What is a make-ready clean?
A make-ready is the clean that gets a rental back on the market after a tenant moves out. It’s more than a quick wipe-down. The goal is a unit the next tenant walks into and doesn’t see any trace of the last one.
Every unit is different, but a make-ready with us usually covers:
- carpet cleaned throughout, with spots and traffic lanes treated first
- tile and grout in the kitchen, baths and entry deep cleaned
- upholstery in furnished units
- kitchen and bath surfaces, cabinets and appliances wiped out
- a final walk-through so nothing gets missed
We tell you up front what’s in the scope and what isn’t, so there are no surprises on move-in day.
How fast can you turn a rental between tenants in Knoxville?
It depends on the size of the unit, what shape the last tenant left it in and how much carpet needs to dry. Low-moisture carpet cleaning dries in about 30 minutes to 2 hours, so it’s often the right pick when move-in is the next morning. Steam cleaning (truck-mounted hot water extraction) takes about 1 to 3 hours to dry and is what we use for heavy soil and pet urine.
Tell us the move-out date, the move-in date and how we get in. We’ll look at the unit or the photos and tell you honestly whether the window works. If it doesn’t, we’d rather say so than rush it.
Move-out and pre-sale cleaning for homeowners and realtors
If you’re selling, buyers notice carpet and grout in the listing photos and the first walk-through. If you’re moving out of a rental, a clean unit makes the move-out inspection easier. Either way, the job is the same: get the floors and surfaces looking cared for.
Realtors can call or text us directly to set up a pre-listing clean. We work around showings and photo days and coordinate access with you or the seller. For homes with a lot of fabric, we can also do drapes while they hang and area rugs in the same trip.
Can you clean carpet, tile and upholstery in one visit?
Yes, and for a turnover that’s usually the point. One crew, one trip, one schedule to coordinate. We plan the order so a room is drying while we work on the next: tile and hard surfaces, then upholstery, then carpet on the way out the door, so nobody walks on wet carpet. See tile and grout cleaning for what that part involves.
What do you do about pet odor a tenant left behind?
Pet urine is the most common reason a make-ready runs long. Urine that reaches the pad can come back as odor on the first humid day. We find the spots, treat them and use steam cleaning to flush them out. Some old, heavy spots can’t be fully saved, and when that’s the case we’ll tell you before we start so you can decide on pad or carpet replacement. More on pet urine and odor removal.
Post-construction cleanup after a remodel
A remodel leaves fine dust on every surface, in the carpet and in the grout, plus paint spatter, drywall mud and stickers on new fixtures. We clean it up so the space is ready to live in, list or open for business. Carpet that sat under drop cloths for weeks still needs a real clean, and new tile often needs haze and grout residue removed. We look at the job first and quote it after the walk-through.
Office and small business janitorial cleaning
We clean offices, small retail spaces and other small commercial spaces in the Knoxville area. That can be a one-time deep clean before you move in, after a move-out, or after a busy season. Commercial carpet gets the method that suits low-pile, glued-down carpet and heavy traffic; see commercial carpet cleaning.
If you need something ongoing, ask us about a regular schedule. We’ll talk through what the space needs and what works for both of us.
Working with property managers and landlords
If you manage several units, you need a cleaner who answers the phone, shows up when they said and tells you what they found. We send photos when something needs your attention, like a stain that won’t come out, damaged flooring or signs of a leak. If we find water damage during a turnover, we can help with water damage restoration too, so the unit doesn’t sit while you find someone else.
Clean Pros TN is family-owned and has worked in Knoxville since 2011. We’re licensed and insured, and if something isn’t right, we come back and make it right.