Are you a college going student? Have you started earning? What about buying a lush house in South Mumbai, a glorious home furnished to the tee in Andheri, or an open sea-facing property in Bandra? Oh, wait! Buying a house can be an extremely strenuous and staunchly personal decision for anyone, especially a college going student who has just graduated and has a meager salary to spare for expenses. But what's the other alternative you can vouch for? (YES)

Our thoughts are exactly the same: renting with a capital R.

You bought the house, paid the security deposit and the brokerage fees, and got an outgoing tenant who is neither concerned with your 12th grade scores nor your graduation from XYZ college. What's the next step? How do you sustain the most primal component in your house—hygiene? While everyone knows that it is the most crucial factor after buying any property, very few of us know how to maintain a rigorous process concerning cleanliness around us. If you have the same question as us, if you share your accommodation with your fellow flatmates in Mumbai, whether your PG is for girls or boys, don't worry; we will cover each query of yours!

7 Tips for cleaning your room

Delegation of Cleaning Responsibilities:

Do you share your flat with seven of your best friends, or do you run the entire house with your favorite work colleague? The delegation of cleaning responsibilities is extremely important to reduce your own chores and to target your priorities for the entire day. Each one of the members living in the apartment can dust, clean, or sweep the particular area that's been allotted to them, thereby cleaning the entire house and ticking off their own cleaning bucket list.

Picking a Suitable Day :

You cannot work, study, and clean your house. Cleaning is important, but so is our physical and mental health. Prioritize your cleaning for a particular day when you and your flatmates have a day off, like a Sunday. What better way to enjoy your weekend than to cleanse your surroundings, organize, and declutter your space?

Tidying up :

Do you really need those curtains that have been stacked in your room for the past couple of months? Do you really need that overused towel? Your lights have not been working for the past few days; why don't you purchase some new ones by switching off the old ones? Follow the Marie Kondo route of decluttering your entire room and provide the same instructions to your flatmates. Unnecessary jargon about things in your house will only prove detrimental during your cleaning session.

Cleaning tools

If it creates a financial strain for you to buy the hoard of cleaning tools we're going to list, do not worry. Delegate and bifurcate the same amongst your flatmates, and you are good to go. Let us start deciphering your shopping list for this D-Day. Here's all that you need: sponges, microfiber towels, vacuum cleaners, duster, cleaning brushes, mops, buckets, window cleaners, toilet brushes, and eco-friendly trash bags. Whew, that's our list, but feel free to add anything according to your own convenience.

Setting Boundaries for Common Areas in the House:

Are you still with us? I don't want you to get lost midway. We're almost there, soldiers. The list is not that extensive. Boundaries, be it personal or professional, are important. In this case, let's start by establishing some boundaries in our house, especially in the areas where people hang out the most.

**Living Room: **

The living room is the space where you host your Karaoke, where you probably have huge sofa cases, and in some cases also the area where you store your electronics. Set your ground rules, i.e., if there's a stain on the sofa, the person responsible for it will clean it. Everybody will be responsible for organizing and storing their electronic appliances properly.

**Kitchen: **

A space where all your scrumptious food is, a space that offers you the most vital source of energy for every single day, the space that is often neglected while your dishes pile up in the sink. Entrust everybody with the responsibility of washing their own plates, not leaving any dishes piled up, and cleaning the kitchen sink after they are done. Leaving any food packet open can be a hotbed for insects to latch onto.

Bathroom:

You are the captain here. This is the place where you pretend your impending concerts take place; you are indeed your own Beyonce. But have you considered how your bathroom can be a hotbed for viruses if you don't take care of it? Cleaning up your bathroom walls and floors with just water can also work wonders. A teensy brush here and there, every single day after you're done, and voila, you're set!

Opportune House-Help Services:

We understand and completely empathize that even with flatmates and a free day, it can be difficult to keep up with the cleaning of a huge rental property. Mumbai is not only known for its beaches and cuisine but also for providing hasty solutions to a number of your queries. Hiring a housekeeper for cooking, cleaning, and sweeping the house will reduce your workload and give you the results you want. There are varied pages that take care of your needs and wants while living in an apartment. All you have to do is pick up your phone and CALL!

Addressing your Concerns:

We get it; you don't like calling people out; you are non- confrontational. You'd rather mail it to them than address it to their face. But when it comes to the holy code of hygiene, we would recommend you call out your friends or colleagues who live with you but are reluctant to be responsible for themselves. Eliciting your expectations head-on will not only set a parameter for everybody in the house but will also help them understand how somebody else is covering their deficit of responsibilities.