Mr. Advice Guy #16 - Sept. 10, 2008

Dear Mr. Advice Guy,
My new roommate is a total slob who doesn’t pick up after herself. She leaves clothes, food and books all over our apartment. I need to have a clean house or I can’t concentrate. I’m worried it’s going to get worse as the semester goes on. How do I get her to clean up her act?
Living in a garbage dump

Dear Living,
I feel your pain.
I too have lived with my share of roommates who have refused to clean up after themselves.
Honestly, the best advice I can give you is to loosen up.
I know it can be a pain to come home to a messy house all the time. And I know it’s frustrating to feel like you’re the only one cleaning up around the apartment. But you’ve got to understand that some people just aren’t worried about that kind of thing.
If you let your roommate’s messiness get to you too much, you’re going to drive yourself crazy.
So sit back and relax. Let your backpack fall haphazardly to the floor when you get home from class. Throw caution to the wind and leave your clothes on the bedroom floor at the end of the day.
Believe me. You’ll feel a lot better if you stop focusing on the uncleanliness of your house and begin focusing instead on more important things.
Of course, you could just throw all your roommate’s belongings on the front lawn while she’s at class tomorrow. That way you can get rid of her and her piles of unwashed clothes and dirty dishes. Then you can live in pristine bliss.
What I’m trying to say is, you have options.