Helpful Guides, inspections & cleaning tips

Halls Life

Posted 6 years ago

Tue 21 Jul, 2020 12:07 AM

Download helpful rotas and read our top cleaning tips

Moving into your hall also means learning how to keep up with cleaning your room and shared halls spaces.

This article will help you do just that, with helpful tips, information about inspections and guides to get you on your way to a squeaky clean hall.

We hope you enjoy using our useful cleaning rotas in your hall. Check out the digital versions and download them below 👇

Kitchen Inspections: What to expect

How often: Kitchens are inspected every two weeks or monthly, depending on your hall.
When: Check the inspection schedule, usually posted in the lifts, emailed round, or available from Reception.
What's checked: Staff go round with a checklist covering things like surfaces, appliances, bins and general cleanliness.
How to pass: There are around 12 checkpoints. Miss three or more and the kitchen fails.
If you fail: You'll get a re-inspection, usually within a day or two, so there's time to sort it before it becomes a bigger issue.
If you fail again: The hall will book a professional clean, and the cost gets billed back to the flat.

Kitchen Inspection Checklist

Lounge Area (soft seating): Tidy and free from rubbish, clutter, and dust.
Flooring: Clean, with no debris or spillages.
Furniture (tables, chairs / stools, sofas, cupboards and drawers): Clean, free from dust, stains, food debris, and tidy. Clean under sofa cushions and wipe wall marks.
Dishes: Washed, stacked neatly, or put away.
Sinks (including draining boards): Free from washing up and food debris, clean, no stains or limescale.
Worktops: Tidy, free from clutter, food debris, or stains. Clean under and around small appliances.
Hobs (including splashbacks and extractor hoods): Free from grease, burnt-on food, and dust. Splashbacks and extractor hoods should be clean.
Oven: Clean inside and out, including trays, shelves, and glass door.
Microwave: Clean inside and out, including the top interior.
Fridges: Clean, with no rotting food, spills, or unpleasant smells.
Freezers: Clean, frost-free, and free from food debris and spills.
Bins / Rubbish & Recycling: Clean inside and out, lids closed, and not overflowing. No loose rubbish lying around (e.g., bottles or takeaway containers)

Cleaning tips

Refer to the kitchen inspection checklist above and make sure all of these tasks are ticked off.
Use our cleaning rotas to help distribute tasks amongst you and your flatmates. We have these printed in your shared spaces, but why not download a digital version to print off as you need it, or to edit yourself.
Have clear and open conversations about cleaning from the start. We all want to live in a clean and tidy space and sharing the responsibility amongst your flatmates is important, as soon as you've moved in. Make sure everyone understands the shared responsibility of keeping things neat, tidy and hygenic.
Set up a schedule and set yourself reminders. Keeping on top of everything can feel like a lot, but having handy reminders set up on your phone or noted down will help you feel organised. Once you get into a routine, cleaning will feel super straightforward.

Useful articles

Artwork credit: Madhurima Kumar