Maintaining your apartment can be a challenge when you’re juggling school and household responsibilities, but it’s important to do so if you wish to avoid cleaning and/or damage charges when you move out. When you leave University Apartments, your apartment must be clean and in the same shape as it was at the beginning of your lease, with normal wear and tear expected.
For tips and a list for cleaning your apartment while you live there and during move-out, take a look at our moving-out page.
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Humidity
Excessive humidity (moisture in the air) is not a healthy environment for you or your apartment. Closely monitor moisture-producing activities such as bathing and cooking. Use kitchen and bathroom fans to help keep humidity at an acceptable level. See our maintenance videos for a guide on how to use the vent fans. Generally, humidity levels should be between 30-50%.
Hanging Items on Walls or from the Ceiling
Use the provided metal picture hangers for hanging mirrors, pictures, and other wall hangings. If you need more picture hangers, the University Apartments Office will give you some free of charge. The use of tape, larger nails, screws, or other wall adhesives on walls, ceilings, and doors is not recommended and will likely result in damage charges at move-out.
Painting
Residents are not permitted to paint their apartments. As part of the preparation of apartments for new or transfer residents, apartments are repainted as needed.
Natural Gas
Most buildings have gas-operated boilers and gas dryers. Harvey Street has gas stoves as well. Normally, these present no hazard and are energy efficient, safe, and inexpensive to run. If you ever smell natural gas call Madison Gas & Electric (MG&E). Then call the Apartments Facilities Office or the Resident Manager on Duty (if the gas is smelled after hours).
Laundry Facilities
Laundry facilities are for resident use only. Laundry use is permitted from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., suggested laundry times are between the hours of 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. Residents are strongly encouraged to be considerate of those who live above the laundry rooms and on hallways with stairs leading down to the laundry rooms.
Trash/Recycling
The light brown dumpsters are for trash and the green containers are for recycling (glass, aluminum, plastics, and metal), and the blue are for cardboard, newspaper, and paper. We ask all University Apartments residents to help us be sustainable and place refuse where it belongs.