Living with a Sloppy Roommate

Being tidy and neat is a virtue of many people but there are people who simply do not pay attention to whether their living space is clean or not. Perhaps they do not realize it or feel the need to do some cleaning around the place but if that person is your roommate, problems might occur. You cannot clean after that person all the time and you can stand seeing the mess all around the place. Therefore, you need to sit down and talk about it and perhaps come to some sort of understanding.

Here are few tips on how to do that

Face the problem

Being a neat person and living with a messy roommate can cause many issues. Mess and clutter can cause a lot of stress to you because it is not something you are used to and you might feel like it sucks out all of your energy. And, if you lecture your roommate all the time, you can make them feel stressed as well. Therefore, you need to be open and sit down to discuss what’s bothering both of you. As soon as you face the problem and admit you do not want to live that way, you are one step closer to some kind of an agreement that will improve the quality of your lives.

Your clutter is not the same as their clutter

Your idea of clutter and sloppiness perhaps differs from their understanding of it. Once you decide to talk about, you need to be clear what bothers you the most. Is it only the clutter, like leaving their clothes all over the place, leaving the food on the table overnight or actual dirt, stains and grime they never seem to clean? Nevertheless, living together and sharing a space means there should be rules both of you need to follow.

What are the rules?

Start talking about what sloppy and neatly mean to both of you and how you imagine a neat room should look like. Also, talk about your feelings and make sure your roommate understands how their lack of desire to tidy up affects you. Do you feel embarrassed when your friends come over? After you share your opinions, make a list of daily and weekly chores. Everybody has their chores and they should stick to them. You can start by focusing on the kitchen or living room, spaces you share the most and areas that need carpet cleaning. But, try to be more flexible when it comes to their personal space, as long it doesn’t get dirty with actual grime and filth. The goal is to come to an understanding and be willing to compromise. Finally, don’t expect miracles, because it takes time for someone who hadn’t been paying attention to cleanliness and sloppiness to start realizing the mess around them, and finally do something about it.

Stay friends

Just because you have a problem with your roommate doesn’t mean your friendship has to come to an end. Talk about it, express your feelings, try to understand their messiness, compromise and try to respect your new agreement concerning chores. Be tolerant and flexible, because people cannot change overnight. As long as you have your own sanctuary and keep it exactly how you like it, you can work out problems with mess gradually.

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