This is my internal empathic guilt speaking, as I've done something like this before. Regardless of the lack of common sense and animosity from your roommate, it would kinda suck if he was using a toilet brush for water bottles.
I'd talk to him completely honestly and contritely, and in person. Ask him if the brush down there is new or if it's been there a while. If it's a new one, apologize sincerely for using the last one for the toilet, and offer up a few dollars for the replacement cost. If it's the old one, apologize sincerely, explain that you assumed no special purpose for it - it was a toilet brush by the toilet, after all - and offer to buy a new one. They're cheap nowadays.
The important thing is to explain with sincere apologies in mind - not "you should have put it somewhere else", not "we've done everything right", just "sorry I used your brush for something else". If he doesn't accept them... well, you did your part to set it right, even if he didn't accept it. If he does accept your apologies, it might be at least a tiny step towards reconciliation.
It's demoralizing, but in my experience it's better to have a clean conscience than to win an argument.
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2/11/11 04:16 (UTC)I'd talk to him completely honestly and contritely, and in person. Ask him if the brush down there is new or if it's been there a while. If it's a new one, apologize sincerely for using the last one for the toilet, and offer up a few dollars for the replacement cost. If it's the old one, apologize sincerely, explain that you assumed no special purpose for it - it was a toilet brush by the toilet, after all - and offer to buy a new one. They're cheap nowadays.
The important thing is to explain with sincere apologies in mind - not "you should have put it somewhere else", not "we've done everything right", just "sorry I used your brush for something else". If he doesn't accept them... well, you did your part to set it right, even if he didn't accept it. If he does accept your apologies, it might be at least a tiny step towards reconciliation.
It's demoralizing, but in my experience it's better to have a clean conscience than to win an argument.