House-sharing comes with so many unique privileges – like cleaning up your roommate’s toenails left in the sitting room. 

A woman told So You Think You’re an Adult she recently moved into a house already occupied by two friends and a stranger. 

“It's mainly been going great so far – the location is central, everyone is sound and our different work schedule allows the perfect balance between socialising and time alone,” she told Moncrieff. 

“The only issue is that the other guy, the stranger, is extremely messy.” 

The other roommates are all “extremely fed up” with their roommate’s lack of hygiene and started a weekly roster of cleaning duties to counteract it. 

“His messiness has now been taken to the limit after I discovered toenail clippings on the sitting room floor when I was cleaning last week. 

“I know they're his [toenails] because he’s the only one dirty enough to do it. 

“I pulled him on it, and he denied it – I'm at my wit’s end.” 

Managing roommates

Broadcaster Declan Buckley said living with roommates is about finding ways “not to be an inconvenience to each other”. 

It’s also about finding the best ways to communicate when you’re annoyed. 

“She seems to have taken him as a stranger and decided a stranger is disgusting and there is no end to these bad habits,” he said. 

“When people do stupid things in the privacy of their own rented accommodation, they might do so unthinkingly, and they are open to being corrected. 

“If it happens again, it just needs to be called out.” 

He said there has to be a “culture” in the house-share of open communication if the listener wants to keep the flat clean and friendly. 

Young woman cleaning room. Image: Prostock-studio / Alamy Stock Photo

Writer Barbara Scully said she – in a rare turn of events – completely agrees with Declan. 

She pointed out that the woman can’t be 100% sure the untidy roommate left the toenail clippings – so she shouldn’t have directly called out.  

“She decided the toenails belong to the stranger who she seems to have taken against a bit,” she said. 

“She would have been much better off in issuing a general thing when they were all in the flat. 

“The fact she has decided to single him out and confront him, it might not have been the best thing.” 

Clear communication and a better attitude should hopefully fix the problem – but if that fails, she may have to go toe-to-toe with her roommate.