Your go-to guide for a clean and tidy flat

There’s a new sense of freedom that comes with living away in Halls. With all that independence does come new responsibility, such as keeping your flat clean and tidy.

Cleaning is probably the last thing you want to think about but unfortunately it doesn’t make the task go away. Not looking after your flat will have an impact not just on you but also the people you live with, so it’s even more reason to keep on top of your living space, especially shared areas.

Rest assured that with practice and our handy cleaning guides, it'll all feel a little less daunting with time.

·       Your guide to: Cleaning your kitchen

·       Your guide to: Cleaning your bedroom

·       Your guide to: Cleaning your ensuite

So, to give you more time of the fun stuff and less of the cleaning up, here’s some cleaning tips that you’ll thank us for later:

Start as you mean to go on

 Making time for cleaning early on will reinforce good habits for the rest of the year. The sooner you make time for cleaning, the better.

Rota it up!

When it comes to keeping on top of your shared kitchen, it’ll be up to you and your flatmates to share out the tasks so that it’s fair for everyone.

You’ll have a domestic member of staff visit your kitchen twice a month but in the meantime it’ll be up to you and your flatmates to keep it sparkly clean and this is where a rota comes in handy.

Take 5 minutes to fill out a rota and share out the tasks. If you live with 4 other people, it might mean you're only rota'd up to vacuum once per month - not too bad!

Tidy as you go

We’re all guilty of a 'floordrobe' but while you’re living in a space with limited storage, it’s even more important to tidy as you go and to not let mess build up.

Keep on top of your cleaning and tidying will stop it from building up over time make the task far less overwhelming.

Who said cleaning needs to be boring?

Put on your fave playlist and set a timer for just 20-30 minutes so that you don’t get distracted and it doesn’t take longer than needed. Reward yourself with something when it’s done!

Communicate with your flatmates

It might feel a little awkward to approach but talking about cleaning expectations at the start of the year will set the tone for the rest of your time in Halls.

Having difficult conversations is not always easy but if you find that the rota starts to slip or the responsibilities are not being shared out fairly, it’ll be much easier to refer back to the rota. Click here for practical tips on approaching tricky conversations with flatmates.

Tidy space, tidy mind

It’s thought that living in a clean and tidy environment will help improve quality of sleep, reduce stress and improve concentration, all of which you’ll need when studying at uni. Don’t let the dusty bunnies take over your room!

Keep it hygienic

Ultimately keeping you kitchen and living spaces clean and tidy means that you’ll reduce the chance of unwanted visitors e.g. flies, avoid mould growing, reduce dust, allergens and bacteria that can cause illness.

These healthy habits and cleaning skills can be taken onto wherever you live next such as your shared student house next year.

Be prepared for room inspections

Our Halls teams will pop by your room twice a year to inspect it for prohibited items e.g. candles, fairy lights. We’ll keep an eye out for cleanness and tidiness as well.

Keeping on top of your space will mean you’ll be inspection ready year-round. It’ll also make things 10x easier when it comes to cleaning and checking out of your room at the end of the year.