Most students change accommodations every year, due to placements or the decision to move out of halls, or perhaps you just want different housemates to live with next year. There is no doubt however that every year, students who are bothered about their deposit have to go the extra mile to secure their full refund. Common reasons for deposit reduction by landlords or estate agents are linked to uncleaned properties or damages that occurred during the tenancy period. This blog will, hopefully, help you with your post tenancy cleaning.
We have put together a short guide on “how to clean up student accommodations and halls of residence“. Before cleaning, the very first thing to do is to observe what needs cleaning and how much effort you will need to set aside, this means you need to make a quick mental plan of where to start and where to finish. This approach will help to reduce the chances of overlooking certain areas. [The pictures below were taken by our team from various cleaning projects]
After making your list of where to clean, it is ideal to start from the top level so that dirt that falls is cleaned up together… Knowing where to start you need to be thorough with dirt. This is actually what matters the most. If you are not thorough you will get complacent and miss stains/dirt that should have been removed easily. Here are a few things to look out for while cleaning away.
Top cabinets: Grease is present in every home. One strange hideout for grease is the very top of the cabinets. It is so easy to forget the top of cabinets because it is above your eyesight, however, landlords mostly look here during post tenancy checks/inventory. To effectively remove this grease, you will need a plastic scraper for most DIY sections a “lemon cream cleaner” and a sponge. As the top of cabinets falls into the top-level cleaning areas, you will need a safe and appropriate step ladder to help you reach comfortably. Climbing on worktops is not recommended.
Onto eye level cleaning areas, You can see from the pictures below that a greasy kitchen is definitely a recipe for deposit deduction. Read the captions for tips on how to clean
When the kitchen is not cleaned up soon after cooking, grease and other food elements will harden up to become stains. It is more difficult to remove food stains once this hardening occurs
This is what a properly cleaned kitchen area should look like whether it was heavily greased up before cleaning or not. All grease elements are removed while the oven hob is cleaned thoroughly with a lemon-based cleaning solution. We use a toothbrush around the edges.
Deep cleaning of kitchen cabinets removes food leftovers, food packaging and grease etc
Lower cabinets: When cleaning lower level areas, try and avoid bending down as your back may start to hurt after a long cleaning session, and you might not see what you are cleaning properly. Remember to look at all corners and surfaces, any dirt should be removed.
How to clean a dirty oven knob – using a microfiber cloth.
It is easy to miss out on the oven bits, but you can clean the oven properly (and feel good about it) when you have the right tools. Oven knobs are easily missed out, but you can use a microfiber cloth as shown on our previous blog – The hygienic care for your oven [knobs]. When cleaning the oven, don’t rely on the scourer and the oven cleaner alone, you need to apply the oven cleaner for about four hours, with a dishwashing brush. This will help you spread the solution across the entire burn surfaces.
TOILET
More tips for cleaning the toilet and bathroom. You will be more effective if you are prepared to get on your knees so that you can see what you are cleaning. As shown below, splashes are a common dirt trap in the bathroom. Splashes are generated from the wash hand basin, bath and improper use of the toilet bowl when urinating. Splashes can generally be found on lower parts of doors, radiators, sink stand, bath side panels, skirting boards… Your observation will point more out to you.
Splash from the basin, bath, toilet bowl during use are the usual causes of toilet odours. They are breathing grounds for germs and can become long term stains.
Dust finds their way into every nook & cranny possible. If the toilet is not cleaned frequently dust piles become huge dirt traps.
This toilet bowl shows dirt stuck to the side and corners. This state will indicate a toilet that is not regularly cleaned or not cleaned to a suitable standard. Also, watch out for carpets inside toilets. We know they are a bad idea, but you can easily clean them by hiring Green Heart Clean, a professional carpet cleaning service.
Wall-mounted fittings in the toilet can easily be overlooked during cleaning, especially fittings above general eye level.
Always check the top of the wall fittings as a lot goes up there especially if they have not been cleaned previously. You will need a cleaning brush or an old toothbrush to loosen dirt in tight areas.
Again an old toothbrush is so useful in removing stains and dirt from inconspicuous areas such as above. In addition, you will need to use a scale remover to remove any built upscales.
FLOORS AND CARPETS
When it comes to floors, you should aim to clean them last, provided it is safe to do so. You should focus on the kickboard (the panel below the cabinets) and the edges between the cabinet and the floor. You should endeavour to pulls out any appliances (if possible), vacuum and mop these areas. Carpets are another area you may lose out on your deposit. We must admit cleaning carpets may be daunting, but when you team up with your housemates and you learn a few “know-hows” about carpet cleaning, you will not soon realise that cleaning is easy when you know what to clean.
Vacuum and mop the obvious areas too, but some areas in the kitchen (especially around the cooker) might have more grease than others, they will require elbow greasing.
We hope you are “thoroughly enlightened” and geared up to hand over your accommodation in a sparkling condition to your landlord!