Students tend to have a reputation of being lazy and dirty. We know that’s not true – although there are always a few exceptions to the rule.
To help you prove everyone wrong and show the world – or at least your parents – that you can keep your stuff in order without them, here’s our student’s guide to keeping your student home sparkly and clean.
Get into cleaning mode
When it comes to being a student, motivation is everything.
We understand that – as you have many activities to combine, such as lectures, studying, coursework, and building up a social life – you don’t want to invest too much of your precious time into cleaning.
Whether you live in university halls or a shared house, it’s important to take a look at your schedule and find a spare three hours for that initial big clean, followed by an hour per week to keep up appearances.
Write down the times you have free for cleaning and punch them into your weekly schedule to visualise what you need to do when and to get yourself into cleaning mode.
Create a Spotify or YouTube playlist to rock out to while you’re cleaning – trust us, it will make the process a whole lot more fun.
Create a cleaning rotation
If you live in a shared house, a rotation scheme will help you keep on top of things and distribute your efforts evenly.
Once everyone is on board, sit down and discuss how you’re going to organise the work. Will it be a rotation of duties or assigned weekly chores agreed upon by your roommates?
Finally, create a spreadsheet that includes a list of all tasks, broken down by date and the person responsible for each chore. Share the list on Google Drive, by mail or on WhatsApp, and display it in a communal area of your student home.
Keep on top of your mess
Even though you now have a clearly labelled spreadsheet, the best way to save time is by keeping on top of things.
More of a mindset than a technique, keeping on top of things as they happen will leave you more time to enjoy the things you love most, like sleeping.
To do this successfully, here are a few cleaning hacks to live by:
- Wipe up spills and mess as they happen.
- Allocate yourself only one bowl, spoon, pot, cup, glass, pan, knife, and fork and wash them up immediately after each meal. Stow your eating utensils away in your personal cupboard.
- Cleanse the fridge of rotten matter each end of the week, agreeing that anything unclaimed will go straight in the bin.
- Make sure everyone keeps their toiletries in their rooms to avoid mess and clutter in the shared bathroom.
- Keep the bin by the front door to make it easier to take it out when it’s full.
Keeping your student home clean and tidy is quite a task when you’re a busy student, but a clean home is a happy home.
With a little organisation your living situation will be more pleasant in the long run. And it’ll get mum and dad off your back too.
Good ideas.
Parents need to teach their children how to clean before they leave home and also how to cook!