Security deposit deductions are remarkably predictable. After enough move-out cleans across Chicago and the southwest suburbs, you notice that landlords and property managers check the same short list of things, and that tenants consistently miss the same items.
Appliance interiors are the single biggest one. The inside of the oven, the refrigerator including the door seals and crisper drawers, the microwave, and the dishwasher filter are all inspected, and all are commonly skipped. Grease baked onto an oven floor is not coming off with a general-purpose spray and ten minutes of effort, which is why so many tenants give up on it.
Cabinets and drawers are next. Empty is not the same as clean. Interiors collect crumbs, spills, and a film of kitchen grease that is obvious the moment someone opens a door and looks. Every cabinet, drawer, and closet shelf needs to be wiped out.
Bathrooms get looked at closely because they show wear fastest. Grout discoloration, hard-water scale on shower glass and fixtures, mildew at the caulk line, and buildup behind the toilet base are all standard deduction items. Most of these need a dedicated product and dwell time rather than scrubbing harder.
Then come the details that read as neglect: window tracks packed with grit, dusty blinds, marked baseboards, scuffed walls, light fixtures full of dead insects, and vent covers furred with dust. Individually they are minor. Together they make an inspector assume the whole unit was neglected.
Finally, floors. Carpets should be vacuumed and, in most leases, professionally cleaned — check your lease, because many explicitly require it and will deduct the cost if it was not done. Hard floors need mopping with attention to corners and edges where a quick pass never reaches.
A professional move-out clean covers all of the above in one visit, and typically costs a fraction of a deposit deduction. If you are on a deadline, book it for after the movers leave and before the final walkthrough — an empty unit cleans faster and inspects better.