How to Deep Clean Your Student Home

How to Deep Clean Your Student Home

12 May 2020 • 12 min read


Whether you’re moving out of your student home, or simply want to have a proper spring clean, deep cleaning can be a tough but rewarding process.

There are some things that you’re likely to forget, as deep cleaning your student home takes a lot of time and effort, but we've put together our tips to get your house looking spick and span.

This guide covers everything from the preparation to the actual nitty gritty, so you can make sure you get every nook and cranny in your home. We’ve included a checklist in this guide too, so you can make sure you don’t forget anything.

Here are our top tips for deep cleaning your student home

Looking for some specific advice? Here's what's covered in this guide.

👉  The preparation
👉  The equipment
👉  Tips before you start
👉  How to deep clean each room
     👉  Bathroom
     👉  Kitchen
     👉  Living room
     👉  Bedrooms

👉  Deep cleaning checklist

The preparation

Having a proper deep clean isn’t an easy feat. By prepping yourselves and your home beforehand, it can actually cut down a lot of time in the long run.

It's a good idea to declutter before you start cleaning. It’s likely that your student home will get worse before it gets better, so have a quick tidy up around the house and put everything back in its place before you start cleaning. Hang your clean clothes up, or even stick a wash on to get ahead of the game. Take out the rubbish, stick some music on and get ready to get your hands dirty.

The equipment

Going headfirst into a deep clean won’t be effective unless you have the right equipment, so make sure you’re armoured with the correct sponges and soaps beforehand. We recommend having the following at a minimum:

  • A dustpan and brush
  • A vacuum cleaner
  • A mop and bucket
  • Multi-purpose cleaner
  • Window and glass cleaner
  • Microfibre clothes
  • Bleach
  • Dish soap
  • Scourer and oven cleaner

Tips before you start

Here are some things you should consider before you start, to make deep cleaning a little bit easier.

Separate the jobs between housemates

Deep cleaning is much easier with a few mates on board, so it’s a good idea to get together and do it as a team (plus, it’s way more fun to do it this way). Figure out your game plan and divide the jobs up between housemates. It’s probably easier to do a room or area each, and to all deep clean your own bedroom yourself. Double check each other’s progress as you go, to make sure you’ve covered everything.

Do it in stages

Doing the whole house in one go will probably take way longer, and be way more tiring, than if you do it in stages. Have regular breaks throughout so you don’t burn yourself out, and try to do communal spaces last (they get messier quicker). It's also a good idea to start decluttering a few weeks before you move out, so you have enough room in your outside bins.

Start from the top

It's a good idea to start from the top and work your way down when deep cleaning. This goes for both the house, and each individual room. Vacuum the top stairs first, and clean any windows and surfaces before cleaning the floors. This way, you're not having to go over what you've already done.

Don't forget...

Don't forget to clean inside any rubbish bins, move furniture back to it's original position (if you're moving out of the property) and to crack open a window to let out any strong cleaning smells.

How to deep clean each room

Here's a step-by-step guide to cleaning each area in your home.

The bathroom

Deep cleaning your bathroom can be difficult, and it’s probably the toughest place in your student home to tackle. Luckily, with these tips, you’ll have it done in no time.

  • Start with the shower, as this usually takes the longest to clean. Spray it down with some multi-purpose cleaner and leave it to soak for a bit. This makes cleaning it a whole lot easier. Use a microfibre cloth and cleaner to remove any dirt. It might be worth running the shower at the end to give it one last clean (and don’t forget to clear out the hair from the drain).
  • Don’t forget the shower head. It can be easy to forget about this, as it’s often out of reach, but scrubbing down the shower head can remove any excess oils or grime.
  • Collect your hand towels, shower mats and shower curtain for the washing machine. In a student home, these can often go neglected. It’s good practice to pop these in with a regular clothes’ wash every now and then, and have two or three of each for when one needs replacing.
  • Clean the toilet. This is one of the least glamorous jobs, but it’s probably one of the most important. Add bleach to the edges of bowl, and leave this for a short while to get to work. Meanwhile, wipe down the seat and tank to get rid of any grime.
  • Clean windows, glass and mirrors with window cleaner. If you have a squeegee, use this to remove any streaks on the surfaces.
  • Clean surfaces and countertops with a microfibre cloth and some multi-purpose cleaner. Make sure to clean any products or items that may be on these surfaces too, so you don’t miss any dirt or grime.
  • Clean the sink. It’s best to leave this until last, as you’ll probably use the sink during the rest of the cleaning process. Use some drain gel if your water isn’t draining as efficiently as possible.
  • Check the corners. Have another scan of the room and see if you’ve missed anything, such as dusty corners, windowsills and shelves.
  • Time to mop. Make sure you’ve got all of your cleaning products out of the way and remove anything from the floor before mopping. It’s also a good idea to sweep or vacuum the floor beforehand.

The kitchen

Deep cleaning your kitchen can be pretty time consuming, especially if there’s a bunch of you using it in your student home. Luckily, with these tips, you’ll be able to clean it from top to bottom super easily. 

