination, pests, sharp waste or electrical damage, however, should not be treated as an ambitious DIY clean. Bring in the appropriate professional.
Book professional help for the time window, not the square metres
"Two-room flat, 58 square metres" is not enough information for a useful quote. A cleaner needs to know that access begins at 9 a.m. and movers arrive at 2 p.m. Confirm water and electricity, lift access, parking and which appliances remain. In central Prague, carrying equipment from a distant parking space to a fourth-floor flat can affect the job more than a few extra square metres.
Send current photographs rather than polished listing images. Name three priorities and the work that may be postponed. A good request says: "Cupboard interiors, bathroom and flooring under the bed first; windows only if time remains." The team can then bring the right number of people and tools instead of discovering the scope on arrival.
Agree on the late-handover scenario too. How much working time is still useful? Can the team move to another slot, and is waiting charged? A five-hour window is not a standard package calculated only by size. It is an operational constraint, and staffing should reflect it.
If you need to clean before movers arrive in Prague, send Čistýkout the actual photographs plus the key and moving times. A short message through the contact form is enough to discuss priorities and request a no-obligation cleaning plan.
