14 Changes to Make at Home for Your Partner's Sake

Nobody’s perfect... but seriously, you need to start putting a new roll of toilet paper on the spindle when it’s out. And you definitely need to start closing the toilet lid, like, 10 years ago. Oh, and I’m pretty sure someone has been telling you to stop throwing your clothes on the floor — next to the hamper, no less! — since long before your hair turned gray. We asked Houzzers what their biggest bone of contention was with their S.O., and more than a hundred responses have painted a pretty clear picture: We love you, but you’re killing us! “I have been married over three decades. It’s easier to train a puppy,” says Houzz user okdokegal. Not sure what you’re doing wrong? No worries. We’re here to help. Start doing these fourteen things now for your partner, and you’ll be on the road to redemption: READ UP: 21 Things Only People Living With Kids Will Understand Photo by Artistico, original photo on Houzz Learn where everything is and where everything goes. Where is the sugar? Do we own a spatula? Schedule some time for a quick inventory or label drawers, cabinets and bins together for a month until you learn where everything is and goes. And yes, if something is empty, it goes in the trash. Says smartin1: “Eating or drinking the last of anything, then putting the empty container back in the pantry/fridge. Really?!?” Close the cabinet doors and drawers. Is our house haunted? Is there a poltergeist? Should I call a young priest and an old priest? If I wanted to see what was behind those cabinet doors, I’d have bought floating shelves. “I seem to be the only one in the house who can remember to close cabinet doors in the kitchen,” says Houzz user PirateFoxy. “I am considering putting up obnoxiously bright signs about it.” Photo by Agnes Blum, original photo on Houzz Clean your dishes. You’re an adult but you still pile dirty dishes right on top of the counter! I love you enough to claw your crusty food off a bowl because you left it there overnight, but please, make this stop! When it comes to the dishwasher, it takes five seconds to scrape, rinse and put a dish in. And if the dishwasher is full, please just empty it! But if you don’t have time, or you don’t have a dishwasher, scrape the plate, rinse it and stack it neatly in the sink with like-dishes (ie. plates together, bowls together...you get the idea) My specialty scissors and tools aren’t for your sloppy tasks. You really need to cut that milk carton but my very sharp and very special scissors are not the right tool for the job. Show that you care by taking care of all the nice tools. Yes, that means not leaving them in the grass to rust. “We came to an understanding about scissors when I found my beloved happily cutting up a chicken with a brand-new pair of coating shears. (These are really sharp),” says Daybreak Workroom. “Using an expensive stain brush to apply bottom paint to the skiff was another low point. My tools are not marital property.” Maybe sandpat has the right solution: “You can always put a padlock through the handles.” Or maybe bungalowmo is onto something: “Put the scissors in a Ziploc bag and keep them with the cleaning supplies. Trust me, no one will find them.” Photo by ReStyle Group Interiors, original photo on Houzz Put dirty laundry in the hamper; clean clothes go back in drawers or get hung up. Unless the kids are away and we’re in a moment of passion, let’s keep our clothes off the floor. They don’t go on chair backs or slung over doors, or strewn about the bathroom floor. If it can be worn again, hang it back up. “My biggest annoyance is laundry,” says Melody Campbell. “All over the house, followed by, ‘It’s not dirty!’ Then why is it on the floor?” Don’t leave piles of mail, newspapers or magazines out. You know, every now and then there are really important things that come in the mail. It’s probably good to go through it at least once in your lifetime. If you can’t get to it right away, file it away neatly and get to it as soon as you can. START BROWSING: Your Paper Trail Never Looked So Good Help clean out the litter box. What is that smell? Empty the litter box as soon as an odor is present. It’s great that you lit a candle, but your waiting for us to come home and clean out the box drives us crazy! Photo by Heritage Design Studio, original photo on Houzz Turn off the light when you leave a room. Lights are one of the biggest energy sucks in a home. They’re like spotlights illuminating your laziness and wastefulness. Hit the switch! If you can’t, then a lighting system with timers may be your next best bet. Photo by Sandvold Blanda Architecture + Interiors LLC, original photo on Houzz For the last time: Close. The. Toilet. Lid. Male, female, dog, cat — if you use the toilet, the seat goes down. This is a big one for Daniel DeSantis Interiors: “The kids leave the toilet seat up, which invites our giant dog to drink out of the bowl. First, the irritating sound of lapping toilet water, then having to clean up the dripping throughout the house. Can’t take it.” Houzzer piedmontdiva has a simple solution: “I have four magic words for you: soft-closing toilet seat.” Replace the toilet paper. Just do it. Photo by Andrew Snow Photography, original photo on Houzz Shut the doors and windows. Nobody enjoys having flies crawl into their nose in the night. So remember to shut the doors and windows before we both get eaten alive by creatures. Don’t take your towel out of the bathroom. And definitely don’t take my towel out of the bathroom. I get it. You wore your towel out of the shower yesterday to get dressed. You threw the towel over the chair and forgot it when you showered today. The only towel there was mine, so you took it. Well, guess what? Now I’m standing here cold, naked and dripping! GET INSPIRED: Savvy Storage Solutions for the Bathroom Put a garbage bag into the can. Thanks for taking the garbage out. Really, that’s great. But when you leave the empty can and still toss trash in there, I die a little on the inside. Photo by Philpotts Interiors, original photo on Houzz Take off your shoes or wipe them on the doormat. “Members of my house try to sneak in with their shoes on,” says monika2024. “I go ballistic when I catch them. Their response: ‘My shoes are clean.’ Grrr. My response: ‘Then lick the bottom of them.’ That’s when they usually take them off.” - By Mitchell Parker, Houzz Read more now: How to Deal When You and Your Partner Are Total Opposites How to Remodel Your Relationship and Your Home at the Same Time 5 Things You Should Never Compromise On In a Relationship Got a tough wedding question? 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