Dirty Housemates

Sashiee

Hi Ladies

I don't know if this is the right section so feel free to move it ,
but i'm currently living in a student house with 6 other people,
and to be honest it seems like the same people(me and o/h) are cleaning up dishes, changing bin liners generally putting the toilet seat back down etc etc...
Even though it's a student house i'm from the area so i live here full time and weekends when they are gone the house is left disgusting!! As my housemates are all good friends of mine it can become a bit arkward asking them to clean where cleaning is due.

We've tried the whole joking suggestions but have been literally told "good one" on many occasion and it's getting riduclous at the moment.
There are 5 girls and 2 boys...

Thinking a Rota might be a good idea but any suggestions on how to assign people to rooms and to do it fairly??

(Rant over)
Thanks,
Sashiee

Wibbs

Better here I reckon Sashiee

gerryg80

Sashiee wrote: »

Hi Ladies

I don't know if this is the right section so feel free to move it ,
but i'm currently living in a student house with 6 other people,
and to be honest it seems like the same people(me and o/h) are cleaning up dishes, changing bin liners generally putting the toilet seat back down etc etc...
Even though it's a student house i'm from the area so i live here full time and weekends when they are gone the house is left disgusting!! As my housemates are all good friends of mine it can become a bit arkward asking them to clean where cleaning is due.

We've tried the whole joking suggestions but have been literally told "good one" on many occasion and it's getting riduclous at the moment.
There are 5 girls and 2 boys...

Thinking a Rota might be a good idea but any suggestions on how to assign people to rooms and to do it fairly??

(Rant over)
Thanks,
Sashiee

Been in this situation loads of times. Do not make out a Rota, these ppl are not 12. Get a cleaner 1/2 a week for 2/3 hours. 10 euro a head for each person. If you don't you'll just have arguments / ill feeling within the house.

omega666

Sashiee wrote: »

Hi Ladies

I don't know if this is the right section so feel free to move it ,
but i'm currently living in a student house with 6 other people,
and to be honest it seems like the same people(me and o/h) are cleaning up dishes, changing bin liners generally putting the toilet seat back down etc etc...
Even though it's a student house i'm from the area so i live here full time and weekends when they are gone the house is left disgusting!! As my housemates are all good friends of mine it can become a bit arkward asking them to clean where cleaning is due.

We've tried the whole joking suggestions but have been literally told "good one" on many occasion and it's getting riduclous at the moment.
There are 5 girls and 2 boys...

Thinking a Rota might be a good idea but any suggestions on how to assign people to rooms and to do it fairly??

(Rant over)
Thanks,
Sashiee

After years of living in rented accommodation and getting stressed over people filth I’ve learned that people have different standards of cleanness and no amount of nagging or Rota’s will change that.
What usually happens when a rota is drawn up is people stick to it for 2 weeks and then slowly its forgotten about.

One solution is everyone chip in and get a cleaner in once a week.
You are not getting pissed off doing all the work and wouldn’t cost that much divided among 7 people.

Big Bag of Chips

If the words "good one", have actually been said to your face when you suggested tidying/cleaning before what makes you think a rota will be greeted with any other response!

Also suggesting a cleaner come in and they pay a tenner a week etc may not work either... what happens if 1 or 2 don't pay? What happens if 2 or 3 say they don't mind the mess and don't want to get a cleaner etc?

I think best you can do is put up with it and try not to let it stress you. If it is something that you can't let go, then you may have to find new housemates!

Mighty_Mouse

First off, it depends on the level of cleanliness you're aiming for.
In college be prepared to live with anything above a level of biologically dangerous.
There's no solution. Rota's don't work.
Whether you decide to stress about something you cannot fix & put you're relationship with your friends in danger is up to you.

In the end I decided that cleaning the place occasionally bothered me less than living in filth.
How long does it take to change a bin-bag twice a week & hoover once a month?

1 rule - everyone cleans their own dishes within a couple of days use, overall, put it down to experience & get on with it.

gubbie

I'd be annoyed with the dishes, especially if in limited supply. And I agree it all depends on what everyone else's definition of clean is. Perhaps start with having one rule - clean your dishes, giving the reason of not enough dishes or pots or workspace for those eating later. Asking some people to completely overhall their cleanliness is asking too much

Sashiee

i understand that i'm nopt looking for a show house i mean theres 7 + german shephard living in the 5 bedroom house. but we are all fully fledged adults!

Lived with 5 lads last year and we had one terribly messy guy so to give him a boot up the arse we put his dirty stickyplates in hisbed so that when he brought a lovely girl home that night thats what they were greeted with! needless to say, the shame of that alone made him realise that his mum isnt around to pick up his dirty socks anymore.

so anyway, sunday the housemates came back down to the college house and i had made a point of only washing up what i used over the weekend and left smoothie slurp all over the counter, egg shells and bannanna skins on the worktop as it had been left on friday. they were not impressed at all and decided to clean the place up. Without having to ask i was astounded!!

But come thursday and yesterday again the house is an absolute tip! there is popcorn all over the floors and matted into the carpets, dirty teabags piled up IN the sink and a basin of dirty dishes left again. junk mail piled up at the door because no one would be bothered to pick it up.

I really don't want to fall out with anyone over bloody cleaning but i have never lived in such filth! my friends come from families where they are given everything the ask for, no questions asked and even where one girl has never even been asked to set the table for her dinner before. let alone wash up!!

