Layla Subritzky The Perfect Housemate Interview

Layla Subritzky The Perfect Housemate Interview

It's official. Women make better housemates than men but they are less likely to pay the rent on time, according to new research into the average Australian's shared accommodation experience.

So why do men make worse housemates? According to those surveyed this is because they are messy (88 per cent) as well as smelly and unhygienic (71 per cent). Men are also more likely to make efforts to get their fellow housemates into bed (21 per cent) compared to women (13 per cent). Another 14 per cent said men make the worst housemates because they are more likely to hog the TV remote control.

The research was commissioned by Ambi Pur – the official odour eliminator in this year's Big Brother House, and sought to identify what makes a good and bad Aussie housemate. It found that women are preferred overall but are more likely than men to pay bills late (31% versus 24%).

Among the worst housemate habits uncovered in the survey were failure to clean up after themselves (88%) and leaving dirty dishes under the bed (65%). Half of all Australians living in shared accommodation have had to move out of a shared house due to a problem with a housemate.

Big Brother 2012 housemate and Ambi Pur 'Smell All" ambassador, Layla Subritzky, understands the issues raised by Australia's housemates in this new research more than most.

'Being a little bit of a clean freak, being in the Big Brother house put me on edge. Last year I spent so much time tidying up after the housemates in the house. I think I reached my breaking point when I found a moth flying around in the pantry and had to run into the diary room to have a rant to Big Brother. It was a nightmare and one I now avoid living by myself," she explained.

Layla adds: 'It's not surprising that men have earned a reputation for trying to get their female housemates into bed. A male flattie of mine once tried to seduce one of our female flatties, but luckily enough for him, they're now a couple! So it can sometimes work out for the best."

According to the research, Australian housemates are also especially sensitive to bad body odours and as many as 60% consider not smelling bad is an essential trait in a good housemate. Perhaps this is because the majority of Australians that have lived in a shared home (90%) have been bothered by unpleasant smells left by housemates and 39% have shared with a housemate that repeatedly left bad smells around the house.

Of all the smells left by inconsiderate housemates, bad personal hygiene scored the highest (42%) followed by dirty washing (40%) and smelly shoes (37%). While the stench of rotting food (29%) and garbage (34%) were less likely to be cited as an issue.

'One of the worst challenges of Big Brother that may not have come across on camera was having to deal with all of the contestant's smells! I can't comment specifically on who was the smelliest housemate in last year's show, but I can confirm that after two weeks in the house, it was getting very stuffy. Some people hadn't even washed any of their clothes! This year's Big Brother housemates are very lucky to have some Ambi Pur in the house to eliminate the contestant's odours." adds Layla.

Ambi Pur brings together beautifully designed light fresh fragrances with odour eliminating technology, allowing Australian households to breathe happy. Bringing on-trend fragrance credentials into the home, many of the scents in the Ambi Pur range are designed by the same team behind some of the world's biggest perfume houses.

Other findings from the Ambi Pur research include:
The majority of Australians who have lived in shared accommodation (75%) believe the optimal number in a shared house is three or four.
The top three traits to identify a good housemate are paying the rent on time (95%), being clean and tidy (87%) as well as friendly and sociable (80%).
Irritating habits in a house share also include flatmates having their friends and partner over all the time (27%), choosing to stay in their room all the time (16%) and being neat freaks (10%).
Up to 45% of respondents have found smells left by housemates very uncomfortable and 18% would avoid the housemate until the situation is fixed.

Join the refreshing conversations at www.facebook.com/AmbipurANZ

Interview with Layla Subritzky

Question: Did any of the findings from the Ambi Pur 'Smell All" survey surprise you?

Layla Subritzky: Yes I was surprised by the result that us ladies are less likely to pay the bills on time as I thought we were generally more organised than men at paying the bills! It was also interesting to see how many people have been affected by bad smells in the house, with the majority of Australians (90%) living in a shared home saying they've been bothered by unpleasant of odours by smells left by housemates. We are clearly especially sensitive to bad smells in Australia!


Question: Can you list the top five house share horrors you experienced as a contestant in Big Brother 2013?

