Convincing Housemates to Clean (NRR, obvi)

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  • AlmondAlmond 1,427 Posts
    Trash and recycling taken out and dishes being washed. Effective, but I've basically been told to mind my own business. Chore schedule ineffective for these batches. I give up. Lock this thread.

  • magpiemagpie 160 Posts
    hire a cleaning lady once a week...everyone chips in...

  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    I've basically been told to mind my own business.

    I love the girls I live with and they are some of my best friends.[/b]

  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
    hire a cleaning lady once a week...everyone chips in...

    Winner.

  • DORDOR Two Ron Toe 9,903 Posts
    This is an easy fix...


    Move all said dirty shit into their rooms.

    Have a rule... Dirty pot not cleaned within 24 HRs, place it into their room when they are not home. Repeat cycle until A) They start to clean their shit or B) They move out and you can find a better roomate.

  • catalistcatalist 1,373 Posts


    P.S. Almond, you need to move out.

    Those roommates are not worth your time or energy , especially since they don't care and it doesn't appear that they will care anytime soon.

    again, moving out could be a pain in the ass in itself...but in the end it will be very liberating.

  • catalistcatalist 1,373 Posts
    I just heard some water running

    You know its bad when the sound of running water excites you.

  • this situation could very easily present the opportunity of escalation to violence. be ready, strike first, be fierce.

    observe and prepare:


    you are welcome

  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    this situation could very easily present the opportunity of escalation to violence. be ready, strike first, be fierce.

    observe and prepare:


    you are welcome


  • this situation could very easily present the opportunity of escalation to violence. be ready, strike first, be fierce.

    observe and prepare:


    you are welcome


    NOT COOL

  • ReynaldoReynaldo 6,054 Posts
    People really do that dishes on the bed schitt? That's just asking for a fight/retaliation. I would never agree to such a rule.

    I say: if you truly want things to get cleaned, then do it all yourself and get used to doing it all, otherwise you aren't that serious about things being clean. Abandon all hope for change.

  • this situation could very easily present the opportunity of escalation to violence. be ready, strike first, be fierce.

    observe and prepare:


    you are welcome


    NOT COOL

    sheeeeiit. ignorant housemates, treated with patience,presented with solutions, showing no respect....i know ive been in situations where its led to people getting swung on. i would love to hear that almond smacked some sense into one of them.

    ok.right. violence doesnt solve anything. maybe so maybe no. and if you cant picture almond as cutty or anything like that, sorry you were offended.

  • AlmondAlmond 1,427 Posts
    update: kitchen is clean(er). countertops suddenly look bigger as they are sans shit now

  • catalistcatalist 1,373 Posts


    I say: if you truly want things to get cleaned, then do it all yourself and get used to doing it all, otherwise you aren't that serious about things being clean. Abandon all hope for change.

    Worst idea ever.

    Just not a good idea...not much more to be said.

  • update: kitchen is clean(er). countertops suddenly look bigger as they are sans shit now

    Now is the time for my advice: Cleaning has never been a HUGE problem around my house, but enough to get me annoyed, and provide a source of frustration. I'm at the university wringing creative juices out of my brain for 10-11 hours a day (when I'??m not on soulstrut, obviously), the last thing I want to do when I get home is rearrange a dirty sink full of someone ELSE's crap and rotten pieces of fried egg-mushroom whatever.

    So I put on Disco really loudly. Not uncomfortably loud, but loud enough for the UNTZ UNTZ to be heard throughout the house. Then I dance from room to room with a brush, which leads everyone into a cleaning frenzy.

    This probably sounds really gay, or like a musical, or both. Never mind that, now that you've been a bitch and your housemates are being a bit more tidy, make a fool of your own cleanliness, and make cleaning associated with something funny, thusly restoring peace and harmony and more than likely maintaining cleanliness for a while until you MOVE THE F*ck OUT!


    - J


    PS: I live with a girl and a gay dude and we're all art-students. Some of these examples may not apply in your case, but advice is advice.

  • magpaulmagpaul 1,314 Posts
    Just for balance, I live with an over-bearing fool of a housemate who despite never doing shit around the house feels the need to berate everyone about the lack of cleanliness. (not that it's ever THAT bad)

    The best thing I did was tell him to F*ck off, now that we're all no longer 'friends', he doesn't feel comfortable enough to rant at us anymore.

    some good quotes in this article on 'tidiness' from the other day:

    Messiness, of course, is a classic source of friction for couples. Christine Northam, a counsellor with Relate, says that this is something she often encounters and that it represents deeper problems in the relationship: ???If she is being obsessively tidy or he is being very slovenly, it usually points to some underlying problem to do with anger or trying to have power over the other person. It can stem from unhappiness.???

