Any common sense housekeeping advice for a student moving into a house for the first time?

8 comments

1. open the windows is generally the best way to let the moisture out and should help stop mould. best to clean as you go instead of leaving it pile up. also make sure to set a rota for general things like cleaning common areas. your best bet is to get a cheap clothes horse when you cant hang your washing out

2. Even in cold weather washing will dry on an airer, it just takes longer.

   Get into thr habit of drying your clothes in thr bathroom with the window open abit.

   If you live in a hard water are, ignore all toilet cleaning products except the 100% limescale removal ones.

   Clean as you go, hoover up crumbs, wipe sinks and surfaces down when the mess is made.

   Do a clean a week.

   Execute house mates who live skid marks in the loo.

3. Definitely set up a rota so it doesn’t end up falling on one person and agree on a regular cleaning schedule as well (e.g. cleaning as you go)

4. It’ll look like Withnail within a week.

5. Get a cleaner.

   2-4 hours every 2-3 weeks, whatever you can afford.

   What this does is set a baseline. You’ll all rush around before she shows up to make sure she can do the bits you all hate.

6. Have a chore list and set days to do them. This really helps me keep everything looking pretty good. Monday I polish all the surfaces, proper clean the bathroom and kitchen (like with bleach and get the nooks and crannies) and do bedding (sometimes, it’s my least favourite chore). Friday is washing day, I get the loads done one after the other and fold as I take dry washing in. Wednesday I clean out my gerbils and fish tanks. Because you do it regularly it takes less time than if you left it for ages and had to do a huge clean months down the line.

   I vacuum pretty much daily, wash up dishes and put them away as soon as I’m done and wipe the kitchen counters every evening. This type of stuff becomes habit.

   Pick up after yourselves and put things away in their proper place in the evening. If you have a damp problem invest in a dehumidifier. If not, then keep furniture slightly off of damp walls and air daily.

   Every week when you grocery shop, take time to see what’s in your cupboards and fridge and chuck stuff out that’s unusable.

   It’s just about routine care and maintenance really.

7. Wash up as soon as you’ve eaten, or at least before you go to bed. Otherwise it will just pile up until you have nothing left to eat off (speaking from lazy experience when I was at uni and sometimes even now still).

8. Make sure you wipe the kitchen down on a daily basis – counters and hob, they get filthy fast – and do the washing up every day. You don’t have to do it after every meal, but don’t wait until you have the Mount Everest of washing up, it just makes it really hard work.

   Try and do the bathroom/s every week, but if you’re tight on time and can’t do a proper clean, make sure you do the toilet and sink, maybe wipe down the shower and bath.

   Aim to clean every room once a week, or at least every other week. Keep the place tidy because it makes cleaning up so much faster when you’re not working round everyone’s shit!