If you’ve been renting a room in a co-living space, you’d be happy to know that housekeeping services are likely to be provided by your landlord and is included in your rent.
Still, every tenant living in the apartment must play their part in keeping the apartment neat and clean so that everyone can live harmoniously under one roof. After all, you don’t want to come back to a pest-ridden apartment or be met with a kitchen sink stacked with unwashed dishes.
Here are some simple reminders on how you can maintain cleanliness and the peace at home.
Throw the trash everyday
Your rental unit can start to smell and attract pests if trash is not thrown daily. The kitchen, especially, is the number one area for pest infestation if food waste is not thrown immediately. So do bag up your takeaway or other trash in the kitchen and throw them immediately down the rubbish chute. This will keep pests at bay.
In addition, piles of newspapers, empty boxes from your deliveries and other discarded items can pose a safety and fire hazard. Make it a habit of disposing them regularly by sending them to the recycling bins in your condo grounds.
Clean up after yourself if you’re using the kitchen
The kitchen is a shared space so you and your housemates need to play your part in maintaining its cleanliness and hygiene. If you tend to cook in the kitchen, make sure you clean up immediately after.
Leaving dirty pots and pans and dishes lying in the sink is inconsiderate. Wash your pots, pans, utensils and dishes after use and stack them neatly in the dish drainer. Clear any food scraps from the sink drain to prevent choking.
Don’t wait for the weekly cleaning personnel to come clean the kitchen as it can be difficult to remove sticky oil and grease residue as well as other food stains if they’ve been left for days. If you’ve been cooking, wipe the stove and kitchen countertops to remove oil and other food remnants.
Clean up after yourself if you’re using the bathroom
Most people can’t stand dirty bathrooms. So if you’re sharing a common bathroom with other tenants in your rental unit, clean up after yourself whenever you use it.
For example, after your shower, clear any hair from the shower drain area so that it doesn’t become clogged and water can continue to run smoothly down the drain. Dispose sanitary items immediately to prevent lingering foul smells.
And do use to toilet brush to scrub the toilet bowl after use if you’ve had a particularly large bowel movement. This will prevent your housemate from being surprised with the ick factor when they next use the bathroom. Tip: get a bathroom air freshener to keep your toilet smelling fresh and clean.