    Dr Roderick Orner, a consultant psychologist and expert on obsessive compulsive disorder, says that tidiness is fundamentally about control - whether you want it and why you need it: ???Some people find disorder a threat, others are much more comfortable with it. Artists often find that mixing things up, having things collide, is where they get their most inspirational thought.???

  • skelskel You can't cheat karma 5,033 Posts
    I live with an over-bearing fool of a housemate who despite never doing shit around the house feels the need to berate everyone about the lack of cleanliness.

    Your housemate is Almond?


  • JustAliceJustAlice 1,308 Posts
    The worst are the room mates who insist upon "letting things soak"
    Like Cheesy creamy greasy stuff or peanut buttery shit. F*ck that.
    Its called Elbow Grease MF. Strike while the iron is hot.
    I don't wanna think about that persons bathroom habits,
    Do they let that shit soak too? If a person can't rinse a dish
    or rub out some burnt chili then they probably ain't very good at the whole
    front to back thing ifyaknowwhatimean.
    definitely
    No one needs to tell you how your ass tastes when they can smell it
    coming a mile away. Do the damn dishes and grow up already.
    ...blahblahBlagovich.

  • JustAliceJustAlice 1,308 Posts
    Oh yeah, Im kinda tipsy and a bit of a clean freak.
    I blame my mom who is a rat pack-borderline hoarder.
    its made me a slight bit batty for cleanliness, but its
    ok cause I've seen the other side and even though I was Born a Vader
    I am very proud to be a Jedi.

  • bluesnagbluesnag 1,285 Posts
    The worst are the room mates who insist upon "letting things soak"
    Like Cheesy creamy greasy stuff or peanut buttery shit. F*ck that.
    Its called Elbow Grease MF. Strike while the iron is hot.
    I don't wanna think about that persons bathroom habits,
    Do they let that shit soak too? If a person can't rinse a dish
    or rub out some burnt chili then they probably ain't very good at the whole
    front to back thing ifyaknowwhatimean.
    definitely
    No one needs to tell you how your ass tastes when they can smell it
    coming a mile away. Do the damn dishes and grow up already.
    ...blahblahBlagovich.

    AGREED.

    "letting it soak" is bullshit. it is all about getting in there and getting that shit out. it's actually easier to get that shit out immediately. yes, ELBOW GREASE. the only way to clean anything.

    i do the dishes at my house, which i'm totally anal about and which i actually kind of like. it works out well because my wife can't wash dishes for shit, but is an awesome cook, and i can hardly cook anything.

    i think one thing that contributes to my dish-washing hard-nosedness is that my first job was washing dishes at a greek restaurant. talk about stuck on shit. dried melted cheese like a motherfucker.

    i absolutely loved it when i moved into my own place and had no roommates. that was the best ever.

  • magpaulmagpaul 1,314 Posts
    I live with an over-bearing fool of a housemate who despite never doing shit around the house feels the need to berate everyone about the lack of cleanliness.

    Your housemate is Almond?


    And she won't let me watch Match of the Day...


  • skelskel You can't cheat karma 5,033 Posts
    You all need to find the kind of place shown here

    step up your housemate game, yo

  • The worst are the room mates who insist upon "letting things soak"
    Like Cheesy creamy greasy stuff or peanut buttery shit. F*ck that.
    Its called Elbow Grease MF. Strike while the iron is hot.
    I don't wanna think about that persons bathroom habits,
    Do they let that shit soak too? If a person can't rinse a dish
    or rub out some burnt chili then they probably ain't very good at the whole
    front to back thing ifyaknowwhatimean.
    definitely
    No one needs to tell you how your ass tastes when they can smell it
    coming a mile away. Do the damn dishes and grow up already.
    ...blahblahBlagovich.

    soaking method does work well for semi burnt rice, oatmeal situation. let it sit in water.

    ive had to do dishes every day of my life. growing up, my folks wouldnt let me sit in relax one minute after dinner without hounding me into the kitchen to wash. i appreciate the discipline and really dont mind dishes. when i find myself a guest in a new house, i always try to see if i can help out by knocking the dishes out, no matter how bad the situation. yo, you get treated like a prince after you finish unsolicited mother teresa dish wsahings.

    lastly, ive had shit roomate situations (as i mentioned before...people have been strangled,etc). but ive also lived with housemates where things worked so well...even better than living alone. depends on the mix

  • ReynaldoReynaldo 6,054 Posts


    I say: if you truly want things to get cleaned, then do it all yourself and get used to doing it all, otherwise you aren't that serious about things being clean. Abandon all hope for change.