  • Pre-cleaning the area is always a good idea. Wash up any dirty dishes and put them away. Remove any odd items from the countertop and take the bin out if it’s full. This will put you in good stead for tackling the deep clean.
  • Start with the cabinets, especially the ones that are above your countertop. Remove all the items in your cupboards and clean the shelves, getting rid of any crumbs and out-of-date items in the process. Clean your items before putting them away again. Don’t forget to wipe down cabinet doors and remove dust from above the cabinets.
  • Clean the oven. Cleaning the oven is best done intermittently as you use it, as it’s a pretty difficult task to take on all at once. Plus, if you’re living in student accommodation, it’s likely that your oven isn’t in the best shape. Getting it super clean will be pretty difficult, so just try your best with it. Remove the oven racks and clean them in the sink, making sure you do the grill pan too. Scrub the oven with a scourer and oven cleaner to the best of your ability. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but you’ll definitely get it looking better than it did beforehand.
  • Clean the stove or hob. Use a strong cleaner and leave it to soak for a few minutes, then use a cloth to remove any dirt and grime. If you have a gas stove top, remove the gas rings and clean them separately.
  • Cleaning a microwave is actually easier than you might think. A top tip is to use a cup of water and the juice of one lemon, put these in a microwave safe bowl and turn the microwave on high for around 5 minutes. This removed any old food build up super easily. Give it a wipe around when done.
  • Clean the fridge and freezer. To do this, start by removing any old food to move it out of the way. Clean the shelves and draws in the fridge with all-purpose cleaner and a microfibre cloth. Start from the top and work your way down.
  • Defrost the freezer. If you’re deep cleaning your property at the end of your tenancy, you’ll have to defrost your freezer. Start by unplugging the fridge and leaving the doors open. The ice in the freezer will melt naturally, so make sure you put a spare towel on the floor to catch excess water. If you have a build-up of ice in your freezer, it might be good to remove this by hand where possible.
  • Time for the windows. Use glass cleaner and a squeegee, if you have one, to clean the windows. Wipe down the windowsill and remove any dirt from inside the grooves surrounding your window.
  • Clean the surfaces with a microfibre cloth and all-purpose cleaner, start from one end of the kitchen and work your way around, cleaning any tiles or your backsplash in the process. Remember to pull out any appliances, like your kettle and microwave, and clean behind them.
  • Clean the sink. It’s a good idea to do this last, as you’ll probably need the sink during the cleaning process. Wipe it down with some all-purpose cleaner and remember to clean the drain.
  • Sweep and mop the floor. To finish off, sweep the floor, including behind the fridge, behind the door and under the bin. 

The living room

The living room is probably where you spend the most time in your student home, but luckily, it’s not too difficult to deep clean. Here’s how you can get it as good as new.

  • Remember to declutter before you start cleaning. There’s probably a bunch of junk from each of your housemates in here, so go through everything and clear out what isn’t needed.
  • Put a wash on. Collect any cushion covers, blankets and doormats that might need washing and put them in the laundry.
  • Clean the windows. Just like in the bathroom and kitchen, use a glass cleaner and a squeegee to clean down the windows. Don’t forget to wipe down the windowsills and any crevices that you might usually miss.
  • Wipe down any surfaces and clean any lamps or other objects that might be on them. This includes any shelves that might need emptying, cleaning, and reorganising.
  • Vacuum the floor. Make sure you pull out the sofas and tables to vacuum underneath them. It’s also worth vacuuming behind sofa cushions too (they get very crumby).
  • And finally, mop! If you have uncarpeted floors, don’t forget to mop. Move any rugs that may be in your way and mop the vacuumed floor. Remember to do this behind sofas and furniture too.

The bedrooms

It’s a good idea to deep clean your own individual bedrooms in your student home. This breaks up the cleaning, and saves you having to clean someone else’s mess. If you’re moving out of your property, make sure to gather your housemates and check each of the bedrooms for cleanliness - just in case anything gets missed.

  • Do the laundry. Like with the other rooms, it’s a good idea to get a load of laundry on first thing. Pop in your bedding, blankets, towels and any cushion covers that might need a good clean.
  • Clean the windows. Use a window cleaner and cloth to clean the windows. Clean the windowsills and wipe down any objects in this area.
  • Clean your wardrobe and chest of drawers by wiping down the top and insides, including any shelves. Vacuum inside the wardrobe if needed.
  • Wipe down any shelves if you have them, and clean the items stored here. Work your way down, starting at the highest shelves first, so dust and dirt doesn't fall on clean surfaces.
  • Wipe down picture frames and clean your TV and computer if you have these in your room. It's also worth removing any old blue tack stains from the walls with some cleaner.
  • Clean your desk and side tables, if you have any. It’s a good idea to remove everything from these surfaces, wipe the surface down with an all-purpose cleaner and microfibre cloth, and then add back the objects after cleaning them. This way you can make sure you get all the nooks and crannies. 
  • Vacuum the floors. Make sure you pull out all of the furniture and clean behind these too.

Deep cleaning checklist

To make it a bit easier for you, we’ve put together a checklist of everything you might miss when deep cleaning your home. These are especially worth paying attention to before moving out of your student home, if it’s nearing the end of your tenancy.

  • Clean the insides of cupboards and shelves
  • Clean kitchen appliances, including the fridge and oven
  • Clean inside the kitchen and bathroom bins
  • Empty the freezer and any ice cube trays
  • Move any furniture and clean behind and underneath them
  • Remove any cellotape or blue tack from the walls and cupboards
  • Shake door mats outside and wash with warm, soapy water
  • Empty the hoover and throw away the mop once cleaning is complete
  • Bonus: Spray some air freshener when you leave, so your landlord is pleasantly surprised when they come to inspect your home.

So there you have it! Now your student home should be properly deep cleaned. Whether you're moving out and want your deposit back, or you simply want to feel clean for the coming months, your home will be spick and span.


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