Some of you may remember my quest to rent out my spare bedroom. I did find a renter, who is sweet, personable, adores my cats -- but she's also a slob.
She's trying, but she doesn't SEE dirt and clutter: the crumbs she leaves on the cutting board, the bits of food left in the sink, the necklaces she leaves by the bathroom sink. She throws everything on the floor of her room and has a little goat path to her bed. So far, I've been just cleaning up after her (or shutting the door to her room) and not saying anything.
However, I recently discovered that she's carrying off food to eat in her bedroom and NOT bringing the dishes back to be washed. The supply of clean dishes is diminishing and the dirty ones are going to attract roaches.
I can't afford to lose her as a renter; the income is crucial. However, I don't think that I can let this go on without saying something.
I'm having a hard time figuring out how to approach the subject without morphing into punitive mom mode. "How can you be so dirty? Aren't you ashamed? This is disgusting!" etcetera. That's what I heard growing up and that's what comes naturally. There's got to be a more effective and less brutal way to say something. Any suggestions?
