#Roommate Problems

Okay people, I have recently been encountering a problem that many of you may experience too.  My roommates (one roommate in particular) have decided that doing dishes, and cleaning in general, is not their responsibility. I wanted to take this opportunity to elaborate a little on roommate living, and the not so glamorous side of living without mom the maid.

Here is a real life picture of what I came home to yesterday, keep in mind that I had been gone for two days and therefore had no contribution to any of the mess you are about to see. ------------------------>

Since it was clearly not my mess I solemnly vowed not to clean it for them.  This mess sat there for about a week became a gnat breeding ground, and no one felt the urge to grab the sponge.

As much as I would like to say that I stood up to them and pointed out how completely disgusting this scene was, I did not. Instead I chose to just clean the dishes myself because the thought of confrontation would incline me to do so. The story ends with my pruned hands writing a passive aggressive note on our white board about cleaning up after yourself. 

Very anticlimactic I know...and you will not be surprised to hear that this continued to happen.

I hear the stories all the time, and the roommate drama that typically results from situations like this. Regardless of the situation, it is nearly impossible to avoid conflict with roommates.  Living no more than a bedside table's distance apart in most cases, unless you want to be the designated dish doer for the rest of your roommate-ship, consider talking things through when they happen. Waiting only makes it seem like less of a problem and before you know it your kitchen looks like the inside of a dirty dishwasher. If something isn't working your roommates have the right to know.  Being up front about your frustrations will save you a lot of anger and stress in the long run, and if they still don't listen then a nice passive aggressive white board message never hurts!

Oprah has a great article about recommendations on keeping a clean living space while dealing with the challenges of being a good roommate. Click here to see productive ways to bring up these touchy subjects.

Got roommate problems? Questions about how to handle a situation? Let us know!

-RV