Please keep your home clean. When you take care of the cleaning on a regular basis, you will have it a lot easier and your home will be more comfortable. Here are some tips on what to pay attention to.

Living in a shared apartment is at its best a life experience that provides you with a lifetime of friends and memories. Agree on cleaning days and shifts together with your flat mate. To make the planning easier you can use this cleaning schedule. Common ground rules provide a good framework for comfortable living!

If an apartment needs to be cleaned after a tenant has moved out the minimum charge is 50€ / apartment. If the tenant is moving to another PSOAS apartment the costs will be invoiced. Otherwise the costs will be deducted from the deposit.

Cleaning instructions

Floor and baseboards

Vacuum/sweep and wipe the floors with a damp cloth weekly. Universal detergent will work just fine and make sure that the dirt will not get stuck. If you have laminate floors in your apartment, avoid using too much water. Baseboards should be cleaned on a regular basis too.

Ventilation openings

Cleaning the replacement air vents (usually next to windows) and exit vents (usually in kitchen, bathroom/clothes room or toilet) belongs to the tenant. Clean the vent hole with a towel wrapped around a knife. Do not remove any parts of the vent, just wipe the outside area.

Kitchen surfaces and tables

Avoid keeping excess items on kitchen tables as it makes the cleaning of surfaces harder. Wipe the table surfaces always right after eating. Kitchen cupboards should be wiped on a regular basis too.

Stove, oven and cooker hood

Stove and oven can be cleaned with dish washing liquid. Be careful not to scratch the enamel surfaces. The back of the stove must be cleaned when moving out but taking care of it also during tenancy is recommended. Dirty filter in the cooker hood will make the air inside stuffy. The grease filter must be washed with warm water and dish washing liquid on a regular basis since it gets easily blocked.

Refrigerator

Defrost the refrigerator’s freezer compartment at least once a month if it doesn’t have automatic defrosting function. Defrost the freezer at least once a year. Never use a sharp tool or hair dryer in order to remove the ice from the freezer. Remember to clean the water drain hole (on the back wall) of a refrigerator that has automatic defrosting function so that the water won’t leak to the refrigerator or the floor. Don’t keep the refrigeration equipment’s quick freeze mode on because it consumes more electricity and will wear out the device’s motor prematurely.

Bathroom, floor drains and toilet seats

Bathroom walls and floor easily gather brown foot rot which is an orange layer of dirt. Wipe them with a brush or a harsh sponge and bathroom detergent. Remember to rinse the surfaces carefully so that the detergent will not damage them. You can prevent the brown foot rot by leaving the bathroom door open after taking a shower. This way the bathroom will dry quicker.

Cleaning the floor drain belongs to tenant’s responsibilities and it should be done on a regular basis as hair and bacteria get easily stuck on the drain. Remove the drain cover and remove the dirt. Old dishwashing brush will do just fine. Always clean the toilet seat when necessary and wash it properly once a week.

Windows

The windows are washed with a mild solution of water and washing-up liquid. The surfaces of the windows are washed with a rich amount of washing liquid with a lint free window washer or a micro fibre towel. The windows are dried with a window dryer. Factors that guarantee a bright and clean end result are that the rubber part of the dryer is in good condition, drying the rubber part after the wipes, the right angle between the dryer and the window and an adequate amount of washing liquid while drying the window. While cleaning the windows it is recommended to clean the curtains, blinds and the window frames as well. Cleaning the windows in direct sunlight is not recommended.

Basic cleaning equipment includes:

Waste recycling

It is very important to recycle waste. The waste must be sorted in the following way before dropping it in the waste containers:

Please note that in Finland you can recycle most glass and plastic bottles as well as tin cans. Take the bottles and cans to the nearest grocery store and you’ll get back the bottle price!


PSOAS offers rental apartments for students in Oulu

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Read more about the student life at PSOAS and get to know the facts about living, applying and moving in.