Campus Living: Cleaning, Waste and Laundry Services
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Housekeeping
Meet our housekeeping team and learn how they help keep your home comfortable, including bookable cleaning services.
Good to know
Everything from our handy cleaning rota to how to recycle your unwanted possessions.
DIY Cleaning tips
Need some help getting started? Check out our cleaning videos for some top tips.
Waste and recycling
Not sure where it goes? Find out how to dispose of general waste, recycling and sharps safely on campus.
Laundry
Wash smarter, not harder. Top laundry tips and where to find your nearest laundry on campus.
Appliance manuals
Cooker not working? Unsure how to use the microwave? Find your appliance user manuals here.
Housekeeping
Meet our housekeeping team and learn how they help keep your home comfortable, including bookable cleaning services.
Good to know
Everything from our handy cleaning rota to how to recycle your unwanted possessions.
DIY Cleaning tips
Need some help getting started? Check out our cleaning videos for some top tips.
Waste and recycling
Not sure where it goes? Find out how to dispose of general waste, recycling and sharps safely on campus.
Laundry
Wash smarter, not harder. Top laundry tips and where to find your nearest laundry on campus.
Appliance manuals
Cooker not working? Unsure how to use the microwave? Find your appliance user manuals here.
Keeping it clean and tidy blog
Cleaning is perhaps the most important part of feeling comfortable in what will be your home for the next year or so. Vacuuming, dusting and cleaning surfaces regularly will make the space far less overwhelming and therefore more comfortable for you!
Susannah, Organisational Psychology
Housekeeping
Keeping your space clean is a shared responsibility, and while you and your flatmates take the lead, our friendly Housekeeping teams are here to support you throughout the year.
Here’s what you need to know:
- Housekeeping support: They’ll regularly clean your kitchen and communal areas.
- What you need to provide: You’ll need to buy your own cleaning products (or split the cost with your flatmates).
- What’s already provided: A vacuum cleaner and bin liners are supplied for you.
Important: Please don’t use any bleach-based products — bleach isn’t permitted in accommodation.
Need extra help? You can book a professional cleaning slot if you’d like additional support.
Keeping on top of things makes your accommodation a nicer place to live, and we’re here to help you do just that!
Inspections
The Housekeeping Team will regularly visit your accommodation to help keep shared spaces clean. They’ll also carry out quick visual checks of your en-suite, shared bathroom or bedroom to make sure everything is safe and hygienic.
From time to time, they’ll do a more formal inspection to review the condition of your room and bathroom. These inspections use a simple traffic-light system:
🟥 Red: The area needs urgent attention and may pose a hygiene or safety risk (e.g. rubbish or food on the floor, very unclean washroom, heavy grime/limescale).
🟧 Amber: Things need a bit more care (e.g. rubbish not in the bin, clutter causing trip hazards, bathroom not cleaned to a basic standard).
🟩 Green: Great job - keep it up!
You’ll receive a printed notification with your rating.
If you receive a red, you’ll have one week to improve things before a follow-up inspection. If the area still isn’t safe or hygienic, a deep clean will be arranged and the cost will be charged to you/your flatmates.
→ More information about these inspections can be found in your Accommodation Handbook.
Bookable cleaning service
Sometimes you may want a little bit of extra help. Our Housekeeping Team also offer a bookable cleaning service.
| Service | |
| Bedroom only | £20 |
| En-suite only | £30 |
| Bedroom and en-suite/washroom clean | £45 |
| Studio/ Bedroom, bathroom and kitchen clean | £60 |
Please use the booking form to book a timeslot and pay for your chosen service.
Where to find your housekeeping team
Our housekeepers are here to support you and carry out routine checks. If you ever need a hand or have a question, don’t hesitate to drop by your local housekeeping office - they’re always happy to help.
Darwin College
- Location: Dawin College B3 : 20
Becket Court
- Location: Eliot College W4 : W14
Park Wood Houses
- Location: Visit Park Wood reception
Park Wood Flats
- Location: Next to Bossenden Court
Turing College
- Location: Visit Turing reception
Good to know
Waste and recycling on campus
Help us to do our bit for the environment by recycling responsibly. For further information, check out our Waste and Recycling Advice blog.
