Life-Ready Society · Teacher and parent pack · Environmental dimension

Running a Home

Cleaning, laundry, basic fixes, flatmates, home safety and renting.

8 lessons, about 1.5 hours of reading. Free lessons, videos and full sources: https://lifereadysociety.com/home-skills/

How to use this pack. Ask your teen or class to read one lesson online (about ten minutes), talk through the key points together, choose one practice task to try this week, then use the quiz to check what stuck. The answer key is on the last page. Free to print for home and classroom use.

The lessons at a glance

1. Cleaning routines that actually work

A clean home is less about one huge weekend scrub and more about small habits done often. Learn what needs doing daily and weekly, and how to use cleaning products without putting your lungs at risk.

Key points

Clean first, disinfect only when needed.
Small daily habits beat one big weekly scrub.
Never mix bleach with anything else.
Ventilate, wear gloves, read the label.
Accidental fumes: fresh air first, call 998 if breathing is affected.

2. Laundry: labels, sorting and stains

Nobody wants to shrink a favourite jumper or turn a white shirt pink. Once you can read a care label and sort a load, laundry becomes a quick, almost automatic job.

Key points

The tub number is the maximum temperature.
Bars under a symbol mean gentler.
Sort by colour, dirt level and fabric.
Blot stains, never rub, and check before drying.
Empty the dryer lint filter regularly.

3. Ironing and caring for your clothes

Well cared-for clothes look sharper and last years longer. Learn the order for ironing a shirt, how to look after traditional garments such as kanduras and abayas, and how to store clothes so they stay in shape.

Key points

Match the iron dots on the label to the iron setting.
Collar, front, back, sleeves, then finish the front.
Never iron over a stain.
Embellished abayas: hand wash or dry-clean, low heat, inside out.
Unplug the iron and let it cool on a heatproof surface.

4. Basic fixes and electrical safety

Some home problems you can fix yourself in five minutes. Others are a job for a professional. Knowing the difference keeps you safe and saves money.

Key points

Fat in the bin, never down the sink.
Plunge with water in the sink and a tight seal.
A trip that keeps happening means call an electrician.
Scorch marks, buzzing or hot plugs are warnings.
One extension lead, never chained.

5. Organising your space and decluttering

A tidy, organised room makes it easier to find things, focus and relax. You do not need a perfect minimalist look: you need a system that you can keep up on a busy school or university week.

Key points

Small sessions beat one huge clear-out.
Keep, donate, recycle, bin.
Every item needs a home.
One in, one out.
Clutter competes for your attention.

6. Living with flatmates

Sharing a flat at university or in your first job can be one of the best parts of growing up, or a daily source of stress. Most problems come down to three things: chores, money and noise. Agree on them early.

Key points

Agree the rules in week one.
Rotate chores and define 'done'.
Joint tenancy means joint responsibility for the full rent.
Use 'I' statements and suggest a solution.
Never prop open fire doors.

7. Home safety: fire, smoke alarms and gas

A fire at home can spread in minutes. Working alarms, a plan you have practised and knowing what to do about gas can make the difference.

Key points

Test smoke alarms monthly.
Heat alarm in the kitchen, smoke alarms elsewhere.
Feel the door, stay low, use the stairs, stay out.
Gas smell: no switches, open windows, get out, call for help.
CO is invisible: fit alarms and never burn charcoal indoors.

8. Renting your first place

Signing for your first flat, whether in Dubai, London or anywhere else, is exciting and also a legal commitment. Know what to check before you sign, how your deposit is protected, and how to leave on good terms.

Key points

Read every clause before you sign.
UAE leases must be registered (Ejari in Dubai, Tawtheeq in Abu Dhabi).
In England, deposits must be protected in a government scheme.
Photograph everything on move-in day.
Give notice in writing and keep proof.

Talk about it, then try it

The real-life practice tasks from each lesson. Pick one or two a week and agree when you will check in.