    Worst idea ever.

    Just not a good idea...not much more to be said.
    Then she ain't serious.

  • REYNALDO STAY BOOTSTRAPPIN!

  • bluesnagbluesnag 1,285 Posts
    The worst are the room mates who insist upon "letting things soak"
    Like Cheesy creamy greasy stuff or peanut buttery shit. F*ck that.
    Its called Elbow Grease MF. Strike while the iron is hot.
    I don't wanna think about that persons bathroom habits,
    Do they let that shit soak too? If a person can't rinse a dish
    or rub out some burnt chili then they probably ain't very good at the whole
    front to back thing ifyaknowwhatimean.
    definitely
    No one needs to tell you how your ass tastes when they can smell it
    coming a mile away. Do the damn dishes and grow up already.
    ...blahblahBlagovich.

    soaking method does work well for semi burnt rice, oatmeal situation. let it sit in water.

    ive had to do dishes every day of my life. growing up, my folks wouldnt let me sit in relax one minute after dinner without hounding me into the kitchen to wash. i appreciate the discipline and really dont mind dishes. when i find myself a guest in a new house, i always try to see if i can help out by knocking the dishes out, no matter how bad the situation. yo, you get treated like a prince after you finish unsolicited mother teresa dish wsahings.

    lastly, ive had shit roomate situations (as i mentioned before...people have been strangled,etc). but ive also lived with housemates where things worked so well...even better than living alone. depends on the mix

    in terms of soaking, the point is that letting things soak for 24 hours is not effective. let the grimy stuff soak while you do the other dishes, and that will help loosen some stuff up like you're saying. then get in there and destroy that shit after you're done with the other dishes. people be letting a pan that they cooked eggs in "soak". that's some bullshit.

    i could not agree more with you on helping with dishes as a houseguest. i always help with dishes at my in-laws place after christmas dinner, which is always appreciated.

  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    Who the hell is gonna elbow grease the cruddy mess from a roasting pan right after u eat?

    Im soaking the heavy shit overnight. The rest of the plates and shit get washed.

  • skelskel You can't cheat karma 5,033 Posts
    GET A f*cking DISHWASHER!

    Those things are good.

    After it's run, open that door, get some lemony facial steamheat, open them pores and cleanse them suckers.

  • bassiebassie 11,710 Posts
    Out of total frustration, I???ve had to do all the cleaning once or twice in my roommate days. Doing it all the time is out of the question unless your rent is cut in half or you???re willing to live with short-term cleanliness and long-term resentment.

    My first place, it took an absolutely revolting scene out of a horror movie to change one of my roommates around to do dishes right away: It was the summer and I was about to do some dishes, I moved things around and nearly chucked when I saw an empty cat-dish COVERED IN MAGGOTS. She was pretty calm and washed it right away. I didn???t say anything, I think the maggots said it all, but her dirty dishes never really sat around for too long after that.

    A friend???s ex lived in a house that had a room just for the dirty dishes. Her roommates never did them, no one wanted to deal with the mess and so they got their very own room. She moved out pretty fast.
    HOW ARE PEOPLE RAISED????

  • Options
    It is hard, especially considering messes come and go in the same way feelings about messes come and go.

    My roommates and I have always worked through the cleanliness (sometimes together and sometimes apart). It never seems to take as much time as you think, once you get started. But we also all made messes together at times, and also apart. Sometimes the problem was being together (or apart). It is hard to say, "can you leave the house for a bit while I clean." Likewise, "I've made a big mess and am worried about making the schedule...where should I start?"


    If I cleaned up the kitchen, I usually would try to have my friends over to make the next mess. Likewise, when there is a big mess and nobody wants to clean then it is time for beer and disco and house dinner, followed by cleaning session. Also, if the something, is kinda dirty...you could benefit from making it messier and then clean it and make it better than before.

    Now, when I feel like cleaning, I do and I respect my roommates right to be more slobby than me. Maybe we know how to clean differently, and help each other differently.

    I think saying whatt needs to be said doesn't make you a batch; it makes future confrontations about the issue much easier! Maybe make cleaning, something that is more easily and frequently talked about...talking about the schedule might help everyone adhere it's guidelines. And talking about how to clean and cleaning to together will help establish a comfortable standard!

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