When you live with roommates, no matter if its one close friend or a few acquaintances, you have to find a way to divide the household chores needed to maintain your Loveland apartment for rent. Taking the time to calmly divvy up household tasks is an easy way to make sure you avoid conflict and keep your apartment from getting too messy.
Keep your apartment clean, while maintaining a peaceful relationship with roommates with a few simple ideas on how to fairly assign household chores.
It sounds simple enough, but people have varying opinions on what needs to be done. Setting aside time when you first move it to decide on the chores that are most important is a great first step. Start by making a list of common chores such as sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, dusting, dishes, and cleaning the bathrooms. You may want to include other chores such as who is responsible for taking the trash cans out on trash day, who needs to unload the dishwasher or even who is in charge of feeding the fish. By making a list of the chores that need to be done, you can have a clear understanding of what each person expects.
Every person has their idea of what clean means. For some, clean is simply tidying up while for others it’s not clean if it’s not scrubbed and polished. You can avoid conflict with your roommates by having an open discussion about how they define clean. This way one roommate doesn’t become upset when the other doesn’t clean to their standards. For example, one person might feel that cleaning the bathroom means wiping down the toilet and drying up water around the sink, while another feels that a bathroom isn’t clean unless the sink, countertops, toilet seat and bowl, mirror, and shower have been thoroughly scrubbed and disinfected. Set expectations from the beginning and be willing to compromise to meet roommates in the middle when you find your individual opinions are on opposite ends of the spectrum.
Every person has chores that they don’t like to do. Maybe you hate sweeping, but don’t mind doing dishes. Or your roommate hates cleaning bathrooms but will vacuum regularly. Just as you should take the time to make a list of chores, you should also discuss what chores you don’t mind doing and which you individually hate. Communicate with your roommates and try to remain flexible when assigning tasks. Take into consideration each other’s schedules and commitments in order to avoid assigning someone a chore they won’t be able to accomplish.
For some groups, especially those with very busy or hectic schedules, having permanently assigned chores is the easiest way to make sure that things get done. However, that might leave someone forced to always do a chore they hate. Groups with more flexibility in their schedules might find that alternating chores on a weekly or monthly basis will help to keep things fair. This way each roommate takes a turn doing individual chores.
Keeping track of who is assigned to what or whose turn it is this week can get confusing. By making a calendar or chore chart, the whole house can see what the chore plan is for the week. Some roommates choose to randomly draw names for chores each time, but this can result in someone repeatedly doing a chore they can’t stand. Instead, consider a system in which chores are continually passed on to the next person in line keeping everyone in a fair rotation.
Having a designated chore calendar will not be effective if each roommate is not held accountable. You might simply choose to display the calendar in a common area so that everyone in the house is aware of their responsibilities. Or you might take it a step further and require that roommates sign off on a chore after it’s been completed.
Splitting the price of cleaning supplies and tools such as mops, brooms, all-purpose cleaners, paper towels, sponges, glass/window cleaner, trash bags, dish soap, or more can help to keep the cost of cleaning fair as well. Or you may choose to take turns in buying supplies. Talk with each other about what works best for you as a group and what works for each person’s individual budget.
For more tips on sharing expenses with roommates, click here.
Living with other people isn’t always easy, but as in all aspects of a shared house, the best way to avoid conflict or problems with your roommates is to communicate. Take the time to calmly address issues as they come up in order to keep each other accountable and on the same page.
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