Cleaning routines that actually work
- Write a one-page cleaning checklist for your room and bathroom (daily and weekly) and stick it inside a cupboard door.
- Check every cleaning product at home: are they in their original bottles, stored safely, and is any bleach kept away from ammonia or acid cleaners?
- Do the 5 minute room reset every evening for one week and notice how much easier the weekend clean is.
Laundry: labels, sorting and stains
- Pick five items from your wardrobe and decode every symbol on their care labels. Write down what each one means.
- Sort and run one full load of family laundry yourself, from emptying pockets to hanging it up.
- Next time you spill something on clothes, treat it straight away: blot, cold rinse, pre-treat, then wash.
Ironing and caring for your clothes
- Iron one shirt or school top using the step-by-step order above and time yourself. Do it again next week and see how much faster you are.
- Check the care labels on any kandura, thobe or abaya at home and write the washing, drying and ironing instructions on a note inside the wardrobe.
- Swap any thin wire hangers holding delicate clothes for thicker padded ones.
Basic fixes and electrical safety
- Find the consumer unit (fuse box) in your home. Ask an adult to show you which switch is the main switch and which switches are RCDs.
- Walk around your home and check for overloaded sockets, daisy-chained extension leads, or chargers that are not original. Fix one problem.
- Save 991 (or 8002332 in Abu Dhabi) and your building maintenance number in your phone.
Organising your space and decluttering
- Pick one drawer or shelf and declutter it in 20 minutes using the keep, donate, recycle, bin method.
- Set up a 'landing spot' tray for keys, wallet, ID and earphones by your door and use it every day for a week.
- Create one folder (paper and digital) for your important documents.
Living with flatmates
- Draft a one-page house agreement you would want with future flatmates (chores, guests, quiet hours, bills).
- Practise turning three complaints into 'I' statements with a solution.
- Make a sample chores rota for your family home for one week and try it.
Home safety: fire, smoke alarms and gas
- Press the test button on every smoke alarm at home. If there is none in a room where a fire could start, tell an adult.
- Walk your family through your escape plan, including the second exit and where keys are kept, and find your building's assembly point.
- Find out where the gas shut-off valve is at home and save 997 in your phone.
Renting your first place
- Read a sample tenancy contract (ask a parent for theirs, or find a template from an official source) and list three clauses you would want to ask about.
- Make an 'inventory practice' video of your bedroom as if you were moving in, recording the condition of everything.
- Write a moving-in checklist you could use at university or in your first flat.

Quiz

Name: ______________________ Date: ____________ Circle one answer for each question.

1. What gas can form when bleach is mixed with vinegar or an acidic bathroom cleaner?

Carbon dioxide
Chlorine gas
Oxygen
Nothing harmful

2. According to the CDC, what should you do before disinfecting a surface?

Clean it first with soap or detergent and water
Spray it with two disinfectants at once for a stronger effect
Dry it thoroughly with a hairdryer so the germs are weakened
Nothing, as disinfectant works on dirty surfaces too

3. On a care label, what does a washing tub with the number 30 and one bar underneath mean?

Wash for no more than 30 minutes
Wash at exactly 30C and spin hard
Wash at up to 30C on a milder cycle
Wash at 30C or hotter, any cycle

4. A triangle with two diagonal lines inside means:

Do not use any kind of bleach
Any type of bleach may be used, including chlorine
Only chlorine bleach may be used
Only oxygen (non-chlorine) bleach may be used

5. Why should you never iron a dirty or stained garment?

Ironing a dirty garment uses more electricity than a clean one
Stains act as a barrier that protects the fabric from heat
The stain makes the iron's soleplate heat up too quickly
Heat and pressure do not remove stains and can set them

6. An abaya with sequins and beading should usually be:

Hand washed or dry-cleaned
Washed on a hot cotton cycle
Tumble dried on high heat
Bleached to keep it bright

