Which Bubbly Soap Is For What: Clean Your Apartment Regularly and Keep Your Deposit Safe

Most people don’t enjoy housework. However, regularly cleaning your apartment is a necessary part of adult life. Especially if you’re renting. You need to make sure your place is clean so that you prevent any damage and don’t lose your deposit when moving out. And obviously, as an expat in Czechia, it can be difficult to distinguish between different cleaning brands and cleaners. One can get easily overwhelmed. Worry not, because we’re here with tips that will help you keep your apartment in mint condition.

 

wash your windows

You should clean your windows regularly, about once in 6 months.

Kitchen

  • You can use either liquid or sand-based dish soap to do your dishes (e.g. JAR or Cif)
  • Liquid dish soap is colloquially called “jar” (pronounced as “yar”) in Czechia and is sold in various colors and volumes – among the most common brands belong JAR, Pur, Frosh and Jelen
  • Sand-based dish soap (e.g. Cif) is good for tougher stains (e.g. from curry/turmeric, red wine or beetroot)
  • You can also use Cif to wash your kitchen counters, tables, and other kitchen appliances if you come across tougher stains
  • Don’t forget to use a limescale remover (see below) to remove water sediment from your stainless steel sink and taps!
  • Wipe the water around your sink after you use it – if you don’t, the kitchen countertop might swell up and decay
  • If you have a ceramic hob as your stovetop, you need to clean it after every time you cook or the food will get “baked into the surface” – you’ll never get rid of it again
  • The same goes for your microwave and stoveclean them after every use!
  • Clean your fridge regularly and defrost your freezer at least once a year (remove all the food and turn off the fridge completely when you do this and properly wipe everything)
  • Any food remains should go in the garbage, NOT in the sink drain or the dishwasher, as that would clog up the pipes – we typically do not have garbage disposals in the Czech Republic

 

Bathroom

  • At least once a week, make sure to clean your shower/bathtub from limescale – to get rid of limescale, you can use for instance Cillit Bang, Pulirapid, or vinegar-based liquid cleaners (e.g. Frosch with raspberry vinegar) or special version of Cif made for bathrooms
  • After every shower, air out the bathroom and keep the exhaust fan on for at least 15 minutes to avoid molding
  • Any stainless steel bits in your bathroom (all taps and the shower hose) should also be de-limescaled regularly 
  • Clean your toilet regularly so it’s not dirty with sediments – for this, use those “duck neck-shaped” cleaners to get under the toilet fold. Examples of cleaners you can use include WC NET and DUCK
  • Get a toilet plunger and toilet brush
  • If you see tiny black dots in the white silicone in your bathroom, look out – that’s mold! You will need to get rid of it as soon as possible by spraying it with an appropriate cleaner that will disinfect the surface and kill all the bacteria, e.g. SAVO for molds (“SAVO proti plísním” in Czech)
  • Some versions of SAVO for molds can also be used for mold in other parts of your apartment, e.g. on the walls – but make sure to ask the shop assistant so you don’t destroy the paint!

 

Important: unclog your pipes regularly

  • In both kitchen and bathroom, you also need to regularly clean out your drains (sink in the bathroom, bathtub, shower, sink in the kitchen) using a chemical cleaner to make sure they don’t clog: you can use e.g. Fredy or Krtek for this

 

Other parts of your apartment 

  • Clean your windows regularly (depending on the weather and how dirty they are – about once in 6 months) – use the correct cleaner, meant for glass, e.g. Clin and make sure to use a squeegee to avoid stains
  • You can use the same cleaner to polish your mirrors 
  • Regularly sweep/vacuum and mop your floors using an appropriate cleaner (e.g. SAVO for floor or AJAX)
  • If you have wooden floors, MAKE SURE NOT TO USE TOO MUCH WATER AND ENSURE THAT THEY DRY FAST BY OPENING A WINDOW! (If you make your wooden floors too wet, they will swell up and decay) and use a proper wood cleaner, e.g. ALEX
  • When drying your laundry, place the rack on tiles to avoid wetting the wooden floors
  • Air out your apartment regularly (by opening the entire window) to avoid molding
  • If you do find any mold, don’t panic and make sure to disinfect the spot using an appropriate bleach-based cleaner (e.g. SAVO for paint)
  • Dust all surfaces regularly for your own health, including the window blinds 

 

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If you have pets

  • Don’t let them pee on the wooden floorsNOT EVEN on a pee pad if it’s placed on the wooden floor
  • Only put pee pads on tiles or make sure your pet only pees outside or in a pet toilet
  • Vacuum and sweep pet hair regularly 

 

Where to get all these cleaners

The majority of the products we recommend here are available in most stores all over the Czech Republic, including big supermarkets. You can also go to a drug store to get cleaning supplies, e.g. DM or Rossmann. If you prefer environmentally-friendly cleaners, Ecover is a brand that offers a number of different environmentally-friendly cleaners for various surfaces.

 

Not a fan of cleaning up? Get a cleaning service!

Some people simply don’t like cleaning up and that’s completely understandable. However, you still need to keep your apartment in good condition, so you don’t lose your deposit when moving out. In that case, we recommend you get a cleaning service

Or, if you live in a coliving project, such as Domeq Brno, the advantage is that they do the big cleanings for you. Here’s a tip from Domeq’s property manager Veronika if you still want to do it on your own, however: go to Lidl and get their Lidl brand cleaning products! It’s only a 4-minute walk and fairly cheap.

Do you need help apartment-hunting in the Czech Republic? We are here to help with everything that concerns finding the apartment, signing the lease, and moving in! Just let us know.

Photo source: Khaligo, pixabay.com

Tereza Walsbergerová

Hello! I'm Tereza and I'm a wordsmith and literature nerd from Brno. Although I was born and raised in the Czech Republic, I know all too well from my time living in Texas what it's like to be a "stranger in a strange land." I am excited to share all kinds of information with y'all!

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