If you suffer from allergies, the idea of dealing with dust might be a little scary. This is especially true when moving. You’ll have to spend some time cleaning your old place before you leave and you should spend an hour or two cleaning your new home. This will get rid of any potential chemicals or allergens that might have been left behind by the former tenants.

Here are some tips on how to deal with the cleaning and stay healthy (and sane).

1. Hire a cleaning service if at all possible. You don’t have to spend a fortune on a professional. Pay a friend or acquaintance or help or post an ad in Craigslist asking for one-time cleaning help. If hiring a stranger, ask for references before letting that person into your home.

2. Vacuum first. Get rid of the dust, pet hair and cigarette ashes that might be flying around or stuck to the furniture. Drapes, pillows and upholstery in general tend to attract dust, so make sure you vacuum those well. If possible, use a HEPA vacuum cleaner, which have filters to help improve the quality of the air in the room.

3. Open the windows. It will get rid of the smell of mold and clear the air, so you can breathe better.

4. Rent a steam cleaner for the rugs if the previous tenants own a pet. There’s likely to be some pet hair and dandruff embedded in there and you want to get rid of it completely to prevent allergy attacks.

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If you’ve been living in a rental and want your security deposit back, you need to make sure that the place looks as close as possible to the way it was when you first moved in. Most places will allow for some wear and tear, which is natural and expected, but if your dog chew on the coffee table or you broke a lamp, these things will be discounted from your security deposit.

Chances are you’ll pay more if you leave things broken than if you replace them yourself. This is because your landlord is likely to get the best, most expensive replacement he can get. So if you can replace that broken lamp for a similar one without spending a fortune, do it.

Repair chipped paint and holes in the wall yourself. You’ll likely spend just a few dollars at Home Depot if you’re willing to do the work. If you leave it to your landlord, however, he’ll charge you for supplies and the time spent doing the repair –unless he pays somebody to do it and then it’ll end up costing three times more.

Clean the carpet if there’s one. If you can’t seem to get rid of stains and smells on your own, hire a rug shampooer. Although it looks like a vacuum, the machine uses steam and industrial-strength soap to clean difficult stains.

Throw away your garbage. Don’t leave bags or old things around or you might be charged a cleaning fee. Simply put stuff you dont want in some moving boxes and throw them out. It takes just a few minutes to walk your trash outside.

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Renting a new apartment? Don’t move in just yet. If you can afford to wait for a couple of days, visit the apartment after the old tenant has moved out and do a few things to prepare the place.

1. Clean the whole place again. Even if it looks clean, spray everything with disinfectant and clean with paper towels or disposable cloths. Not only will this leave a better scent in the place, but you’re guaranteeing that it’s really clean, rather than just dusted. Before you leave, put a couple of room deodorizers around the apartment. When you come back, the place will smell fresh and clean.
2. Replace the toilet seat. Just because.
3. Give the freezer a quick cleaning and then place a fridge deodorizer inside. Or just place an open box of baking soda inside. This will absorb all odors that might be lingering and give you a clean start.
4. Place a few roach traps around the apartment. Chances are there won’t be any bugs around, but if there are, you can get rid of them before you even move in.
5. Plug in the fridge and buy a bottle of Coca Cola or beer and place it inside. Add a bag of chips or some cookies. After all the work of moving in, you’ll be happy to find something waiting for you in the fridge!

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