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My flatmate doesn't know how to wash up.
This sounds implausible, but one of the three guys I'm living with is completely incapable of even the most simple domestic tasks, and often totally ignorant of their purpose.
To begin with, he washed up by squirting each item with washing up liquid, rubbing it with his hand, then running it under the tap. We've now got him actually using a sink full of soapy water, and managed to cut down his washing-up liquid consumption from a bottle a week at the start of term to much less, by a combination of explaining that you do not in fact need actual bubbles in order for things to be cleaned, and watering down the contents of the bottle. But he still doesn't actually get stuff clean, and he doesn't seem to take subtle hints such as saying 'this is still covered in dried on manky stuff' and putting things back in the bowl. He also hasn't grasped the concept of sitting things that have been washed upside down so that the water runs out, so if someone doesn't keep an eye on him then all our plates and dishes end up with limescale rings all over them.
He was genuinely confused when asked on one occasion to wash the cheese grater, and when asked what he thought would happen if it was left covered in cheese, looked totally blank. I found it hard indeed not to laugh when my flatmate then explained to him as if speaking to a small child that cheese goes mouldy when left for long periods of time.
He wipes the kitchen floor with a tea-towel clutched in his bare foot, then puts the towel back by the sink.
When asked to scrub the wok on which he had managed to create a layer of charred beef several millimeters thick, he looked confused and asked why we thought he'd be any better at it than the rest of us.
After one of the other guys switched the boiler off, he asked me why there was no hot water. I showed him the electric switch, and the boiler, and how to switch it on, and his reaction to this was an odd mixture of surprise, confusion, fear and indifference. Turns out he'd been assuming the boiler was a dishwasher.
Anyway, he doesn't seem to live in the real world, or have any semblance of common sense whatsoever. What I'd like to know is if anyone has any ideas for tactfully but nonetheless forcefully imposing on him some kind of connection to actual physical reality, particularly those parts of it relating to cooking and food hygeine.
Well, tbh I just wanted to have a rant as well...
To begin with, he washed up by squirting each item with washing up liquid, rubbing it with his hand, then running it under the tap. We've now got him actually using a sink full of soapy water, and managed to cut down his washing-up liquid consumption from a bottle a week at the start of term to much less, by a combination of explaining that you do not in fact need actual bubbles in order for things to be cleaned, and watering down the contents of the bottle. But he still doesn't actually get stuff clean, and he doesn't seem to take subtle hints such as saying 'this is still covered in dried on manky stuff' and putting things back in the bowl. He also hasn't grasped the concept of sitting things that have been washed upside down so that the water runs out, so if someone doesn't keep an eye on him then all our plates and dishes end up with limescale rings all over them.
He was genuinely confused when asked on one occasion to wash the cheese grater, and when asked what he thought would happen if it was left covered in cheese, looked totally blank. I found it hard indeed not to laugh when my flatmate then explained to him as if speaking to a small child that cheese goes mouldy when left for long periods of time.
He wipes the kitchen floor with a tea-towel clutched in his bare foot, then puts the towel back by the sink.
When asked to scrub the wok on which he had managed to create a layer of charred beef several millimeters thick, he looked confused and asked why we thought he'd be any better at it than the rest of us.
After one of the other guys switched the boiler off, he asked me why there was no hot water. I showed him the electric switch, and the boiler, and how to switch it on, and his reaction to this was an odd mixture of surprise, confusion, fear and indifference. Turns out he'd been assuming the boiler was a dishwasher.
Anyway, he doesn't seem to live in the real world, or have any semblance of common sense whatsoever. What I'd like to know is if anyone has any ideas for tactfully but nonetheless forcefully imposing on him some kind of connection to actual physical reality, particularly those parts of it relating to cooking and food hygeine.
Well, tbh I just wanted to have a rant as well...
Scroll to see replies
The Strangest Quark
This sounds implausible, but one of the three guys I'm living with is completely incapable of even the most simple domestic tasks, and often totally ignorant of their purpose.
To begin with, he washed up by squirting each item with washing up liquid, rubbing it with his hand, then running it under the tap. We've now got him actually using a sink full of soapy water, and managed to cut down his washing-up liquid consumption from a bottle a week at the start of term to much less, by a combination of explaining that you do not in fact need actual bubbles in order for things to be cleaned, and watering down the contents of the bottle.
To begin with, he washed up by squirting each item with washing up liquid, rubbing it with his hand, then running it under the tap. We've now got him actually using a sink full of soapy water, and managed to cut down his washing-up liquid consumption from a bottle a week at the start of term to much less, by a combination of explaining that you do not in fact need actual bubbles in order for things to be cleaned, and watering down the contents of the bottle.
Lol, sounds fun.
Reply 5
The Strangest Quark
We've now got him actually using a sink full of soapy water
Eubacterium
Ewwww I never wash my dishes in dirty water! I run the water over my dishes wash over an unplugged sink to wash the filth away.
Unfortunately most of the sinks in this country are from the early 1800s and have the hot and cold water in separate taps, so with this technique you can either choose to leave the dishes dirty by washing them in cold water, or alternatively, burn your hands with the boiling hot water.
