Summary
- Proper attire in common areas is required. Wear a shirt and proper undergarments at all times….
- No Shoes on the carpet
- No guest in the house
- No animals in the house
- No smoking in the house
- Kitchen: wipe the counter / island every time after usage
- Microwave: Cover your food / wipe it clean after usage
- Kitchen Sink: Do not leave dishes in the sink.
- Food: No food sharing.
- Washer/dryer: Use laundry detergent type “he” only. Do not leave clothes abandoned for a prolonged period. Clean out lint screens and any spills before leaving the area
- Noise: If you can hear it outside your room with the door closed, it’s probably too loud. Do not slam any door (Main entrance, room, W/D……)
- Garbage: Abide to your schedule. No piling up the trash bin, just take it out.
Contents
Proper Attire:
Wear a shirt and proper undergarments at all times, when in the common area: Kitchen, hallways, laundry rooms, and living rooms. Robes are an acceptable alternative.
Shoes:
Thank you all for keeping your shoes off the carpet. I hope the seating bench investment by the main door made this process convenient. If you would like to keep your foot wear collection by the door, then feel free to place them in a shoe closet (Not the closet under the stairs) out of sight to avoid a messy look when many shoes starts to pile up. You may use the space of the dining room to place your shoe closet there.
Noise:
Be aware of noise level. Producing too much noise is a great way to make an enemy out of your roommate. It is particularly important to be quiet when your roommate is trying to sleep, regardless of the hour. You may think that no one should be asleep before 9:00 pm on a Friday night, but that’s no excuse to wake them up.Be especially careful about closing doors (like the main house door, you room’s door or even the washer and dryer door). Efforts were made to muffle off the impact of the doors when they closed, but the effort can only go so far, you are still required to close the doors quietly. Your roommates care less to be interrupted from their thoughts having to listen to your every movement. Don’t let the doors slam or shut by themselves. Close them quietly and discreetly.
Your room is not a gem or a playground; perform your physical activity outside the house.
Laundry:
You should use laundry detergent type “he” only. Any other detergents will shorten the lifespan of the unit (as noted in the user manual). Avoid leaving clothes abandoned for a prolonged period. A typical washer operates for about 30 minutes on average, while a dryer can take between 45 to 60 minutes. Never stop another person’s laundry in mid-wash or dry to use it. It’s not only considered rude.
Never insert another person’s wet clothes into a dryer. Every person has their own specific way of drying clothes, whether its air drying or using a particular machine dial/setting. And then there are the delicate that shouldn’t be placed in the dryer at all!
If another person’s clothes have been in there for a long time, it is considerate to lay their clothes on a clean plastic or garbage bag on the counter or somewhere off the floor.
Each person is responsible for their own belongings, but it is also a two-way street of using shared amenities.
Always clean out lint screens and any spills before leaving the area. Just think of you wanted to do a weekly load of laundry: would you like to clean up after another person that did a load before you?
Again: push the washer and dryer doors to close rather than slamming them.
Garbage:
There are two types of roommates with regard to the garbage issue: One of the ones that take it out regularly, and one of the ones the other roommate(s) begin to despise for not taking it out regularly.
Therefore a schedule needs to be placed to make sure everyone get their fair share:
First Thursday of every month: room# 1
Second Thursday of every month: room# 3
Third Thursday of every month: room# 4
Fourth Thursday of every month: room# 5
Fifth Thursday of the month (May, August and October):
Room# 2 (room#2 has other delegations to take care of in the house)
Do not use the kitchen trash for any boxes or containers of any size or shape. You are hear by instructed to use the outside main trash containers directly. Also if the kitchen trash can is just about near full, then by all means, feel free to participate and show some act of kindness and take the bag out yourself. Crystal does not get paid to do this. In fact, you should be thanking her for her extra effort.
General Courtesy:
You room and you bathroom are you own private space. Yet as a courtesy to other, keep you room, looking from the outside, tidy and clean.
Do not handle your roommate’s property without their permission or invade their private spaces.
Don’t be shy to volunteer with the house vacuuming routine. If you have not done so in the past month, then it your turn now. Please coordinate with me.
Anyone who has to clean up after their roommate eventually becomes resentful.
Kitchen:
Wipe down the surfaces thoroughly with warm water and washing up liquid or antibacterial spray after you’ve finished preparing any food.
