Keeping house
5January 7, 2009 by 8junebugs
There are some chores I just loathe.
Vacuuming. That’s a big one. I would rather clean the bathroom — even the toilet — with q-tips than run the vacuum. It’s better now that I have a decent vacuum and don’t feel like I’m hating the time and wasting it, but I still don’t vacuum as often as I “should.”
I don’t mind filling the dishwasher, but I hate emptying it. I’m not a fan of washing dishes by hand, either, but I’m picky about my cookware and stemware, so I’ve learned to live with it.
I strongly dislike dusting. I understand the concept and have a diagnosed allergy to dust, so it makes sense to keep my home relatively dust-free. But you know what happens the minute I’m done dusting something? More dust accumulates. So…blurgh. (It has, however, significantly reduced the number of trinkets, knick-knacks, and other detritus I’m willing to leave out on a shelf. I think long and hard about bringing something home if I’m going to have to dust it.)
On the other hand, I LOVE laundry. Sort of. I like the washing and the drying and the folding and the putting away. I have a block against starting it, though. The time commitment, the sorting, the carrying…it’s just so daunting. I have to fight the inertia with the need for clean pjs, and there are days when inertia wins.
But! Helpful tips from the Unclutterer archive: Ending Laundry Chaos
What chores do you hate? How do you motivate yourself to do them anyway?
eightjunebugs.com 
I LOVE vacuuming… there’s just something about seeing that nicely vacuumed carpeting that makes me all giddy inside. The same with dusting… a freshly Pledged coffee table makes me tingly all over…. laundry, though…. ugh. I get through it by watching bad TV… but mostly I end up watching the bad TV and forgetting the laundry in the dryer. Then Kath does it. 🙂
Mopping. Ugh. Mopping is the bane of my existence.
Vacuuming, however, makes me happy. I love those lines on the carpets, and find odd pleasure out of dumping a ton of cat hair into the trash can when I empty the filter.
Amy! Why do you live so far away? Clearly, we need to engage in a chore swap.
Megan, I find mopping much less onerous with the mighty power of the Swiffer-y wet wipe thingies.
The beauty of the Swiffer wet jet is greatly diminished when your baby crawls around on the freshly mopped floor for five minutes and stands up with black knees….those things don’t actually clean anything!
Cat, maybe you should just let the baby do it…attach the swiffer stick to Esme and let her go!