An empty apartment hides nothing. Once the furniture is out, every scuff, every greasy cabinet, and every dusty closet shelf is right there for the landlord or management company to photograph. Move-out cleaning exists to get ahead of that walkthrough.
Start with the kitchen, because it's where deposits are lost most often. The inside of the oven, the stovetop and drip pans, the range hood filter, the inside and top of the refrigerator, and the inside of every cabinet and drawer. Grease behind and beside the stove is the single most common thing an inspector flags.
Bathrooms come next: the tub or shower descaled, grout scrubbed, the toilet cleaned inside and out including the base, the medicine cabinet and vanity emptied and wiped, and the exhaust vent dusted. Then closets: every shelf and rod wiped, the floor vacuumed, and any hooks or adhesive removed.
Walls and floors finish the job. Spot-clean scuffs and fingerprints, especially around light switches and door frames. Wipe the baseboards. Vacuum, then mop, working toward the door so you don't walk over a wet floor. Do not forget window sills and tracks, radiator covers, and the inside of the front door.
If the lease ends on a weekday and you're still packing, hire the clean out. A professional move-out clean is a fixed price, takes a few hours, and is usually a fraction of the deposit it protects. Tell us the inspection date and the unit will be ready before it.