Surviving student living takes a lot of patience and teamwork amongst your housemates. When you first move in you are going to want to get to know each other and party rather than worry about building a cleaning rota. But sharing your personal space with others isn’t always easy.
Student living is all about working together and supporting each other, the best way is to set the standard as soon as possible and get all the boring bits out of the way. Draw up a list of tasks that need to be done and decide who is going to be doing them.
Someone may be great in the kitchen and will want to do most of the cooking whilst another may love the tidying up after parties.
See who is willing to do what.
Draw up a simple rota that may include tasks like:
• Shopping for household essentials
• Cleaning
• Washing up
• Managing the paperwork
If at the end of your year you want your deposit back and no additional charges, then you really are going to need to keep on top of the cleaning.
In the kitchen, I would suggest that after using the oven and hob you give it a quick wipe-over with some warm soapy water, this way it won’t ever get that horrible build-up of grease and grim that can take ages to get off, smoke out the kitchen or may even mean you call in a professional oven cleaner and this is not cheap.
Clear out the fridge on a regular basis: get rid of gone off, mouldy foods and rotting leftovers. Don’t overfill the freezer so it doesn’t shut properly.
Keep the bins emptied and clean, dirty bins can attract flies and stink.
If you spill drinks or splash food onto the worktops, wipe it up as quickly as possible as foods and drinks can stain, and this could result in the landlord not being happy.
When it comes to the lounge area, use throws to protect the sofas and chairs, or if it is leather make a point of a weekly wipe over, and if you have a carpeted room keep stain remover to hand, student parties often result in drink stains so get this up as soon as you spot them, a new carpet can be an expensive add at the end of your agreement.
In the bathrooms keep those showers flowing frequently and use a drain unblocker on a regular basis, easy to use simply pop down, leave overnight and keep cleaning those toilets as they will be getting a lot of use.
Keep the window open as much as you can to prevent mold and mildew build-up.
At the end of your tenancy, you will be required to leave the property as you found it, so these simple tips should help you stay on top.
Simple Cleaning Rota
Daily Tasks
- • Vacuum
• Wash up dirty dishes
• Open the windows every morning to let the air flow throw
• Clear plates and mugs left in shared areas
• Clean the kitchen sink
• Bleach the toilets
• Take out the rubbish
Weekly Tasks
- • Mop the hard floor areas
• Full bathroom clean
• Dusting
Monthly Tasks
- • Clean the windows
• Tackle the cobwebs
• Dust the skirting boards
• Wipe over internal and external doors