- Food
- Tea bags/coffee grounds
- Plate scrapings
- Fruit and vegetable peelings
No:
- Used paper towels
- Empty food containers and packaging
- Large bones
- Oils
Remember
Make sure all food waste is free from contamination such as plates and cutlery. If the waste contains any material that is not food it cannot be recycled.
The general waste bin is for items which either can't be recycled or donated. This bin should not include plastic, glass or food waste.
- Clean paper and card
- Empty and clean food and drink cans
- Newspapers and magazines
- Empty cartons (fruit juices, passata, milk)
- Clean plastic pots, tubs and trays
- Empty plastic bottles (rinsed out)
- Clean aluminium foil and food trays
- Empty aerosol cans
No:
- Shredded paper
- Paper or cardboard contaminated with food/oil/grease (e.g. a pizza box)
- Tissue/paper towels
- Kitchen roll
- Till receipts
- Laminated paper cups
Remember, no hazardous waste
Make sure all material is clean, dry and uncontaminated. If the recycling waste is wet or contaminated with oils, foods etc, it cannot be recycled.
- Clean glass bottles (all colours)
- Clean glass jars
No:
- Crockery
- Glasses/Pyrex/sheet glass
- Metals (including bottle/jar lids, mirrors, lightbulbs
Remember
Make sure all glass bottles and jars are empty and clean. If the recycling waste is contaminated, it cannot be recycled, so please rinse.
Any used cooking oil should be allowed to cool before being carefully poured, sealed in a plastic bottle or tinfoil bowl and placed in the general waste bin. Please do not pour cooking oil down the sink or add it to your food waste caddie. See our
How to dispose of your cooking oil video for more information.
- Duvets, pillows: Kent Students' Union FreeCycle or another local charity (e.g. Catching Lives). If you can't donate, these items are classed as general waste.
- Unopened, non-perishable food (e.g. tins): Kent Students' Union Pantry.
- Clothes, books: British Heart Foundation points located across campus, Kent Students' Union FreeCycle, or Parky's Preloved on-campus charity shop.
- Pots, crockery, unused hygiene products: Kent Students' Union FreeCycle or Parky's Preloved charity shop.
Yes! Just pop along to your nearest college reception to drop in any used batteries or old electrical items, such as mobile phones, hairdryers or anything that needs a battery or plug to operate.
Most accommodations have a conveniently located bin store nearby. Use our bin store locator map to easily find yours!
Sharps and sharps boxes can be disposed of, and new boxes collected, at Campus Security. When you arrive, let the team know why you’re there and they will show you to the disposal area.
Due to legislation, our staff cannot handle sharps or sharps boxes, so please do not leave them at the reception desk or attempt to hand them over.
Laundry on campus
Every college has its own self-service laundry room, usually open daily from 7am to 10pm, so you can fit a wash around your schedule.
Over the summer, most of our campus laundries were upgraded to WashCo. However, Woolf College is a little different - because the accommodation is managed by UPP, the laundry there continues to be provided by Circuit.
If you’re living in Woolf, please make sure to follow Circuit’s guidance for using the machines, getting support, or requesting refunds.
Laundry tips and campus information
Find everything you need to make laundry day easier - from washing tips to launderette opening hours, machine costs, FAQs, and more.
→ Read our laundry tips and campus info
Please note Giles Court laundry is currently under refurbishment. Students are advised to use the laundry in Keynes College.
WASHPOINT (WashCo) Laundries
Enjoy energy-efficient washers and dryers, step-by-step digital guides, and built-in support from WASHPOINT. Every cycle also donates 1p to Young Lives vs Cancer, and every machine installed plants a tree.
Getting started with WASHPOINT:
Circuit Laundry
From set-up guides and help and advice, to blogs and laundry hacks, Circuit Laundry is here to keep laundry day fresh and simple.
Electrical appliances
We provide a range of appliances in our Canterbury campus accommodation. To help you use them confidently, you’ll find the full user manuals for each appliance - perfect for troubleshooting or checking how something works.