4 steps to get your roommate to clean up 🧹

Have you recently moved in with a roommate and want to set up a cleaning schedule to ensure you both do your part?

Or have you realized you're doing most of the cleaning and you want to talk to your roommate about sharing the responsibility more evenly? 

Learn how to successfully have this conversation with your roommate!

This is an important conversation, so don’t try to have it on the fly when you're both getting ready for work or a night out.

Let your roommate know you have something you'd like to discuss and find a time that works for both of you.  

You need enough time to sit down and have a conversation without distractions or other commitments.

Be mindful of how you approach this conversation! You don't want to accuse your roommate of beingmessyor rudefor not doing their part.

Say:

"I've noticed the apartment is getting a little messy. I think it may be helpful to make a plan on how the two of us could work together to tidy it up a bit."

Once the conversation is flowing, suggest a cleaning schedule to use going forward to ensure the home is cleaned regularly.

You can either have a list prepared before your conversation or work together to come up with a list of common areas that need to be cleaned.  

It's up to the two of you whether you'll be responsible for the same areas each time or you will rotate, as well as how often you'll clean. 

Will it be each week? Every other week? 

Everyone is busy and it can be easy to forget or lose track of time.

Post your schedule on the refrigerator or another place you both see frequently.  

You may also want to set alerts on your phone to remind you.  Get creative with your roommate to help each other remember it’s time to clean!

Now that you're pumped to have the cleaning conversation with your roommate, follow these steps to ensure it's successful!