The university was rediculously specific about the cleaning they expected from us. Six weeks ahead of moving out we were sent a five page document detailing every item to be cleaned and how to clean it. They wanted normal stuff, like cleaning in and around the fridge and oven, washing the shelves and drawers, vacuuming the floors and thoroughly cleaning the washroom. Then there were some finicky things that didn't seem practical for a 19th century flat, like washing the walls and doors. They also wanted us to prove that we had washed the curtains, and suggested sending them to a laundrette and leaving the receipt for them to see as proof. Now, this might make sense if the curtains were of a high quality and had gotten dirty during our tenancy. In actuality the curtains were ancient, faded, dingy and uneven. But it the end it didn't matter that we didn't send to out to be washed. We passed our inspection, and upon receiving proof that we've paid our electric bill we'll get our deposit back.
We had planned ahead for the move, even before heading home for May, by packing up suitcases with clothes we weren't going to take home with us, and cleaning the entire place so that there'd be a lot less to do during the week we got back. It turns out that we've accumulated quite a bit of stuff in our 9 months here, even though we were living in a furnished place, and moving to another furnished place. We must have had at least 7 suitcases full of clothes. There was also 2 floor lamps and 2 table lamps from Ikea, the tv and dvd player, plus the cable box, modem, and wireless, our laptops and a computer monitor we bought when Derek's laptop screen died again in the winter.
I think the coolest thing about this move is that we did the entire move without using any vehicles. With the help of our neighbours, we walked (or rolled using our wheeled suitcases) everything down the hill into Grassmarket and beyond into our new neighbourhood. It's a good thing it was a downhill move! We made two to three trips per day, and by Sunday it was all done.
The least cool thing about the move was that at the same time as we were cleaning up the old place I was also cleaning the new place. This is because the new cleaning company our rental agency has employed don't seem to take the time to clean anything that isn't readily obvious. For example, the cupboard doors were obviously washed down, but they hadn't picked up the microwave to clean underneath. At first glance when we went in on the 3rd the wood floors looked fine, but on closer inspection they were covered in hair, there was dust in the corners and the rug hadn't been vacuumed. The walls needed to be washed, the drawers wiped, the bathtub cleaned and the bathroom bin emptied. It was so bad that I didn't want to move in here, even after I spent an hour vacuuming because I was so disgusted.
The next morning after we came back and made thorough notes on the inventory detailing all of these problems with the cleanliness, as well as some changes in the quality of the items. For example, the airing stand they had deemed 'good' had two broken wires and was being held together by an elastic band. The washing machine was also missing its handle, which no one had told us about although it turns out they knew about it and a new one was on its way.
LittleJohns, the 'letting' agency, were so stunned by our revelations when we went in person to the office that they sent someone over within 4 hours to meet with us and go through everything. We got a phone call within the hour asking us if we could be at the flat at 5:30pm that evening to let in the cleaning agency and show them everything that still needed to be done, which we happily did. They sent the owner of the cleaning business, and he did a good job, but it was all stuff that should have been done before we moved in. I felt so much better once I knew it was clean, but it still took another few days (and me cleaning the bathtub myself) to be completely comfortable in here.
As we rolled each suitcase into the flat and needed to empty it to take it back for a refill, we realized we basically had no drawers anywhere to put clothes in. The desk had 3 small drawers which we had quickly filled with school stuff. It was then I knew that I had to make a trip to Ikea. A set of hanging shelves in the one closet and Derek's discovery of drawers under the bed (also in need of a wipe down) helped us find a place for just about everything by now, and it already feels like home.
I feel like I've been writing for ages, and yet I haven't even gotten onto the topic of what our new place is actually like. I guess that'll have to wait until next time. I'll end with another thanks to our friends here, both to those who helped us move, and the many more who offered a hand. We made sure to relax with a beer (or alcopop, in my case) after each day of heavy lifting, and had some friends over for dinner on Monday to celebrate being in the new place and what we had all accomplished. I'm so glad we moved -- this place feels a lot more like home.
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