Living with roommates can be awesome. Instant community, shared bills, and someone to order pizza with at 1 a.m. But let’s be honest, sharing a space also means sharing clutter, chaos, and the occasional passive-aggressive sticky note. If your apartment is starting to look like the aftermath of a garage sale hosted by a tornado, it’s time to reclaim your space and your sanity.
Here’s how to stay organized (and friendly) when you're sharing an apartment with other humans.
Let’s get this out of the way: communication is everything. Before you argue about who owns the third slow cooker or why there are twelve pairs of shoes by the door, sit down and discuss:
Pro tip: Do this before moving in, or ASAP if you're already roommates. Revisit this conversation every few months, especially after birthdays, holidays, or Black Friday splurges.
Every room should have defined zones. Even a small apartment can be divided up functionally to keep the peace and keep the mess at bay.
Establishing clear zones helps prevent the “this random blender was on my chair” arguments.
Let’s be real: junk happens. Batteries, takeout menus, cords for devices you no longer own; it all needs a home. Enter: the one communal drawer. Limit the chaos to this drawer (okay, maybe a basket) and check it every month. If it’s overflowing, it’s time to purge.
Everything else? If it doesn’t have a home, it doesn’t belong.
Things like paper towels, dish soap, and trash bags don't magically appear. Neither do they organize themselves. Create a shared Google Sheet or use apps like Splitwise to track who bought what and when. Better yet, rotate who’s responsible for restocking and organizing shared supplies each month.
No one should feel like the “default parent” of the apartment.
Apartments are small. Roommate apartments? Even smaller. Think up, not out.
Vertical space is your unsung storage hero.
Let’s face it: people are lazy (including yourself). The easier it is to stay organized, the more likely it will happen. Use:
Make it easier to put things away than to leave them out.
Once a day or at least a few times a week, take 10 minutes to reset the apartment. Everyone tidies their stuff, reclaims their zones, and resets shared spaces. Play music, set a timer, and do it together.
You’d be amazed at what 10 minutes can do for your mental health (and your floors).
Sometimes stuff accumulates because people are afraid to get rid of things that aren’t technically theirs. Solve that with a clearly labeled bin or bag in a closet for “Donation Drop Zone.”
Once a month, go through it together. If no one claims something after a few weeks, off to donation it goes.
This is especially helpful for duplicates: 3 toasters, 4 wine openers, and 18 mugs from college orientation? Pick your favorites, let the rest go.
The cleanliness of a space impacts how organized it feels. Create a rotating chore chart that’s visible (fridge, corkboard, etc.) and reasonable. Include things like:
Avoid vague labels like “clean the kitchen”. Break it down into tasks so there’s no confusion (or avoidance).
When the place looks good, celebrate it. Light a candle, host a movie night, order takeout, or just acknowledge each other’s efforts. Reinforcing the wins makes everyone more likely to keep the good vibes (and organization) going.
The key to keeping an apartment organized with roommates isn’t perfection, it’s cooperation. Keep the lines of communication open, make organizing systems so easy that even your laziest roommate can follow them, and remember: your apartment should work for you, not against you.
And if things really go off the rails? There’s always the classic fallback: “Whose stuff is this?” followed by a silent, collective 10-minute clean-up.
At The Organized You, we offer personalized home organization services throughout the Greater Boston Area, including Wellesley, Dover, Needham, Newton, Medfield, Walpole, and beyond. Whether you need help decluttering, optimizing your closets, or creating a functional home office, we’re here to design systems that work for you. Learn more about our services in Wellesley, Dover, Needham, Newton, Medfield, and Walpole, and schedule your free consultation today!