Cleaning

While living in our dormitories, it is your responsibility to look after your apartment. Think of the dormitory as your own home.  Keeping up with the maintenance of the apartment while having a busy schedule at the university might sound terrifying at times. Therefore, we strongly advise you to make daily and weekly cleaning part of your day-to-day routine. It will make it easier for you to keep the surfaces clean and last longer and the final cleaning will not take that long when you move out.

Most people have their own ways of cleaning but it is always good to know more tips and tricks. For this reason, we have collected few basic pieces of information about cleaning:

There is no need to follow a very in-depth cleaning routine every day. However, it does make life easier when you clean after yourself immediately when mess happens. For example, when you see that something spills over or falls to the ground or on the walls, remove the stain immediately so that it doesn’t have time to set into the surface. This also applies for the grease and food stains while cooking.

In addition, when sharing your apartment with other tenants, remember to be a flatmate that everyone loves. Shared kitchens are typically quite small, therefore wash your dishes and clean the cooker and its surrounding areas right after cooking. This way, you will leave the place nice and tidy for your flatmate. When taking a shower, remember to dry the bathroom floor (and walls) after you finish and remove hairs from floor drain strainer.

NB! If you see that trash accumulates quickly, take it out daily. Never store full trash bins in the apartment.

If you clean a little bit every week, it will never get to a point where clean surfaces become unattainable. Weekly cleaning consists mostly of organizing and putting away your personal belongings, wiping dust from the surfaces, brushing and mopping the floors. If the weather allows, open your window during this process so that fresh air can come to the room.

Remember also to clean the shared areas: make sure the walls and floors are washed in the shower room and the toilet seat is disinfected. Making a cleaning schedule with your flatmates is a good way of dividing and conquering the mess!

It is advisable to take one day per month to make a more thorough cleaning. If you have been keeping up with daily and weekly cleanings, monthly cleaning will not take much time. Every month you should clean the light switches and doors if they have gotten dirty. Also, defrost the refrigerator and clean it both inside and outside (you can do this every other month as well). This way, the fridge will last longer. In the shower room, check if there is any hair in the drainage and if necessary, clean it. On monthly basis, use drainage liquid to prevent any blockages.

When you end your contract, it is time for final cleaning. In short, it means that after cleaning all surfaces should be clean of stains and ingrained dirt. The final cleaning will not be a big job if you have kept the apartment tidy throughout your tenancy. The purpose of this cleaning is not to remove only loose dirt but also any stains and ingrained dirt that has accumulated during your tenancy. If you have not cleaned your apartment regularly and properly, this can take a lot of time, so do not leave the final cleaning until last minute. List of things to notice:

1. Walls
   Make sure that the walls are clean and without any stains. You can use “magic sponge” to clean the walls. If you notice limescale in your bathroom, clean the walls with acidic cleaning agent and a brush.
2. Doors
   Wipe the doors and handles with damp cloth.
3. Floor
   Brush or vacuum the floors and wipe them with a damp cloth or mop.
4. Cabinets
   Empty all the cabinets. Clean all the inner and outer surfaces of the cabinets. Clean the doors and handles.
5. Surfaces
   Clean the surfaces and soak the grime if needed.
6. Refrigerator
   Empty the refrigerator and the freezer. Clean the refrigerator with a damp cloth. Defrost the freezer with extra caution. Wipe with damp cloth. Never use a knife to defrost a freezer or let the melting water get to the floor. Clean the doors and the handles.
7. Sink
   Clean the sink. Clean the taps and faucets from hard water spots.
8. Toilet seat
   Clean the interior and exterior surfaces of the toilet seat. Clean the area under the rim also. Clean the base of the toilet seat.

NB! If you share your apartment with flatmates and they will continue living in the apartment, make a list of chores you completed from the final cleaning so that we would have an overview of this while we inspect the room after you have moved out.