When you're about to move out of an apartment, you always want to make sure it is good and clean so that you receive your security deposit back. One of the clean-up tasks you should really have done is having the carpet cleaned. Some landlords even stipulate, in the lease, that the tenant needs to have the carpet cleaned before moving out. This is not too difficult of a task. For the most part, you can call a carpet cleaning company and let them do their thing! There are, however, a couple of tips you may want to follow along the way.

Schedule the cleaning for at least two or three days before move-out.

When you call to make an appointment for carpet cleaning, make sure you schedule it a couple of days before you actually have to be out of the place. Your landlord will likely want to do a final walk-through, and you want the carpet to be dry at this point. Professional carpet cleaning removes quite a lot of moisture from the carpet, so it typically only takes a day or two to dry afterwards.

If you had pets, let the carpet cleaning company know.

Landlords often ask for an extra security deposit if you have a pet. And if there is any pet damage when you move out, they'll keep part of that pet deposit. Stains and smells on the carpet are a common type of pet damage. Carpet cleaning companies can remove these, but you do want to let them know, in advance, that you had a pet. This way, they can bring and use special products that are better at removing pet odors. They can also prepare for any extra time it takes to remove stains.

Have the receipt forwarded to your landlord.

After you have the carpet cleaned, ask the carpet cleaning company to forward your landlord a copy of the receipt. This way, if they have confirmation directly from the carpet cleaning company, they will know you had the carpet cleaned.

Have everything moved out first.

If you are able to have all of your furniture and items moved out of the apartment before the carpet cleaning company comes, that is ideal! This way, they can more easily access all of the carpet. You won't discover any surprise stains you missed under furniture.

Having your carpet cleaned before you move out is essential if you want to get your security deposit back. Follow the tips above, and you'll be set.