Your dorm houses two, but your living situation looks like it holds a party of- well, more than two.

Heck, with a dirty roommate your dorm room probably looks like you just threw a party.

You probably don’t even remember what color the carpet is or what your dorm initially looked like because of the clothes on the floor, the smell of old sweaty sneakers permeating the air and the scraps of paper from late night study sessions, printer jams and two-week old pizza boxes everywhere.

You’ve dealt with it for too long and enough is enough.

You want to clean, but it isn’t your mess to clean. You don’t want your roommate to get mad for messing with their things, but you also can’t bear to live with this funky odor anymore.

If you decide to clean, you don’t want your roommate to get used to it and never lift a finger to help. So what do you do?

With any situation, communication is key and this is no different. Talk it out and find which solution could work for both of your living habits.

Set up a cleaning schedule

Every week, or so, make a list of things to do for your dorm room. Write down who will vacuum or take out the trash when its overflowing. Also in this list, think about designating an individual laundry day.

Plus that will make your messy monster roommate a clean comrade. But you both have to agree that if the other person doesn’t hold up their end of the deal there will be consequences.

Some consequences could include  that you’d have to put money in a cleaning fund jar or that whoever doesn’t do their part owes the other dinner. It’s a good way to bond, but also to get your living quarters a little bit tidier.

Do your laundry together

Hardly anyone enjoys doing things alone. Most of the time we enjoy others company. So if dirty clothes are cluttering the floor of your dorm make laundry time roommate bonding time.

They probably have already seen your dirty underwear if you’ve left them lying around, know you snore and sleep with a night light, or know other embarrassing factors of your life. So why not make some time to get your laundry done and hangout. Instant solution to get a chore done, hang out with a friend and not have such a messy domain.

Understand your turf, my turf and our turf

Your dorm is pretty small, but I think that we all understand the value of having our own space, and so will your roommate. Talk it out and help them understand how the chaos makes you feel.

It isn’t the talk where you bash their living habits and tell them to keep out, but really just letting them know you need some space of your own in the sardine can that you both occupy. Usually, they’ll understand and keep away from your area or zone of the dorm and you can keep that clean.

If all else fails…

Vengeance is nice, but messy. Show them what happens when they leave their cereal bowls out with three-day-old milk, when laundry isn’t done or how embarrassing it would be to have your friends come by and their dirty underwear is on the floor. It’ll be tough, kind of cruel and could lead to an argument, but after living in it and seeing the consequences, hopefully the adult in them will clean.

But if all else fails, I’m sorry but the only option left would be to wait it out then move out and then move out and find another roommate.