Sharehouses. An essential component of any well-rounded uni experience. But as we all know, either from horrifying personal experiences or the abundance of icky depictions in pop culture, they can kind of be a nightmare. And no matter how clean you and your housemates are, and how well you have mastered the art of being a neat and organised adult, there are definitely some household items that fall by the wayside when it comes to keeping them clean. So here are three things you definitely need to be cleaning.
Your phone
Think about how many times a day you touch your phone. Then think about all the things you’re touching in between that. Think about all the places you put your phone down. And even though we tend to wash our hands at least a good few times per day, our phones never really get the same treatment, making them pretty germy devices. Now of course you can’t wash an electronic device, but your phone case can definitely be cleaned. If you have a plastic case, run it under some hot water until all visible dirt is gone, give it a light scrub, and then another rinse with hot water. If you have a silicone case, it can be boiled in a pan with some washing up liquid for the ultimate deep clean.
The kitchen sponge
We all know that ominous line from the weird dishwasher ad, ‘Who cleans the cleaner?’. But even if you don’t have a fancy machine to wash your dishes, this is still something you need to be thinking about. You use the kitchen sponge to wash dishes, wipe down benches, clean up spills. Just think about all the food bits and germs and who knows what else that’s getting stuck in there. And no matter how well you rinse it out after you use it, sponges have a definite shelf life. Depending on how yucky your sponge gets, you should be replacing it every couple of weeks. But if it starts to change colour or smell funny it definitely has to go.
Your mattress
Generally, it’s the job of your mattress to be there to support you. You sleep on it every day and it keeps you comfy, and gives you a soft place to rest. And in return, you protect it with your sheets, and make sure they’re clean (at least most of the time). But mattresses can actually get pretty dirty themselves. Hair, dust, skin and all kinds of tiny particles fall through your sheets and rest on your mattress. So when you change your sheets, also give your mattress a quick once over with the brush attachment on your vacuum cleaner. If you’re feeling fancy, invest in a mattress protector that will keep your bed safe from spills. Don’t forget that you should be flipping your mattress at least twice a year as well.
