Cleaning routines

The Red m

I'm in a houseshare with 3 more people and there's half not doing shared duties. They're definitely taking advantage in that they think there's a free cleaner in the house. I've tried ignoring the mess and just clean up after myself but getting up this morning to find the dishwasher was opened after a cleaning cycle and it wasn't emptied. We put it on every second day so with four people in the house it should be once every 8 days for each person. It wasn't going to be emptied so mammy here had to do it again for the second time this week. I'm fed up with how little some people are doing here and I guess I have to point every little duty out because things aren't being done.

So besides having a weekly list of rooms for each of us to clean like kitchen, bathroom, living room, hall and stairs, what else can I do regarding shared duties that are done more frequently like emptying dishwasher, taking out the bins, wheeling out bins for collection.

I'm by far a clean freak but it's getting beyond a joke having people who has no clue and thinks there's a free house cleaner with the house. So how is the cleaning done in your houseshare.

Surreptitious

How many threads are you going to start on this?

jamesbere

Shoot them and go to bed

Ninthlife

Burn the house down.. fire cleans everything

The Red m

Surreptitious wrote: »

How many threads are you going to start on this?

Just looking for ideas on how best to draw up a schedule.

jamesbere

Ninthlife wrote: »

Burn the house down.. fire cleans everything

Could shoot them and then burn the house

tomwaterford

Surreptitious wrote: »

How many threads are you going to start on this?

This is her first?



All you can do op is just look after your own stuff....just keep a plate and cutlery for yourself and clean by hand to stay well away from the dishwasher etc

freshpopcorn

You were given loads of advice in your other thread!
If I'm being honest I find when house shares end up like this. Your better off moving out.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Oh gee, the dishwasher wasn't emptied. First world problem???

Fighting Tao

The Red m wrote: »

Just looking for ideas on how best to draw up a schedule.

Maybe try a pencil and paper. You might need a ruler too.

Surreptitious

tomwaterford wrote: »

This is her first?



All you can do op is just look after your own stuff....just keep a plate and cutlery for yourself and clean by hand to stay well away from the dishwasher etc

It isn't the first thread which is why I said it.

Ninthlife

jamesbere wrote: »

Could shoot them and then burn the house

Shoot them with burning bullets just to cover all angles

Fart

There's one of these every five years or so. Naaaice!

The Red m

freshpopcorn wrote: »

You were given loads of advice in your other thread!
If I'm being honest I find when house shares end up like this. Your better off moving out.

Oh you mean my thread in PI with one or two replies saying that a rota is needed. Yep that's alot of help. I know that.

I'm just looking for ideas on what to include on it and best way to lay it out.

jamesbere

Ninthlife wrote: »

Shoot them with burning bullets just to cover all angles

A flamethrower

Ninthlife

jamesbere wrote: »

A flamethrower

Dont forgeta bit of napalm just to be sure.

jamesbere

Ninthlife wrote: »

Dont forgeta bit of napalm just to be sure.

I love the smell of napalm in the morning


Smells like..................... Victory

The Red m

tomwaterford wrote: »

This is her first?



All you can do op is just look after your own stuff....just keep a plate and cutlery for yourself and clean by hand to stay well away from the dishwasher etc

If lazy housemates can stay away from it, so can I. It's a pity I have to do this. A cleaning rota makes sense but I don't think people will stick to it anyway. You're right. Look after myself.

28064212

The Red m wrote: »

they think there's a free cleaner in the house.

The Red m wrote: »

...had to do it again for the second time this week

There is a free cleaner in the house

hairyslug

It's the drinking scene in Jaws

buried

jamesbere wrote: »

I love the smell of napalm in the morning


Smells like..................... Victory

CHARLIE DON'T CLEAN

Paddy Cow

The Red m wrote: »

Oh you mean my thread in PI with one or two replies saying that a rota is needed. Yep that's alot of help. I know that.

