Dear Abby: Sharing vacation home with these slobs is no vacation

Greetings, Abby

Another family and I share a vacation house. Both my spouse and I are tidy individuals. The opposite is true for the other family. They promise to get to the dirty dishes, but they leave them in the sink for days. Along with toys, clothing, and stale food, dirty diapers are left on the floor of the living room. It is repulsive.

Cleaning up after them has grown out of control, but my husband and I still do it. We have to spend hours cleaning up after our guests if we want to invite them around. Something needs to be done, but I don’t want to exacerbate tensions amongst families. How can we face them? In Pennsylvania, NEATNIK

Greetings, Natnik

Unclean dishes are a pain. There is a health risk when dirty diapers are left on the floor of the living room. These slobs will not be changed by you. You failed to specify if you own or rent this vacation house. Get out of there and sell your portion if you own it. Rethink your getaway selection if you rent, as this will make your trip anything but a vacation.

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Abigail Van Buren, better known as Jeanne Phillips, is the author of Dear Abby. Her mother, Pauline Phillips, began the company. Get in touch with Dear Abby via P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069, or at www.DearAbby.com.

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