Apartment maintenance: “tricks” to make your life easier

 

Ciao renter!
You’ll probably live in your apartment in Milan for a few months, not just 2-3 days, therefore I’d like to give you some useful information.

Maybe it’s the first time you live alone for such a long tome, or maybe it’s the first time you do it in Milan… in any case, I believe this post could be interesting and you’ll enjoy even more your stay, starting to feel like at home.

 

✅ Taking care of your apartment will make it more comfortable ✅

 

Plumbers and electricians in Milan are quite expensive (only to come to see the problem and make an estimate can cost € 70), therefore keeping the apartment in good conditions and prevent the issues, would be really recommended!

Top 11 “points” about the maintenance (I was hoping they were 10, to make the post deign nicer 😉) , considering the most frequent issues reported by international students renting my apartments in Milan since 2007:
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1️⃣ The water from the tap, or from the shower, comes out too slow or “splashing”

It’s just because the water in Milan is very rich of limescale (“calcare” in Italian) and it can obstruct the filters.
You can easily open them and let them in some special products like Viakal, or change them, as explained in this video.

(The water could come out slowly, also because the pressure is too low, please check the BAR on the boiler, it should be at 1.2).
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2️⃣ No hot water or weak heating?

It could be always due to the water pressure BAR. Here you can see how to raise the boiler pressure: turn a handle under the boiler until the BAR reaches 1.2 and then close it back.
If you don’t feel comfortable in doing that, no problem, please contact us.
If the radiators are not enough warm, or partially, please try to bleed them. As some water comes out from the system, maybe you need to raise the boiler pressure back to 1.2 BAR.
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3️⃣ Shower doors not enough clean and some black marks around its inner borders at the bottom?

I would recommend you to clean the shower doors with a special product for the limescale .
The black marks could be easily removed by the bleach (“candeggina” in Italian), just let it act for at least 15 minutes.
A very good habit it’s to dry the glass after every shower, to have it always clear.
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4️⃣ Mould on the walls?

You can use the bleach or a special product for the mold .

How to easily prevent the mould? Open all the windows in the same time for at least 20 minutes everyday, to let the air circulating properly.
Furthermore you should open the window of the bedroom every morning before making the bed and the window of the bathroom every time after you take a shower.
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5️⃣  Ice in the freezer? The ice can damage your freezer, please keep it on “2” to prevent it.

When you don’t have food, or very little, you can easily remove the ice as follow:

• move the eventual food from the freezer to the refrigerator
• turn off the refrigerator (turn the handle inside on “0”) and close it
• open the freezer and let it open at least 30 minutes, applying some clothes on the floor
• gently remove the ice with a plastic/wood kitchen tool , trying to collect ice/water keeping a tray  on the same level of the lower part of the freezer
• dry the freezer with a clean cloth.

Water in the fridge? Maybe you need just to clean the drain. Here you can see how to easily do it.

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6️⃣ Water or some issues with the dishwasher? Probably  it’s just because you need to clean the filter or to make a strong wash with the empty machine with a special product.

▶️ Your dishwasher sanitized, working properly and lasting longer? Put its specific salt in the appropriate hole at the bottom of the dishwasher (see here how to do it) and use the “rinse aid“- brillantante in Italian – here you can see how to pour it in the specific tray in the dishwasher door.
I would recommend you to use always liquid soap, not powder.
Remove all food and rinse dishes/pans thoroughly before placing them in the dishwasher. Otherwise, the drain may get clogged and could also clog the sink drain.
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7️⃣ Washing machine setting always correct?

You can use this setting always, any kind of clothes you are washing:

• 40 degrees
• 800 spin dry
• program “C” or “synthetic” or “color”.

▶️ Where to put the softner “ammorbidente” (in Italian) and the soap? The softner in the smaller tray with the symbol of a flower and the soap in the larger tray with the number 2 (II). You don’t need to use the tray with 1 (I).
I would recommend you to use always liquid soap, never powder, it can easily obstruct the pipes.
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8️⃣ Mosquitos in your apartment?

It happens mainly in the summer, when we keep the windows open, specially if we keep the light on and it’s dark outside.
If want to keep the windows open in the night to let fresh air come in, you can prevent mosquitos just using Vape, it’s very common in Italy and not toxic.

Unfortunately mosquitos net are still not common in most of the apartments in Milan.
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9️⃣ How to prevent the drains get stuck?

Sinks, shower and bath-tub’s drains can get stuck because of the hair, food etc.
You can easily prevent the issue, just taking care and applying on the drains some filters (of the right size!).

 

 

🔟 Problems with the Internet?

If there are some works in the street or some other temporary issue, it can happen the internet is not working or it’s slow.
I know it’s vital! Don’t worry, you can easily use your cell phone as an hotspot.
(Be sure you have an Italian SIM with unlimited GB!).

 

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1️⃣1️⃣ How to use the beds sheets , to avoid soiling the duvet and the mattress?

The duvet must be inserted inside its cover, you can’t use the duvet directly as blanket, because it can easily get dirt and usually it doesn’t fit in the washing machine (and it’s expensive to bring it to the laundry!).
Nevertheless some renters don’t use the duvet covers… maybe it’s because it’s uneasy to insert the duvet in the cover? Here you are a simple way to do it!
▶️ Please use always the covers for the mattress and the pillows as well! If they get dirt, you’ll be charged to buy the new ones.

 

🙏🏻 Thank you for attention, I hope it can help somehow!

 

Other useful posts:
House rules and Good to know!
Useful info about Milan
and Checkin and checkout procedures

 

 

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