Interview with Ray- Carpenter, Plumber and all-round handy man

Interviewed by HYBR’s Millie Shoebridge

Hi Ray!

Listening to feedback from landlords, we find often students are unaware on how to fix common household problems. If you could give a tip for every room on how to make your renting experience smoother, what would those tips be?

Bedroom:

• Don’t use Blu-Tack on the walls as it marks them, instead use Command Adhesive Strips. It sticks but when you take it off it doesn’t rip off any paint. Find a link to one here.

Living room:

• If you’re planning a get together, whether that be with your university friends or family with small children, I would recommend buying carpet protecting roll. Tradesmen use them on the job to protect their customers carpet from paint splashes and dirty footwear but their just as handy to use when you have multiple guests round or kids who may knock over glasses of red wine.
• You simply roll it out and it sticks to the carpet and then the next day just pull it back off. It’s not that expensive either, and certainly cheaper than getting a professional carpet cleaner or worst being charged for carpet replacement. You can find a link to them here.

Kitchen:

• Check on the freezer every month, because sometimes the freezer can over-freeze, making it hard to shut which can lead to food becoming defrosted. So, if you do see ice building up, chisel away at it before it leads to bigger problems. I would also advise you to clean your oven not just at the end of your tenancy but throughout. Otherwise the build up can be a nightmare to clean up.

Bathroom:

• It might sound obvious to some, but if your bathroom does not have an extractor fan then after you have had a shower, I recommend opening a window. This might seem like a small task, but it greatly reduces the chances of getting mould or mildew build up.

Thanks to Ray for this interview!

Ray has been a carpenter for five years and he is based in Sussex in the South East of England.

If you’re a student currently house-hunting or you are starting  university in September and you’re looking for accommodation that has fair and affordable prices, then get in touch with HYBR today.

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