HOW TO CREATE A ROOMMATE CLEANING CHART
Living with a roommate poses challenges, especially when one person likes a clean house and the other couldn’t care less. Creating a roommate cleaning schedule can help even the messiest of people do their fair share to keep the home in order. Follow these tips for creating this roommate chore chart so you both can live in harmony.
SYNC YOUR CLEANING PERSONALITIES
Depending on how you found your roommate, you may or may not have spent a lot of time with them before deciding they were a good fit. During the interview process, though, you must make it a point to discuss their cleaning personality to determine if your/s and their’s jive. Don’t be afraid to ask questions like, “How often did you wash the dishes in your last residence?” and “What do you do when you see the trash is full?”
How they answer these questions will give you an idea of just how “clean” this potential roommate is.
DRAWING UP THE CHORE CHART
Once you’ve decided on a roommate, you’ll want to establish the cleaning schedule right away. Divvying up the chores will make it easier for everyone to keep a clean house.
MAKE THE CHORE LIST TOGETHER
Walk through your home together and make a list of everything you’d like to see done in each room. For example, in the kitchen, you might include doing the dishes, taking out the trash, buying cleaning supplies, and wiping down the countertops. Do the same for each room and divide the chores up according to who likes doing what or who contributes to the mess more.
DECIDE WHEN THE CHORES GET DONE
Once you’ve made your list of chores, decide how often each one should get done. Some chores will be daily like doing the dishes, while others may be weekly or monthly such as putting the trash on the curb for pickup or cleaning the bathroom.
DISH OUT THE TASKS
Divide the tasks up so that everyone is doing the same amount of work each day, week, or month. For chores like taking out the trash, assign the same person to do it so there is no confusion from week to week as to who’s supposed to do it.
For tasks that no one likes to do, create a rotating schedule so no one is stuck doing it all the time. Before finalizing the chore chart, take a moment to discuss it and air out grievances so everyone is satisfied with their assignments.
CHECK IN WITH EACH OTHER
After a few weeks with the cleaning chart, check in with your roommate to find out how it’s going. Changes may need to be made for the cleaning schedule to fit with their other obligations. Flexibility and consistency are the keys to a successful roommate cleaning schedule, so work together to find what works.
