Carpeting: Vacuum it regularly. Vacuums are available at the Dorm Crew Office. You should soak up liquid spills with paper or cloth towels as soon as possible after the spill. A small amount of water and a bit of the cleaner mentioned below, agitated with a dull edge such as the handle of a spoon, will remove most stains.

Wood: Sweep it regularly. Brooms, dustpans, and hand brushes are all available at the Dorm Crew Office. Periodically, or for dried spills, use a damp, not wet, mop (available at the Dorm Crew Office) with either plain water, a 1:16 mixture of white vinegar and water, or some environment-friendly G-Force H2O2 Multi-Surface Cleaner, which is available at the Dorm Crew Office.

Bathroom Floors: Private bathrooms, floors included, will be cleaned every other week by a Dorm Crew employee or a custodian from Facilities Maintenance Operations. If you want to clean it more frequently, use the G-Force H2O2 Multi-Surface Cleaner.

Cleaning Chemicals: The previously mentioned G-Force H2O2 Multi-Surface Cleaner is available at the Dorm Crew Office. It can be used on any surface in your room. This product is Green Seal Certified, which means it is environmentally preferable, and safer to use than conventional cleaning products. We hope that having this will eliminate the need for you to purchase any cleaning chemicals, and will provide a safer and more environmentally friendly alternative than other products that students would normally purchase.

The MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) for the chemicals that we provide are also available at the Dorm Crew office, and Dorm Crew can field any questions you may have regarding the product.

General Considerations: For just a few dollars at a local store, you can buy a small mat to put right inside your door. With a mat designed to absorb water and dirt from people’s shoes, your floor will not need to be vacuumed, swept, or mopped as frequently. Many dorms have shoe scrapers at their entries (the H-shaped metal things) which help keep dirt out of the dorm when used. You should plan on doing more floor cleaning in the winter months when sand covers the icy walkways of Harvard Yard. Much of this sand will end up on the floor of your common room and should be picked up before it scratches the floor’s beautiful finish and irritates your bare feet. And, remember, if you ever have questions about how to clean anything, give us a call; we’re happy to help.