Tenant mixes vinegar into her shampoo to figure out which roommates are using her bath products: 'I knew exactly who they were and I called them out'

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Jul 16, 2025 4:00 PM EDT

Every roommate has a different idea regarding what distinguishes communal and shareable items from personal ones. Some common examples of the former are paper towels, toilet paper, milk, eggs, etc. On the other hand, examples of the latter include electronic devices, items found in an individual's bedroom, and other things of that nature. However,  none of this is an exact science, and there are going to be items that fall somewhere in between these two extremes. If you have a roommate and you are unsure if you can or should use something, it's always best to ask for permission first.

You would think that asking before using would be second nature, but you would be surprised by the audacity of certain roommates with a warped view of reality. If you're living with someone who suffers from main character syndrome, they might straight-up assume that everything in the apartment at least partially belongs to them. Of course, one should avoid living with these types of people at all costs. However, sometimes, these folks reveal their true selves after the fact, as was the case for this author!

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    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • This lady discovered that people were using her shampoo without asking. She probably would have been ok with it if the culprit confessed and chipped in to buy more. However, no one admitted to using her shampoo, so another method of identifying this mysterious individual was necessary. It turns out that mixing her shampoo with vinegar was the right move, since the author was able to immediately trace the scent on the responsible parties… and yes, it turns out there were multiple people at fault here.

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    "Use my shampoo and body wash and deny it? Have fun smelling like vinegar."

    I live in a house off campus with housemates who are my friends. I bought myself shampoo and body wash because I had recently run out of them within a couple weeks which I thought was weird but I didn't really think much of it. I asked my housemates if anyone had
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    used my shower products and nobody said they did. However, this is where I realized I wasn't the only one using my products.
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    Fast forward a couple weeks and I'm running low again. I was keeping an eye on my products and I realized that it was going quick again.
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    The other bottles that were my housemates had been bone dry for a week (I live with 5 other people and there were 3 or 4 empty body washes and shampoos). I knew that someone was using them
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    but I didn't know who. So in my act of petty revenge, I took my bottles, which were on it's last leg, and I added some white vinegar and mixed it around.
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    On a side note, vinegar is actually good for your skin and hair. My plan was to add the vinegar and wait to see who came out smelling like it.
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    Later that day, three of my housemates came out of the shower smelling like vinegar and they didn't say anything. Actually, the whole bathroom smelled like vinegar and one of my other housemates who uses the shower across the hall had pointed it out. I knew
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    exactly who they were and I called them out on it. Best part was that one of them had a date and they were late already and couldn't take another shower. Hope you and your date enjoy the new cologne.
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    EDIT: Wow, I didn't expect this post to be popular. A lot of you are saying that the vinegar smell would disappear after a while and you are right. However, my room is across the the hall
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    from the bathrooms so as far as finding the persons who are using the products, the vinegar still gives off enough scent to clearly see who is using it.
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    Maui MOISTURE Thicken & Restore + 1085 Bamboo Fibers SHAMPOO For Weak, Brittle Hair Densify/Revive/Strength Exotic Bamboo Fibers Rich Castor 011 Lush Neem 011 SULFATE-FREE SURFACTANTS 385ml 13 fl. oz. May
    via Gabrielle Henderson

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

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    Genghis-Don OP Who knows, maybe the date has a thing for vinegar.
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    hungryColumbite. I didn't really know how long a bottle of shampoo could last until I moved out,
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    betahearts. This was excellent and well executed revenge. I keep all my fancy products out of sight for this reason.
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    jlm326 This is good on a few levels. Not only do you get them back for lying and stealing, you know exactly who did it because
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    smell. Then you get to watch them squirm and apologize. They wont take your shampoo again. And the bonus? Buddy had a date ahaha. Good op.
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    Idontstandout. My friend had 3 roommates in college. His food and personal items were often used. He had a
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    talk with everyone, but nobody accepted responsibility. He had his suspicions on which one it might be.
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    He left a little bit of shampoo and conditioner in the bottles, just enough for one use. It was in the conditioner.
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    This was during midterms. No words were exchanged, but one of the guys moved out soon after.
    via Genghis-Don

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petty-revenge-reddit bad roommates petty revenge petty entitled people karma entitled roommates entitled people apartment
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