With the spring semester in full swing, there are many of you who are still trying to figure out how to make it work with your roommates.
Don’t fret if you are, because I know for a fact that you are not the only one. But that is why I am here to help.
I am going to give you five very easy, very basic chores that you should all be doing that will help you lower the tension between you and your roommates all while making your living environment more comfortable.
5. Take care of your dishes
There is no worse feeling in the world when you come back from a long day of classes, work, meetings and everything else in between and all you can think about is “Man, I am starving.”
Then you get home and find your roommate has used every dish, pan and utensil you have in your house and just left it all sitting in the sink or on the counter. All of a sudden you now have to clean all off all of their stuff just to get the basic pan to make a bowl of spaghetti.
Well here is a simple solution. Take care of your own dishes. I understand the appeal to make your meal and then go and eat it while it is hot. That is totally okay.
But then once you are finished you need to take care of everything you just used. Whether that be hand washing everything and putting it away or loading up the dishwasher. Don’t leave around all of you used forks and food filled pans for your roommates to clean up when they get home. That is not cool, man.
4. Replace the toilet paper
I know what a concept right. When you are the last one to use the toilet paper replace it with a new roll. It is simple; it is easy; it should be taken care of.
It can be one of the most annoying things in the world when you wake up at 8 a.m. for your first class and you half asleep stumble into the bathroom, do your business, and then you look over and there is nothing there to finish the job.
All of a sudden, your day is not going to be a good one. It’s common courtesy people and it shouldn’t have to be discussed it should just be done.
3. Pick up after yourself
I get it. We are all college students living on our own for the first time. The sweet release of not having your mom telling you to hang up your jacket or to not leave your clothes on the floor is a wonderful feeling.
But gosh darn it, pick up your damn jacket and don’t leave your clothes laying around on the floor. Just because your mom is no longer in the room telling you to do it doesn’t mean her voice should be gone from your head.
Don’t make your roommate maneuver around your dirty clothes in the bathroom or your seven different jackets you have sprawled across the couch.
Just put your stuff away when you are done. It will help keep you from losing your stuff and it will keep your roommates from throwing in everything in a bag and shipping it off to Goodwill.
2. Do your laundry in a civilized manner
This is one of the ones that I am the guiltiest for, and I am sure that many of you are as well. It is a Thursday night and you are right on the cusp of having to make the grim decision of whether you think you can wear that pair of underwear for one more day (the answer is always no, ALWAYS).
So, you are forced to do your laundry. You get everything loaded up and started in the washing machine and you go on your way. Hours pass. Days pass. And your clothes still sit in that same machine.
Then your roommate comes around and wants to clean their mountain of used articles, and they open it up only to find your clothes still in the machine.
Don’t do that. I know how easy it is to lose track of time or just completely forget that you are indeed doing your laundry. But it is a real hassle to those you live with, even those on the floor of your dorms, to be all ready to go and they have to wait for you to move your butt and finish the process.
Just set an alarm on your phone the second you start the machine and you will never forget. The other option is to put a basket right next to the machine so that if something does come up the next person can just simply place all the clothes into your basket, so they are ready for you when you return.
1. Ask first
This one isn’t as much a chore as it is a courteous mannerism that will allow your lives to move much smoother. Often times if you need to use a roommate’s car, or borrow some food, or want to play one of their games or movies they will probably say go for it (maybe not always the car, but you get the drift).
Don’t just assume they are going to say yes, however. Ask them. Just because you think it is okay doesn’t mean that it will always be okay. Maybe they were saving that one last egg for a protein shake when they get home.
Maybe they planned to hibernate for six hours playing their favorite game in their room because they have had a long day. You don’t always know how they are feeling or their plans, so take out your phone, whip up a quick message and use your manners.
