Living Alone for the First Time? Your Home Cleaning Starter Guide

Living alone means nobody else will clean for you. The good news: you need very little. Laundry, a surface spray, a floor cleaner and a stain remover cover most of what you will face.

What you actually need

1. Laundry. Laundry sheets are easy to store in a small room and carry to a shared washing area.
2. Stains. A small spray like the Instant Stain Remover Spray for emergencies before a meeting or a dinner.
3. Surfaces. One spray, such as the Multi-Purpose Cleaner.
4. Floors. Floor cleaner sheets for quick weekly mopping.

We put these together in the Staying Alone Kit.

A simple weekly plan

• Daily (5 minutes): clear the counter, wipe the table, take out the trash.
• Twice a week: sweep and wipe the floor.
• Weekly: laundry, bedsheets every one to two weeks, bathroom wipe-down.

Hostel and PG tips

• Keep your supplies in one small box so they do not wander.
• Check shared laundry rules and machine types before you buy.
• Pre-measured formats mean no leaks in your bag.

More on this in hostel and PG laundry and cleaning a small flat in 20 minutes a day.

The mindset

You do not need a perfect home. You need a place you want to come back to. Small routines, small products, and a little fun. Read our philosophy.