Tips for moving in

[Boxalot]

Got lots of advice on how to move out of a house, but not so much about how to deal with the actual moving in part!

The house I'm about to move into was recently owned by someone with lots of cats. How can I ensure there are no fleas etc. and what tips do you have for cleaning the place before my removal van turns up with all my stuff? Experiences of timelines for cleaning etc v welcome! TIA!

Do you have to move in on the day you get the keys, or can you take longer to sort the place out? Clarifying this may help people know what kind of advice to give.

We have a cat and when we sold our house, we hired a carpet cleaning machine from B&Q which was really good and easy to use. So if the carpets need cleaning that could be a good option.

It's likely I'll have at least a week to sort the place out. No carpets, no furniture and no soft furnishings from the previous owner are included, so hoping that'll make the job easier!

I you’re worried about fleas you could spray with indorex (you can get it on Amazon). But with hard floors a really good hoover of all the nooks and crannies would be enough, I think. We moved in to a flat that had 17 indoor cats, that was a major clean up operation. If there are any area that smell catty, eg where there has been a litter tray, a strong solution of biological washing powder liberally applied and left to soak in should help. Other than that just general cleaning. If you have double radiators then a radiator brush will get the fur out from the gap. Pull out any appliances and clean behind them, the coils of the fridge in that flat were solid with fur.