We’ve all dealt with roommate drama. Chats about who’s cleaning what and who’s bringing what is part of living with someone.

Read this reddit story to see how one roommate gets offended about having two vacuums in the new place.

AITA for buying a vacuum cleaner for our apartment after my roommate said she was bringing one?

I just moved into a new apartment in Boston with two other roommates. We’re all PhD students in our mid-to-late 20s (25F, 24F, 27F), and we didn’t know each other before moving in.

Everyone getting on the same page is important when living together.

Before signing the lease, we talked about living habits and expectations. Everyone said they were clean.

Not just average clean, but “upper quartile” clean. I clarified that to me, clean means wiping down surfaces after use, vacuuming and dusting regularly, and keeping things in their designated places.

We also discussed splitting up the responsibility for smaller shared appliances. One roommate said she had a vacuum.

We agreed that would be her contribution, so I didn’t bring one. When we moved in, it turned out that the “vacuum” was actually a Roomba.

She doesn’t have anything against the Roomba. Another vacuum can just be useful.

I don’t have a problem with Roombas. They’re fine for light maintenance if run frequently.

But I don’t think it’s fair to treat it as the only vacuum for the entire apartment. It doesn’t have a hose, can’t clean corners or high surfaces, and doesn’t work for any kind of mess.

She also only wants to run it every other week, which doesn’t really keep up with the dust and dirt of three people. The Roomba also hasn’t mapped the apartment well due to its infrequent use.

Sad lost little Roomba.

Most of the time, it just bonks around like a lost toddler at IKEA until someone takes pity on it and turns it around.

I brought this up and said I didn’t think the Roomba was sufficient on its own. She disagreed and said plenty of people only use a Roomba.

I didn’t want to argue further, but I have indoor allergies, and I don’t feel comfortable with that level of cleaning. So, I bought my own vacuum (a nice bagged one with an allergy filter) to use in my room and in the common space when I’m the one doing the cleaning.

When she came home with another vacuum, more drama ensued.

When I brought it home, she was annoyed and said I had gone behind her back and broken our agreement. I didn’t see it that way, and shared that I’m not asking anyone else to use it or share costs. I just wanted to be able to clean the apartment to a level that works for me.

The other roommate is staying out of it.

Our other roommate said she doesn’t really have a preference and doesn’t care, so it seems like she is currently steering clear of this. There’s no blame or fault to be found in her at all; I totally understand why she might want to stay neutral.

I don’t want to be the problem roommate, but now I’m wondering if I overstepped.

AITA?

What does Reddit have to say about this roommate drama?

This person is correct, just a vacuum.

This redditor agrees, NTA, you can buy a vacuum for your personal use!

This redditor thinks maybe a little lie was told about cleanliness.

This person agrees, Roomba not sufficient, sorry little Roomba buddy.

Communicating your needs and respecting your roommates can go a long way. But buying your own cleaning appliances and supplies is okay.

Definitely NTA in this story!

If you enjoyed that story, read this one about a mom who was forced to bring her three kids with her to apply for government benefits, but ended up getting the job of her dreams.