Any tips on how to best clean my apartment and get most of my deposit back?
Q. I will be moving out of my apartment at the end of this month and I was wondering if anyone had any tips on cleaning up. I've lived here for 14 months, with two dogs who went through potty training and using my carpet. I also had a brother spill red kool-aid and not tell me until now (He moved my couch over it months ago)
Other than the main carpet issue everything else is normal wear and tear, scuffed up dirty looking walls, dirty fridge and countertops, etc.
Any help would be appreciated!!
Other than the main carpet issue everything else is normal wear and tear, scuffed up dirty looking walls, dirty fridge and countertops, etc.
Any help would be appreciated!!
A. What you consider "normal wear and tear" may not be considered NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR by your landlord or the state you live in. Every state is different. By the sounds of it, its kind of groady. I would start by cleaning thoroughly, like your Grandma was going to come and live there after you! Clean out the cupboards, the counter tops, stove, oven, sinks and fridge thoroughly. If the carpet is stinky and stained that is NOT normal, have it cleaned, and if its a small area, I would consider replacing it with something similar, much less expensive than the carpet and padding and installation your landlord will RIGHTFULLY be able to charge you for. While carpet doesn't last forever, 14 months is short of what I used at a standard in my rental which was 5 years. No court ever refuse me on that one! And one judge thought that was generous after I pointed out that the manufacture had a 20 year warranty (couldn't use it for commercial purposes) on the carpet that I was precluded from using, as I was paid rent and therefore a commercial enterprise. Floors need to be swept, mopped, and vacuumed, bathrooms cleaned of your skin, soap scum and deposits. Bedrooms should be broom clean and all walls should be patched where pictures were hung, some simple white tooth paste (not the gels!) and if they are showing filth, I would consider wiping them down with a simple cleaning solution of a degreaser and baking soda. Remove all belongings, garbage and so on. Taking pictures of it cleaned, inside of fridge, oven and cupboards with all the doors open and each room is worth doing as a safety measure. Make arrangements to meet with the landlord to return the keys, preferably at the apartment, where both of you can do a walk through and note any discrepancies and put them on a piece of paper that both can sign stating this was cleaned or this wasn't. Talking to your landlord like he is going to KEEP your deposit and threatening to sue BEFORE you are entitled to your deposit back (in most states a landlord has 30 days to return it to you) is just asking to have a problem. I have had tenants that made arrangements with me prior to leaving, having carpets cleaned, having me meet them at the property and asking IN ADVANCE for a refund of their deposit, as they were leaving the state and needed ir for the next place or utility deposits and I accommodated them, with notice. But anyone who approached me like one poster suggested, would have gotten my lawyers direct line and told to contact him concerning their deposit, and I would not have mailed it one day before my 30 days were up! Leaving a mess and filth behind and expecting to get your deposit back is greedy and foolish. I have had renters who, like your brother, spilled something, had the carpet cleaned, but a no go on the kool aid and we made arrangements to have the carpet replaced at a reasonable cost (I know all the places to go and I know what I had in there and I know I don't want some piece of crap substituted for my good carpet, but I am reasonable too. One tenant had a carpet guy come in, his kid had spilled orange soda and covered it with a pizza box for 3 days and the carpet guy charged him $60. Turns out, it was the same guy I had used in the past and when I contacted him about the stain he agreed to refund the $60 to the guy and I got another guy I knew who had just finished a big job and had some very nice carpet that would cover this little area come in and do it for $100, so in essence, it was only an additional $40 and we solved the problem. But had he jerked me around, and been stupid and took me for a fool, I wouldn't have called the carpet guy and I wouldn't have pressed my friend to give me carpet worth 6x the price the price of the cost, just for the carpet. So it pays to be honest and be thorough. Most landlords are honest and are not interested in keeping deposits from good tenants, but yes, I have run into a few who look to take advantage. Do your best to clean it nicely and be proactive, invite him over to look on your last day and ask nicely when you can expect your deposit back, and if you think you have truely done a good job, ask in advance would he consider giving you your deposit after inspecting the unit instead of making you wait. If he says no, deal with it, don't get stupid. If after the time has passed for getting your deposit back, if it still has not been sent, in my state you had to send a