Housekeeping & utilities

Water

Water from the tap is, in general, excellent drinking water. Apart from that, it is much cheaper than bottled water.

Help saving water through these tips...

Toilet

Bathroom hygiene is of the utmost importance.
In general, use the toilet by sitting on it.
Males should put up the seat when they urinate and put the seat back down when they leave.
Always flush the toilet after use. Make sure the toilet seat is clean when you leave. Use the toilet brush if necessary.
The jet of water is strong enough to flush paper out of the toilet. Flushing tampons and sanitary napkins will, however, block the toilet. Please use the bin for these. It is important to avoid blocking the toilet: only expensive specialists can clear the pipes.

Washing & laundry

Most Belgian families own a washing machine. However, every city has countless laundrettes and dry cleaners. Look for a laundrette or dry cleaner in your area via the Yellow Pages.

Top tip: students can find a laundrette at Home Göttingen, one of the halls of residence for students

In general, laundries have their own washing powders for sale in vending machines. You can also bring your own washing powder, liquid or fabric softener. Should you have doubts about using a washing machine, ask someone for help.

A recent development are the ironing shops, i.e. shops where you can drop off your clean washing for ironing. Even the university offers this service to its employees (starting 1 October 2011).

House cleaning

When you go shopping, you will discover that Belgians can choose from a wide array of cleaning products. Getting one good allround-cleaner is usually sufficient for your house cleaning. Besides, some of these products are toxic and may damage the environment.

Some cleaning tips:

To avoid allergies, vacuum your carpets regularly and replace the dustbag inside the vacuum cleaner when it is full.
Wash you windows and mirrors with a sponge and water with a small amount of vinegar. Wipe, dry with a chamois cloth, and polish with newspaper sheets.
Be careful not to scratch stainless steel surfaces.
Never use water on wooden floors and parquet.
Avoid using too much water when cleaning linoleum floors.
Use specialist cleaning products when cleaning stone surfaces - no dishwashing detergent.
Your taps may become difficult to open or close because of the accumulation of scale inside them. In this case, a cloth soaked in warm vinegar wrapped around the tap is very effective.
Clean your toilet regularly to prevent the accumulation of scale by using a special toilet cleaner.
Do not chip off ice in your fridge/freezer with a sharp knife; this will damage the refrigerator. Defrost the freezer according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Electricity

In Belgium the voltage is 220-230 V (the voltage frequency is 50 Hz). Household power is single-phase electric power, in which a single live conductor brings alternating current into a house, and a neutral conductor returns it to the power supply.

Many plugs and sockets include a third contact used for a protective earth ground, which only carries current in case of faulty equipment.

Hotels may have 110- or 120-volt outlets for shavers but travellers are advised to bring a power converter and an adapter for two-prong, round-prong, three-prong plugs with side earthing contacts.

When you rent a studio/apartment, it is possible that you have to pay your electricity bill directly to the electricity company. In that case, you need to arrange a contract with the electricity company of your choice. Remember to ask for monthly invoices.

Units of measurement

Kilovolt amp (kVA) defines the power of an electrical connection. The kVA value is calculated by multiplying the charge of the installation (expressed in volts) with the maximum power intensity (which, expressed in amps, appears on the meter) and then dividing this by 1 000.

Watt (W) is the unit of the electrical power. One kilowatt (kW) equals 1 000 watts.

Kilowatt hour (kWh) expresses the electricity consumption. An appliance with a capacity of
1 kW (1 000 W) that runs for one hour, uses one 1 kilowatt hour.

Ghent University