Layla Subritzky: There definitely were a few challenging moments. Here's the top five most memorable ones:
Getting the fright of my life when I found a yellow bellied snake in the kitchen!
Michael giving all us girls a head massage when he hadn't washed his hands after going to the toilet. Little did we know this until Big Brother called him up on it.
Estelle wearing the same clothes without washing them for weeks on end…
When the house became a pigsty towards the end of the show. None of the housemates could be bothered to clean up their acts, I almost reached breaking point!
Having to eat a staple of sardines for a whole week. The house, all of us, got so smelly. I wish we had had Ambi Pur as a sponsor when I was in Big Brother, there's nothing worse than a horrible smell you can't escape! I think the Ambi Pur Air Effects would have definitely been my best friend; it's so great at eliminating bad odours rather than masking them!


Question: How did you deal with the bad housemate traits in Big Brother 2013?

Layla Subritzky: Being a bit of a neat freak I did find it especially frustrating when no one bothered to clean up after themselves. I'm a pretty easy going person though so I dealt with annoying habits or issues by just letting them go. Remaining positive was key. At the end of the day, I always tried to remember that Big Brother was all about having fun so I tried to stay out of the drama as much as I could and focus on the next fun game


Question: Who was the worst offender for these traits in the 2013 Big Brother house?

Layla Subritzky: I would say Michael as he never cleared up after himself. He also ate with his mouth open (laughs) I love him though, he's a new bestie. We still joke about his messy ways!


Question: Did you find that women were better housemates than the men in the Big Brother house?

Layla Subritzky: Not necessarily, it really depends who we're talking about as some of the girls were as messy as the boys. It has to be said though, the guys were pretty lazy when it came to the housework, preferring to play cricket and pretty much do anything else to avoid household chores which was sometimes frustrating! Overall, I think us girls were also less smelly. I'm not sure whether it's engrained in us, but women definitely seem to be more conscious of how things look and smell. I think we showered more than the boys!


Question: Why do you prefer to live on your own?

Layla Subritzky: I can say for certain that my house share days are over! I feel like I've been there and done that. I'm living with family at the moment until I move into my own place soon. I'm so looking forward to having my own space and not having to worry about housemate habits.


Question: What would you consider as bad housemate traits?

Layla Subritzky: My biggest bugbears are definitely housemates -never cleaning up after themselves' and -being smelly and unhygienic', I'd have to agree with the Ambi Pur survey findings on this one. What I also find really irritating is housemates staying in their room all the time – especially eating food in their room, it's so unfriendly! Meal time should be a social time. We're all so busy in our daily lives so I think it's really important to sit down during dinner time and take the time to catch-up!


Question: What are your essential good housemate traits?
Layla Subritzky: A flatmate has to be fun and social; they can't take themselves too seriously and needs to pull their weight around the house. At the end of the day, a house share is a communal living arrangement so keeping the place neat and tidy shouldn't fall on one person.


Question: How would you approach the situation of a bad housemate?

Layla Subritzky: I would at first try not to let it bother me – perhaps they are just very busy! But if they continued to be messy and untidy, I would try to be upfront and have a casual chat with them over a glass of wine so it's really laidback! If you don't talk to them about it they might not know that it is annoying you.


Question: Why do men make the worst housemates?

Layla Subritzky: I actually generally prefer to live with men as they are easier to get along with, but I agree that it does have it downsides, especially when it comes to cleanliness. Being messy must be in their nature, (laughs) I probably shouldn't say that, but boys are just like whirlwinds. They always have their minds on the next thing so tend to they leave mess everywhere! I guess I don't mind these things as I like cleaning!


Question: What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in shared homes?

Layla Subritzky: There are a few advantages of house sharing. One obviously is the cost effectiveness of the living arrangement; living in Australia is so expensive these days so if you have a few people contributing to the rent/bills, it is a definite bonus! But I also think the main advantage is the social side of the living arrangement. House share is a great opportunity to make new friends and can be a really fun and positive experience.


Question: What's next for you?

Layla Subritzky: It's a really busy, exciting time. I'm currently working on the launch of my own beauty salon on the Gold Coast in November with the aim of launching another in Sydney in January. I'm also filming for a new TV show which has not been announced yet…watch this space!


Interview by Brooke Hunter