Neat freaks vs mess makers: 5 tips for them to co-exist in a household

WHY did you leave your bowl in the SINK again and not put it in the dishwasher? And HOW HARD IS IT to put your socks in the laundry basket?? Opinions on how to keep a home tidy rarely overlap completely. Nonviolent communication is key. – Photo: Christin Klose/dpa

Dirty socks strewn on the floor. Unwashed dishes in the kitchen sink. Clutter here, disarray there. Yikes!

People who are neat and clean can't stand a messy household. But what if their partner, flatmates or kids are master mess makers? Is lasting peaceful cohabitation possible? Can they compromise and meet somewhere in the middle of the tidiness scale between shipshape and shambles, preferably much closer to the former?