Living on your own for the first time is so exciting for so many reasons- no curfew, any junk food, and freedom- oh my! Because of the excitement and wonder that comes with living on your own for the first time, college students often forget about all the not-so-exciting parts…like cleaning!
When I first moved into my college dorm room, it hit me that I would be the one responsible for keeping my spaces tidy, making sure food is put away to avoid mice, and doing laundry once a week. While my parents always had me help around the house, at the end of the day, if I didn’t do something it still got done.
I’ve seen many college students completely not care about cleaning and just live in a mess, and hey- if that’s your thing, then more power to you! However, many students like myself want to have a tidy living area, we just have a hard time trying to keep on top of it.
Over the past year, I have become so much more organized and better at managing my time. Because of this, I was able to keep a cleaning schedule despite being a super-busy student. Here are my tips:
If it takes less than 5 minutes: do it.
This is simple. If you need to do something small to keep your living space clean, such as taking the trash out, just do it right when you think of it. It’ll take you less than 5 minutes (if that!) and once you’re done, you’ll feel so much better.
Clean your kitchen and bathroom once a week.
This is a must. I hate a dirty bathroom or kitchen. If you don’t clean anything except these, fine, but make sure you have time for these! Every day I clean up little things but once a week I’ll make a specific time to wipe everything down with Lysol wipes and scrub the grosser areas. This is essential in keeping the germs out.
Clean everything else once every two weeks.
Unless you’re throwing parties with tons of confetti, there’s really no need to vacuum that often when you have a busy schedule. But doing it once every two weeks (or twice a month) is good! Same goes for things like washing your sheets and taking out the recyclables.
If your laundry basket is over flowing, put it in the washer immediately.
This is a simple one….and also the one I have the most trouble following. There’s no reason why your laundry basket should be spilling over but if it is, it’s time to get it into the washer. You’re probably out of clean socks anyway.
Write it into your plans.
If you’re like me and you use a planner for your everyday “to-dos”, this is a smart idea. Just like you would write down a homework assignment or event to attend, write down what chore you need to accomplish that day. It will give you the motivation to get it done, and then you get the satisfaction of checking it off!
Pick one chore to do each day.
I mentioned cleaning your bathroom and kitchen every week, and everything else every two weeks. This is super helpful to keep on top of that. Instead of needing to do everything on one day, pick something small and do it. Whether it’s vacuuming, cleaning the dishes, or wiping down counter tops. It’ll take less than ten minutes and then you’ll be done that chore for an entire week or two.
It’s not easy to fit so much into our busy lives, the last thing college students want to think about is cleaning toilets or sweeping the floor. But, sometimes it’s necessary. Instead of putting it off and complaining about it, hopefully these tips will help you to get to work and start scrubbing!
