At some point in our lives, we’ve all had to live with someone else. Whether it is with someone you like or don’t like, your living styles are probably different. With your random college roommates, you could probably discuss some ground rules before you all move in, just so you don’t step on each other’s toes, and with family, you would probably just follow whatever was in place before you were born. It can be pretty surprising how some people live in a way that’s so different from your own.
If you had the chance to create your own set of rules though, what would it be? Below are some rules I would include after seeing how some people live!
General Space
Take off your shoes when you enter the house! Who knows where your shoes have traveled to? It collects germs everywhere you go, and it’s best to just leave all that by the door. Don’t be the person who doesn’t take off their shoes and ruin it for everyone who does!
Lock in, lock out. Lock before you talk. Make sure to close and lock the door when you enter or leave the house! Whether you are only going to be out for 5 minutes to grab groceries by your house, or a few hours to visit your friend, lock the door.
What you think is a short amount of time is actually enough for someone to get into your house and steal your valuables. If you’re thinking of the excuse, but we live in a safe neighborhood, my response would be, well, that’s exactly what the burglars are thinking too. The neighborhood is so safe that residents don’t lock their doors, so they can just walk right into their houses! You can also look at it this way: If you have two homework items to complete on your to-do list, would you rather finish your first grade level homework or your college level homework first? Your first grade home first, of course! Get that done quickly (because it’s much easier) and get it off your checklist, because who knows how long it’ll take for you to finish your college homework? Likewise, when the burglars try to open the door and it’s locked, maybe they will think twice before breaking in!
Five seconds of inconvenience to you gives you one added layer of protection to your home. With that being said, if you have a gate and a door to your house, lock the gate too. Once the burglar gets past your unlocked gate, people driving by will think that they’re only trying to get into their own house and won’t even think about calling the police that someone is breaking in!
Turn off any unnecessary lights, the air conditioner, and the heater before leaving. Let’s save some electricity so it’s not a huge amount when it’s time to pay the bill! (It also doesn’t make sense to leave the AC or heater on when nobody is in the house.)
Dropped something? Pick it up. If you drop something on the floor (receipts, pens, paper, etc.), pick it up so that it’s not in everyone’s way! Someone can easily trip over it. If it’s not something that you want, then put it in the trash can, not randomly on the floor – nobody is going to throw it away for you.
Thanks to my old roommates I’d also like to add:
· If you drop your makeup and the powder shatters everywhere, clean it up too.
· If you drop a chip, pick it up before someone steps on it so it doesn’t crumble into a million pieces.
Ask before you borrow or touch. If it’s not yours, ask for permission before you use it! It’s very rude to just take something without permission.
Feeling sick? Keep your distance and get well quick! Nobody likes getting sick. It’s a horrible feeling, and if possible, I’d avoid it at all costs. If you’re sick, please be considerate and make sure to cover your mouth when you sneeze and cough so that you don’t spread your germs everywhere! What’s worse than one person getting sick is the whole house getting sick.
Heads up! Friends, what’s up? It’s always good to know before you enter a house that there will be someone else welcoming you home. Who knows what kind of entrance you were planning to make? A simple text saying that you have friends over can save all that embarrassment!
Kitchen
Wash your dishes by the end of the day. Don’t leave them overnight! It’s even better to wash your dishes right after you’re done eating – the longer you wait, the more disgusting it gets, and it gets in the way when you just leave it in the sink! Just picture the dirtiest dish you’ve had to wash because you pushed it off for days – that spaghetti sauce that is all dried up and smelly because you couldn’t finish it with the rest of your spaghetti. Well, compare that to the dish a few days ago, when you were still eating from it. It looked and smelled a lot better right? If only you washed the dish right away…
Clean out the sink strainer basket! The strainer basket catches all those small pieces of leftovers you didn’t want, and at some point, it’s going to get clogged. Water won’t be able to pass through, and you’ll just be having a little swimming pool in your sink. The more leftovers it catches, the more disgusting it gets, so just clear it out every time after you’re done using the sink so that the next person using it doesn’t have to suffer!
Take out the trash when it’s full, and learn how to properly replace the trash bag! Whether trash duty is on a rotation system or a “whoever sees that it’s full takes it out” system, don’t let the trash overflow. When the trash lid can’t even close, you’ve already waited too long to take it out. Don’t be lazy – share the love, share the load! When replacing the trash bag, make sure the trash bag won’t slip off as the trash can fills up.
Bathroom
Last piece of toilet paper? Replace it with a new one. It’s absolutely unbelievable how many times I’ve walked into the restroom and there’s no toilet paper left on the roll. It’s really not that hard to replace the roll.
Pick up your hair after showering, and dry the floor if it’s wet! Just like leftover food in the kitchen sink, water can’t pass through a clump of hair that easily. Whether it is a small strand or a whole clump, nobody else wants to touch your hair, so just pick it up after showering! Stepping on wet floor can be dangerous (and nasty) – wipe the floor so there’s no puddles left!
Clean up your toothpaste if it drops. Keep the bathroom clean and wash it off right away because it’s only going to get harder to clean if you wait!
Make sure the toilet flushed. You would think this one is obvious, but nope! If you don’t want to wait and stand in front of the toilet to see if everything flushed, at least use your ears to listen for the complete flushing sound!
Throw your trash into the trash can. When there’s toilet paper or other bathroom items lying on the bathroom floor, I don’t know what that’s touched, but you probably do because you left it there. Pick it up and place it in the trash can!
Bedroom
Knock before you enter. Some privacy, please!
Pick up your food and crumbs inside the bedroom. Better yet, don’t even bring food into the bedroom! Let’s avoid all those little critters crawling around while you sleep.
You snooze, we all lose. Whether we are staying in the same bedroom or in separate ones, it’s possible to hear the other person’s alarm clock. If you’re the type to keep snoozing or not even hear the alarm ringing, you are ruining sleep-in day for everyone else. Don’t set your alarm clock for early in the morning if you don’t plan on waking up when it goes off. I’ve heard alarm clocks go off for a whole minute, and still, the person does not wake up!
Living with others is not the easiest thing to do. It usually takes a bit of time for you to get used to each other, but even then, it’s good to state clearly what your preferences are. It might not always be the way you want it to be, but sometimes, everyone just has to take a step back. You might start off hating your roommates, but after spending more time with them, you’ll grow to love them, understand them, and get along so well that you wouldn’t want other roommates!
Think we can still live together?