I'm just looking for ideas on what to include on it and best way to lay it out.

I didn't see your other thread but a rota is a terrible idea. Adults have enough of being told what to do at work and don't want to come home to another schedule. Thankfully I live on my own now but when I was living with two others, it was all give and take. Sometimes for a quiet life you just do stuff. For example, me and another guy noticed that it was always us that took out the bins. We could've made a big deal out of it and say it to the other guy but he was alright otherwise, so we decided to let it slide.

Unlike you, we didn't have a dishwasher and the one thing that really got on my nerves was piles of dirty dishes left for ages. I couldn't let that one slide and when all of us were in the room I made a point of saying that we should clean and wash up after ourselves, as it's not fair to come into the kitchen to find a mess. It was only directed at one housemate but because I said it to both of them, he didn't take offence (the other guy knew what I was doing and was only delighted he didn't have to say it) and he cleaned up after himself.

Things like sweeping/moping, cleaning the fridge/microwave etc don't need a rota. I did them when I felt like it. If one of my housemates put up a rota saying I had to sweep the floor on X day or clean the fridge on Y day, I'd tell them to go fornicate themselves.

The important thing in a house share is that everyone cleans up their immediate mess. Don't leave dirty dishes or crumbs all over the counter. Don't leave your clothes in the washing machines 2 days after the cycle is finished. If your flatmates are doing any of that, then say it to them in a nice way. Don't nag or be their Mammy. They'll resent you and probably go out of their way to wind you up more :pac:

LionelNashe

Hire a cleaner for a couple of hours a week to do the big jobs, and split the cost 4 ways.

tomwaterford

The Red m wrote: »

If lazy housemates can stay away from it, so can I. It's a pity I have to do this. A cleaning rota makes sense but I don't think people will stick to it anyway. You're right. Look after myself.

This is what we do in the house I'm in...and we keep the floors we are onto ourselves (also have an ensuite room )


But a rota is not going to work as people just won't do it/have massively varying standreds in what they call clean

Ninthlife

I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure

somefeen

In my experience. The common areas of any house share eventually reflect the average level of cleanliness of all the housemates combined. No rota or anything will change that.

You just need to accept that you are the cleanest one. If others don't want to clean then it is probably because they don't mind the mess and you need to accept it. Just because you want to be cleaner than the others doesn't mean you are right either.
If the house is messy then the others don't care, if it bothers you then you need to clean it.
Ultimately you are asking people to do something that they place no importance on just because you feel it has.

Basically if the kitchen floor is filthy and no one else cares then its selfish to expect them to clean it just to satisfy you.

buried

Don't cross the hoover streams. That would be bad.

The Red m

Paddy Cow wrote: »

I didn't see your other thread but a rota is a terrible idea. Adults have enough of being told what to do at work and don't want to come home to another schedule. Thankfully I live on my own now but when I was living with two others, it was all give and take. Sometimes for a quiet life you just do stuff. For example, me and another guy noticed that it was always us that took out the bins. We could've made a big deal out of it and say it to the other guy but he was alright otherwise, so we decided to let it slide.

Unlike you, we didn't have a dishwasher and the one thing that really got on my nerves was piles of dirty dishes left for ages. I couldn't let that one slide and when all of us were in the room I made a point of saying that we should clean and wash up after ourselves, as it's not fair to come into the kitchen to find a mess. It was only directed at one housemate but because I said it to both of them, he didn't take offence (the other guy knew what I was doing and was only delighted he didn't have to say it) and he cleaned up after himself.

Things like sweeping/moping, cleaning the fridge/microwave etc don't need a rota. I did them when I felt like it. If one of my housemates put up a rota saying I had to sweep the floor on X day or clean the fridge on Y day, I'd tell them to go fornicate themselves.

