Previous tenant used moth balls in clothing storage. There is a significant moth ball odour in the apartment as a result. Seems to be in carpets especially. What can you do to eliminate the odour?

Moth balls leave a napthalene odor. Its organic and will go away in time. If it is concentrated in the carpet, steam clean them. To eliminate the odor faster, put a fan in the closet. Washing and ventilation are really the most effective ways to get rid of it.

Mothballs are generally made of either naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene, both of which are quite toxic (the latter is a suspected human carcinogen, as well).

It is surprisingly difficult to get rid of the odor - washing, steam cleaning, etc will have little effect. The very best and fastest way is to use LOTS of fresh air with good circulation. Sunlight would help if you have that available; lacking that, warming up the aparment while using fans to pull air through would be your best bet.

You don't want to simply move air around (e.g. putting on ceiling fans, or putting a fan on the area that smells bad) - you want to pull it THROUGH the apartment.

To do this, in the room nearest the worst odor, put a box fan in a window, facing OUT (or better yet a high-cfm reversible house fan, if you have access to one) and seal it to the window as best you can (duct tape and cardboard is fine).

Now go to the opposite end of the apartment and open all the doors/windows you can. Turn the fan on high and let it run all the hours you safely can, until the smell is gone.

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