Tenants’ cleaning instructions
Soihtu Facility Services takes care of the cleanliness of the common rooms and spaces. As a tenant, you should take care of the cleanliness and general upkeep of your apartment. Regular cleaning is a tenant’s basic responsibility – clean home makes living more comfortable and increases the useful life of the apartment.
In shared apartments, all tenants take care of the cleanliness together. So, it is good to agree on some common rules with your roommates right away.
To make cleaning a lot easier, print Cleaning list and Cleaning calendar for shared apartments. With the calendar it is easy to make cleaning plans with your flat mates. Check also the things you have to consider when cleaning before moving out.
Cleaning and defrosting the fridge and freezer
- You can clean your fridge and freezer by wiping them with damp cloth and a drop of all-purpose cleaner or dishwashing liquid.
- The fridge and freezer should be defrosted the least once in a year.
Instructions for defrosting:
- Empty all groceries from the fridge or freezer (check dates). Remove the locker from the door and wash them in the kitchen sink with dishwashing liquid. After this remove the glass and metal shelves from the fridge and wash them in the same way as the lockers or wipe with a damp cloth.
- Put a towel in the back of the fridge so that the water from melting absorbs into the towel.
- When the device has melted, the surfaces can be wiped with all-purpose cleaner or dishwashing liquid.
- Don’t defrost a fridge with the door closed.
- Don’t use electronic devices like a hairdryer for defrosting.
Cleaning the kitchen sink and worktop
- Wipe the sink regularly with all-purpose cleaner.
- Soak stains before cleaning, many times if necessary.
- You can scour the metal surfaces with a rubbing sponge or a scouring pad.
Cleaning the oven and stove
- You don’t necessarily need expensive cleaners for cleaning your stove and oven. A basic cleaning can be done with dishwashing liquid.
- Wipe the stove and oven regularly so that stains don’t stick or burn to the surfaces. By wiping the stove after every instance of use, you can manage to avoid scouring later!
- You can use a rubbing sponge for cleaning a normal oven and stove. However, don’t use all-purpose cleaner, a scouring pad or metal scouring tools to clean a ceramic stove. There are separate cleaners and cleaning scrapers for ceramic stoves.
- It is worth it to scour stains before scouring. You should repeat scouring as many tomes as necessary for the cleaning to be effortless.
- It is worth it to clean a ceramic stove after every instance of use so that stains don’t stick on the surface of the stove.
- Dirt can also accumulate around and behind the oven. If necessary, move the oven slightly to clean the sides and back of the oven.
Cleaning the cooker hood and grease filter
If the interval between cleanings of the grease filter is too long, grease may drip onto the stove. Accumulated grease on the filter obstructs airflow in the duct and poses a fire hazard. Therefore, the grease filter should be cleaned or replaced from time to time.
To easily remove fingerprints from the stainless steel cooker hood surface, use a microfiber cloth or window cleaner.
Before removing the grease filter, disconnect the power. Remove the grease filter according to the cooker hood’s user manual.
Clean the metal grease filter in a hot solution of dishwashing detergent and scrub with a soft brush. If necessary, you can soak the filter for about ten minutes in a hot solution of dishwashing detergent. If the grease filter is made of a soft, porous material, squeeze it in the detergent solution, rinse, and dry.
Wipe the cooker hood above and below with dishwashing detergent.
Due to the combination of human fat, soap and water some fusarium mould (pink coloured) can appear on the bathroom walls. It is harmless for people and easy to clean. The fusarium mould looks quite unpleasant and sticks on the seams so it is worth it to clean it once in a while (recommendation two times a year) by scouring the wall with a cleaned meant for bathrooms and a tile cleaning brush. The same should be done for the bathroom floor.
Cleaning the bathroom floor drain
The floor drain is quickly filled with hair and other dirt so sometimes it is necessary to clean it. Remove the lid of the floor drain and remove loose dirt. Clean the drain as deep as you can for example using an old dish brush or remove possible blockages. Remember to use rubber gloves!
In case the floor drain doesn’t flush well despite the cleaning, contact Soihtu Facility Services by filling in a maintenance request.
To get started with cleaning your windows, you need a window key – it isn’t expensive to get one for yourself or you can borrow a window cleaning set which includes a window key as well.
An all-purpose cleaner, window cleaner or dishwashing liquid are suited for cleaning windows. Remember to use a window squeegee for drying the windows. Last drops are easy to dry with a microfiber towel that can be found in most grocery stores.
The purpose of use for a cleaner depends on its pH-value. Neutral cleaners (pH 7) suit for daily and weekly cleaning. Dishwashing liquid is best for cleaning greasy dirt. A neutral or mildly alkaline cleaner suits for general cleaning. Dishwashing liquid is handy for cleaning for example windows, oven, stove, fridge and stove. It is good the dilute cleaners with water.
Leave the alkaline (pH 10 or over) and acidic (pH 4 or under) for cleaning professionals. Like this you can avoid unpleasant surprises on how different surfaces react for different pH-values. Tough stains should be soaked with an all-purpose cleaner for a while so that you can remove the stains effortlessly. Magic sponges can be used for steel and tile surfaces, but they are not suited for painted surfaces.
Are you moving out?
Responsibilities of a moving tenant include:
- Cleaning surfaces in all rooms (e.g. worktops, walls, doors and radiators)
- Vacuuming and cleaning floors
- Emptying cabinets and wiping their shelves and doors
- Cleaning the bathroom (furniture, surfaces and cleaning the possible shower curtain, wiping the vent and cleaning the floor drain)
- Cleaning the stove and oven (clean behind the stove as well)
- Cleaning the cooker hood and grease filter
- Cleaning the fridge and defrosting the freezer (if you can move the fridge, clean also behind it)
- Cleaning the kitchen sink
- Cleaning the rubbish bin cabinet
- Wiping the vents above windows and on the ceiling and
- Taking out rubbish and furniture.
Please note that all tenants of a shared apartment pay for the cleaning if it is found necessary.
When you move out, the apartment must be totally emptied. All the furniture and other things must be taken away unless you have agreed on leaving furniture with the next tenant. Take into account that if you have agreed to leave some furniture to the next tenant, you must inform the facility services about that by making a maintenance request.
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