When I was at university, I lived in a house with seven other guys. The house was a converted nunnery and living in such a big place definitely had its advantages: most of my good mates were close at hand, there was always something fun going on, and we had a great place to throw awesome parties.

The only downside was that our house was in a near-constant state of mess because organising eight lazy male students to clean regularly is a near impossible task. On a normal day you would find the kitchen bins overflowing, the living room floor strewn with pint glasses and Xbox controllers, and the bathroom cluttered with empty bottles of Lynx shower gel. University has now passed and in society’s eyes I am an adult, so these days I have tried to drastically revolutionise my cleaning habits. Since moving into a new place I have enjoyed the benefits of a fresh and clean household. By sticking to a few rules, you can make your life a lot simpler and live in a home to be proud of

Tidying up as you go along is very important. Now tidying is probably the last thing you want to do after a busy day at work but it really can save you a lot of hassle in the long run. If you have prepared a meal, try to clean up those dirty dishes as soon as is convenient. The longer you leave kitchen mess, the harder it will be to clean it up afterwards since leftover stains will dry and be harder to scrub off. If you clean your kitchenware straight after a meal the stains will come off easily and washing up can literally be accomplished in a matter of seconds. Also, remember to buy good quality cleaning products so that you can tackle even the toughest stains. Instead of using an old towel for jobs around the house purchase some microfiber towels. Microfiber is great for cleaning and can actually remove 96% of bacteria with water alone.

To keep your house smelling nice and fresh you can use a variety of air fresheners, from spray cans like Oust to automatic fresheners will spray at regular intervals. Vacuuming is also very important, particularly if you have carpeted floors since carpets can soak up dust and various stale smells when not cleaned properly. Tobacco smoke is also a major offender, so if you are a smoker then perhaps consider switching to nicotine pouches without tobacco in order to prevent that foul stench of stale smoke. There are loads of brands to choose from.

Finally, if you live in a house with other people then a rota can be a good way to keep all of the cleaning duties fair and equal. Rotas are often interrupted by unexpected commitments, but it won’t hurt to do a bit of extra work while your housemate is unavailable. Think of the added feeling of superiority you’ll get from it as a bonus.