Vegan Partner moving in. What can I do?

First, this is super considerate of you to be so accommodating to her lifestyle! I've semi-lived with my omnivore partner and the little things that he did over time definitely did not go unnoticed, and having little considerations for my sensitivities or dislikes went really far!

Do you have cast iron pots? If so, make sure she knows that you've cooked meat in them, since cast iron gets seasoned with the foods you cook in them, so once you've cooked meat in them, they're not really vegan-appropriate anymore.

I would say that fish and seafood is the single most off-putting smell to me as a vegan. Bacon is also a smell that lingers in the air after cooking, so if you decide to eat any of those foods, I'd recommend waiting until she is out of the house and then really airing out the kitchen afterwards. I think everything else in the kitchen has been covered already, so I'll talk about some household stuff that might not have been brought up yet.

First of all, leather or suede couches are not vegan. If you have one, consider getting a slipcover so she doesn't have to sit on leather if it makes her uncomfortable. Same thing with cars. When I'm visiting someone, I don't really make a big fuss about it but if I was living with my partner, I would definitely not want to deal with that every day. Cleaning products are also often not vegan. I have been very happy with the cleanability and quality of Mrs Meyers products, and they can be found at a lot of major grocery stores, so you don't have to go on a hunt for them. They also make hand soaps, which I like pretty well. If you use candles, a lot of them are made with beeswax, but if she's crafty, she can make her own with a plant-based substitute or you can buy soy or plant-based candles. Amazon and Etsy are generally good options for those, or you can choose to diffuse essential oils instead. Method is also a good cleaning option, and they make a vegan body wash that I really like. Consider what else you might use in your hygiene routine that she might share, like face wash, moisturizing lotion, shaving cream, etc, and figure out some vegan alternatives. She might already have her own stuff to use, so this might not be something you have to worry about.

Do you have pets at all? Depending on what they are and what you feed them, that could be a potential issue for her. Generally speaking, most commercial pet foods look nothing like the source, so you should be fine with that, but in the case of a cat, canned food can have quite the odor so keep that in mind if that could be an issue for her.

/r/vegan Thread