7. Your RCD trips again immediately, even with everything on that circuit unplugged. What should you do?

Keep resetting it until it stays on, then carry on as normal
Tape the switch in the ON position so the power stays on
Replace the RCD yourself
Leave it off and call a qualified electrician or your landlord

8. Which of these is a warning sign of an electrical problem?

A plug that feels hot to the touch
A socket with a child safety cover
A lamp switched off at the wall
A phone charger that is slightly warm while charging normally

9. What did the 2010 home-tour study find?

Women who described cluttered homes had less healthy daily cortisol patterns
People with cluttered homes were more creative and less stressed
Very tidy homes were linked to unhealthy cortisol
Clutter at home had no measurable link with stress or wellbeing

10. In the KonMari method, how should you tidy?

Sentimental items first, then clothes
By category, such as all clothes at once
A little each day, one drawer at a time
Room by room, starting with the kitchen and bathroom

11. Under a joint tenancy in England, if one flatmate stops paying rent:

The tenancy ends automatically and everyone must move out
The landlord can ask the other tenants to pay the full rent
The landlord must reduce the rent until a new flatmate moves in
Only that flatmate's share is lost, and the others pay nothing extra

12. Which is an example of an assertive 'I' statement?

'I feel stressed when the sink is full. Could we wash up before bed?'
'You are so lazy, you never wash anything up after yourself.'
'Whatever, I'll just do it all myself.'
'Everyone in this flat is fed up of living with you and your mess.'

13. You smell gas in your flat. Which action is wrong?

Opening the windows
Leaving and calling for help from outside
Switching on the lights to see better
Avoiding flames and sparks

14. Where should a heat alarm, rather than a smoke alarm, be fitted?

In the living room
In the bedroom
In the kitchen
On the landing

15. In Dubai, what is the name of the system used to register tenancy contracts?

Tawtheeq
Ejari
Salik
Nol

16. Why is registering a tenancy contract in the UAE important?

It is compulsory and needed to connect water and electricity
It replaces the need for a written contract with the landlord
It cancels the deposit, so you do not have to pay one at the start
It is optional and mainly used for luxury or furnished flats

Answer key

B: Tennessee Poison Center (VUMC): mixing bleach with an acid such as vinegar or multipurpose bathroom cleaners creates chlorine gas.
A: CDC: clean first, because dirt can stop disinfectants reaching germs, then disinfect if needed.
C: GINETEX: the number is the maximum temperature and one bar means a milder cycle with less mechanical action.
D: GINETEX: a triangle with two oblique lines means oxygen bleach only.
D: Laundryheap kandura guide: do not press a dirty kandura, as heat and pressure do not remove stains.
A: Laundryheap abaya guide: abayas with beading, sequins or metal embellishments should be hand washed or dry-cleaned.
D: Electrical Safety First: circuit breakers tripping is a warning sign, and it strongly recommends a registered electrician for any electrical installation work.
A: Electrical Safety First: burn marks, arcing sounds, fuses blowing, breakers tripping and a hot plug are signs of danger.
A: PubMed (Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 2010): wives whose home tours included more clutter words had flatter daily cortisol slopes, linked with adverse health outcomes.
B: Wikipedia (Marie Kondo): tidy by category, not location, starting with clothes and leaving mementos until last.
B: Shelter: joint tenants are each responsible for the whole rent ('joint and several liability').
A: Mayo Clinic: use 'I' statements to express how you feel without sounding accusatory.
C: National Gas: do not smoke or light matches, and leave electrical switches alone; open doors and windows and call the emergency number.
C: London Fire Brigade: use a heat alarm in the kitchen, since cooking fumes will not set it off.
B: Dubai Land Department: Ejari is the service to register or renew a tenancy contract in Dubai; Tawtheeq is Abu Dhabi's system.
A: UAE Government portal: registration is compulsory and required to connect water, electricity, gas and telecom services.

General information only, written from the sources listed in each online lesson. Laws, numbers and services change, so check official sources. Life-Ready Society, https://lifereadysociety.com/home-skills/