How Can Roommates Keep a Shared Home Clean?

List the kitchen, bathrooms, living room, entry, laundry and any shared balcony or hallway. Identify private rooms separately and decide which cleaning tasks each person chooses to manage.

Assign ordinary tasks such as wiping suitable benches, taking out rubbish, vacuuming common floors and cleaning a shared bathroom. Rotate less popular jobs at a frequency the household agrees is practical.

Keep products labelled, stored safely and compatible with the material. Never mix cleaners. Tell housemates before wet-cleaning common floors and leave time for them to dry.

Document a spill, leak, damage or pest concern and notify the property manager as appropriate. A shared cleaning chart does not change the lease or settle a dispute about responsibility.