Essential Cleaning Tips for College Students

Sending your grown kids away for college or university is a huge step. Same goes for allowing them to take a gap year to try to figure out the meaning of life. No matter where your nearly grown kid will go this year, we want to make sure they are set up for success and not living like a slob. Whether you move them across country into a dorm, apartment or a bedroom in a shared house, they should be expected to do their part wherever they live. (yes, even if that’s in your basement!) Let’s send them off with the practical skills needed to succeed solo or as a roommate. 

A practical send-off gift would be to create cleaning caddies for them. Dorms and small apartments may not be suited for a full size caddy (full Cleaning Caddy article here), so we suggest building 2 separate mini caddys that will have their own uses and double as storage. Communal bathrooms and bedrooms are a part of college life and you don’t want your child to be the one who doesn’t contribute. The House Work Guide Bundle would be a great addition to any care package but they are always welcome to hang out in our highlight section on Instagram or of course our blog. Learning the basics for daily living can’t be found in a course catalog. 

When you buy through our links, we may earn a small commission.

Cleaning Caddy: (shop our list here – Canada & USA)

• Tote
• Container of Powdered Tide® (from laundry caddy)
• Dawn® Powerwash Spray
• Microban24® Bathroom Cleaner or Scrubbing Bubbles®
• Windex®
• Blue Dawn® Dish Soap
• Swiffer®
• Cordless Vacuum
• Mop
• Rubber gloves
• Microfiber Cloths
• Paper Towel
• Kitchen Garbage Bags
• Sponge/Scouring Pad

Pro Tip: Give your kid your old vacuum cleaner and mop, and treat yourself to a new one!

Laundry Basket Caddy: 

• Laundry Basket (Canada) (USA) (Get a basket that can easily fit under a bed or out of the way.)
• Powdered Tide® – much more economical to have the box than to buy the singles at the laundromat
  • Pro Tip: keep a small container of this in the cleaning caddy, too!
• Febreze® or a diffuser for a stinky roommate situation
• Bounce® Dryer Sheets
• Tide® Rescue

The right organizational items will be beneficial for living on or off campus, especially with a roommate.

• A trolly (Canada) (USA)
• Under bed (Canada) (USA) 
• Behind door storage (Canada) (USA) 
• Label maker (Canada) (USA). In a shared space this is helpful when items tend to wander off. 

Let’s go over some basic cleaning tasks that every adult should know. If your young adult  doesn’t know how to do these, it’s time for their first lesson before school starts!

Flooring:

I don’t know about you, but I’ve seen some FILTHY floors in shared living spaces. Teach them to bust out their vacuum and spin mop and get to it! We go over all the steps in detail for every flooring type right here. 

Kitchen: 

We will touch on a few appliances now but will refer you here for a full kitchen how-to. 

Mini fridges are great for in room refreshments and a few perishables. They are essentially the same as normal fridges but much less complicated. Best to tackle them empty. Get stuck on food or spilt drinks off by using Dawn® Powerwash spray on a microfibre cloth. 

Microwaves can be easy to keep clean if you prevent splatters from happening in the first place, or wiping with a warm cloth immediately when they happen. A bowl/plate cover (link) would be a good item to add to their kitchen supplies. If a roomie leaves a dried on splatterfest, fill a small bowl with vinegar and water and microwave for 3-5 minutes. This will soften the food and make wiping fast and easy.

A hot plate or electric burner can be helpful in some living arrangements. There are typically 2 types and they either have 1 or 2 elements for cooking. Always unplug when cleaning! (Canada) (USA).  You will want to spray Dawn® Powerwash spray onto baked-on food. Let it sit for 30 minutes and gently scrub with a non-scratch scouring pad. Wipe clean with a warm, damp microfibre cloth and polish with Windex®. Do not immerse in water. Not all models are created equal for cleaning ease. Find the best within your budget. 

Bathroom:

Cleaning a bathroom can seem overwhelming but it really doesn’t need to be. Take the germ mindset out by wearing gloves and just get it done. Half the battle is thinking that this job is below you or too gross. The longer you avoid it the worse it gets. Our main process can be found here. In truth, a bathroom can be cleaned with only a couple products. Scrubbing Bubbles® or Microban® 24 Bathroom cleaner  and Windex® can get their bathroom spic and span.

Bedroom:

We trust that you have guided them by now, how to clean their bedroom but just in case, you can refer them to this article.

Laundry:

We hope you’ve prepped them for this one. Have them check out this article related to all things laundry.

Car:

Do they have a car where they are heading? A clean and orderly car is an important part of vehicle ownership and safety. Jump back to this page for tips and tricks. 

Suggest for your kiddo to bookmark our blog, join our email list, and follow us on socials. We are always sharing new tips and tricks.  

Now wipe your tears and embrace the empty nest. Time to focus more of your energy on yourself. You have done your best and can send your baby off ready to conquer the world! 

Be proud! We are proud of you. 

For a list of our favorite products, click here.

• Katie W @ GoCleanCo