Stacks of empty boxes were delivered to the White House grounds Wednesday while the clock continues to tick down for the Trump administration.
The pallets of cardboard boxes were delivered to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building as the Biden administration is set to take office in a week, on Jan. 20. Most of the offices in the building are for White House staff members.
The Biden administration plans on a deep cleaning of the White House itself.
Government contracts and purchase orders reviewed by NBC News show that the cost of the additional cleaning totals nearly a half-million dollars. The top-to-bottom cleaning, which CNN first reported, is above and beyond what typically occurs during the well-choreographed residence changeover conducted by White House ushers, butlers and housekeepers, and it follows multiple outbreaks of the coronavirus on White House grounds.
The State Department announced Wednesday that Biden will stay at Blair House the night before the inauguration, which President Donald Trump has said he will not attend.
"As is customary, the White House offered use of the Blair House for Jan. 19th, and it was accepted," a State Department spokesman said.
Trump is expected move down to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida after he leaves office.