How to Approach a Roommate About Cleaning Dishes

Approach your roommate about dirty dishes before they pile up.

Renting space with a roommate allows you to share the costs of living, making it more affordable. Ideally, roommates also share the household chores, such as cleaning dishes, but this is not always the case. If your roommate frequently leaves dirty dishes for you to clean up, it may be time to approach him about his messy habits. Even if you are in the right, you must be delicate when confronting your roommate to spare his feelings and prevent unnecessary drama in your living space.

Instructions

1. Approach your roommate before the problem becomes worse. Do not wait for there to be a pile of dishes in the sink. Instead, ask your roommate to clean the dishes right after he is finished using them. This lets him know what your expectations are concerning the dishes and prevents him from ignoring the problem for too long.

2. Use a pleasant tone when approaching your roommate. Do not accuse him of being messy; instead, let him know how much dirty dishes are a problem for you and ask if he can be more helpful in the future. Focus on finding a solution instead of who caused the problem.

3. Collaborate with your roommate on a chore chart so that there is a fair division of labor.

4. Set aside enough time to talk to your roommate about this issue in person. You need at least 10 minutes to talk through the issue and come up with possible solutions. Do not address your roommate in a note or email -- approach him in person.

5. Share the responsibility of cleaning dishes, if necessary. Set a time every night or every few days where you and your roommate wash the dishes together. This ensures that you are both sharing the same burden and gives you an opportunity to bond as roommates.

6. Compromise whenever necessary to ensure a peaceful resolution. Offer to wash all the dishes in exchange for your roommate handling other household responsibilities, such as vacuuming or dusting.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not attempt to retaliate against your roommate by leaving your own dirty dishes or creating other messes. This gives your roommate the wrong message about your tolerance to messes and will be detrimental to finding a peaceful solution

References

• Apartment Ratings: Roommate Problems: How to Deal with Messy Roommates

Resources

• My Move: Creating a Roommate Chore Chart in 5 Easy Steps