#RoommateTips #FindCompatibleRoommate #DishwashingHabits
Are you in search of the perfect roommate to share your living space with? 🏠 One important factor to consider is how often they wash their dishes. Believe it or not, dishwashing habits can reveal a lot about a person’s overall cleaning style and compatibility as a roommate. Let’s dive into the three main types of roommates based on their dishwashing tendencies:
## (1) The Scheduler/Score-keeper
These roommates believe in maintaining a clean living space through regular cleaning habits, including washing dishes promptly after use. They may be strict about cleanliness and notice when others don’t adhere to the same standards. Here are some pros and cons of living with a Scheduler/Score-keeper:
**Pros:**
– Learn valuable cleaning habits from them
– Can contribute to a cleaner and more organized living environment
**Cons:**
– Tendency to be rigid and judgmental
– Poor communication skills and may come off as intolerant
## (2) The “As-needed”/Armageddon Type
These roommates only wash dishes when absolutely necessary, leading to potential dish shortages and reliance on disposable alternatives. They may clash with Scheduler/Score-keeper types due to differing views on cleanliness. Here are some pros and cons of living with an Armageddon Type:
**Pros:**
– Relaxed and easy-going approach to cleaning
– Helpful in other areas of household chores
**Cons:**
– Tolerance for disorder and unpredictability
– Sensitive to judgment and resistant to change
## (3) The Easy-going Flexer
Flexers have a flexible approach to cleaning, neither adhering to a strict schedule nor waiting for a mess to escalate. They value flexibility and peacekeeping in a household but may struggle with rigid roommates. Here are some pros and cons of living with a Flexer:
**Pros:**
– Easy-going and tolerant nature
– Willing to compromise and maintain harmony in the household
**Cons:**
– Sensitive to micromanagement
– Expect reciprocated flexibility in interactions
When looking for a compatible roommate, consider their dishwashing habits as a window into their cleaning style and potential for harmonious cohabitation. Finding a roommate who aligns with your cleaning preferences can lead to a more enjoyable living experience. Happy roommate hunting! 🍽️🏡
I think you’ve created a very good breakdown of the general types, but I just want to add, that I feel that Armageddon cleaners are in fact, wrong.
Leaving dirty stuff out overnight attracts roaches.
Not cleaning up regularly is also how you end up needing to do obnoxious deep cleans. With regular maintenance cleaning you never find yourself scouring or having to work through tough stains and hardened food stuff or scum.
Cleanliness and the temp of the thermostat are important things to agree on.
This was an issue I ran into with my ex, me being more of an “as-needed/armageddon cleaner” (which has changed in the last year to usually a daily/after dinner cleaner) and him being a score-keeper. The relationship only lasted a few months for other reasons, but one night he told me to leave because I wasn’t helping him with the dishes after we had gone out for dinner. He was going to be gone all weekend and I was thinking I’d take care of them before he got back, but he wanted them done before he left. The problem being, he never mentioned it at all, dishes were never a conversation we had. Could I have helped him with the dishes without being asked? Sure. But if we had previously had a conversation about him having expectations of help I would’ve just done it, or if he took 2 seconds to say “hey, can you help out with the dishes” and even set that expectation then, everything would’ve been fine. This was also only an issue because his dishwasher had stopped working recently. Such a simple thing caused an issue between us that the smallest bit of communication would’ve prevented.
Think I’m (3) I love doing dishes. All the dishes – mine and beyond. When I do them I know they’re clean and flatware/plates/cups etc have been put away with clean hands. I also clean the fridge handle and front door handles regularly.
I am all of these people at different times
I would always wash the dishes before the maggots showed up, whereas my roommate and his previous roommate didn’t. I would just spark up a bong load and washing the dishes was much more pleasant.
That’s a big one, and social/noise compatibility is a another huge one
Damm I knew I should’ve asked my husband this before we got married!
Anyone below 1 is just barbaric
Just have one dish for each person. And make them completely different in make/style.
I find that asking potential housemates open-ended questions is incredibly helpful. For example:
“What is your dish cleaning / noise / romantic partner policy?” “How do you keep common spaces?” Etc.
I usually deliver these questions as neutrally as possible because I genuinely want to know, and I also want them to be honest.
I’m often surprised by how revealing the answers are. Some folk will give wonderfully honest answers (thank you!), others may sugar coat things and their awkward body language can hint at this, and I even had one person go off the deep end and exclaim “No one tells me what to do!”
I’ve had housemates for decades and only a few bad apples in that time. I credit this technique with a lot of that success
I was a 3 most of the time, but admittedly have become a 2 with the depression that coincidentally started right around March 2020 (can’t figure out why!). Except when cooking because tiny kitchen = no room to cook if you don’t clean as you go.
I will never be a 1. Had a roommate once who would flip their shit anytime I dared to eat my food while it was hot before doing the last few dishes instead of making and plating my dinner then letting it get cold while I packed up all the food and washed washed EVERY single dish before daring to step away. My rebellion was to just start leaving everything overnight, not even soaking and do them the next day until he either learned to relax or just did the dishes himself if it’s that damn important.
So basically find out if they’re neurotypical then
When I had a roommate, we’d clean once a month and just alternate. We’d clean after ourselves in the kitchen or if we made a mess, but it worked out fine. Neither of us were slobs, though.
I just do my dishes after a few hours. I need to power up. I understand that if I’m cooking for myself, I need to clean up after myself.
I had a roomie that would drunk cook at about midnight,.every night and then crash.
I couldn’t even get a glass of water out of the sink. It wouldn’t fit beneath the spigot because there were so many dishes.
I drew the line when I found a drowned mouse in our dish filled sink.
We put all of the dirty dishes in his room.
He cried, but he did his dishes after that.
Only child sort of entitlement. He was an only child
…and how often they wash their sheets, pillowcase and blankets.
I agree there. Dishes is probably one of the biggest problems amongst roomates
There are only 3 roads considering cleanliness and tidiness.
1. **Living in a clean and tidy home.** This person avoids making messes / clutter. When they make a mess they clean it right away. They don’t let clutter build either; they put things away when done with them. They do a little bit of deep cleaning every day, whether it’s just the toilet, or vacuuming, or whatever. Litter boxes emptied daily.
2. **Living in a situation where dirt and clutter slowly build over time**, and then knocking them back to zero. They mostly clean as they go. But if the dishes aren’t done, or the litter boxes aren’t emptied, they don’t sweat it. If they spill something, they may clean it, or might be like “I’ll get that later”. Same for clutter: when they’re done with something, they might put it away or might just let it fall where it may. Periodically, the mess gets to be too much and they clean and tidy the whole place. Or at least they clean and tidy until the place is acceptable to them or they get bored.
3. **Living in worse filth than any other animal on earth.** Cleaning is put off indefinitely. Their stuff doesn’t even have “a place” – it just drifts around the house, maybe building piles here and there, maybe becoming a full-on hoard. Sinks, floors, toilet, tub: all biohazards. Possible infestation by a variety of disgusting parasites. These people either have zero or the maximum amount of shame.