How Prepared are Students for Life at University
Yugo surveyed 2,000 parents to find out how prepared students are for university life – read on to learn which essential life skills most students are lacking...
A student’s guide to cleaning: tips and tricks to maintain a clean living space
It’s hardly the most exciting part of university life, but cleaning is one of those unavoidable tasks that some students take to better than others – inevitably leading to tensions between roommates with very different ideas about cleanliness.
Our recent survey of key life skills for students found that cleaning is one of the main things that parents try to teach their kids before they leave home. However, it also shows that many students still lack basic skills like doing laundry and tidying their room.
So, what are some quick tips and techniques for students who might be new to cleaning? In this guide, we’ll run through the basics, and share some genius hacks so that you can get your cleaning done in half the time!
Staying on top of laundry
The dreaded laundry pile – we've all been there. That moment you realise you've worn your last clean t-shirt, and the mountain of clothes in the corner can no longer be ignored. As it turns out, the laundry basket sadly doesn’t empty itself by magic.
Despite widely accepted social norms around wearing clean clothes, our survey found that less than half of students (47%) are taught how to do their own washing before leaving home.
If you find yourself in this camp, fear not: doing laundry is actually pretty simple. Most student accommodation, like our Yugo spaces, have on-site laundry facilities with detailed information on how to use the washing machines.
Before you start the wash, be sure to separate your darks from whites – a skill that only 37% of students are taught before university – to avoid colours running, and be wary of delicate items like tights or embroidery that may need to be washed on separate cycles.
You’ll find things a lot easier if you do your laundry outside of peak hours, when competition for washing machines hots up. So, whether that’s first thing in the morning, in-between lectures, or late at night, try to find a gap in your schedule when it’s quiet.
If you know how to remove stains, consider yourself a pro – just 18% of parents in our survey taught their teens this skill. If you do suffer a spillage, your best bet is to consult Google or TikTok for the right home remedy based on the type of stain you’re dealing with. And remember: the number one rule of stain removal is to act quickly.
Keeping the kitchen in check
Ah, the student kitchen – a place where friendships are tested and passive-aggressive notes flourish. The politics of caring for a communal space can be challenging, particularly when standards of cleanliness vary.
That’s why one of our top tips is to introduce a rota for a deeper clean that goes beyond just keeping the counters tidy. Whether you choose to deep clean the kitchen on a weekly or fortnightly basis, individually or in a group, a rota helps share the workload around and holds everyone to account.
While anyone can wipe down a surface, one more challenging aspect of kitchen cleaning is restoring appliances to their former glory – for instance, our survey found that just 16% of students are taught how to clean an oven before they swap home for university.
Luckily, social media is brimming with genius hacks to get your appliances in tip-top shape. Here are some of our favourites that draw on everyday household items:
- The air-fryer hack: Soak the tray of your air-fryer in a mix of washing up liquid and bicarbonate of soda for 30 minutes, and then scrub to magically remove grease.
- The lemon hack: Line an oven-proof dish with lemon slices, top with water and heat at 180°C for 30 minutes. The lemon-y vapors will loosen all of that built-up dirt and grime, while also helping to neutralise bad smells and bacteria growth. Then, remove and use the lemon-infused water to scrub away in your microwave and oven.
- The kettle hack: Fill the kettle with equal parts water and vinegar, boil it, let it sit for one hour and then rinse it clean to descale and freshen.
That just leaves the fridge, which you can make light work of by doing a quick wipe down, and throwing out old food at the end of each week. We’d also recommend doing a deeper clean at least once every few months.
Restoring the shine to your bathroom
Another hotbed of roommate unrest, the student bathroom is where hair mysteriously accumulates and shower products multiply. Only 41% of students are taught how to properly clean a bathroom before university, so there’s certainly room for improvement here!
If you don’t have the luxury of an en-suite, you’ll probably want to extend the scope of your cleaning rota to include the bathroom. Getting a shower caddy will also help keep your toiletries separate, while saving time during cleaning by helping you remove items quickly.
When it comes to your bathroom, the secret is to clean little but often. Aim for at least a weekly routine of scrubbing the toilet bowl, wiping down surfaces, cleaning the mirror, and mopping the floor to save yourself the stress of having to do a deep clean.
Occasionally you may need to get a bit more hands on, like if you ever encounter a clogged drain – a situation that just 12% of students are taught how to deal with. One common hack for this is to pour bicarbonate of soda and vinegar over the drain, let it sit for 15 minutes and then pour over boiling water to unclog the drain.
Top tip: If you are ever in a situation where plumbing requires expert help, always notify your landlord or site team for assistance. Professionals like plumbers are well-trained and you should never try to do their jobs for them!
Our final cleaning tip for students is to keep your bathroom well ventilated – especially during and after showers – either by opening the window and switching on the extractor fan. This should ensure your space remains mould-free.
Cleaning: an essential life skill for students
No student wants to spend their precious time dusting furniture or degreasing the hob, but some degree of cleaning is needed to maintain a space where you actually feel able to relax.
By setting expectations on cleaning with your roommates, either verbally or with a dedicated rota, you can avoid those difficult conversations that can quickly turn your university experience sour. Plus, you’ll be ready to take pride in your own space after you graduate!
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