How to Deal with a Messy Roommate
Posted May 27, 2022 | by Compten Management Inc.
Living with a roommate comes with wonderful benefits: companionship, cost savings, and entertainment. However, sometimes your roommate can turn out to be messier than your comfortable with and making living together challenging.
Don’t feel bad about being annoyed by your roommate’s messiness, this doesn’t mean you’re a bad person. The good news is, there’s several different ways to approach the issue with your roommate and we have some suggestions to help work around the clutter while keeping the relationship intact.
Talk about it
Start a conversation about what’s annoying you with your roommate. Let them know the mess is bothering you. Be kind and considerate when speaking, don’t lay down accusations or demands, because this won’t have a positive impact. Discuss together how shared spaces should be kept and leave bedrooms up to the owner’s discretion. Clarify each other’s acceptable level of cleanliness, so the apartment is clean in a way you both can live with.
Work together
Living with a roommate takes compromise. Remember to give a little to get something back. Let your roommate know you’re not looking to live in a spotless apartment, and you’ll share responsibility in keeping the apartment tidy. Working out a few ground rules for your shared common spaces will also help. Rules can help eliminate nagging. Cleaning and organizing can be more fun together - put on some music you’ll both enjoy and have fun.
Make a chore chart
No one likes to do all the cleaning, so a chore chart that alternates week to week can make cleaning fair and even. Or agree to a few compromises like one person does the cooking, the other washes dishes. Post the chart on the fridge or someplace you’ll both see it regularly. Alternatively, download the Tody app and create a virtual chore chart that splits all the chores and notifies you both when it’s time to clean.
If you cannot work together to organize a cleaning schedule, arguing about it will ultimately come between you and make living together difficult. If you’ve decided its time to move out, check out our available suites in Toronto and Mississauga.