In order to keep your university dorm room a functional, clean and healthy environment (and maintain the illusion that it is bigger than it appears), you and your dormmate will have to divide up the various chores that come with the territory.
Since you are both focusing on school work and will not want or be able to be burdened too much, you will want to divide these responsibilities in a fair manner.
Not only will it foster a healthier friendship with your roommate, but it will help you both pass those mandatory dorm inspections.
Decide on communal chores  First things first, as a pair, decide which chores need to be tackled on a regular basis to keep your dorm room in a liveable condition and plan how often these chores should be taken care of -- daily? Weekly? Bi-weekly? Monthly?
Some common responsibilities include:
- Emptying out the garbage and recycling
- Disinfecting surfaces and appliances
- Dusting
- Sweeping, mopping and vacuuming
- Cleaning the bathroom (if you are lucky enough to have one in your room)
Make a schedule Once you have decided what chores to divide between both of you, it's time to make an agreed upon chore schedule or chart. This can be static or rotating depending upon what you and your dormmate agree upon.
Regardless of the system you choose, you should each be given an even number of responsibilities in terms of time spent completing them rather than considering all chores to be equal.
The rotating schedule
This schedule will have you doing different chores on a rotating basis, which is a good way to take the tedious nature out of chores. Unfortunately, it also can become confusing when it's time to figure out who is responsible for what. For example, one week you will tackle garbage, dusting and disinfecting while your roommate does the other chores and the following week you will swap responsibilities. The same goes for bi-weekly and monthly chores.
The static schedule
If you are both fine with sticking to static chores throughout the semester (to limit the constant chore chart upkeep that's required of the above method), that is fine, too, as long as both of you agree on the schedule you put in place. As with the aforementioned method, chores should be divided evenly and fairly.
Display assignments in a prominent place To ensure that both you and your dormmate do not forget about the schedule which you have put into action, hang your chore chart somewhere you will both see it on a daily basis, such as on a shared bulletin board, on the back of your dorm door or the front of the refrigerator.
Do a test run Complete a chore chart test run your first week in your dorm. If things don't work out, adjust the schedule accordingly.TIP: Since work for your university courses is a priority, be flexible in terms of when chores get done. Have a test or paper due one week and your roommate does not? See if they would be willing to swap responsibilities and vice versa. Keep your own area clean To further keep your living situation with your university roommate tension free, make an agreement that in addition to your divided chores, you will both keep your respective sides of the dorm clean. On a regular basis, focus on:
- Putting away and cleaning laundry
- Making your bed
- Throwing away garbage
- Cleaning up used dishes and utensils
- Keeping your work spaces clear of mess and organized
As they say, a clean home is a happy home, and the same can surely be argued about a university dorm room. |