10 Things to Note When You're Sharing an Apartment

This is absolutely random, but not without reason. I have been staying with family all my life, and I only just realized that sharing an apartment with non-family members requires some erm, etiquette, I call them? When it comes to sharing a home. 

This entry is not meant to bitch about anyone in particular. Just a kind of sharing. If I have offended anyone in the process, it was totally unintentional. I have lived in a hostel with some amazing friends, and I thought this entry might be useful to dorm-dwellers as well.

1. Be polite. Greet your housemates when you see them. A "Hey!" or a "Good morning!" doesn't take much, and won't make you seem like a total loner oddball. Unless you just wish to be alienated and do not want friends and live like a hermit, talk to people. I don't mean you have to go to extensive chats with them, a casual greeting will suffice, and allows you to speak up if you do have favors you need to ask of them.

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2. A continuation of 1. Always knock before barging into their room. You wouldn't want people walking in on you when you're naked, just in your underwear, playing with yourself, or when you're watching porn. And you certainly wouldn't appreciate anyone walking in on you when you are doing the deed with your significant other. 

Heck, even if it's none of those, I certainly wouldn't fancy anyone walking into my room when I'm just doing my own thing.

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3. If you want to cook, make sure that you wash the dishes. Or try not to make the kitchen look like a hurricane swept through it. There were mornings when I walk into the kitchen and HOLY SHIT!!!! Garlic skin is on the floor, random bits of gravy on the kitchen countertop, the sink is overflowing with crockery, and the dishes/cups washed from the day before are dirty because some kind of fluids/bit of food splattered on them.

-.-"

Seriously, even if you have a maid that comes in every 2-3 days, it doesn't mean you should leave things lying around like that. I'm just a friend of a sublet, so I'm not really in a place to say anything. But basic consideration for others shouldn't need to be reminded. Right? At least wipe the kitchen countertop clean so that the next person who wants to cook CAN actually use the kitchen?

Also, I don't understand how one person can use 7 glasses to drink water. After you finish drinking something, just rinse the glass. It's not that hard right? I totally understand if you hate washing up after cooking because washing oil and gravy off is a pain but drinks? A quick rinse with a sponge soaked in liquid detergent should do the trick. The maid who comes in can get more done. I feel.

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4. Toilet bowls. I wrote in this entry about finding frizzy hair on toilet seats, and that, I understand, sometimes cannot be helped. (Actually I take that back. A quick check usually does the job.) But pee stains on the toilet seat? ARGH~~~~ Just do a quick wipe after you're done if you notice a drip. No one likes to take toilet paper and actually wipe another person's pee off before sitting down. Think about that for a moment. 

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5. If you really have to live with mess, keep it confined to your own space. By that I mean your own bedroom if you have a room to yourself, or your wardrobe & desk if you're sharing a room. There is nothing more disturbing than getting your foot caught in, and tripping on someone else's underwear, especially when you have no idea whose it is, or whether it's dirty or not. Have a laundry basket for your clothes instead of just leaving them in a huge pile in a corner of the room. Really, just pick up your laundry, throw away your trash, and just try to keep things tidy. It's not just for your roommate, but for your own well-being as well. Waking up with cockroaches or finding a piece of moldy bread under worn underwear that has been stuffed under the bed? You get the idea...


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6. Do not touch toiletries that are not yours. If you have to, ask. No one would appreciate finding out that you have been using their $500-eye-cream without their knowledge.


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7. Same goes for anything in the fridge. Get your own groceries! I would be pissed if anyone drank my expensive Frappucino. Or ate that bento I was saving for breakfast the next day. If you think you can't finish something that you want to buy, ask if your roommates want to share. I wouldn't be able to finish a 36-egg carton by myself, but it's really cheaper to get those. 


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8. If you have non-smokers living with smokers, I would not recommend smoking inside the house. Non-smokers might not mind you smoking inside, but as a general rule of thumb, do it at the balcony (and close the balcony doors when you're at it), or don't smoke in the house at all. I am a non-smoker, and I really don't mind it if friends smoke in front of me when we're outside. But home? Nuh-uh. I want it smelling fresh and not of stale cigarette smoke leftover air.


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9. Communicate. Be it whether or not you should wear shoes into your house (for me that is a strict no. Shoes are meant to be taken off outside or at the door), who's inviting friends over for a house party, or whether you should lock the front door, if you can have pets in the house, whether. Different people grow up with different family habits, and we can't always assume that they are the same. Good for you if you get housemates who share the same kind of family upbringing, else, talk. 


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10. Keep the volume down. Or soundproof your room. No one needs to know you are heh-sio-ing hot and heavily in your room, or hear your off-tune crooning in the middle of the afternoon. Sure some might find the wet sounds arousing and the bad singing cute, but not everyone shares those thoughts. Better still, find out your housemates' work schedules by having everyone put up their planner on their room door. That's what I do at home just so everyone at home knows where I am doing what during when. It helps you find your window (should there be one) when you can do loud activities anyway you like. Just be careful of the neighbors though. ;)


There are obviously more I can share, but these 10 are what came up my mind first. Share below on the comments column if you have more! I (and I'm sure everyone else) would love to read about them! 


Comments

  1. Omg, i totally agree with point 4!
    Its always so annoying and gross to clean up after someone!

    -Cindy

    ReplyDelete
  2. i'm studying overseas and living in a shared house, really really agree with all the points you've brought up!!

    cel

    ReplyDelete

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