Keeping your Student House Clean

When you leave home to go to college or university you will be living in student accommodation, unless you live with your parents and commute. This could mean halls of residence or shared rented houses. Whatever form of accommodation you find yourself living in, there is one certainty – you will be expected to clean up after yourself.

While no-one decides to live in a pig-sty, there is always the danger that shared accommodation can become a battleground over who should clean where and what. The outcome of these arguments can lead to very unpleasant living areas – kitchens with piles of dirty dishes, a bathroom with mould growing in the tiles, an unmentionable toilet…

To avoid this nightmare scenario, here are a few top tips to keep your student living quarters sparkly clean.

Keep your own room tidy

If everyone in the house keeps their own space tidy and pulls their weight, no one will fall out. Your room may well become the sacred haven you escape to away from the hustle and bustle of student life. Keep things clean and tidy by giving everything a home and putting things back when you have finished with them. Not only will it help keep your room looking tidy but it will help you to find things when you are rushing around. The rule is little and often, try to get into the habit of hoovering the floor and changing the bed clothes once a week.

Share the burden

Whether you are in halls or a shared house you will probably have a shared kitchen, bathroom and communal area. For the majority of students, there will be an expectation to keep the shared areas clean and tidy. If you live in a rented house, keeping these areas in good condition throughout the year may help you get your hands back on that deposit which was paid out before you even moved in.

As boring as it sounds a rota really can be the fairest way to ensure that everyone pulls their weight and maintains a nice living environment. Whether it actually works or not depends on the personalities and tasks involved and although no one wants a reputation as a filthy slob, no one wants to be known as squeaky clean either so it’s important to try and find the right balance for your household.

Love the loo

Keeping the smallest room in the house clean should be a priority. At the most basic level, wipe the seat, clear away empty toilet rolls and make sure there is a bottle of cleaning fluid and a brush handy so everyone can play their part. Blitz the toilet regularly with bleach to keep germs at bay.

Beautiful bathrooms

Give the sink, shower or bath a quick rinse after you have used it. Keep bathroom mould and mildew to a minimum by opening a window while you shower and leave the door open afterwards to allow airflow. This will help dry out your bathroom quicker and keep it fresh. Give all the surfaces a regular squirt of bleach to wipe away germs.

Washing up

In a shared house a pile of dishes can soon mount up. Even if you have a dishwasher, someone has to fill and empty it and the temptation to take only the plate and knife you need from the dishwasher drawer is sometimes just too much! Each household will tackle the washing up differently, some may choose to wash up after themselves as they go along, take it in turns in line with sharing the cooking or leave it to mount up and blitz it in marathon washing up sessions. Whatever you choose to do make sure you are stocked up and ready to go when the time does come to show those dishes some soapy water.

If this all sounds a little onerous, it is just a question of little and often and is the only way to avoid living in a student slum.