The important thing in a house share is that everyone cleans up their immediate mess. Don't leave dirty dishes or crumbs all over the counter. Don't leave your clothes in the washing machines 2 days after the cycle is finished. If your flatmates are doing any of that, then say it to them in a nice way. Don't nag or be their Mammy. They'll resent you and probably go out of their way to wind you up more :pac:

Funnily enough this is how I feel about cleaning rotas as well. Especially since there never was any in the house in the first place. We all done our thing. But people moved out and others moved in. Besides cleaning up after themselves, they won't do shared duties and happy to let others do it. I'm happy to let things slide but when it's everything, it's a piss take, it's like as if they expect somebody else to do it. I like the advice of looking after my myself. I'll get my own plates and cutlery and they can clean up after themselves if they want.

_Kaiser_

Only real solution OP is get your own place.. living in a houseshare will always cause annoyances like this.

lazybones32

Saturday night and cleaning routines are your priority?


A spotless house is a sign of a wasted life, OP.

andekwarhola

Definitely up there with vital Saturday night considerations.

snowflaker

lazybones32 wrote: »

Saturday night and cleaning routines are your priority?


A spotless house is a sign of a wasted life, OP.

So is a messy one, mea culpa!

qo2cj1dsne8y4k

I wouldn't bother TBH
I lived in a house share in college where I was made look like I waacthe paranoid clean freak with OCD, it was a running joke in the house. They just took advantage. I stayed down many weekends to scrub the house when they weren't there, only for them to come back Sunday evening and have it in a heap Sunday night.

I then moved into a house share and lived with a rake of lads who were absolutely disgusting. No matter how much you cleaned it'd always look like you didn't bother, it was so disgusting a fling at the time wouldn't even risk getting into the shower the place was so manky.

You can't change other people's behaviour or force them to do something they won't do.

riffmongous

buried wrote: »

Don't cross the hoover streams. That would be bad.

I'm fuzzy on the whole good/bad thing. What do you mean, "bad"?

riffmongous

LexieOnRale wrote: »

I wouldn't bother TBH
I lived in a house share in college where I was made look like I waacthe paranoid clean freak with OCD, it was a running joke in the house. They just took advantage. I stayed down many weekends to scrub the house when they weren't there, only for them to come back Sunday evening and have it in a heap Sunday night.

I then moved into a house share and lived with a rake of lads who were absolutely disgusting. No matter how much you cleaned it'd always look like you didn't bother, it was so disgusting a fling at the time wouldn't even risk getting into the shower the place was so manky.

You can't change other people's behaviour or force them to do something they won't do.

I do wonder what happens to these people once they get older and get married and have their own houses? Are they still living in their own filth?

freshpopcorn

riffmongous wrote: »

I do wonder what happens to these people once they get older and get married and have their own houses? Are they still living in their own filth?

Lots of people aren't bothered about clutter and mess at home in my experience. If they expect visitors they might do a tidy up and they put out the bins on bin day but apart from that they wouldn't be overly worried.

greencap

Demarcate and disassociate.

super_furry

Get a cleaner. Pay the cleaner. Go about your day.

Smurfette principle

I assume you all have computers so use Trello, it is normally used by companies as a tool for coordinating Agile practices but it's free so could be used to co ordinate a cleaning rota between 4 lazy ****ers too lol, basically sign up and create a board and give them all access to it and create a list for each of your flatmates with a card for each chore they are responsible for and add a separate list where they can drag and drop the chore when they completed it and then you will all be able to see who is (or isn't) doing what. I suggest making an account for yourself first and playing around until you know what is what and then list who is to do what and drop it on them like a bombshell, it is not that hard to get your head around and is a good tool to use for situations like this because if the others try to be smart and delete a task there is a record of all actions if you press the "Show menu" link on the upper right of the page. Have fun

peckerhead

I foresee hours of heartwarming banter around that alright.

freshpopcorn

Smurfette principle wrote: »

