Dear “I get along great with my housemates except!”
Your letter caught my attention right away! It is obvious that you come into the new living arrangement with a positive outlook and a forgiving nature! Arriving from a small community such as yours leaves the broad expanse of the University “melting pot” as quite an adjustment. Give yourself credit, however. You have adjusted to different sleeping hours, entertainment options, housekeeping styles, and even “unusual” decorating. Remember too, that you are meeting new people every day and adjusting to teaching styles and the demands of balancing academics with self-preservation (as you put it!). Your complaint is about cooking odours that linger for days in the whole house when your house-mate does the cooking. It is a valid concern as sensory inputs can be distracting and can upset your personal digestive responses. You can turn a “blind eye” to the housekeeping and decorating. You can use those noise-cancelling headphones or earplugs for the sound intrusions. Smell is truly a difficult thing to ignore! I am going to open up my column next week to suggestions from other students about how you deal with odours from cooking.
Personally, I feel that artificial elements like scented infusers are not a great full-time option because of the toxins that emanate from them. The first option would be to let the cook know that “this” is not your favourite aroma and ask if he/she could let you know in advance when it is on “the menu.” You may be able to avoid the dinner hour! Next, ask that he/she turn on the exhaust fan while cooking and, if it isn’t freezing outside – to crack open a window. Burning a plain wax candle is also okay. In your own room, you can clear the air by boiling white vinegar in an electric kettle, turning on a fan, and cracking open your window. The odours will be held in the vinegar-air and eliminated with the fan. You may be starting a trend!
Elann
Email: dearelann@gmail.com for advice and help