Meeting new roommates is exciting. It’s also the perfect opportunity to discuss expectations that will set up your ongoing relationship for success. You might want to make a chore chart for college roommates or lookfor a way to divide tasks when you move into yourfirst apartment. Even if you’re moving in with someone you’ve known for years, having a cleaning chart for roommates can help preserve your positive relationship by setting expectations before a conflict arises.Make a roommate chore chartto help you maintainyour peaceful home environment.
What is a chore chart for roommates?
A chore chart for roommates includes various cleaning tasks and other shared tasks and the expected schedule for completing these chores. Whether you have roommates in college, found people to live with online, or moved in with your best friend, it’s always a good idea to ensure everyone is on the same page when it comes to chores for roommates. Discussing expectations as a group will make sure you and your roomies know who is responsible for which shared chores at any given time.
What responsibilities should you include in an apartment chore chart?
A roommate chore chart should include shared chores for everyone to complete daily, monthly, and weekly. By setting a chore list for roommates, all roommates will know when it’s their turn to complete a particular task. This schedule can helpgive your roommate relationship a better chance for success and avoid potential arguments.
Some chores you might include on a daily chore list include:
- Cooking dinner
- Doing dishes
- Cleaning up after meals
- Wiping sinks and countertops
- Taking out the garbage
- Clearing clutter in common areas
- Sweeping the floors
- Doing a quick wipe-down of the bathroom
Some chores you might include on a weeklyroommate chorelist include:
- Cleaning out the refrigerator
- Dusting
- Mopping
- Vacuuming
- Grocery shopping (if you’re sharing cooking and shopping responsibilities)
Some chores you might include on a monthly chore list include:
- Scrubbing the toilets and shower
- Mopping the floors
- Wiping down refrigerator drawers and shelves
- Wiping down windows
- Stocking up on shared household supplies (like cleaning supplies, dishwasher detergent, and paper towels)
You also may want to have some set chores that each person handles. For instance, chore charts for roommates can specify that roommatesmake their beds, keep their bedrooms tidy, and do their laundry and dishes. You can also agree that everyone needs to pick up clutter in common areas before bed to ensure your place stays tidy.
How should you split up responsibilities in a roommate chore chart?
There isn’t necessarily a right or wrong answer to this question — it’ll depend on what works best for you and your roommates. However, you should keep a few points in mind when creating your chore chart:
1. Make sure everyone has a fair share of chores
No one wants to feel like he or she is doing all the housework. When creating your chore chart for roommates, distribute the tasks evenly so that all roommatesfeel like they’recontributing equally. Some items to consider include:
- How many people are in your household?
- What is everyone’s schedule like?
- Does anyone have any special needs or circ*mstances?
2. Figure out what clean means to everyone
Defining “clean” and how often peopleexpect theirfellow roommates to pitch in to make things clean will go a long way. If one roommate thinks a quick daily dusting does the trick and the other thinks you need to see one’sreflection on the countertops, you might be setting yourselves up for conflict. By letting everyone discuss and set standards at the start, you’ll help avoidpotential futureblowups.
Are there specific areas of the house that are more important to you than others? Or are there specific tasks you feel are a priority over others? Talk to your roommates and figure out what everyone’s preferences are for cleaning. Some points to consider when you’re making a college chore chart for dorm roommates include:
- What are everyone’s cleaning priorities?
- Does anyone have any allergies or sensitivities?
- Are there any areas of the house that are off-limits to certain people?
- What is everyone’s schedule like?
3. Be flexible
Life happens, and sometimes people’s schedules change unexpectedly. When this happens, it’s essential to be flexible and adjust your chore chart accordingly. Otherwise, you may find that someone cannot doassigned tasks or that some chores are falling by the wayside.
4. Communicate, communicate, communicate
The key to any successful roommate situation is communication. If there’s something you’re not happy with, talk to your roommate about it. If there’s a task you need to do more frequently, let your roommates know. The more you communicate, the easier it’ll be to figure out what works best for everyone.
Remember that sometimes an unspoken gender divide exists with chores, and people may have grown up with different expectations at home. It’s easy to slip into these roles by accident, so you’ll want to have an open and direct conversation about expectations at the start. Everyone should feel comfortable athome; upfront discussions can help to create an equal and happy home environment.
Also, arrange a time to sit down with your roommates and discuss the chore chart. Once you’ve come up with a plan that everyone is happy with, be sure to put it in writing so that there is no confusion about who is responsible for what. If you need some help with how to make a chore chart for roommates, below is a sample chore chart you can download:
How should you manage a roommate chore chart?
A few methods for managing chores for roommates exist. Some ways you might try include:
1. Set up a weekly rotation
You can change which roommate deals with a given chore every week, like the sample above. For instance, one roommate might be on trash duty everythird week of the month, or you can switch chores each month and give trash duty the first week.
2. Assign chores for people’s strengths
You can let roommates claim the chores they feel most comfortable doing. If you do it this way, you’ll want to check in with each other after a few weeks or months to make sure no one feels burned out and rotate assignments as needed.
3. Randomly delegate chores
Write the different chores on paper, then pull the chores out of a jar until you’ve assigned all the chores. You can do this delegatingeither every week or when it’s time to start another type of ongoing rotation.
No matter how you assign chores, create a written record. Add your chore chart to your roommate agreement and display a copy in a common area so everyone can easily refer back to your agreed-upon rules.
Final thoughts
Whether you’ve known someone for years or met your roommates for the first time on move-in day, navigating shared responsibilities is essential for your relationship.Creating a chore chart for roommates offers a great way to discuss your needs and wants so everyone in your home can come to a shared agreement.
