Eliminating Roommate Conflict: The Chore Wheel

Most aspects of apartment living are wonderful, but without some ground rules, living in the apartment can quickly become a nightmare. Designing and maintaining a chore wheel is an excellent way to divvy up tasks in the apartment.

Often roommates assume that each individual will be responsible for cleaning any messes they make in common rooms. However, there is more to keeping an apartment clean than simply cleaning after oneself. In order to maintain an orderly (and sanitary) living environment, chores must be completed regularly. Likely, one roommate will not want to be the designated cleaner, so it’s important to set up some clear guidelines.

The Chore Wheel

All you need is a thumbtack, some various sizes of colored paper circles and a marker. Simply write each roommate’s name in the center of the wheel and on a slightly larger circle, write what weekly chores need to get done.

For example: vacuum the living room, take out the trash, clean the bathroom, wipe down kitchen counters, sweep the floors, dust furniture, etc.

If there are more chores than roommates, just add a second larger circle to the wheel. The chore wheel will ensure everyone is clear on their expectations and will result in a happier, cleaner apartment living experience!

Make sure the wheel is set up so that the chore responsibilities change each week. This will force all of the roommates in the apartment to understand the importance of keeping a clean college living space. The goal is to eventually get to a place where the chore wheel is no longer necessary as everyone should take ownership for the messes that are created and be willing to pitch in when something in the apartment goes awry.

Do you have any other methods for dividing up chores? Let us know about it in the comments section below.