Least Favorite Household Chore

[PintoBean]

Any type of "wet" cleaning because it hurts my hands - aggravates eczema. Yes, I can wear gloves, but that's if it's planned cleaning lololol.

I just cooked a frittata (sliced potatoes, eggplant, egg, romano cheese, scallion and diced soppressata), and my hands are bothering me right now from washing in between handling ingredients, rinsing the cooking items that can go into the dishwasher, and washing the few items that I couldn't bare to leave laying around (that can't go in the dishwasher).

We have three cats now, and a bigger place, so we have a housekeeper come every other week. The average rate in the area is about $85, but leave it to the 83 year old neighbors to find the $50 lady and pass us her info!!!! And I quote, "We've been paying $50 for 30 years and we used to live in a place with 7 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms! This is much smaller...She retired and I found another lady who's baby got sick, so she couldn't clean anymore, so her husband gave me his cousin's name, and Larry is so pleased! He says the bathroom's never sparkled more!" For $50 it takes her on average 2.5 hours to clean top to bottom. She's very good with my cats, which is so important to me. The biggest compliment I ever got was when she asked me "where's the cat's 'sand'?" YAY! I've been doing a good job with the litterbox, then! hahahaha

 

[telephone89]

Dishes.

I love cooking, but I hate the clean up after

 

[momhappy]

Putting away laundry
I don't mind the whole laundry process, but I loathe putting it away. I guess that's why the counter in my laundry almost always has stacks of clean, folded, but not-yet-put-away laundry on it

 

[telephone89]

Putting away laundry
I don't mind the whole laundry process, but I loathe putting it away. I guess that's why the counter in my laundry almost always has stacks of clean, folded, but not-yet-put-away laundry on it

At least you fold it!

 

[kenny]

People fold laundry?

 

[Queenie60]

I have a housekeeper 2 times per week however there are still quite a few chores to be done between her visits. I do not like cleaning out the fridge as it seems everyone leaves their leftovers and other things that I am responsible for cleaning. I also do not like wiping down the ovens after the self - cleaning cycle is finished. Yuk to both!!

 

[CJ2008]

Putting away laundry
I don't mind the whole laundry process, but I loathe putting it away. I guess that's why the counter in my laundry almost always has stacks of clean, folded, but not-yet-put-away laundry on it

momhappy you and I would not be good for each other hahaha

I hate folding laundry too! It piles up for several days if not even a week sometimes before I put it away.

Washing and folding are just fine! Actually I love folding in front of the TV. It's mindless and I can do two things at once.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Every task in our household is mine. I don't want them but I apparently own them. I receive no help. At all.

Naturally/therefore, I dislike all household chores and am beginning to hate them.

I had a house cleaner and it worked out for a while, but schedule changes and property damage...I let them go.

Sorry, this is a vent but suffice it to say, I dislike them all equally!

cheers--Sharon

Sharon, I too own all of them. Ugh. I do give him a bit of a pass, as his hours are long & hard.

He will help from time to time with dishes, or vacuuming in-between cleaning ladies--he does take out the trash & some out door maintenance--we have a lawn crew during the summer.. I don't mind bathrooms, laundry, or mopping. Hate vacuuming & dusting.

Cooking, cleaning, bills, money management, tax prep (collecting & taking to accountant), groceries, laundry, almost everything it takes to maintain a household I do. He has no clue what is in the house account. I even get our cash. He's got it made.

We have had cleaning help most of our marriage. They can be a blessing--right now am trying out a new crew, not sure our idea's of 'clean' synch--time will tell.

Sarah

While I never make resolutions--I think 2016 is the year to divest myself of all these onerous tasks. I have a suspicion I will be wallowing in it --literally and figuratively!

Good luck on your new cleaners; as over the years that is what I have found much of it to be....luck.

cheers--Sharon

 

[december-fire]

People fold laundry?

Kenny,

Prepare to be shocked, awed and have your life changed by two words!

Marie Kondo
Author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up; the Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
and Spark Joy; an Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up

You're welcome!

 

[Amber St. Clare]

People fold laundry?

Yes, what is this strange ritual of which you speak?

 

[Maria D]

I hate dusting light fixtures and ceiling fans. I dread that time every 10 years or so when I know I can't put it off any longer.

 

[december-fire]

I hate dusting light fixtures and ceiling fans. I dread that time every 10 years or so when I know I can't put it off any longer.

 

[dk168]

Cleaning, hence I have helpers to clean my house.

DK

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I HATE to mop and vacuum stairs.

 

[kenny]

People fold laundry?

Kenny,

Prepare to be shocked, awed and have your life changed by two words!

Marie Kondo
Author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up; the Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
and Spark Joy; an Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up

You're welcome!

Ah Dang!
In my dreams.

 

[Jambalaya]

Putting away laundry
I don't mind the whole laundry process, but I loathe putting it away. I guess that's why the counter in my laundry almost always has stacks of clean, folded, but not-yet-put-away laundry on it

momhappy you and I would not be good for each other hahaha

I hate folding laundry too! It piles up for several days if not even a week sometimes before I put it away.

Washing and folding are just fine! Actually I love folding in front of the TV. It's mindless and I can do two things at once.

YES, the putting it away! I don't mind the rest of it but what is it about the putting away? Maybe because you keep having to trek to different rooms over and over.

If you don't fold, you can only fit half as much stuff into the drawers. When I say I fold my laundry, I don't mean that it's elaborate and perfect like in a store. I just mean that pairs of panties are folded in half instead of everything screwed up in a ball, and sweaters and T-shirts are folded lengthways then in half, and socks are lain down straight on top of each other. I once lived with someone who literally just screwed all those things up like used Kleenex and put them into the drawers, which is such an inefficient use of space.

