If your roommate is leaving food and dishes everywhere, do not strangle them. Be honest and try to work things out.
“Dear Zoe,
One of my roommates constantly leaves dirty dishes in the sink, hair in the shower and her clothes all over the apartment. It has gotten to the point where I want to move out. Help!”
— Living in a pigpen
Dear Living in a pigpen,
As we approach the second week of school after a long weekend, many of us are finding out our roommate’s quirks. Even if your roommate was your best friend, living together can be an eye-opener.
Everyone is raised differently. Some people are neat to a point of medical isolation and others could submit their room to the TLC show ‘Hoarders,’ but the vast majority of people fall in the middle of the two extremes. Communication is the key to making the apartment a livable space for all.
Some people are soakers, meaning they like to fill their bowls up with water and let them sit in the sink before they wash them. I hate to see dirty dishes sitting out and I will try to wash my dishes as I cook.
Find out what your roommate’s personal comfort zone is. Chances are, she doesn’t know her behavior is bothering you.
When I was in the residence halls last year, I was lucky because my roommate’s living style was similar to my own. We were on the messy side, took afternoon naps and did not have friends over often.
Not every situation turns out like that.
Sometimes you find yourself paired with someone who would like the apartment to be a quiet place to study when you want to have friends over. The key to any roommate relationship is communication. Tell the other person exactly how you feel and why.
My dad likes to tell me that living with someone is great training for marriage. Marriage feels far off, but roommates are part of the current reality. You may not kiss your roommate, but living with someone for a year will better prepare you for spending the rest of your life with someone else.
Be forward and honest with your roommates as soon as you notice a potential problem. Set up house rules and talk about things such as doing the dishes, sharing food, how often significant others can be over and everyone’s favorite: cleaning.
If you address an issue early on, you could avoid a heated argument later.
Save moving out as a last-case scenario. If you feel that someone is in danger or the environment has become hostile, then remember to take care of yourself, but if the issue is that she left her hair in the sink, realize that the world will not end if you stay.
Roommates are sometimes a pain in the neck, but they can also turn into life-long friends. Hang in there, compromise and do not sweat the small stuff.
