Ultimate cleaning tips for all departing students

So, it’s that time of year. You received your letters detailing the moving out procedure, giving you a checklist of things to do and you’re looking around your student house or flat, and thinking HOW do I clean all of this. Trust me, it can be overwhelming at first. But even the dirtiest of university houses or flats, post end-of-year party, can be cleaned. I have found the perfect way to clean, as well as some of the best products for the job.

One: Divide and Conquer

So, gather your housemates, assign each room, area, etc. If it’s a particularly big room, like the large kitchen and living spaces in some of the student halls, divide that into a more manageable section and divide the workload. If you are in a house, I’d recommend taking the living room, dining room, kitchen.

Key Products for Cleaning the Kitchen:

• Blue Cloths (Or ‘J Cloths’) – you can get them from most good supermarkets, and they are a more environmentally friendly alternative to kitchen roll.
• Surface Cleaner – Of any scent or style, and it’s definitely important. My recommendation is the Tesco anti-bacterial multi-surface spray, or the Kitchen surface spray. Using a Kitchen specific cleaner is ideal as it still gets up the grease and bacteria, and the chemicals are harsher than other sprays but not as harsh as bathroom sprays – as you still need to cook in the kitchen!

Two: Take it a Section at a Time

Do a section at a time, working your way clockwise around the room. For example, in my house’s kitchen I worked from the door, and would clean the kitchen counter to the left, then the oven (making sure I put the plates to soak), then the table, then the counter beside the sink, the sink, and then the counter that we had under the stairs (I didn’t do this by myself, mind you)

Key Products for Cleaning the Bathroom

• Astonish mould and mildew blaster – smells of apples (But don’t sniff it for too long) and doesn’t require any scrubbing – I sprayed it on the mould above my bathtub, opened the windows, and left it. When I got back, it was gone!
• Bath Surface Cleaner – Stronger than the kitchen, for obvious reasons
• Duck Toilet Cleaner – My fave toilet cleaner, if I had to choose – a classic.

Three: A Little goes a Long Way

I learned my lesson when I ran out of kitchen roll that I should use less when cleaning the house – use a little of each product, they go far! And the advert doesn’t lie – one sheet does do plenty – but if you’re like me and can only afford Tesco’s own, one sheet still does a lot. Use it sparingly, you will still clean the house.

Anything Else I think you should know…

• Make a to do list and tick it off. It’s psychologically proven that ticking something off a list makes you feel like you are doing more, so even write the littlest things. And this helps you break it down into sections!
• Play some music, get your groove on while cleaning.
• Treat yourself afterwards.

And that’s it! Get your deposits back, and enjoy your summer.