Contents
General
Doors
If the lock or hinges of a door are stiff, a drop of oil normally helps.
Windows
Contact SSSB if your windows need resealing.
Floors
Avoid scratches and marks by keeping floors free of sand and dirt. You can protect your floors by putting felt protection pads under the legs of tables, chairs and beds. Special heavy-duty pads and castors can be fitted to the bottom of very heavy furniture. You can also protect the floor when moving heavy furniture. If you have no-one to help you carry the furniture, make sure that the floor is clean. Then put a blanket or rug under the furniture and push the furniture in front of you.
Kitchen tops
Kitchen tops are often made of laminated plastic or wood. Laminated plastic tops are heat-resistant and can withstand a saucepan full of boiling water. They will not withstand a hot frying-pan, casserole or oven-proof dish, however. Kitchen tops are easily scratched and not designed for use as chopping boards. Wooden kitchen tops have been treated with either varnish or oil. If they have been oiled, they need to be occasionally retreated with paraffin oil. This prevents the wood from drying out and becoming stained.
Cupboards and wardrobes
Cupboards and wardrobes are made of different materials depending on the manufacturer and their durability varies somewhat. Doors and fittings should not be overloaded.
Walls
General guidelines
- Don't put the bed right up against the wall. Grease from hair will stain the wallpaper behind the bed Use a headboard or leave a gap between the bed and the wall.
- Mirrored panels require too many holes to be drilled into the wall. Mount the mirrors on e.g. a fibre board and screw the board into the wall. Drill 8 holes rather than 88!
- Seating furniture rubs against the wallpaper causing damage. Every time someone sits down in the sofa or an armchair, it slides backwards a few centimetres and rubs against the wall. Put a few bits of wood on the floor behind armchairs and sofas to prevent them reaching the wall.
- Desks/computer tables also move backwards when you type or play a computer game. Prevent damage to the wall by putting two or three felt pads on the back of the desk/table top.
Drilling holes in the wall or ceiling
Some things need to be fastened to the wall. Wall lamps, shelves and ornaments should hang nicely on the wall and larger pieces of furniture such as bookcases, must be firmly secured. In many SSSB apartments, the walls are fitted with rails to which e.g. picture hooks can be fastened. If you have to drill holes in the wall, make sure you use the right tools for the type of wall and object involved. Try to drill as unobtrusive a hole as possible.
It can sometimes be difficult to put up hooks. It is a question of finding out what kind of wall material you have in your apartment. Contact your house caretaker if you are unsure.
Remember that drilling an extremely large amount of holes, e.g. when putting up a mirrored panel or poorly drilled holes which damage the wall can be construed as excessive wear and tear when you move out. Think carefully therefore before starting to drill holes in the wall. If you want to move a ceiling lamp for example, you may not need to put up an extra hook if you buy a rotatable light fitting arm that can be plugged directly into the light socket on the ceiling.
Be careful not to make a hole in the electrical wiring. Avoid making holes directly under or over distribution boxes, light switches and wall sockets. It is difficult to know where the electricity wires are in the wall, even if you have a wiring diagram in your hand. So please be careful.
Minimising wall damage when drilling/putting up objects on the wall
Damage to the wallpaper can be avoided if you make a shallow cross-cut where the hole is to be drilled and fold back the edges of the wallpaper. If you need to hide the hole in the future, you just fold back the edges again.
Wet rooms have a moisture barrier behind the outer wall covering. If you drill a hole, you should put plenty of water- and mould-proof silicon filler in the hole and around the screw. It is not appropriate to drill holes in the shower-room wall, especially if it is a plaster partition wall. If you remove an old screw from a tile joint in the bathroom wall, you should fill in the old hole with the same colour grouting as the rest of the room. If the hole is in the middle of a tile, use waterproof silicon filler. The best results are achieved by applying plenty of silicon, preferably the same colour as the tile, and let it harden for a few days. Then remove the surplus silicon using a razor blade so that the surface is smooth. Remember that there are other ways of putting up things with hooks that avoid drilling holes in the tiling. These days there are many hooks fitted with suction discs.