I think i just pulled a short straw, living with 21-24 year old brats that expect "someone" to clean up after them. (rant over):mad::mad::mad:

Sashiee

omega666 wrote: »

After years of living in rented accommodation and getting stressed over people filth I’ve learned that people have different standards of cleanness and no amount of nagging or Rota’s will change that.
What usually happens when a rota is drawn up is people stick to it for 2 weeks and then slowly its forgotten about.

One solution is everyone chip in and get a cleaner in once a week.
You are not getting pissed off doing all the work and wouldn’t cost that much divided among 7 people.

I actually suggested this stating that i had seen an ad in the local paper and got very quizzical looks from them.
i guess that's a no. ha!

R P McMurphy

Many a good friendship has broken up over this age old issue. Best advice is to try to just suck it up for the time being and look for a smaller place with less people. Will not end well if you confront the issue and if you stay you will probably obsess over it and end up resenting your friends

Richy06

Yeah, as has been said before, tread carefully. Everyone has different standards of cleanliness, ranging from super clean to super messy. Some are quite comfortable wallowing in their own filth whilst some would be horrified at the very thought of it.

One of my current female housemates seems to like taking the piss - literally. She has been known to do a numero uno and leave it there, sometimes replete with a bloody, yes blood soaked, piece of toilet tissue. This same housemate doesn't seem to realise that other people need to use the worktops and counters to prepare their dinner - so they often go filthy. Same with the cooker top. Burnt hobs'r'us.

Other people I've lived with have been grand altogether.

As you get older, it SHOULD get better. You're pretty much faced with two options - move out or just clean what you use.

Sashiee

I'm actually starting to feel like a clean freak now because of it but it's not me.. my space can get fairly cluttered with new things and no place to put them yet until i give in a few days later and give the space a complete overhaul so that everything looks right.

The annoying thing about it all is that their own bedrooms are spotless. imean immaculate. one girl will drag the hoover upstairs clean her room and promptly dump the hoover on the landing for everyone else to trip over until me or boyfriend put it backin it's rightful place.

Maybe it's just that me and my boyfriend are clean people.
i don't have any hand sanitiser up my sleeve or anything! haha...

Milk & Honey

Why not put some of the dirty dishes into the bedrooms at the weekend? When they ask what the dishes are doing there you reply " I didn't know if you were finished with it. I was afraid I might accidentally wash your plate".

Sashiee

good idea.
the odd bananna skin and toast crusts in amongst darling mac make up.

ibarelycare

Sashiee wrote: »

i understand that i'm nopt looking for a show house i mean theres 7 + german shephard living in the 5 bedroom house. but we are all fully fledged adults!

Lived with 5 lads last year and we had one terribly messy guy so to give him a boot up the arse we put his dirty stickyplates in hisbed so that when he brought a lovely girl home that night thats what they were greeted with! needless to say, the shame of that alone made him realise that his mum isnt around to pick up his dirty socks anymore.

so anyway, sunday the housemates came back down to the college house and i had made a point of only washing up what i used over the weekend and left smoothie slurp all over the counter, egg shells and bannanna skins on the worktop as it had been left on friday. they were not impressed at all and decided to clean the place up. Without having to ask i was astounded!!

But come thursday and yesterday again the house is an absolute tip! there is popcorn all over the floors and matted into the carpets, dirty teabags piled up IN the sink and a basin of dirty dishes left again. junk mail piled up at the door because no one would be bothered to pick it up.

I really don't want to fall out with anyone over bloody cleaning but i have never lived in such filth! my friends come from families where they are given everything the ask for, no questions asked and even where one girl has never even been asked to set the table for her dinner before. let alone wash up!!

I think i just pulled a short straw, living with 21-24 year old brats that expect "someone" to clean up after them. (rant over):mad::mad::mad:

Sashiee wrote: »

good idea.
the odd bananna skin and toast crusts in amongst darling mac make up.

Quit this passive-aggressive crap, act your age and just talk to them. Being immature about it is not going to solve anything.

Mighty_Mouse

they were not impressed at all and decided to clean the place up.

So you stopped cleaning up after them & they sorted it out.

there is popcorn all over the floors and matted into the carpets, dirty teabags piled up IN the sink and a basin of dirty dishes left again. junk mail piled up at the door because no one would be bothered to pick it up

Popcorn on the floor should be hoovered.
Dirty teabags in sink - par for the course
basin of dirty dishes - how long were they left? 1-2 days stacked neatly in the corner is student-y ok.
junk mail piled up at the door because no one would be bothered to pick it up
---- this is over-the-top

Overall, I'd say it's half the fact your mates are young & manky/half you being highly-strung.

There's enough to be happy/sad about in this life than worrying junk mail piling up.

Sashiee

thanks for your replies.

I'm not being agressive about it just looking for people to do their bit. As I said in the first post I am living there full time and the only issue I have really is when the rubbish and sticky ,hairy, mouldy plates are left for me to clean over the weekend.
It's not fair or considerate and I wouldn't do it to anyone.

The time we put dirty plates in a roomies bed was a joke but maybe I didnt get that across.
I'm not being over the top by any means,
Problem seems to have solved itself. We now have a rat infestation due to the dirtyness of the house and amount of food that was left around. Rentokill has been called and the landlord is not willing to foot the bill as he called along and saw the pure filth of the house.

So I guess I was worried over nothing.
Everyone seems to be very very clean these days.