Moving?!?

I've moved into, oh geez, about 6 different residences since I was 18 (I'm now 31)...that doesn't include a new dormitory room every year at college either.

I think you raise a great question...I wouldn't label it as obsessive, more like extremely cautious.

Every new place I move into I always scrub it down anyway. I've never had a landlord clean the place I would like before I move in. I've also always had the luxury of having the keys to an empty apartment before I've moved in. I bleach/disinfect walls, countertops, fridge, stove, floor, cabinets, bathroom --- top to bottom! Yes, I do wash the walls. Once (gross story) I moved into a place where a small child had been...as I scoured the walls I had to pick off (with a butter knife) dried nose-boogers!!! HELLO! HOW GROSS IS THAT?!?!?!?!

So - I've never had a problem b/c I've cleaned so well before moving all my stuff in. If there was a carpet, I'd do a steam clean if the landlord didn't.

Good luck!
Adrienne

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30-year old survivor of severe peanut/tree nut allergy

We scoured everything. The cabinets got wiped out and shelf liner was put down. The oven got to go through a cleaning cycle. The fridge got wiped down with soap and water and bleach (it was kinda gross).

I'm not contact reactive to peanut, but I am contact reactive to soy and soy is pretty much a given in *any* household, hence the obsessive cleaning pre-move-in.

ygg

When we moved in to our house we got the keys about a week before we had to give up the old place, and it was within walking distance.

This place looked completely clean on a quick inspection. They had done any repairs and painted after the last tenant moved out.

I started with the bathroom and cleaned and bleached it. Then with all new cloths I attacked the kitchen.

The stove and oven were already cleaned, but I did wipe them down well anyway. Same with the fridge. It looked spotless - but I still cleaned it.

The cupboards were cleaned, but there was shelf paper down in them. As I started removing it, I found a tiny little pile of sesame seeds (my worst allergen). I spoke to the previous tenant - it turns out he used sesame seeds a lot. Anyway, when cleaning the kitchen floor, I found a peanut lodged in a crack by the wall.

At that point, I felt totally justified in my cleaning of such a clean home.

I also felt it was all bad-luck signs and I was scared to move in. Fortunately, I was wrong about that. It's been a great home. [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]

We got brand new washers and dryers when we moved in here. I did use a laundry mat at our old place - I never had any allergy problems from it.

We recently moved into an older home. Yes, I cleaned just like others have said but a few more things.

My husband took the gas stove apart and we (mainly him!) cleaned every piece. We replaced one of the fridges and took the other one apart--as much as possible--to clean it. I took cotton swabs and/or toothpicks to every groove in the house I could find. (DH kindly called me "The Toothpick Lady!") I removed all the old shelf paper and cleaned the shelves. DH has removed the glass window panes and cleaned the grooves...well, we have 5 windows left to do but they will have to wait for warmer weather. Frankly, if we could take it apart (and get it back together) to clean it, we did. Old carpets were removed. The other carpets we steamed cleaned ourselves at least twice.

We have cleaned up the yard as much as we could before the cold and snow came. However, we found an old stash of peanut shells near the garbage area. Since it's not in the "play area" of the yard, I'm not too concerned...especially since more decay will occur before the warm weather comes.

My son has had no problems. Even if he didn't have food allergies, I would have cleaned in the same manner. I don't mind a little bit of dirt and grime...just so long as it's my dirt and grime! We've been in our "new" home 4 months now and I'm still not finished cleaning! Almost...just not quite there yet!

[This message has been edited by Donni (edited December 22, 2005).]

for the record, i too have experience an apartment with a booger wall. too gross.

i always disinfectant everything and my apartment in albany, they had just put in a new stove so i wasn't worried about anyone having cooked pb cookies or anything. my apartment in boston the oven was broken so i just used stove top and cleaned the house top to bottom-- then they replaced the stove and i again lucked out to not experience it.

but, i will admit, i specifically didn't pick 2 apartments because the current residents were thai and the other vietnamese-- nothing at ALL against them or their cultures and the thai lady was super nice-- but there is SO MUCH peanut in thai and vietnamese cuisine that I was scared to move in either place, i felt like there was the potential to have peanut anywhere cuz it is so prevelant in their food.

i think if you disinfect everything you shouldn't have a problem- i tend to reline my cabinets and drawers with contact paper anyway.

Quote:Originally posted by sidni:
[b]for the record, i too have experience an apartment with a booger wall. too gross.

[/b]

yeah, the place was so incredibly bad that I'm glad I documented as I went along. I scraped a heaping tablespoon (no exaggeration) from the walls in the bedroom, kitchen and bathroom of the dried wall boogers. It was gross, but I kept scraping into a cup. Then I measured it and took a picture. I also took pictures of all before and afters. The (airquote) "landlord" was a medical student, his dad owned the house (2 levels, 2 apts.) I ended up confronting his dad and him together with pictures and my "cleaning fee" which was some $25 an hour (what the local cleaning services charged) and I ended up "earning back" a full months rent. It was disgusting. The father was disgusted too. I made it adamant when I viewed the place that "it'll be thoroughly cleaned right? by professionals, right?" and he was pissed his son didn't clean it.

shudder...it was really gross...it was ok apt, but me and my roommate moved after a year.

sorry for the digression...

Adrienne

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30-year old survivor of severe peanut/tree nut allergy