Clean and fresh home

A dishwasher must be installed by a professional, and a drip tray must be placed under it. This is to prevent water damage to the floor. Any water damage caused by the dishwasher is the responsibility of the resident, and if there is no drip tray, home insurance will not cover the damage.

The target temperature of the homes is 21 °C. Temperatures can vary by one and a half degrees. When the target temperature has been reached, the radiator may feel cool, or the lower and upper edges of the radiator may be at different temperatures. If you feel that your home is too cold or hot, please contact the maintenance company.

The inlet air valves in the window frames must always be open. If you feel too much draught from the windows, please contact the maintenance company. Improved insulation reduces heat loss and increases housing comfort.

Almost all of our homes have the Fortum SmartLiving intelligent heating system, which brings even heat. 

Exhaust air valves are usually located in the bathroom and kitchen. In order for the ventilation to work as well as possible, the valves need regular cleaning.

You can clean an exhaust air valve with a detergent solution. A foam silencer (if any) can be cleaned with a vacuum cleaner.

Please do not rotate the adjustable part in the middle during cleaning. It affects the volume of the air flow.

The freezer should be defrosted a couple of times a year. Frost builds up in the freezer, increasing electricity consumption. It is important to monitor the defrosting process so that the melt water does not spill on the floor. The amount of melt water can be surprisingly large, and it may cause water damage to the floor.

Please also monitor and, if necessary, clean the melt water pipe inside the fridge. If it gets clogged, water may accumulate at the bottom of the fridge.

Dust builds up behind the fridge and freezer. Remove dust from behind the fridge and from the grille on the back of the fridge a couple of times a year.

Please ensure that there are drip trays under the fridge and freezer so that you can quickly detect any water leaks.

The drain trap gets clogged easily, for example, if hair gets in the drain. The smell of sewer and a slowly draining sink are signs that the drain trap needs cleaning. In this case, contact the maintenance company.

The floor is subjected to wear, but you can reduce the wear by your own actions. Please do not wear outdoor shoes indoors. It is recommended to place felt pads under the feet of furniture to avoid scratches to the floor. Generally, we do not renovate floors while residents are living in the homes.

Cleaning the floor drain prevents bacteria from entering the bathroom from the drain. Floor drains should be cleaned once a month. To facilitate cleaning, filters are also available that collect, for example, hair before it gets in the drain. Wear rubber gloves when cleaning the floor drain. You can easily remove the floor drain cover with the tip of a knife, for example.

It is a good idea to regularly clean behind and under the cooker. You should always wipe the hobs after cooking to prevent dirt from getting stuck.

Cooker hood

Most of our homes are equipped with a cooker hood. A dirty cooker hood may pose a fire safety risk. The cooker hood filter should be cleaned 3–6 times a year, depending on its use.

You can clean the filter by soaking it in hot water and using washing-up liquid. Most filters can also be washed in a dishwasher.

Refer to the operating instructions of the cooker hood for information on how to remove the filter. Be sure to dry the filter before putting it back in place.

The balcony and yard are intended for spending time, not storing things. The balcony or yard may have to be used as an emergency exit route in the event of a fire.

Fixed structures, such as fences, must not be built on the yard or balcony. Any structures must be easy to move out of the way of maintenance or renovation, for example.

Flower boxes must be on the inside of the balcony to prevent them from falling down.

Small shrubs and low plants are welcome additions to yards. However, please remember that the appropriate planting distance from the wall is 1–1.5 metres, depending on the species. When the distance is sufficient, the roots and shoots of the plants cannot break the structures of the building.

Please consider others in your daily chores. You can dry your laundry on the balcony, but you must not dust your carpets there. Also, you must not wash your balcony with running water, as it may become a nuisance for the downstairs neighbour.

Dirty dishes or rubbish left in the bin for a long time can easily start to smell.

Please sort your rubbish – nature will thank you! Almost all of our properties have collection bins for biowaste, cardboard, glass, paper, metal, mixed waste and plastic. Many places also have a WEEE collection point for waste electrical and electronic equipment.

Unfortunately, various types of pests also occur from time to time in Espoo. If you detect uninvited guests at your home and suspect that they are pests, please report your findings to the maintenance company immediately. Pest control is all the more effective the sooner it begins.

Pests can find their way to homes in food, furniture or clothes, or in suitcases after holidays. Pests can also spread from one home to another through the building structures. However, good hygiene and cleanliness play an important role in prevention.

Not all bugs found at home are harmful, and you can get rid of some of them yourself. For example, you can usually get rid of silverfish by taking care of cleaning, keeping your home dry and cleaning the drains and drain traps regularly.

Bedbugs

If you notice or suspect that there are bedbugs in your home, please inform the maintenance company immediately. Bedbugs cannot be combated with home remedies, so it is always important to notify the maintenance company, which then orders pest control. After making the notification, you will be contacted by a representative of the maintenance company or pest control company.

The pest control company will assess the extent of the work required and carry it out accordingly. For successful pest control, it is particularly important to strictly follow the instructions of the pest control company.

You must not dispose of furniture infested with bedbugs yourself. It is very important that a professional takes care of the disposal of bedbugs, as bedbugs and their eggs are often also found elsewhere in the home. For example, bedbug traps, bed protectors and non-toxic silica powder are used to control bedbugs.

By contrast, disposing of furniture on your own causes great harm, as carrying unprotected furniture in the stairway spreads bedbugs to the rest of the building. All items that are contaminated by bedbugs and need to be disposed of must be wrapped in plastic according to the pest control company’s instructions and marked with a warning about bedbugs. Without the warning, there is a risk that another resident will take the furniture from the waste collection point or skip and also get the bedbugs.

Espoon Asunnot is responsible for the costs of pest control in its properties. However, if a resident fails to follow the pest control company’s instructions or prevents the control by acting against the instructions, this can be invoiced. The tenant is also responsible for the re-purchase of any movable property to be destroyed.

Information on indoor pests and their control can be found on the websites of the City of Helsinki Environment Centre (in English) and the Martha Organization (in Finnish).

You can freshen up your home by airing. You should air your home quickly by opening several windows at the same time to create a draught. Be sure to close the windows to prevent the heat from escaping and, for example, prevent rain from getting inside.