The idea of living with “strangers” or simply with various people might not sit well with some. The shared common areas, as the living room, dinning room or kitchen can be tricky, but … what about sharing more intimate spaces as the bathroom? Yeah, this private space can even create for a “delicate” situation where balance is needed.
I am from a “big” family, and “sharing” isn’t a big deal to me. But, this was the first time I had to live in a relatively small area, with people I did not meet before. By renting a room with a shared bathroom, and signing a long-term lease, I was kind of “flipping a coin” so to speak, which was a big deal to me. Considering the importance I give to cleanliness and organization, I am used to full control of my space and giving up full control proved to be interesting.
But, let me tell you that my personal experience in a shared house has been a wonderful experience. We are 6 young professionals, and we decided to set basic rules in order to maintain peace and harmony at our shared home. It is true that among us, there are some rebels who go rogue on always abiding by the rules but at the end of the day, they finally abide by them to have the best situation for everyone.
Throughout this blog, I’d like to share our best practices with proven results:
***In the common area; kitchen, porch, living, dining room and garden***
- Weekly schedules created to clean these areas listed and trash disposal on “Trash days”.
- One resident per month must provide any necessary product and materials to keep the shared areas clean, such trash bags, paper towels, soap, detergent and sponges.
- Leaving dirty dishes, glasses etc. in the sink is strictly forbidden at any time. There is no dishwasher so after use washing was certainly a necessity.
***In the shared bathroom***
- Roommates Rotated weekly general cleaning
- Take hair out of the sink after use (this proved to be important considering all users were females with long hair)
Any breach of the rules should be communicated to the landlady. And to be honest, I really like this practice because it avoids any potential conflict between roommates. All these rules are basic, but I wanted to share them with you, just in case you have not implemented them, because they really work!
Trust me, with any issue regarding cleanliness and organization at home, the relationships among us are very good. When we get home after work we spend some time just chilling and having light conversation in the living room. Any disagreements may eventually be solved during our “friendly and casual” meetings.
Enjoy the rules 🙂