Move-In Cleaning Checklist: Québec's July 1 Moving Day, Room by Room
Photograph every room and appliance before the first box comes in, and report leaks, pests or mould to the landlord in writing. Then clean in the order the July heat allows: fridge first so it can cool, bathroom and beds the first evening, kitchen the next morning. Run a cleaning cycle in the dishwasher and the washer before you use them.
Washer and dishwasher tablets: Essentials Kit, $43.95
In this guide
On arrival: photograph and report before you clean
Your photos are your condition report. Take them before you wipe anything. What the Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL) says:
- The landlord delivers it clean. "On the agreed date, the lessor must deliver the leased property in a good state of repair, habitable condition and clean condition" (TAL, rights and obligations of the lessor, citing Civil Code arts. 1854, 1910, 1911).
- Your right starts on day one of the lease. The TAL's 2026 moving-day notice says the outgoing tenant has no "grace day": if their move isn't finished, they must give you access, freeing up one or more rooms (Québec.ca, June 25, 2026, in French).
- You must report serious problems. The TAL lists among the tenant's obligations: "To inform the lessor about a serious defect or deterioration" (rights and obligations of the lessee, art. 1866).
- Unfit for habitation is a high bar. The TAL says a tenant may refuse to take possession of a dwelling that is unfit for habitation, meaning "a serious danger to the health or safety of its occupants", not just dirty. The tenant has to prove it, and photos are one way (TAL, unsanitary conditions).
Tip: Email the photos and a short list to the landlord the same day (our suggestion): the email dates your report.
This is general information, not legal advice. The TAL answered calls on July 1, 2026 (8:30 a.m. to noon, 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.): 514 873-2245 for Montréal, Laval and Longueuil, 1 800 683-2245 elsewhere.
Pests, mould and leaks: report it or clean it?
Our rule of thumb: if it comes from the building, report it; if the last tenant left it, clean it. The TAL gives mould, vermin (cockroaches, bed bugs, ants), rodents and excessive humidity as examples of unsanitary conditions.
- Bed bugs. Ville de Montréal lists small black spots or blood spots on sheets and mattress seams, and bites like mosquito bites. Its advice: don't try to deal with it yourself, notify the landlord right away (the landlord brings in an exterminator), and call 311 if nothing happens.
- Cockroaches and mice. Health Canada says cockroaches are most active at night and hide under and behind appliances. Look there with a flashlight and photograph droppings before anyone cleans them.
- Mould on walls or ceilings points to a leak or damp: report it. Health Canada says a single patch over 3 m² calls for a professional.
- Black spots on sound caulk or a washer seal are usually surface stains you can clean. Peeling caulk is a repair: report it.
Move-in cleaning checklist, room by room
Photos first, then top to bottom in each room, floors last. Save the image on your phone or print it.
- Kitchen: inside cupboards and drawers before the dishes go in, top of the fridge and cabinets, counters, backsplash, sink, then the appliances below.
- Bathroom: toilet including under the rim, tub, shower, sink, medicine cabinet, fan grille (power off). Caulk sound but stained: clean it. Cracked or peeling: report it.
- Other rooms: closet shelves, light fixtures, baseboard heaters, switches, handles.
Windows, screens, tracks and the deeper jobs are in our spring cleaning checklist.
Clean a used apartment's appliances before you use them
You don't know when they were last cleaned. One BLITZ tablet per appliance, about a dollar a clean.
1. Fridge (first, so it can cool)
Wash shelves, bins, walls and the door seal with warm soapy water, dry, plug in. Health Canada says 4°C or lower; KitchenAid allows 24 hours for a newly installed fridge to reach full function. Until it's cold, food stays in a cooler.
2. Dishwasher
- Filter. Twist it out, rinse under hot water, scrub with a soft brush.
- Tablet cycle. One BLITZ Dishwasher Cleaner tablet in the detergent compartment of the empty dishwasher, normal cycle. Still smells? See our five checks.
3. Washer (before your first load)
- By hand. Wipe the drum and seal folds, wash the detergent drawer, clean the pump filter if there is one.
- Tablet cycle first. One BLITZ Washing Machine Cleaner tablet in the empty drum, not the drawer, hottest cycle. Musty smell? A second cycle with a new tablet (our suggestion).
