Settling into a home in Indianapolis, Carmel, Westfield or Zionsville: which utility supplies your water and how hard it is, how trash and bulk pickup work, and what to clean before the boxes come in.
The week you get the keys is the easiest time to clean a home thoroughly. The rooms are empty, nothing has to be moved, and you can see every corner the last occupant missed. It is also the week you are setting up utilities, figuring out trash day and learning what the local water does to your new shower.
This guide pulls those threads together for anyone moving into a house or apartment in the Indianapolis area.
Who supplies your water depends on where you live, and so does how hard it is. Most of Indianapolis is on Citizens Water, which describes itself as a regional supplier to about 900,000 consumers across several Central Indiana counties. Its Indianapolis system averages about 19 grains per gallon of hardness, drawn mainly from the West Fork of the White River, Fall Creek and Eagle Creek Reservoir.
Westfield is also on Citizens Water but on a separate system, fed by three groundwater treatment plants plus water from Indianapolis, and it averages about 22 grains. Carmel runs its own utility: Carmel Utilities pumps from 20 wells to five treatment plants and softens the water to about eight grains. The Town of Zionsville lists Citizens Water as its water utility contact.
Knowing the number tells you what to expect. At 19 or 22 grains, plan on a squeegee in the shower from day one and descaling the kettle and coffee maker regularly. In Carmel, film builds more slowly, though the utility notes softening may be reduced during very high summer use.
Trash service varies by community, so check with your city or town before move-in day. In Zionsville, the town arranges trash and recycling for residents through its contracted provider, Priority. In Westfield, the city holds a Bulk Trash Day on the second Saturday of May and of October at City Services on East 171st Street for residents of the city and Westfield Washington Township, which is useful for disposing of old furniture left behind by a previous owner.
Moving tends to turn up half-used paint, cleaning products and garden chemicals in garages and basements. Hamilton County residents can take paints, cleaners and pesticides to the county Household Hazardous Waste center in Noblesville, up to 200 pounds per residence per month.
Before furniture and boxes arrive, work through the parts of the house that are hardest to reach later:
In an older Indianapolis house, about 46 percent of which were built before 1970, the empty-house week is the time to deal with old dust carefully. The Hamilton County Health Department notes that many homes built before 1978 have lead-based paint, and settled lead dust can re-enter the air through sweeping and vacuuming. Damp wipe sills and floors and use a filtered vacuum before children and pets move in.
In a newer home in Fishers or Westfield, where most housing is from 1990 or later, the issue is builder dust in vents, tracks and high trim. Change the HVAC filter during move-in week and vacuum the registers before the system runs for long.
About 44 percent of Indianapolis homes are rented. If you are moving into a rental, photograph every room, the inside of the appliances and any existing damage before you unpack, and send copies to the landlord. Indiana landlords may keep deposit money for damage beyond normal wear and tear, and at the end of the lease they have 45 days after you move out to return the deposit or itemize deductions, once you give a forwarding address in writing. Move-in photos are your evidence of what was already there.
When TotalCare Cleaning comes to Indianapolis, the Moving Clean will work for move-ins as well as move-outs. It includes the full deep scope, hand washed baseboards, window tracks, wet-wiped blinds and shower glass treated for hard water spots, and adds the inside of the oven, refrigerator and cabinets. Schedule it after the previous occupant is fully out and before your movers arrive. For prices, see the cost page, and for the move-out side, the move-out cleaning guide.
The questions Indianapolis homeowners ask most often about this topic, answered plainly.
TotalCare Cleaning will service Indianapolis and surrounding areas with background-checked cleaners and is insured up to $1 million. Re-clean guarantee: if we missed something, tell us by the end of the next day and we come back to fix it. Beyond Clean. TotalCare.
