Dealing with a messy roommate

Whether you’re a neat freak, or just like to keep your Des Moines apartment looking presentable for guests, it has a potential to cause conflict between you and your roommate if he or she doesn’t feel the same way. This is perhaps one of the most common sources of conflict between two people living together. However, ending your relationship over housekeeping is probably unnecessary, as there are many things you can do to help remedy the situation:

Understand the Issue

Sit down and talk with your roommate about why the lack of apartment cleaning is happening. Chances are, it’s not to annoy you. It could be a variety of things like your roommate’s nature, their current emotional situation, or something else entirely. If you know why it’s happening, you’re more likely to avoid future arguments between the two of you.

Divide your apartment into spaces

It’s unlikely that your Johnston apartment will stay is clean as you’d like it. Instead of getting frustrated, try dividing your space into areas – individual and shared. Your bedroom, for example, would be a great individual space that you can keep clean at all times. In turn, you roommate will have a personal space that’s just his or hers – so they can keep it as messy as they’d like. The shared areas are something that you and your roommate are mutually responsible for, so you should both work to ensure it stays presentable. Shared areas might include things like the kitchen, living room, and bathroom.

Find a cleaning service

If you can’t seem to keep the apartment clean, consider hiring a cleaning service. This doesn’t have to be expensive; sometimes, you can find an individual to come in and clean that only charges about $20/hour. Ask you roommate if he or she would be willing to chip in for the costs – you could do it weekly or monthly. Also, knowing the alternative is paying money, your roommate may be more willing to help out around the house.

Offer chores in exchange for cleaning

If your roommate doesn’t care about keeping the place clean, you may be able to “exchange” chores. For example, you could offer to do more cleaning if you roommate does the grocery shopping, takes care of monthly bills, or scoops the sidewalk when it snows.

Considering the above solutions may help you and your roommate avoid problems and arguments in the future. Be sure to take them into consideration before talking with your roommate so you can come to a calm solution.