Living with roommates can cause a lot of drama. I can speak on experience! However, outside of social issues, there are plenty of ways to keep the peace between you and your housemates.
The Kitchen
- One of the most common areas for disaster is the kitchen. This is a place where you will all be actively cooking and prepping food; therefore, it will get messy quickly. Many people suggest chore chats or cleaning schedules, but as someone who has tried it all, I am here to tell you what really works.
- Divide up the fridge! In the ideal world, you would all share the fridge in harmony but in reality, you will all be shopping and storing your food separately. It is natural to cook with one or two people so you should both share a section of the fridge and allow your housemates to use the other space. I live in a house of 5 and we all naturally claimed our fridge space when we first moved in and have been abiding by that since.
- Take out the trash! If you notice the trash filling up it's best you take care of it yourself. A rule I keep for myself is if I'm the last to fill it then it's my problem to deal with. Assigning people to certain days of the week becomes problematic because what if they didn't even use the kitchen that day or aren't home? It's easier to each take the liberty of taking it out when you feel it's too full and eventually everyone will take their turn. As for dragging the trash to the street... This is something we still haven't quite mastered. It seems whoever remembers first does it in our house, but this is something we forget to do often.
- Wipe the counters and Vacuum after cooking. If you clean up after yourself every time, you can guarantee no one will get mad at you for leaving a mess in the kitchen. I am an extremely messy cook! I take up all the space and always make a mess. However, Once I am done cooking or eating I wipe all the counters, put all my dishes in the dishwasher or sink, and vacuum the floor.
- Don't pile dishes outside the sink! This is a HUGE pet peeve of mine. We are lucky enough to have a dishwasher and run it about twice a day. If the dishwasher is running we allow each other to leave dirty dishes in the sink, however, don't be the roommate who starts expanding the pile to the counters. If the sink gets that full it's time to hand wash your dishes! Often times I notice our dishwasher will be clean by the time the sink gets this full. Take the time to empty and refill it rather than overflowing the sink for the next person. You wouldn't want to be the one left with the mess, so don't leave it for someone else.
The Common Space/Living Room
- This area is a lot easier to take care of... especially if you have company over a lot. We are a hosting house so our living room is mostly clean. One huge suggestion I have for those who treat their living room as a landing space is, at the end of the night, bring all your belongings to your room (except maybe shoes if your house keeps those downstairs). Leaving items in the living room overnight is bound to start a pile-up.
- It is also important to turn all the lights and TV off at the end of the night. It may seem simple but you would be surprised how many people forget to do this. You don't want to be the reason the electricity bill is high that month! Our TV goes black after a long time of no one using it. This causes us to forget it's turned on, but when you become more aware of this you start to remember to turn it off.
- Don't leave open food in the living room overnight. We are a snaking house! Our coffee table is covered in bags of candy. However, anything that doesn't reseal or is on a plate has to return to the kitchen at the end of the night. Obviously, this also applies to items that need to be returned to the fridge. No one wants warm ketchup that was left out on the coffee table for too long.
The Bathroom
- It is so important to keep the bathroom clean. This is a place where I find myself most frustrated if my roommates don't contribute to the cleaning. We have two bathrooms in my house, however, 4 of us use the one upstairs while only 1 of us uses the downstairs. It is important to deep clean the bathroom at least once a month which I often coordinate and do with my other housemates. If you work together the cleaning is much more enjoyable.
- Wash your towels and bath mats regularly. No one wants the bathroom to smell like sour towels. If you have a routine for your towels and bedsheets it is super easy to maintain the extra load of laundry. When I wash my personal towels I also throw in the hand towels from both the kitchen and bathroom. That way I know they are getting clean. My roommates and I will also offer to wash each other's towels if our loads are small. This is a great way to save time and work together to ensure the space is clean.
- Don't leave toothpaste in the sink or makeup on the counters! Just like in the kitchen, you should wipe the counters and sink after you use them. The same goes for hair in the shower... In a house with 5 girls, there is bound to be hair in the shower. Clean up after yourself by wiping the shower walls or cleaning out the drain.
Although these things seem silly, it is guaranteed to help keep the peace with your roommates/housemates. When you live with your friends there are bound to be some issues, however, doing your part to help around the house will keep you out of the drama... at least when it comes to the house. For more on roommates check out this week's podcast episode and follow @itsirrellavent on Instagram.
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