I usually first wash them in the warm water with soap in it and then go over them with running cold water to flush the soap and remaining dirt away.
Eubacterium
Ewwww I never wash my dishes in dirty water! I run the water over my dishes wash over an unplugged sink to wash the filth away. You are patronising him! So he is right, you do think you're better and show it! Find something better to do than to boss a flatmate around!
Thank you for your contribution to the water wastage problem. Washing dishes in a sink of soapy water has never done me any harm.
The Strangest Quark
This sounds implausible, but one of the three guys I'm living with is completely incapable of even the most simple domestic tasks, and often totally ignorant of their purpose.
To begin with, he washed up by squirting each item with washing up liquid, rubbing it with his hand, then running it under the tap. We've now got him actually using a sink full of soapy water, and managed to cut down his washing-up liquid consumption from a bottle a week at the start of term to much less, by a combination of explaining that you do not in fact need actual bubbles in order for things to be cleaned, and watering down the contents of the bottle. But he still doesn't actually get stuff clean, and he doesn't seem to take subtle hints such as saying 'this is still covered in dried on manky stuff' and putting things back in the bowl. He also hasn't grasped the concept of sitting things that have been washed upside down so that the water runs out, so if someone doesn't keep an eye on him then all our plates and dishes end up with limescale rings all over them.
He was genuinely confused when asked on one occasion to wash the cheese grater, and when asked what he thought would happen if it was left covered in cheese, looked totally blank. I found it hard indeed not to laugh when my flatmate then explained to him as if speaking to a small child that cheese goes mouldy when left for long periods of time.
He wipes the kitchen floor with a tea-towel clutched in his bare foot, then puts the towel back by the sink.
When asked to scrub the wok on which he had managed to create a layer of charred beef several millimeters thick, he looked confused and asked why we thought he'd be any better at it than the rest of us.
After one of the other guys switched the boiler off, he asked me why there was no hot water. I showed him the electric switch, and the boiler, and how to switch it on, and his reaction to this was an odd mixture of surprise, confusion, fear and indifference. Turns out he'd been assuming the boiler was a dishwasher.
Anyway, he doesn't seem to live in the real world, or have any semblance of common sense whatsoever. What I'd like to know is if anyone has any ideas for tactfully but nonetheless forcefully imposing on him some kind of connection to actual physical reality, particularly those parts of it relating to cooking and food hygeine.
Well, tbh I just wanted to have a rant as well...
To begin with, he washed up by squirting each item with washing up liquid, rubbing it with his hand, then running it under the tap. We've now got him actually using a sink full of soapy water, and managed to cut down his washing-up liquid consumption from a bottle a week at the start of term to much less, by a combination of explaining that you do not in fact need actual bubbles in order for things to be cleaned, and watering down the contents of the bottle. But he still doesn't actually get stuff clean, and he doesn't seem to take subtle hints such as saying 'this is still covered in dried on manky stuff' and putting things back in the bowl. He also hasn't grasped the concept of sitting things that have been washed upside down so that the water runs out, so if someone doesn't keep an eye on him then all our plates and dishes end up with limescale rings all over them.
He was genuinely confused when asked on one occasion to wash the cheese grater, and when asked what he thought would happen if it was left covered in cheese, looked totally blank. I found it hard indeed not to laugh when my flatmate then explained to him as if speaking to a small child that cheese goes mouldy when left for long periods of time.
He wipes the kitchen floor with a tea-towel clutched in his bare foot, then puts the towel back by the sink.
When asked to scrub the wok on which he had managed to create a layer of charred beef several millimeters thick, he looked confused and asked why we thought he'd be any better at it than the rest of us.
After one of the other guys switched the boiler off, he asked me why there was no hot water. I showed him the electric switch, and the boiler, and how to switch it on, and his reaction to this was an odd mixture of surprise, confusion, fear and indifference. Turns out he'd been assuming the boiler was a dishwasher.
Anyway, he doesn't seem to live in the real world, or have any semblance of common sense whatsoever. What I'd like to know is if anyone has any ideas for tactfully but nonetheless forcefully imposing on him some kind of connection to actual physical reality, particularly those parts of it relating to cooking and food hygeine.
Well, tbh I just wanted to have a rant as well...
ffs! how is this affecting u??? u seem very stuck up to be honest. if him not washing dishes correctly is such a hugeee problem then buy your own and let him get on with his own thing. god. bully.
Eubacterium
Ewwww I never wash my dishes in dirty water! I run the water over my dishes wash over an unplugged sink to wash the filth away. You are patronising him! So he is right, you do think you're better and show it! Find something better to do than to boss a flatmate around!
If you use a decent washing-up liquid in a sink full of hot water and then rinse the dish, then there's no problem with using "dirty" water. It then means that you use less water, and your dishes end up cleaner
Reply 11
peninsula
ffs! how is this affecting u??? u seem very stuck up to be honest. if him not washing dishes correctly is such a hugeee problem then buy your own and let him get on with his own thing. god. bully.
hahah should've known on TSR I'd even get flamed for something as innocuous as a thread about washing up.
