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Washington · Carpet cleaning

Can my landlord charge for carpet cleaning in Washington?

By housr editorsSources checked 2026-10-05 · legal review pending
The short answerRCW 59.18.280(1)(c)
Washington bars withholding for carpet cleaning unless the landlord documents wear to the carpet beyond ordinary use.

“No portion of any deposit may be withheld: (i) For wear resulting from ordinary use of the premises; (ii) For carpet cleaning unless the landlord documents wear to the carpet that is beyond wear resulting from ordinary use of the premises…”

Work out a prorated estimate

Age when you moved out2 years
new12+ yrs
Use the age of the item, not of your tenancy. Your move-in report or lease may say when it was installed.
No sourced useful life yetWe haven't found a published useful-life figure for carpet cleaning that we can cite, so we don't pre-fill one. Enter a life you can support: a manufacturer's warranty, the product page, or a figure from your lease.

Enter what you were charged.

How it's worked out: charge × (useful life − age) ÷ useful life. It is a prorated estimate using a useful life you can see and change; your state, your lease or a court may treat the charge differently. Most deposit statutes we've read exclude normal or ordinary wear and tear; your state's page quotes its rule.

Open the demand letter

Useful life: what we can cite

We haven't found a published useful-life figure for carpet cleaning that we can cite, so Fair Charge asks you for one instead of assuming it. A manufacturer's warranty or product page is a reasonable place to start; label it as yours when you use it.

See the full useful-life table and how Fair Charge works.

What your state says

Washington has a rule on this

Washington bars withholding for carpet cleaning unless the landlord documents wear to the carpet beyond ordinary use.

“No portion of any deposit may be withheld: (i) For wear resulting from ordinary use of the premises; (ii) For carpet cleaning unless the landlord documents wear to the carpet that is beyond wear resulting from ordinary use of the premises…”

RCW 59.18.280(1)(c)The Washington page for this charge
Wear and tear in Washington
No portion may be withheld for wear resulting from ordinary use, or for carpet cleaning unless the landlord documents wear beyond ordinary use (RCW 59.18.280(1)(c)).
Itemization
A full and specific statement of the basis for keeping any of it, with copies of estimates or invoices (and the time and hourly rate for the landlord's own work).
Statute text checked 2026-10-05 · legal review pending

Sources

  1. RCW 59.18.280(1)(c)
  2. Cal. Civ. Code §1950.5(e)(2)(C)
  3. Mo. Rev. Stat. §535.300(4)(2)
  4. ORS 90.300(7)(c)(A)
  5. Cal. Civ. Code §1950.5(h)(1) (wear and tear)
  6. Tex. Prop. Code §92.103, §92.107 (wear and tear)
  7. N.Y. Gen. Oblig. Law §7-108(1-a) (wear and tear)
  8. RCW 59.18.280 (wear and tear)

Information, not legal advice. A prorated estimate is not a legal limit on what can be charged.