Each should have their tea towel and or paper towel and cleaning supplies.
Throw your tea towels in the wash a couple of times a week to stop bacteria growing on them.
Oven:
Wipe out the oven with a cloth and warm water after every use. It might seem tedious, but it’s important if you want to avoid a horribly dirty oven that you then have to attack with chemicals.
Keep the hobs on the stove clean by wiping off any spills as soon as possible and scrape off anything burnt onto them. The surfaces of hobs are susceptible to scratches, so don’t use anything abrasive materials to clean them – a dishcloth or sponge is fine. A basic oven cleaner should be ok for removing most stains.
The Oven cleaning area includes the wall area behind it, around it and the microwave outside surface. Especially with oily cooking the oily fumes will be attached to these surfaces.
Microwave:
You will need to cover you food with either a microwave topper or paper towel.
Thoroughly wipe the inside of the microwave if spills or splatters should occur.
Kitchen Sink:
Wash your own dishes. Walking into a dirty kitchen can be frustrating, particularly if it’s not your mess. Ideally, you should wash your dishes immediately after use, We all know that it’s best to wash your dishes after you finish your meal, but for many of us, this doesn’t always happen. When you live with roommates, washing your dishes after you eat and making sure that the sink doesn’t start to resemble something out of an episode of “Hoarders” is the easiest way to keep the peace. Nothing creates more resentment than one roommate who feels forced to constantly clean everyone else’s dirty dishes.
Try to wipe down the sink at least once a day. Disinfect it every week by filling it up with warm water and a small amount of bleach. Scrub it round with a scourer afterwards, not forgetting the plug chain and the inside of the plug.
Fridge:
Everyone should have their designated space and there is plenty of fridge space for everyone. It is your duty to wash your space with soap and warm water. Rinse and dry them before putting back you food.
Make sure to wipe down the outside of the fridge too, especially the handle!
As well as cleaning out your fridge and freezer with soap and water, make sure you throw away any items that look like they might have gone off or are well past their use by date.
Food:
We don’t share food.
Each roommate should have their own food in their own agreed-upon section of the fridge or cabinets.
Bathrooms:
The bathroom downstairs belongs to Roberts and Robert alone. Absolutely no excuse for your self or your visitors to use his bathroom.
Report any leaks immediately.
I gave you a clean shower, sink and toilet seat. I will continue performing random visits, and the only color I expect to see is “White”. I will start charging you for a cleaning services as I see necessary. You are expected to keep your bathroom clean.
Visitors:
No visitors or guests are allowed in the house. The premises are monitored. This was a major point of discussion before you signed the rental contract. If you have the need to host someone in your room, I must be notified with the days and the duration of their stay.
Note: utilize the park restroom across the street at the kid’s playground. That’s literally across the street.
Air-Condition:
In preparation for the summer heat, the air-conditioned is expected to work more often than usual. That of course associates with a higher summer bill. Fortunately, everyone now has an 8 to 5 job. That is a perfect opportunity to cut down the air-conditioned usage cost during that time.
I will set the thermostat as follows:
Upstairs unit:
Monday to Friday:
7am to 6pm = 78′F
6pm to 11pm = 78′F
11pm to 7am = 74′F
Saturday and Sunday :
7am to 7am (all day) = 76′F
Downstairs unit:
Monday to Friday:
7am to 6pm = 78′F
6pm to 11pm = 78′F
11pm to 7am = 73′F
Saturday and Sunday :
7am to 7am (all day) = 76′F
Furthermore, washer and dryer usage will also follow a scheduled usage per room per day. That is every room will enjoy an uninterrupted use on their assigned day.
Days assignment will be from Monday to Friday.
Current proposed schedule will follow a logical order “UNLESS YOU REQUEST OTHER WISE” :
Monday is assigned to room 1
Tuesday is assigned to room 2
Wednesday is assigned to room 3
Thursday is assigned to room 4
Friday is assigned to room 5
Saturday and Sunday no washer or dryer usage, that will help with the expected additional air-condition usage during the weekend.
Note: the above summer appliances scheduled will NOT reduced the utilities bill from what it is generally now, but will certainly help reducing any chance of undesired spike in the utilities.
All past, current and future guidelines are placed here for everyone’s convenience and fair use.
More importantly, the guidelines are based on an HONOR system.
So treat others the way you want to be treated. And lead by example.