Does your roommate kind of suck? Here are some subtle ways you can encourage them to be less bad.

As we’re approaching the end of the semester, some students may feel themselves growing at odds with their roommates. Perhaps your roommate can’t seem to keep their stuff on their side of the room, or maybe you’ve noticed that they’ve stopped throwing their trash away as frequently, letting empty bottles and containers pile up next to the garbage can. You can’t keep living like this. It’s time to try something new. But how do you enact such a change? How do you encourage your roommate to be better? 

Here are some tips and tricks on how to improve your roommate’s living habits so that you two can get back to coexisting in peace until the end of the school year. 

Is your roommate…. 

Not cleaning their side of the room?

  1. Rent a mom to tell them to clean up. (For optimal results, get your roommate’s own mother to reprimand them.)
  2. Utilize subliminal messaging. (For example, play soundtracks which employ phrases like, “bro, please, I actually can’t live like this anymore,” or, “please clean your side of the room, it genuinely makes me want to cry.”)
  3. Hire the crew from Hoarders to come film an episode on your roommate. 

Being loud late at night?

  1. Cry and scream each time they wake you up.
  2. Post anonymous noise complaints on the door.
  3. Put wireless headphones in your online shopping cart and leave your computer open to the page.
  4. Depending on the intensity/decibel, consider recruiting an exorcist. 

Sleeping in until sunset?

  1. Purchase a rooster as an emotional support pet.
  2. Play “Taps” at sunrise.
  3. Commission The Rock to bring your roommate along to his early morning workout sessions.

Just generally being a bad roommate?

  1. Do absolutely nothing because you’re scared of confrontation.
  2. Be worse.

All jokes aside, it can be really difficult to try to coexist with someone who has an entirely different living style than you do. My first piece of advice is to try to be patient. Remember that everyone is going through something you may know nothing about. Your roommate may not be cleaning up their side of the room because they’re stressed, overwhelmed, or just going through a tough time. Offer to help. Try to have grace. Secondly, make sure to voice your opinions and concerns. If something is really bothering you, tell them what’s going on. Your needs are important, too.

optimal cleanliness via Flickr