- Then the gel, if the seal has black spots. Let the washer drain, then apply BLITZ Mold Stain Remover to the dry seal, leave 3 to 5 hours, wipe off.
| Washer brand | Cleaning cycle | How to use BLITZ |
|---|---|---|
| LG | Tub Clean | One tablet in the empty drum, then Tub Clean. See our LG guide. |
| Samsung | Self Clean is for liquid chlorine bleach only | A separate hot cycle, never in Self Clean. See our Samsung guide. |
| Whirlpool, Maytag | Clean Washer | One tablet in the empty drum, then the hottest cycle. |
Careful: BLITZ Mold Stain Remover is a sodium hypochlorite gel, a chlorine bleach. Health Canada warns that bleach reacts with acids, including vinegar, and with ammonia. Use it alone, with gloves, eye protection and a window open: never with the washer tablets, vinegar or another cleaner.
4. Garburator, if there is one
Switch it off and never put your hand inside. Scrub under the rubber splash guard with dish soap (InSinkErator says odour usually means food buildup). Power on, run a thin stream of hot water, drop in a BLITZ Disposal Cleaner tablet and run it while it foams. It cleans residue; it won't clear a blocked drain. Details in how to clean a garbage disposal.
5. Oven, range hood and dryer
Wipe the oven by hand and save self-clean for a cool day (our suggestion). Wash a metal mesh hood filter in hot soapy water. Empty the dryer's lint trap and check the outside vent flap isn't blocked.
Washer and dishwasher tablets in one kit, $43.95
24 tablets each, about $0.92 a clean (our math). Price on goblitzclean.com, October 20, 2026.
Your first 48 hours in July heat
You won't clean everything on July 1, and you don't need to. For two people, an empty 4½ (two bedrooms) is about a day of work spread over two (our estimate). Health Canada's heat advice: drink water before you feel thirsty, close the blinds by day, open windows at night, take extra breaks.
What to pack in a first-night cleaning box
Keep this box out of the truck: it rides with you, so the movers' boxes can't bury it.
Leaving your old place on June 30
The TAL lists two end-of-lease obligations: remove all your belongings and leave the dwelling in the condition you received it. Empty and wipe the cupboards, fridge and oven, clean the bathroom, sweep, then photograph every empty room and keep the photos with your lease. Not out when the new tenant arrives? The TAL's moving-day notice says to give them access and free up at least one room.
Frequently asked questions
Is the landlord supposed to clean before I move in?
The TAL says that on the agreed date the lessor must deliver the dwelling in a good state of repair, habitable and clean. If it isn't, photograph it before you clean and send the photos to the landlord.
Should I clean the washer in a new apartment?
Yes, before your first load: wipe the seal and drawer, then run a hot cycle with a cleaner tablet in the empty drum. On a Samsung, run it as a separate hot cycle, not in Self Clean.
How long does a move-in clean take?
Our estimate: about a day of work for two people in an empty 4½, spread over two days. Do the fridge, bathroom and beds on July 1 and leave windows and the oven for later.
What do I do if I find bed bugs or cockroaches?
Photograph them and tell the landlord in writing right away. For bed bugs, Ville de Montréal says not to deal with it yourself and to call 311 if the landlord doesn't act.
Sources: Tribunal administratif du logement (rights and obligations of the lessor and of the lessee, unsanitary conditions); Québec.ca TAL moving-day notice (June 25, 2026); Ville de Montréal (bed bugs); Health Canada (heat, food storage, cockroaches, mould, bleach); KitchenAid, LG Canada, Samsung, Whirlpool, Maytag, InSinkErator; BLITZ product pages. All checked October 20, 2026.
LG, Samsung, Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid and InSinkErator are trademarks of their owners. BLITZ is not affiliated with them.
BEFORE YOUR FIRST LOAD
Pick the BLITZ kit for your new place
One tablet per cycle, septic-safe. 24 tablets per product, about a year at one every two weeks. Prices on goblitzclean.com, October 20, 2026.
Essentials Kit, $43.95
Washer and dishwasher, the two cycles in this guide. $4.95 less than two boxes.
Shop Essentials
Kitchen Kit, $69.95
Dishwasher, coffee maker, and a ceramic coating for faucets and stainless. No washer tablets. $17.94 less.
Shop Kitchen
Whole Home Kit, $89.95
Washer, dishwasher, coffee maker and the coating. $22.89 less.
Shop Whole HomeGarburator? BLITZ Disposal Cleaner, 24 tablets, $24.95. On goblitzclean.com: washer tablets 4.9 out of 5 (14 reviews), dishwasher tablets 5.0 out of 5 (15 reviews). BLITZ is a Québec company in Laval, with service in French and English: free shipping from $40, most orders in 2 to 3 business days, 10% back in store credit, 30-day money-back guarantee (refund policy). Also on Amazon.ca.
