As someone who has lived with a series of flatmates, I learned for that initial interview to ask, “Are you neat?” Of course, everyone answers in the affirmative yet the the reality is that we have lapses when it comes to keeping our home in order. That’s why I came up with five commandments for keeping a tidy household.

The first commandment:”Ye shall keep the common areas clean.” From my experience, most housemates are respectful of this rule, but who steps in to keep the joint neat? That’s the second commandment: “Ye shall split the housecleaning chores equally.”

To split the housework tasks, sit down with your housemate and list all the chores that need to be done. With that compiled list, divide and conquer. Of course there are some chores that some people dislike like cleaning out the fridge or cleaning the toilet (assuming you’re sharing a bathroom). That’s when the third commandment kicks in: “Ye shall alternate household chores.”

Assuming you follow these commandments, your housemate and you shouldn’t have a problem, but what about the private space like a bedroom? Here you can be more relaxed, but I enforce the fourth commandment: “Ye shall not bring food into the bedroom.” Why? Because if you happen to live in a semi-rural environment, rodents, insects or ants, don’t understand boundaries or the commandments.

My final commandment, “Ye shall communicate concerns.” This specifically reminds you that once you enter a home sharing commitment keep an open dialogue about household cleaning tasks and any other scenarios that might come up. Follow these simple five commandments and you’ll have a peaceful and share-worthy home.