Reply 12
Eubacterium
Ewwww I never wash my dishes in dirty water! I run the water over my dishes wash over an unplugged sink to wash the filth away. You are patronising him! So he is right, you do think you're better and show it! Find something better to do than to boss a flatmate around!
Yes, let's randomly start having a go at people. I love the internet.
Reply 13
I live in a house like that, a few people have grown up with a silver spoon in their mouth. They don't know how to do anything. ****ing annoying.
Reply 14
Heather_1
At least he IS washing up.....
One of the people in my kitchen frequently leaves her stuff in the sink so we can't use the sink.. and her stuff is piling up while me & the other girl who share the kitchen wash up every day!
One of the people in my kitchen frequently leaves her stuff in the sink so we can't use the sink.. and her stuff is piling up while me & the other girl who share the kitchen wash up every day!
Tell her that the sink is for washing dishes, not for storing them, and if she doesn't want to wash her dishes then they'll be put away in her cupboard dirty.
Alternatively put them in a big plastic box on the floor and if anyone who visits asks what the box is for you say "oh it's *insert name*'s dirty box" (har har) which will hopefully shame her into washing them (though we did this last year and the girl had no shame unfortunately- you could just end up with a box of mouldy plates)
Sounds a bit harsh but I lived with a vile creature last year (we had to MAKE her have a shower after 8 days-she was 20 years old FFS) and the sooner you address these issues the better
ASprinkleOfPixieDust
Tell her that the sink is for washing dishes, not for storing them, and if she doesn't want to wash her dishes then they'll be put away in her cupboard dirty.
Alternatively, she could just leave the dirty dishes on the side of the sink, not inside it. I always leave my dishes on the table after eating and wash them up in a few hours, when I feel like it. Everyone in my flat does this...
It's not like you should expect people to wash every single plate and glass and spoon and fork and bowl and knife and cup and pan and pot straight after using them.
Reply 16
So he thought the boiler was a dishwasher?? so why on earth did he not try in the first place to put the dirty dishes in it? but meh obviously not the sharpest pencil. Its probably a mixture of mummy boy syndrone and just having no common sense.
HJV
It's not like you should expect people to wash every single plate and glass and spoon and fork and bowl and knife and cup and pan and pot straight after using them.
I'm not expecting her to, and I don't always. But leaving her pots with food still in, for at least 3 or more days, is not good. I'm always moving them from the sink to the side.
Reply 18
Leave the guy alone!
Does it really matter? I mean ... honestly, limescale rings on the plates?! The tragedy of it! Perhaps you need to get in touch with reality yourself?
You making a big deal of it probably makes the guy feel bad. Have you never been in a situation where you don't know how to do something?
There's no need to "impose" anything on him, surely? If it's his washing up liquid and his plates then can't you just let him get on with it? If you're sharing things ... then ... well, it's a hazard of communal living, isn't it?
Besides, isn't it kind of unrealistic to expect every studenty boy to care about hygeine?
I'm not meaning to have a go at you, by the way ... I just seem to have gone on a bit!
I'm probably sensitive because I usually wash up by squirting individual things with washing up liquid and then running them under the tap ... sometimes using my hands rather than a sponge. To be fair, I'm half forced into it because my flatmates leave so much stuff in the sink ... but ... you know.
Does it really matter? I mean ... honestly, limescale rings on the plates?! The tragedy of it! Perhaps you need to get in touch with reality yourself?
You making a big deal of it probably makes the guy feel bad. Have you never been in a situation where you don't know how to do something?
There's no need to "impose" anything on him, surely? If it's his washing up liquid and his plates then can't you just let him get on with it? If you're sharing things ... then ... well, it's a hazard of communal living, isn't it?
Besides, isn't it kind of unrealistic to expect every studenty boy to care about hygeine?
I'm not meaning to have a go at you, by the way ... I just seem to have gone on a bit!
I'm probably sensitive because I usually wash up by squirting individual things with washing up liquid and then running them under the tap ... sometimes using my hands rather than a sponge. To be fair, I'm half forced into it because my flatmates leave so much stuff in the sink ... but ... you know.
Reply 19
HJV
Alternatively, she could just leave the dirty dishes on the side of the sink, not inside it. I always leave my dishes on the table after eating and wash them up in a few hours, when I feel like it. Everyone in my flat does this...
It's not like you should expect people to wash every single plate and glass and spoon and fork and bowl and knife and cup and pan and pot straight after using them.
It's not like you should expect people to wash every single plate and glass and spoon and fork and bowl and knife and cup and pan and pot straight after using them.
Yeah you're right I didn't mean it to sound like that a few hours is acceptable, overnight I can live with from time to time but there isn't really enough room when there's 6 of you sharing one (self-catered) kitchen. In my case this girl didn't leave her dishes for a few hours she left them for a few weeks (actually once we brought out the box for her there was stuff in it for months) we ended up doing her dishes constantly because we didn't want mice or other pests and we didn't want to get ill, she never once thanked us.
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