How to Deal With a Messy Roommate
Whether you are sharing a college dorm or you're all grown up and sharing a full-sized house or apartment, a messy roommate can be a kink in your living arrangements. This is especially true if you are a neat freak. More than likely, though, your roommate is one of your friends and you want to avoid hurt feelings. This is possible as long as you use some tact and some simple ideas.
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Instructions
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Dealing With the Problem
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Be direct. Your roommate may not realize that you have a problem with his messy ways. Sit him down with some food and cold drinks for a comfortable setting. Then, try to use humor to lighten the situation. Tell him that his stuff is starting to have a life of its own and you saw a pile of garbage walking around last night, for example.
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Make a game plan. Decide with your roommate to take turns washing the dishes (all of them), vacuuming, picking up garbage and taking out the garbage. Make sure this schedule works for your roommate. Don't just decide things on your own.
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Pack up her mess. If your roommate still doesn't clean up, take drastic measures. Pick up all of your roommate's mess and dump it into a cardboard box. Place the box on her bed with a note saying, "I cleaned up. Didn't know what to do with your stuff. It's in here." Keep this up every time you clean up your common area. Eventually, your roommate will get tired of her best shirt getting dumped in a box with pizza crusts.
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Stop cleaning. If you are constantly cleaning up your roommate's mess you may be enabling him to stay messy. Why should he clean up his act when you do it for him?
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Ignore the mess when it's not your area. Remember, your roommate has the right to leave her own personal area as messy as she likes. You don't really have the right to make her change an area that's not yours. Put a curtain down the middle of your dorm room or close your roommate's bedroom door if you don't like looking at the mess.
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Tips & Warnings
Keep your areas clean. At least you can be happy in your private space.
Don't complain over and over about the messiness. Eventually your roommate will just tune you out.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Sanja Gjenero
