Apartment Cleaning Tips for College Students

That Cleaning Girl · Apartment Cleaning

Your first apartment is a big step. No more dorm bathrooms, no more RA checks, and nobody telling you when to clean. That freedom is great, until the sink is full and the trash smells. In Is an Apartment Cleaning Service Worth It? we talked about when a cleaner is worth it. This guide is for students who want to keep their place livable on a tight schedule and a tighter budget.

Build a basic cleaning kit

You do not need a lot of products. A small kit covers almost everything in a student apartment.

• An all-purpose spray cleaner.
• Glass cleaner.
• Dish soap and a pack of sponges.
• A toilet brush and bowl cleaner.
• A few microfiber cloths.
• A broom and dustpan, or a small vacuum.
• A mop or a pack of floor wipes.
• Trash bags.
• Baking soda and white vinegar, which handle a surprising number of jobs.

Split the cost with roommates and keep it in one spot so everyone can find it. A plastic caddy under the bathroom sink and another under the kitchen sink means nobody has an excuse.

Skip the fancy gadgets until you actually need them. A good sponge, a cloth and an all-purpose spray do most of the work in a student apartment.

The fifteen-minute daily routine

You do not need to clean for hours. Fifteen minutes a day keeps an apartment from getting out of control.

• Wash your dishes the same day. Do not let them soak for a week.
• Wipe the kitchen counter after you cook.
• Put your stuff back in your room.
• Take the trash out when it is full.

That is it. Doing just those four things every day keeps you ahead of the mess.

A simple weekly clean

Pick one day a week, maybe Sunday, and do a quick full clean. Put on a playlist and give yourself an hour.

• Clean the bathroom: toilet, sink, mirror and shower.
• Wipe the kitchen: stove, microwave, fridge door and sink.
• Vacuum or sweep all the floors.
• Change your sheets every week or two.
• Take out the recycling.

If you have roommates, split these jobs or rotate them each week.

Roommate ground rules

Living with friends is fun, but cleaning can cause tension fast. Agree on a few basic rules early:

• Everyone does their own dishes.
• Shared spaces get cleaned on a set day.
• Everyone pitches in for supplies.
• Guests are the host's responsibility.

Write it down and stick it on the fridge. It sounds silly, but it prevents a lot of arguments later.

Surviving finals week

Cleaning is the first thing to go when exams hit. That is okay, as long as you have a plan. Before finals start, do a solid clean so you start from a good place. During finals, stick to the bare minimum: dishes, trash and a quick wipe of the kitchen. Use paper plates if you have to. When it is over, do a reset. Wash every dish, take out the trash and recycling, change the sheets and open the windows. Most students find it easier to focus in a clean space anyway, so a little cleaning before a big study session is not wasted time. A clear desk and an empty sink make a long night feel a little less long.

Do not forget the fridge

Student fridges are famous for forgotten leftovers. Once a week, toss anything that is old, moldy or mystery food. Wipe up spills when they happen, before they get sticky. A box of baking soda in the back keeps smells down. Label shared food with names if you are splitting a fridge, and agree on one shelf for each roommate so nothing gets eaten by mistake or lost in the back.

Move-out cleaning

At the end of the lease, you will want your deposit back. Plan ahead. Give yourself a full day for cleaning, or more if you have let things slide. Clean inside the oven, fridge and cabinets, scrub the bathroom, wipe the walls and blinds and vacuum everything. Take photos of every room when you finish. Read your lease to see what is expected, and ask the leasing office if you are not sure. If you are short on time during the end of the semester, a professional move-out clean is worth considering, especially if you split it with roommates.

Students and recent grads living in apartments near campuses and in the towns around south DFW often have us come in at move-out or for a reset at the start of a new semester.

Some students also book a single clean at the start of the fall semester, so the apartment starts the year clean and everyone can agree on a baseline. It is much easier to keep a place clean than to argue about who made it dirty.

See what is included on our apartment cleaning page. Next, we look at cleaning tips for young professionals with busy work weeks.