Do you need a cleaning service for your apartment?

One issue that roommates frequently disagree on is whether or not a cleaning service is a necessary part of your mutual apartment budget. Chances are one of you is more compulsive about cleaning than the other.

If there’s room in your budget for a weekly or bimonthly service, you may not want to press the point in this argument. There’s certainly nothing wrong with a professionally cleaned apartment, especially if your service provider does excellent work.

If you do decide to veto the cleaners, be aware that you’ll probably have to take on the burden of doing the nitty-gritty cleaning that no one enjoys. Here are the four areas of your apartment that probably aren’t as clean as they should be:

The floors. How often do you vacuum? If you have hardwood or tile floors, how often do you sweep, Swiffer, or get down on your knees with a damp rag? If you said less than once a month, your floors are dirty. Maybe even filthy. Cleaning professionals will address this, even hitting those hard to reach corners.

Tabletops and bookshelves. Dusting is so 1960s, but nothing says “I don’t take care of my apartment” like a visible layer of dust on your flat surfaces. Dust at least once a week. Get rid of knick-knacks and junk to make dusting much easier.

The tile in your shower. Is it starting to look a little moldy? This is an easy and time-efficient fix. Spray some Tilex onto the trouble spots (shower should be dry before you start) and let the bleach do the work.

Toilets. Some roommates are possessed to hire a cleaning service simply because no one wants to clean a toilet, ever. But we’re all adults here, and somebody’s got to do it. You’ll need gloves, bleach and a long-handled scrub brush, and don’t forget to wipe down the backside of the rim with a disinfectant cloth.

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Related articles

• Avoid a chore chart with these clean-up routines for roommates (rentcafe.com)
• Keeping Your Bathroom “Company Clean” In 5 Minutes A Day (apartmenttherapy.com)