On Cleanliness

I am notorious for having a dirty room. Though some would never admit that, I have no shame over that fact. If I'm the only one living in my room, what does it matter if it's dirty? I'll clean it if I know someone may be coming over, but otherwise, I feel my room only needs to be as clean as I see fit to live in. As much as I don't mind having a dirty room, I would never want other people to be affected by my uncleanliness. Unfortunately, other people don't feel that way.

Living in an apartment with four girls in the city has taught me many things. The most surprising thing of all is how much uncleanliness in any space other than my room bugs me. I can't decide if my roommates have just never done chores before or if they think I'm their maid. Maybe one day, I'll write a book on roommate etiquette that will make Emily Post smile down on me from heaven. Here are a few tips I would write about in my book.

On Cleanliness

1. When cooking, make sure to clean up after yourself. That would be oh so nice of you to share some of flour with me. Of course, I'd much rather you give me some in a Ziploc bag instead of it being all over the stove top. Letting it sit there for over a week without cleaning does nothing to get you in my good graces, especially if you don't offer me some of whatever you were making.
2. Eat your food before it rots. Many people these days are on a budget, so it shocks me that some would actually let their food go to waste. Even more shocking is when they won't throw away said moldy food. Moldy black bananas on top of the fridge do not make good kitchen decorations. For God's sake people, there are starving children in Africa!
3. Take out the trash when it's overflowing. I don't understand how someone can honestly place there trash on top of an overflowing waste basket, watch it topple onto the ground and proceed to walk away without doing anything. These people make me vomit in my mouth.
4. Don't leave your books/paper/clothes lying around. If those things are lying around your room, that's fine. If I'm tripping over your sneakers in the living room or eating breakfast on the couch because all of your crap has overtaken the kitchen table, that's just plain rude.
5. Ask before emitting strong smells. No, I'm not talking about farts. I'm talking about smoking anything or burning incense. I can't stand the scent of incense or cigarettes, and I know I'm not the only one. Coming back to an apartment where I can barely breathe is not fun. So please be considerate.

Based on everything that happens in this apartment, I will have no trouble writing a book about roommate etiquette. Anybody else got any rules they feel should be included? I'd love to hear them, and they don't only have to pertain to cleanliness. With the new semester right around the corner, I hope everyone has far fewer roommate issues to deal with.

Peace,
Kim