Kitchens are tricky spaces to share with other people. Living rooms are a piece of cake – the TV might be the only real troublemaker in that common room. But in the kitchen there are countless ways to step on someone else’s toes. Most people are pretty finicky about their food and what’s around it, or where it goes, or who else eats it. The best way to prevent kitchen fights from breaking out is through good communication. You might not realize you’re doing something that bothers your roommate if you don’t talk! Make sure the kitchen expectations are well-known and follow these ten commandments otherwise (humor the old-school phrasing, please):
Honor thy roommate: the golden rule applies!
You know, you learned it in kindergarten – do unto others as you would have them do to you
Thou shalt not leave dirty dishes in the sink overnight
That food stuck to the dishes isn’t going to get any less stuck
Thou shalt not eat thy roommate’s food without permission or notification
Especially the ice cream
Thou shalt wring out the sponge when finished with it
Stinky sponges are the WORST
Thou shalt not wipe your hands on the dish towel
Ideally there’s a separate hand towel for that
Thou shalt not put empty containers back in the refrigerator
Just go ahead and recycle or toss it!
The dishwasher shall be loaded logically and properly
It will save everyone time later
Thou shalt not clog up the drain with food
Emptying scraps into the trash beforehand saves a lot of money in draino or plumbers
Thou shalt clean up thy crumbs on the counters
Crumbs attract ants!
Thou shalt not let food splatter in the microwave
And if you do, just wipe it up