choremen

How often to clean everything

First flat cleaning kit

What to buy before the first bin night: 9 things that cover every weekly job, then the extras that are only worth it if the flat has what they are for. Each one says which jobs it is for, and when something you already own will do.

Tick what you already have and take the rest to the shop. Ticks stay in this browser and nowhere else; the link you send has none of them in it.

The essentials

Enough to do every weekly job on the starter list. If the last tenant left any of it behind and it is still clean, it counts.

  • A few cloths

    Wiping worktops, the hob, the fridge shelves and the bathroom. Keep one for the toilet and do not let it near the kitchen.

    Enough already: Any clean cloth or old cotton T-shirt cut up will do. Three or four is plenty to start — one in use, the rest in the wash.

    For: kitchen bin and worktops, clean the bathroom, clean the fridge shelves, wipe the shower screen

  • Washing-up liquid, and a brush or sponge

    The dishes, and — a drop in warm water — a gentle cleaner for most other things in the kitchen too.

    Enough already: If there is a dishwasher you still want one bottle and one brush, for the pans and the things that cannot go in it.

    For: wash up before bed, clean the fridge shelves, wash the extractor filter

  • One general-purpose cleaner

    A spray for worktops, the sink, the bathroom basin and the outside of appliances. Read the label for which surfaces it says it is for, and use one product at a time.

    Enough already: One bottle does the kitchen and the bathroom. You do not need a separate spray for every room.

    For: kitchen bin and worktops, clean the bathroom

    Safety: Never mix cleaning products, and above all never mix anything with bleach: with acids (vinegar included) or ammonia it gives off toxic gas. Read and follow the label, and open a window while you use it. Source: Health Canada, “Never mix bleach with other cleaning products”

  • A toilet brush and holder

    The inside of the bowl, under the rim. The holder keeps it off the floor between uses.

    Enough already: One per toilet. If the flat came with one, a new one is still a reasonable thing to want.

    For: clean the bathroom

  • Rubber gloves

    The toilet, the bin, and anything with a strong cleaner in it. Also what makes the washing-up water bearable hot.

    Enough already: One pair to start. A second, different colour for the toilet stops them getting mixed up.

    For: clean the bathroom, bins out, wash up before bed

    Safety: Wear gloves, and protect your eyes, when you use bleach. Source: Health Canada, “Never mix bleach with other cleaning products”

  • Bin bags that fit the bin

    Lining the kitchen bin, so taking it out is lifting a bag rather than washing a bin.

    Enough already: Check the size of the bin you have before you buy a roll. Whatever bags the council or the building asks for, use those.

    For: kitchen bin and worktops, bins out

  • A hoover, if there is carpet or rugs

    Carpets, rugs and the stairs. On hard floors it picks up grit and crumbs too, before you mop.

    Enough already: Ask whether the flat or the building has one first. With no carpet at all, a broom and dustpan does the job.

    For: hoover through, hoover the stairs

  • A broom, or a dustpan and brush

    Sweeping hard floors, and picking up whatever the hoover cannot reach or you dropped on the kitchen floor.

    Enough already: A dustpan and brush is enough for a small flat with a hoover; a broom earns its space when most of the floor is hard.

    For: hoover through

  • A mop and bucket, if the floors are hard

    Kitchen and bathroom floors, and any tile, vinyl or laminate. Wring it out until it is damp rather than wet.

    Enough already: All-carpet flat? Skip it — a cloth on the bathroom floor will do. A flat mop with a spray bottle needs no bucket.

    For: mop the hard floors, clean the bathroom

    Safety: On a wood floor, sweep or vacuum first, then use only a light mist of a cleaner made for wood, and avoid putting excess liquid on it. Source: Bona, “How to clean wood floors”

Only if you have the thing it is for

Each of these is for a particular appliance or surface. Leave it on the shelf until you know the flat has one.

  • Limescale remover or descaler

    Limescale is chalk from hard water, and it dissolves in acid — which is what these are. The kettle, the shower head, the screen and the taps.

    Enough already: Soft-water area, no white crust in the kettle? You do not need it yet. Use each one only on what its label says it is for.

    For: descale the kettle, clean the shower head, wipe the shower screen

    Safety: Scale removers, vinegar and lemon are acidic and damage the polish on marble and other polished natural stone. Keep them off stone worktops and tiles. Source: FILA, “Opaque stains on natural stone”

  • A squeegee

    Thirty seconds on the shower screen after a shower, so the water leaves before the limescale it carries can stay.

    Enough already: Shower curtain, or a bath with no screen? Not needed. A dry cloth does the same job more slowly.

    For: wipe the shower screen

  • A cream cleaner or non-scratch scourer

    The ring round the bath, baked-on bits on the hob, and the sink, where a spray alone does not shift it.

    Enough already: If your general cleaner and a sponge already get these clean, skip it. Check the hob or bath maker’s guidance before using anything abrasive on it.

    For: scrub the bath, clean the hob and splashback

  • Oven cleaner

    Burnt-on grease inside the oven, which ordinary cleaners do not shift.

    Enough already: Some ovens clean themselves or have liners; check the oven’s manual first. A paste of washing-up liquid and patience does a lightly used one.

    For: clean the oven

    Safety: Read and follow the label, wear gloves, and keep the kitchen ventilated while you use it. Source: Health Canada, “Never mix bleach with other cleaning products”

  • A cleaner made for wood floors

    Real or engineered wood, which excess liquid can warp. A light mist of one of these replaces the mop and bucket on it.

    Enough already: No wood floors, or laminate the landlord’s inventory says is fine with a damp mop? Not needed.

    For: mop the hard floors

    Safety: Do not clean a wood floor with vinegar and water: the acid breaks down the finish, and it puts too much water on the floor. Source: Bona, “Avoid water and vinegar to best clean wood floors”

  • A cleaner made for natural stone

    Marble, limestone or travertine worktops and tiles, which an acidic or general cleaner can dull.

    Enough already: Laminate, ceramic tile or stainless steel? Your general cleaner is fine.

    For: kitchen bin and worktops, clean the bathroom

    Safety: Vinegar, lemon and scale removers damage the polish on marble and polished natural stone, leaving dull marks. Source: FILA, “Opaque stains on natural stone”

  • An old toothbrush

    The folds of the washing machine seal, the extractor filter mesh, grout and tap bases — anywhere a cloth cannot get into.

    Enough already: Free, if you have just replaced yours.

    For: clean the washing machine seal, wash the extractor filter

None of this replaces the label. Every product says which surfaces it is for and how to use it safely, and that is the guidance to follow. Never mix two cleaners.

From choremen.fun/first-flat-cleaning-kit

Got the kit? Keep track of the jobs

Here is what it is for. A list says when each one is next due, and when you tick it the next date is counted from the day you actually did it.

Start a list (free)

Nothing goes on it until you add it. Or make a cleaning schedule for your place first, with no account.