list of items that were charged back to the tenant and a check for the difference, if there was one within that 30 days. I usually did mine right at the 2 week mark, as thats when any painting, cleaning and work would have likely to been completed. If it was simple wear and tear, fine, they got their deposit back. But if they claimed clean carpet that was really piss soaked carpet, they got a bill for the replacement carpet and padding, if they claimed clean fridge and it was filled with maggots, I took pictures and had a cleaning crew come in and de-maggot the fridge and I would send a copy of that bill (I wasn't obligated to produce the bill, but did it as a courtesy and to keep the animosity down. I have to say, most tenants left their units clean and in order, some even better than that. I NEVER EVER kept any of their deposits, as I think they were most certainly entitled to them. If I had a good tenant, who paid on time and was reasonable, if something was little not right, I would just eat it, within reason, and return their deposit. But idiots, filth mongers and morons who thought I should pay them for leaving stinking, rotting bags of garbage, feces dried on toilets, and maggot infested fridges, did not endear themselves to me. Hope this helps you! Good luck!
Any advice on how to redo a thirteen-year-old's room?
Q. My thirteen-year-old wants to redo her room. She wants bright colors like pink, orange, red, and yellow, for a summery feel. Any place I could get some ideas on how to organize it? And what is the best place to get furnature?
A. We have three daughters that are basically the same age. At about 13, we re-issued the bedrooms, gave the kids a budget, got the kids catalogs, let them shop the Internet, took them to paint stores, on and on, and let them do their own rooms. We got some weird paint schemes: Barbie doll pink windowsills, navy blue walls, and teal green ceilings for one! One became turquoise with bright pink and white. Anyway. For what it is worth, we let them do it together and have fun with it. They did.
I think JCPenney has a decorator that can come to your home, if you want to put out that kind of investment.
Good luck with your decorating planning.
I think JCPenney has a decorator that can come to your home, if you want to put out that kind of investment.
Good luck with your decorating planning.
What are some memories you have of the house you grew up in?
Q. I was just talking to some family members today about how sad it is that houses get old and worn down when they used to be full of life. So I'm curious: what is your favorite memory of the house you grew up in? :)
A. We lived at a house in the sticks, which we shared three acres of land with a farmer. I can remember that he raised sheep that would graze and us as kids couldn't go near the fences because they were electrical. One day a sheep somehow got out of the fence and started roaming around in our driveway.
Another thing I remember is that in the winter, we would go sled riding down the huge hills. My dad would hitch the utility cart on the back of his riding mower and take me and my sisters on rides. When I got older...like around fourteen, I got creative. I took a plastic tarp, laid it down one of the hills, and had the garden hose to get the tarp wet, and me and my sisters would have a Slip and Slide. I can also remember that one evening, the farmer was burning excess brush and caught an entire field on fire!! I guess a breeze came up and caught an ember or something, and the next thing I knew, I smelled smoke. I was panicking, my sisters were freaking out, and my parents were frantically telling us to get ready to go. The fire almost reached our house and I remember we had to leave, but the fire department caught it in time.
That was just the outside of the house..the awesome space to run around and play. The EARLIEST childhood memory was when my dad was trying to turn part of the basement into a big playroom for us kids. I can remember my dad set up one of the swing horses from one of the beams. I refused to go to that basement to play on the horse because I hated how dark it was. I mean there was light, but I just remember hating going to play unless my older sister or mom was with me. The house we lived in was a double wide modular home. My mom has pictures of the land tore up and the house getting set up and put together. It was a three bedroom, 1.5 bathroom house, with a fairly big kitchen and living room. My dad remodeled every room to update everything. I can remember my dad tearing up the FUGLY kitchen floor. It was that 1970s linoleum fllor with the puke green, yellow, and white. He replaced it with hardwood. I can remember the bathroom that connected to the master bedroom and it was even more hideous...it had this day glow orange flower wallpaper...that was remodeled too. The big bathroom had this puke green flower wallpaper. Dad had an entirely new bathtub put in there, and the walls were painted like an off white with forest green trim. My bedroom had these light peach colored walls. The other bedroom was just painted white. Finally my parents remodeled their bedroom (which was the most hideous looking room in the house).
