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Post by stressedbythemess on Jun 21, 2008 9:54:04 GMT -5
They've been creeping up on me the past couple. This is normally how it goes, I get the idea I can get the apartment clean in my head, and start tackling things. I'll normally actually make some progress, that I can see, and some I cant and it feels like I've done a good chunk.
Then I slow down a little bit, back to a level of cleaning I can maintain most days after work. And that's where the issue starts. Roommate 1 or Roommate 2 will make little messes as they go (spilled stuff on the floor of the kitchen, dropped stuff on same floor, tracking stuff into the house, dumping their crap all over the tables), that I can't keep up with without cleaning the whole house, every day. Which I just CANT do yet. I could if I was starting from clean, but I'm not. I"m trying ferverently to make a dent big enough that they won't destroy it in a couple days.
It's somewhere after that point I just want to cry. LIke the fact I still haven't managed to put a food list together so I can cook, but then I realize that of the freezers and we have 2 one is HUGE i helped pay for, I have a tiny little stack in the small one, and maybe 1/10th the contents of the big one (I have some strawberries frozen), and there is otherwise no room left for me! Roommate 1 took up the rest of the big one, roommate 2 filled up the rest of the second one.
I suppose I should be grateful that after the fridge clean up they have not gone shopping again for themselves so there is still enough room I might get a whole shelf to myself if I re-arrange it (roommate 1 "arranged it" to her liking meaning her stuff on every shelf) and hurry my tail about it.
Or like the fact I'm working on the recyclables and roommate 1 will have kept 3-4 trashbags worth of them in his room he dumps on the porch since he sees me taking things out.
I dont know, i just feel like i cant do this and dont know how to get myself out of that thinking.
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jonnyny
New Member
Joined: June 2008
Posts: 15
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Post by jonnyny on Jun 21, 2008 10:43:41 GMT -5
stressed- Since you live with other people you are going to have to enlist them in your crusade to get things cleaned up and then to keep them cleaned up.
The first question that I have is- Is it important to them, do they care or want to live in a clean, neat home?
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Post by mouse on Jun 21, 2008 10:54:13 GMT -5
Hi sweetie, Having had a roommate once who was not in the habit of keeping things clean either, I can sympathize. My roommate moved out (stiffing me for her share of the rent in the process) before I could sit her down and address the problems we were having, but if your two roomies are in there for the long haul, I suggest you sit them both down on a day when none of you have any other pressing engagements, and negotiate. It sounds as though your efforts to get things marginally tidy and organized are being constantly sabotaged, even if your roommates are blissfully unaware of it and don't mean to be disrespectful. I would suggest making a list, not of your grievances (that will only antagonize them), but of your expectations out of them as roommates. For instance: - That they pick up after themselves (i.e., not leave dirty dishes/dirty anything lying around once they are done with it)
- That they leave you fully 1/3 of the fridge and freezer space that you paid for. Perhaps each of you could have one shelf, and all the condiments and "shared" food can go in the door?
- That common areas be kept tidy, and the three of you can spend one hour each week (to be determined through negotiation) cleaning them up.
Etc. If there are pets, determine who is responsible for care and feeding, and on what schedule. If everyone handles their own cooking/washing up, then determine how long it's "acceptable" for dishes to hang around unwashed. In a large kitchen, a plate or two might not be an issue. However, in a small kitchen with limited counter space, it may be vital that all dishes be done immediately. If everyone hates washing the bathroom, then a schedule needs to be set up so that one person doesn't always end up doing it (which will always be the person whose tolerance for filth is the lowest). Open communication is the best way to go on this, IMHO. It's more than likely that your roomies are just a little self-centred, and it hasn't occurred to them that their behaviour is unacceptable. If you make it clear that you need them to be on board to make the place more livable, then they may be willing to pull their weight. It's all a question of presenting it in a way that's respectful, but that insists they pay you the same respect. Good luck! ~Mouse |
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