7 great cleaning tips for students going away
Here is our compressed list of things it's easy to forget if you're going away and leaving your apartment for a while:
1. Remove garbage and check around the garbage bin and closet to see if there are any remains. Wipe away spots around the garbage bin - these have a tendency to start smelling after a few weeks of ripening. It's also a good move to pull out the refrigerator and check behind it.
2. Empty the refrigerator of all fresh goods, opened cans etc. Anything that is not hermetically sealed or has shelf life until next Christmas will profit from being removed. Wipe away spots inside the refrigerator as well. It's a pretty good idea to check out your freezer while you're at it.
3. Do not disconnect the refrigerator unles you empty it completely and wash it out thoroughly. If you plug it out without doing so, you run the risk of coming back to... something unpleasant.
4. All dirty laundry must be dry. We often don't think about it and toss wet or moist rags and towels in the dirty laundry basket before heading home. Over time this will cause mould on your textiles and clothing, resulting in very unpleasant smells, and often ruining your clothes and other fabrics. So, if you don't have time to do the laundry before leaving, make sure your dirty laundry is dry.
5. Rinse leftovers from your dirty dishes. Just like with the laundry, not everyone gets around to that last round of dirty dishes before going away. If that's your case, it is really important that you rinse away any leftover foodstuffs, because they will start to smell.
6. Clean the bathroom drain. Hair, remains of skin and shampoo, and other things we refuse to believe originate from our own bodies can cook up a real cocktail of stink if they are left to dry for a couple of days. Cleaning the drain is not fun, but make sure you do it before you go home. You will not regret it, and here's how you clean it.
7. Put disinfectant in the drain after cleaning it, and in all the sinks as well. Just put a healthy dose of chlorine in there, let it work its magic for at least 15 minutes, and rinse thoroughly.
As a bonus tip, for a good indoor climate, always leave the air vents open, not only while you are away, but at all times.
Also, make sure your windows are shut tightly, and set the thermostat for 12 degrees Celsius. Never turn off all heating in winter! Norway can get really cold during this season, and the water pipes can freeze and rupture if there's a sudden severe drop in temperature while you're away and there's no heat in the room to compensate.