When I was 17, we moved out of that house and into a busy neighborhood. I hated it because there was no room to run around and play. I moved back to my hometown last year, and I decided to take a drive out to where we used to live. When the owners saw me, they were looking at me strange obviously. But I told them that I grew up in their house, and I just wanted to see what has been done to it over the years. They had a pool put in, they built another garage onto it, the siding was replaced, and a whole bunch of other things. They even showed me the inside...it was unrecognizable. It was so emotional to see how much the inside was changed like all of these memories were coming back to me, and I was telling the owners about them. They were very nice, and I told them I wished my parents wouldn't have moved out of it. It's not because I wanted them to leave of course, but there are just so many memories connected to that place. It was so peaceful living there, and there was so much space for me and my sisters to play around in. Home really is where you hang your hat...but that's where the memories stay.
Another thing I remember is that in the winter, we would go sled riding down the huge hills. My dad would hitch the utility cart on the back of his riding mower and take me and my sisters on rides. When I got older...like around fourteen, I got creative. I took a plastic tarp, laid it down one of the hills, and had the garden hose to get the tarp wet, and me and my sisters would have a Slip and Slide. I can also remember that one evening, the farmer was burning excess brush and caught an entire field on fire!! I guess a breeze came up and caught an ember or something, and the next thing I knew, I smelled smoke. I was panicking, my sisters were freaking out, and my parents were frantically telling us to get ready to go. The fire almost reached our house and I remember we had to leave, but the fire department caught it in time.
That was just the outside of the house..the awesome space to run around and play. The EARLIEST childhood memory was when my dad was trying to turn part of the basement into a big playroom for us kids. I can remember my dad set up one of the swing horses from one of the beams. I refused to go to that basement to play on the horse because I hated how dark it was. I mean there was light, but I just remember hating going to play unless my older sister or mom was with me. The house we lived in was a double wide modular home. My mom has pictures of the land tore up and the house getting set up and put together. It was a three bedroom, 1.5 bathroom house, with a fairly big kitchen and living room. My dad remodeled every room to update everything. I can remember my dad tearing up the FUGLY kitchen floor. It was that 1970s linoleum fllor with the puke green, yellow, and white. He replaced it with hardwood. I can remember the bathroom that connected to the master bedroom and it was even more hideous...it had this day glow orange flower wallpaper...that was remodeled too. The big bathroom had this puke green flower wallpaper. Dad had an entirely new bathtub put in there, and the walls were painted like an off white with forest green trim. My bedroom had these light peach colored walls. The other bedroom was just painted white. Finally my parents remodeled their bedroom (which was the most hideous looking room in the house).
When I was 17, we moved out of that house and into a busy neighborhood. I hated it because there was no room to run around and play. I moved back to my hometown last year, and I decided to take a drive out to where we used to live. When the owners saw me, they were looking at me strange obviously. But I told them that I grew up in their house, and I just wanted to see what has been done to it over the years. They had a pool put in, they built another garage onto it, the siding was replaced, and a whole bunch of other things. They even showed me the inside...it was unrecognizable. It was so emotional to see how much the inside was changed like all of these memories were coming back to me, and I was telling the owners about them. They were very nice, and I told them I wished my parents wouldn't have moved out of it. It's not because I wanted them to leave of course, but there are just so many memories connected to that place. It was so peaceful living there, and there was so much space for me and my sisters to play around in. Home really is where you hang your hat...but that's where the memories stay.
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Title Post: Any tips on how to best clean my apartment and get most of my deposit back?
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Rating: 97% based on 9598 ratings. 4,8 user reviews.
Author: Unknown
Thanks For Coming To My Blog
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