I assume you all have computers so use Trello, it is normally used by companies as a tool for coordinating Agile practices but it's free so could be used to co ordinate a cleaning rota between 4 lazy ****ers too lol, basically sign up and create a board and give them all access to it and create a list for each of your flatmates with a card for each chore they are responsible for and add a separate list where they can drag and drop the chore when they completed it and then you will all be able to see who is (or isn't) doing what. I suggest making an account for yourself first and playing around until you know what is what and then list who is to do what and drop it on them like a bombshell, it is not that hard to get your head around and is a good tool to use for situations like this because if the others try to be smart and delete a task there is a record of all actions if you press the "Show menu" link on the upper right of the page. Have fun

If you can't be bothered to tidy up a little after yourself. That sounds like a lot of work.

Smurfette principle

freshpopcorn wrote: »

If you can't be bothered to tidy up a little after yourself. That sounds like a lot of work.

He/She said "Just looking for ideas on how best to draw up a schedule. " so all I did was offered up an option of how a schedule might be drawn up, whether they will stick to it or not is a totally different issue so if I was to give advice on that it would most likely be to repeatedly stand on their head until they get the idea in that picking up a sweeping brush and a dust pan is not beneath them and it doesn't take a Phd to learn how to use them either

theniamh

Smurfette principle wrote: »

I assume you all have computers so use Trello, it is normally used by companies as a tool for coordinating Agile practices but it's free so could be used to co ordinate a cleaning rota between 4 lazy ****ers too lol, basically sign up and create a board and give them all access to it and create a list for each of your flatmates with a card for each chore they are responsible for and add a separate list where they can drag and drop the chore when they completed it and then you will all be able to see who is (or isn't) doing what. I suggest making an account for yourself first and playing around until you know what is what and then list who is to do what and drop it on them like a bombshell, it is not that hard to get your head around and is a good tool to use for situations like this because if the others try to be smart and delete a task there is a record of all actions if you press the "Show menu" link on the upper right of the page. Have fun

Oh I love Trello!!

theniamh

I second the cleaner! I live in a house share where I have to make sure the guy who cooks with oil and butter and covers the place in grease uses hot water and washing up liquid to wash his uses dishes. He puts them back in the press covered in grease. It's disgusting! He leaves dishes in the sink and when you say anything to him he gets angry!

Cody montana

Hair, face, chest, under arms, arse and then crotch.

Smurfette principle

I don't know how you all do it, I live with 3 cats and no mess my cats sound cleaner than any of your flatmates. I honestly couldn't live in a situation like that where some other dirty person in the house would be making a constant mess and I'd feel obliged to clean it just so I can come home to a clean house. That's madness, you can't live like that forever so the choice is to bite the bullet and kick them out and get someone clean in or just get your own place. Chances are at the start it will be akin to a shoebox and you will be able to reach your cooker from your bed but everyone starts like that, what's important isn't the size it is knowing that for the first time ever you don't have to deal with other peoples crap anymore so after that you can look for something better but right now even a shoebox is better than cleaning up some lazy flat mates mess because they won't do it themselves

Jesus Wept

Smurfette principle wrote: »

I assume you all have computers so use Trello, it is normally used by companies as a tool for coordinating Agile practices but it's free so could be used to co ordinate a cleaning rota between 4 lazy ****ers too lol, basically sign up and create a board and give them all access to it and create a list for each of your flatmates with a card for each chore they are responsible for and add a separate list where they can drag and drop the chore when they completed it and then you will all be able to see who is (or isn't) doing what. I suggest making an account for yourself first and playing around until you know what is what and then list who is to do what and drop it on them like a bombshell, it is not that hard to get your head around and is a good tool to use for situations like this because if the others try to be smart and delete a task there is a record of all actions if you press the "Show menu" link on the upper right of the page. Have fun

Are you an only child?

Smurfette principle

Jesus Wept wrote: »

Are you an only child?

I don't know, I don't have any genetic family that I know of, not sure why that is relevant though