Ready for Another One?

Here goes:

WHERE: The master bathroom

WHAT: My husband uses a towel then tosses it on the floor where it sits, damp and stinky, until I pick it up and carry it to the laundry room.

WHY: Because he's lazy and doesn’t do his share!


Sorry to pick on husbands, but they do seem to make their share of messes.

The solution to this problem might be easier than you think. It begins by asking your husband—without accusation or anger—why you think he has this habit. The answer may surprise you. Perhaps there's not a convenient towel rack nearby. Or maybe there is a rack but it's usually full of dry towels and he doesn't want to get them wet by placing his on top. Maybe he's gotten yelled at in the past for putting a towel back on the rack crooked, and he figures it's easier to throw it on the floor than to risk getting yelled at again.

Obviously, don't ask this question unless you're prepared to hear the answer! But once the two of you have worked together to find the cause, you need to work together to find the solution. Ask him what you can do to help him keep the damp towels off of the floor from now on. Maybe he wants an over-the-door hook. Maybe he needs a towel rack that's reserved for him only—and free from criticism no matter how messily he uses it.

If that thought bothers you, just take care to place the rack out of the room's "sight zone". (A sight zone is the area of a room that you can see from the doorway as you look in.) A towel rack that's always going to be a little messy should be hung on the wall right next to the door, so that it isn't even noticeable until you have stepped into the room and turned around. The mess has far less impact that way!

Whatever solution the two of you find, just remember that there's a difference between an act that's thoughtless (leaving a mess for you to clean) and one that's without thought (dropping a damp towel on the floor because he's so focused on getting ready for work that he doesn't even realize what he's doing.) Thoughtless acts needs some emotional exploration, but acts without thought simply need creative problem solving.

Check back again soon for another problem and solution.