Roommate Horror Story: AITA for Scaring My Roommate into Doing Dishes?

AITA for resorting to unconventional methods to address my roommate's lack of basic hygiene habits, leading to unexpected consequences and escalating tensions between us?

Damjan

Published in Interesting
August 7, 2025

Roommate Horror Story: AITA for Scaring My Roommate into Doing Dishes?

Living with a roommate can be a challenging experience, especially when basic hygiene habits come into play. In a recent Reddit post, a 23-year-old woman shared her struggles with a roommate, Patricia, who consistently neglected to wash her dishes, leading to a foul-smelling kitchen.

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Despite numerous requests to clean up, Patricia would put off the task, causing frustration to build up over time. The situation reached a tipping point when the OP discovered mold growing on neglected dishes, prompting her to take a creative approach.

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She drew creepy faces on the dirty plates as a last resort to get Patricia to take responsibility for her mess. Surprisingly, the tactic worked, and Patricia began cleaning the dishes after being spooked by the eerie drawings.

However, instead of being grateful, Patricia criticized the OP for her unconventional method, labeling it as childish and toxic behavior. The Reddit thread is divided, with some users supporting the OP's unique approach, emphasizing the need for drastic action when traditional methods fail.

Others believe scaring someone into cleanliness is inappropriate and could strain their relationship further. The debate revolves around whether the OP was justified in her actions or if a more empathetic and communicative approach should have been taken.

Original Post

I (23F) have been living with my roommate Patricia for about a year now. One major issue we've had is her lack of basic hygiene habits, particularly washing dishes.

Patricia would often leave her dirty dishes in the sink for days, which led to a constant pile-up and a terrible smell in the kitchen. No matter how many times I asked her to wash her dishes or take turns cleaning, she would shrug it off or promise to do it later without ever following through.

The breaking point for me was when I found mold growing on some of the dishes she left behind for weeks. It was disgusting, to say the least.

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In a last-ditch effort to get her to clean up after herself, I decided to draw creepy faces on the dirty plates. Patricia walked into the kitchen, saw the eerie faces staring back at her, and was visibly startled.

I didn't expect it to work, but to my surprise, she started cleaning the dishes almost immediately. However, instead of thanking me for finally tackling the issue, Patricia called me 'childish' and 'toxic.' She accused me of scaring her into basic hygiene, which she believes was inappropriate and uncalled for.

She's now avoiding me, and tensions between us have escalated. I thought I found a creative solution to a persistent problem, but now I'm questioning if my actions were truly justified.

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So AITA?