You like things neat and organized…but your significant other? Not so much. They never make the bed, they never clean up their dishes after dinner – in general, it just seems like there’s a trail of clutter that follows them around the house. If we’re describing your life right now, you don’t have to keep cleaning up after your messy partner or family member. There ARE ways to deal with that messy person in your life, and Melissa from Clean My Space is going to break down exactly how to do that. Watch the video below for a little real talk cleaning advice.

Spoiler alert: The solution is not to kick said messy person out of the house! It’s so much simpler than that.

Dealing with that messy person in your life starts with one easy step: communication. You might think this person is a disaster area on two leg, but they might think you’re a neat freak with unrealistic cleaning goals! Talk to each other first and foremost to get on the same page. Make sure not to nag or yell – no one likes to be attacked or talked down to.

A few tips we loved while navigating this messy negotiation process:

– Consider making a list with the messy person of areas in the space that need to be cleaned, then figure out what areas the messy person wants to see clean. If they HATE cleaning the bathroom but they like to see the living room a little tidier, they will be more likely to pitch in and clean the living room than scrub the bathtub.

– Maybe institute a “messy zone,” or an area where that person can let their messy flag fly with none of your judgement or tidying up. But they have to keep your areas (a.k.a. the rest of the house) sparkling clean.

– Encouragement is key! This is like parenting – you have to reward your messy friend or partner (take them to the movies, cook them dinner, ect.) for their clean behavior. This will encourage more clean behavior.

What do you think of these strategies? Do you live with a messy person, and how do you deal with it? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.