Day 3: Home
Clean, clothed, fixed and getting along.
Today's goal
By the end of today you can run a cleaning routine safely, do a load of laundry, mend a small tear, handle simple fixes and agree house rules with flatmates.
Agenda
- Warm-upThe ten-minute room reset10 min
- LearnCleaning safely and efficiently15 min
- ActivityYour cleaning routine, tested30 min
- ActivityLaundry and mending lab35 min
- BreakBreak15 min
- ActivityBasic DIY stations25 min
- ChallengeHouse agreement role-play35 min
- ReflectHome skills check-in10 min
- QuizDay 3 quiz5 min
The session
The ten-minute room reset
Most tidy people do not clean for hours; they reset a room quickly and often.
- Set a 10-minute timer.
- Rubbish out, clothes away or in the laundry basket, surfaces cleared, bed made, one surface wiped.
- Take a before and after photo.
Solo
Reset your own bedroom.
Group
Each flat resets a shared space such as the classroom or majlis, with one student timing.
Related lessons: Organising your space and decluttering
Cleaning safely and efficiently
A simple routine and a few safety rules keep a home clean without wasting time or harming you.
- Split cleaning into daily (dishes, wipe kitchen surfaces), weekly (bathroom, floors, bins, bedding) and monthly (fridge, oven, behind furniture) jobs.
- Health Canada warns: never mix any cleaning product with household bleach. Mixing bleach with ammonia, acids such as vinegar, or toilet cleaners can produce toxic gases.
- Health Canada also advises reading the label every time, opening windows or running a fan, and wearing rubber gloves and goggles when using bleach.
- Work top to bottom and dry to wet, so dust falls onto floors you have not cleaned yet.
- Keep a small, cheap kit: an all-purpose cleaner, washing-up liquid, cloths, a sponge, a toilet brush, rubber gloves and bin bags.
Related lessons: Cleaning routines that actually work, Organising your space and decluttering, The shared kitchen: cleanliness, food and the fridge
Your cleaning routine, tested
Write a routine and then prove it works on a real room.
- Write your weekly cleaning plan for a one-bedroom student room with a shared kitchen and bathroom.
- With permission, clean one bathroom or kitchen at home from start to finish using your plan.
- Time each step and note what took longer than you expected.
- Check all product labels before you start, keep the window open and use one product at a time. Use bleach only with an adult present.
- Adjust your plan with the real timings.
Solo
Clean a room at home with a parent's permission and ask them to inspect it.
Group
Each flat writes a rota for a shared flat of four, covering every job for a month, then tests it by cleaning one shared space at the venue.
Related lessons: Cleaning routines that actually work, Living with flatmates, The shared kitchen: cleanliness, food and the fridge
Laundry and mending lab
Clothes last longer, and you look better, when you wash and repair them properly.
- Read the care labels on five pieces of clothing and write what each symbol means.
- Sort a real load. The American Cleaning Institute advises separating whites, medium colours and darks, keeping new bright items apart for their first few washes, and washing heavily soiled items separately.
- Treat one stain: act quickly, blot rather than rub, and test any product on a hidden area first.
- Run the load (with permission) on the setting the labels allow, then hang or dry it correctly.
- Sew a button back on, or practise on a scrap of fabric.
- Fold or hang everything and put it away.
Solo
Do a load of your household's laundry with a parent showing you the machine the first time.
Group
Run label-reading and sorting with a donated pile of clothes, and sew buttons onto fabric scraps. Students run a real load at home that evening.
Related lessons: Laundry: labels, sorting and stains, Ironing and caring for your clothes, Basic sewing: buttons, hems and small tears, Stain emergencies and spot cleaning, Shoes and coats: making them last
Break
Rest your hands and get some fresh air.
- Wash your hands.
- Drink water and stretch.
Basic DIY stations
A few simple fixes save money and a lot of waiting. Knowing your limits matters just as much.
- Station 1: name each tool in a basic toolkit and what it is for.
- Station 2: tighten a loose cupboard hinge or handle with the right screwdriver.
- Station 3: use a plunger on a sink (demonstration with an adult if no blockage).
- Station 4: read the instructions for a flat-pack item and list the steps and parts before starting.
- Station 5: write a short, polite repair request to a landlord with date, problem, photos and access times.
- Finish by listing the jobs you must never do yourself: electrics, gas and anything involving mains water or heights.
Solo
Do the stations at home with a parent supervising every tool task.
Group
Set up stations with one adult supervising each; flats rotate every 5 minutes. No power tools.
Related lessons: A basic toolkit and how to use each tool safely, Assembling flat-pack furniture without disasters, Looking after your appliances, Reporting repairs in writing: who fixes what, Knowing your limits: what never to DIY, Basic fixes and electrical safety
House agreement role-play
Most flatmate arguments are about the same few things. Agreeing them early prevents most of them.
- Form a 'flat' of three or four. Each person draws a character card (for example: early riser who studies at home, night owl, someone who fasts in Ramadan, someone who cooks a lot).
- Hold a 15-minute house meeting in character.
- Agree rules on the topics a university flat agreement template covers: kitchen and dishes, sharing and labelling food, rubbish and recycling, noise and quiet hours, guests, shared spaces and unacceptable behaviour.
- Add one topic the template leaves out: how bills and shared items are split.
- Write the agreement on one page and have everyone sign it.
- Debrief: which rule was hardest to agree, and why?
Solo
Write an agreement for an imaginary flat, then role-play the meeting with family members playing your flatmates.
Group
Flats work in parallel; the facilitator visits each and adds a twist (a flatmate's guest has stayed three nights). Students may opt out of acting and take the Scribe role.
Related lessons: Choosing who to live with, The first house meeting and a written house agreement, The shared kitchen: cleanliness, food and the fridge, Noise, guests and quiet hours, Different cultures, faiths and routines under one roof, Living with flatmates, Splitting bills fairly with flatmates
Home skills check-in
Look back at what you actually did today.
- List the tasks you did for the first time today.
- Which rule in your house agreement matters most to you, and why?
- Update your audit scores.
Solo
Reflect in your notebook.
Group
Pairs share one first-time task each.
Day 3 quiz
Five questions on cleaning, laundry and living together.
- Answer alone, then check the explanations.
Block timer
Your journal
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Day 3 quiz
Score 80% or more to complete Day 3.
1. What does Health Canada say about mixing cleaning products with bleach?
2. How should you treat a fresh stain, according to the American Cleaning Institute?
3. How does the ACI suggest you treat new, brightly coloured clothes?
4. Which of these jobs should a student never do themselves?
5. When is the best time to agree a written house agreement?
Overnight challenge
Do one load of laundry from start to finish at home, including putting it away, and tell your household you are taking it on.