Ventilation and mould
It is important that you don't close or cover the air vents in your home. Closing the vents will disable the ventilation system and increase the risk of rising damp and mould damage. Apart from poor-quality air, this can also cause headache, allergies and eczema. If it is cold outside, you can leave the air vents slightly open. If you close them completely, air will instead be sucked in through the window/door-frames and the ventilation in the apartment will deteriorate. This can cause black stains on the window/door-frames. Alternatively, you will be able to smell what your neighbour is having for dinner!
Common causes of damp and mould:
- Poor airing and ventilation.
- Low indoor temperature.
- Showering for too long.
- Changed habits. We shower and do our washing more in our own homes than we used to.
Good advice to prevent damp and mould
- Ensure the bathroom is adequately aired.
- Open the air vents or window when having a bath, shower or when hanging clothes up to dry. Leave the window open for a while afterwards.
- Leave the bathroom door ajar when the bathroom is not in use.
- Clean under the bath-tub and keep the walls clean. Soap residues provide an excellent breeding ground for algae which eventually turns into mould.
- Have a quick shower! If you shower for more than four minutes, condensation will start to build up on the walls, increasing the risk of moisture damage.
- Wipe or mop the floor after having a shower or bath.
- Check and regularly wipe clean the air vents.
White goods
Pots and pans
- Check your pots and pans now and again. Heat is used most effectively when the bases of saucepans and frying pans are smooth and clean.
- Choose the right size of pan to fit the cooker rings, both for the most efficient use of heat and to prevent the ring from cracking.
Instruction manuals
- If there are no instruction manuals for the refrigerator, freezer or cooker when you move into the apartment, please contact your house caretaker if you have any queries. You can order new instruction manuals yourself by visiting the various manufacturers' websites. The model serial number is normally printed on a plate on the back or side of the product.
- The manual will tell you how to make your cooker child-proof.
Maintain the right temperature
- The temperature in your refrigerator should be between +4 and +8°C to keep your food fresh. You can measure the temperature by placing a glass of water among the food in the refrigerator for a couple of hours and then check the temperature of the water. The temperature in the freezer should be between -18 and -20°C.
- Defrost your refrigerator and freezer at regular intervals. This will keep the temperature more even and increase the shelf life of the food. Thick layers of ice increase energy consumption. Never try to chip away the ice (e.g. using a sharp instrument or hammer) as this can damage the freezer.
- When defrosting your freezer, make sure you protect adjacent machines, cupboards and flooring form the large volumes of water that form when the ice melts. If the cupboard units or flooring are damaged by water, you may be liable to pay compensation.
- Modern freezers are often self-defrosting. The principle is that condensed water is channelled into a bowl placed on top of the compressor. The water then evaporates due to the heat generated by the compressor.
- Sometimes water may accumulate on shelves or in the bottom of cupboards. The small funnel that leads the water to the bowl may be obstructed. Carefully remove any obstruction using a toothpick or needle. The ventilation grill is detachable and should be removed when cleaning.
- Your refrigerator needs defrosting at least every second month to avoid too much ice accumulating in and around the freezer compartment. Too much ice in the refrigerator makes it more difficult to maintain a cold temperature and may cause the freezer compartment door to break. Again, you may be liable to pay for the door to be replaced when you move out.
The bathroom
It is most important to remember that the toilet is not a rubbish bin! You will be charged for the work involved in unblocking your toilet if you have been using it incorrectly!
- Do not throw nappies, sanitary towels, panty liners, cotton buds, cotton wool or paper towels in the toilet.
- Kitchen paper may also be too thick. These articles can swell up causing a blocked drain.
- It is also forbidden to throw cat sand down the toilet. Cat sand erodes the surface of the toilet and can cause a blockage.
- Neither should you throw cigarette ends or substances/liquids that the wastewater treatment works cannot dispose of down the toilet. Such substances include paint residues, solvents, turpentine, nail varnish and acetone.
|
