Keeping your flat clean doesn't have to be difficult

Cleaning is nobody’s favourite part of student life. But when you’re sharing a space with others, keeping things tidy isn’t just about hygiene, it’s also about respect.

A cleaning rota can help avoid awkward conversations, passive-aggressive notes, and full-blown flatmate fallouts.

Here’s how to set one up that actually works (and doesn’t cause more stress than it solves):

Why bother with a rota?

Without a plan, cleaning often falls to the same person or worse, no one at all.

A rota:

• Means you share the workload fairly

• Sets clear expectations about what work needs to be done by who

• Helps avoid resentment by ensuring there is accountability

• Keeps your flat feeling like a home, not a health hazard - no-one wants an overfilled bin in their kitchen! 

Start with a discussion as a flat

Before you start assigning tasks, have a quick flat meeting.

Ask:

• What are everyone’s cleaning pet peeves?

• How often should shared spaces be cleaned?

• Are there any tasks people really hate (or don’t mind)?

 If you try to create a rota without letting others know they might be put off by it. By having a conversation where you listen to everyone, it helps your flatmate feel heard and makes the rota more likely to stick.

List the shared spaces and tasks

Typical areas to include:

• Kitchen (surfaces, dishes, bins, fridge)

• Bathroom(s) such as the toilet, sink, shower and floors

• Living room/common areas including hoovering, cleaning tables and sides and throwing any rubbish away

• Hallways such as moving items into rooms they belong to and hoovering

• Taking out the rubbish and recycling and replacing the bin bags

Break each area into manageable tasks so it’s clear what’s expected. and how often it should be done.

Divide and rotate

There are a few ways to split the jobs:

Weekly rotation: Everyone takes a different area each week and rotates.

Fixed roles: Each person sticks to one task they don’t mind doing.

Pairs: Team up to make it more social (and less overwhelming).

Make sure the rota is fair and flexible, understand that life gets busy, and swaps should be allowed so resentment doesn't grow.

Make It visible

Put the rota somewhere everyone can see it such as on the fridge, a shared WhatsApp group, or a Google Doc. You could even use a whiteboard or a shared calendar.

Bonus tip: Add a tick box or emoji system so people can mark when they’ve done their bit, this provides more accountability. 

Keep It Chill

If someone forgets or falls behind, don’t jump to blame. A gentle reminder usually does the trick. If it becomes a pattern, have a calm conversation rather than letting it build up.

Celebrate the wins

Cleaning might not be fun, but it feels good to live in a tidy space. Celebrate small wins like a sparkling kitchen or a bin that’s actually been emptied. Maybe even reward yourselves with a takeaway night when the rota’s been followed for a month!