How to Deal with Annoying, Messy Roommates

Unfortunately, I have not been blessed by the roommate Gods. Over the pas two years, I have lived with two absolute slobs. The living room is their bedroom and the kitchen is their closet. They leave their clothes sprawled all over the kitchen table, and their shoes and trash all over the place. It seems to me that some people are just so used to having their parents take care of them that they just absolutely cannot clean up after themselves and take care of themselves on their own.

Seeing as how I have some extreme experience when it comes to dealing with these situations; I thought I'd share how I deal with things. I've had people tell me "Oh, you just need to change your mindset and be willing to clean up after people." Now, that may be an acceptable way to deal with the problem for a lot of people, but not for me. I like to take more extreme measures.

My first strategy that worked was to just stop cleaning up anything of his. Yes, I suffered a little in the mess, but it was worth it. After stacks of his books, trash, dishes, and clothes piled up he actually had the nerve to come up to me and say "Dude, do you think WE should clean up?" Now, this wasn't the statement I was looking for but it was going to have to do. I told him "I'll clean up my stuff and you clean up your stuff." Fair enough right? Well, I finished the glass of water I had then got up and put it in the dishwasher and came back and sat down and watched him clean up.

Eventually, unless you're dealing with a clinically ill hoarder, your roommate will break down and have to clean. It takes a little waiting on your part but it's worth it because then the ice is broken and it's not as difficult for you to ask them to clean up!

Now this next strategy works better and faster than the first but depending on your roommate it could be slightly harder. GET HIM OR HER A SIGNIFICANT OTHER. I'm not saying that a guy would clean up to impress a girl; but his girl 90% of the time will force him to clean up because she can't stand the mess!

It's very hard to break the ice about cleaning up without starting a fight or an argument. These are two fail proof ways to ensure a cleaner and happier apartment without the confrontation.