 

[Jambalaya]

I think my most hated chore is probably cleaning the toilets, followed by cleaning the living room. There's so much stuff to maneuver round in the living room somehow, even though it's not very cluttered. The kitchen is much easier to clean with its straight surfaces.

I once had a cleaning company for a few months when I had a very busy job. Three small pieces of jewelry totally vanished around that time and I've even moved house twice since then. They never showed up and weren't anywhere in the place. I didn't realize until much, much later. They weren't too expensive but were nice. Also, I found that I had to straighten up and put everything away before she came so she could clean, since she couldn't really tidy away for me, and I had to set out all the equipment for her (bucket, mop, vacuum and other stuff, even though she did have some of her own stuff too), make sure I had cash in the house for tip, etc (I usually use cards for everything) and it was basically another thing I had to organize each week. Might have had her once every two weeks - it was a while ago. I can't remember how much we paid, but it was expensive. I want to say $80 but I really can't remember if it was for one hour or two. She also wouldn't do laundry but would change the bed if you left fresh linen out on the bed. Anyway, I didn't find it that convenient to have a service, really. Quicker and cheaper to just do it myself. But my place was quite small so perhaps you feel the benefit more with a bigger house.

 

[azstonie]

I frigging hate dusting. And my husband has these effing mineral specimens.

I dont mind toilets but I hate cleaning the shower base and glass enclosure.

I hate that my husband has a messy CAR and he wont let me pay to have our cars detailed

 

[Rockinruby]

Hands down it's cleaning out the litter boxes. I scoop dog poop daily, but that doesn't bother me. DH does the litter boxes frequently so it's a pretty good deal.

 

[hoover]

I hate cleaning toilets -

Oh, and cleaning up the dog's mess when he has an accident in the house. It's not his fault that he has IBS and it's hard to predict when he's going to have an upset that will cause him issues. But geez, when it hits him and I walk into the house and get a whiff or even see it from a distance, it has me dry heaving and crying. Good thing that very little makes DH sick, so he usually gets doody duty

 

[stracci2000]

I hate vacuuming for 2 reasons.
1. The stupid cord is always getting in the way.
2. One of our older cats is terrified of the vacuum. So I hesitate to do it, because I don't want to upset him.

 

[marcy]

My least favorite chore any more is grocery shopping. It's kind of household related.

Most annoying chore is finding dirty dishes stacked up in the sink including glasses and china that can break. I'm like really?

We have a cleaning lady come every two weeks.

 

[Jambalaya]

I hate vacuuming for 2 reasons.
1. The stupid cord is always getting in the way.
2. One of our older cats is terrified of the vacuum. So I hesitate to do it, because I don't want to upset him.

I'm envisioning him wearing little cat-size furry ear muffs!

 

[yssie]

The dishes.
OMG. The dratted dishes.
It's a wretched, never-ending cycle of rinsing, loading the dishwasher, unloading the dishwasher... I detest dealing with dishes so much my DH got me a second dishwasher for my birthday a couple of years ago... and I was thrilled. The theory was one's clean, one's dirty; he's happy: there are never dirty dishes piled up in the sink... I'm happy: no unloading! Just move from one to the other and back again as they get used. Of course, the first dishwasher broke before we installed the second

The cyclic nature of dealing with laundry would bother me... except I don't think I fold it more than once a month. The stuff that needs to get hung up gets hung up right out of the dryer (and I'll be honest, I tend to pick clothes that, um, launder well - leggings and sweaters look just as good even if they've been left in the dryer all week or tossed willy-nilly into the laundry basket) - anything else either gets draped across one guest bed or dumped on the other. Or left in one of the baskets.

We have a housekeeper come in once every couple of weeks. She's fantastic - she deep cleans, she tidies, she mops and steams and vacuums and dusts and polishes and she's worth every penny.

 

[stracci2000]

I hate vacuuming for 2 reasons.
1. The stupid cord is always getting in the way.
2. One of our older cats is terrified of the vacuum. So I hesitate to do it, because I don't want to upset him.

I'm envisioning him wearing little cat-size furry ear muffs!

Poor kitty! His eyes get real big, and he runs and hides under the bed. Then when I come in that room with the vacuum,
he tears out from under there, as fast as his kitty legs can go.
He's an older cat, and kinda sensitive, too. He's my special boy.

 

[Gypsy]

1. Sharon, a huge huge hug to you.

2. My newest kitty is terrified of the vacuum. She was raised in a Petsmart cage so the entire 'house' thing is new to her. The first time we cleaned the carpets (we have a machine so we try to clean them once a month) she didn't come out for two days. We were really worried. It still takes her several hours to come out after the vacuum.

3. I got lucky with my newest house cleaners as they are affordable enough to have them come once every two weeks. The one before was so expensive I could only have them come once every 4 weeks. We really need every 2 weeks though.

 

[purplesparklies]

Putting away laundry
I don't mind the whole laundry process, but I loathe putting it away. I guess that's why the counter in my laundry almost always has stacks of clean, folded, but not-yet-put-away laundry on it

Me too! Drives my husband crazy so eventually he puts ours away. My kids do their own. [emoji106]

 

[iLander]

Putting away laundry
I don't mind the whole laundry process, but I loathe putting it away. I guess that's why the counter in my laundry almost always has stacks of clean, folded, but not-yet-put-away laundry on it

Me too! Drives my husband crazy so eventually he puts ours away. My kids do their own. [emoji106]

Yes. Once a kid reaches 6 years old, he or she should put away their own laundry. Once they reach 11 or 12, I just dump their laundry on their bed and they can fold it if they wish. Even if it's not folded, they have to put it away. They can stuff it in their drawers, if they wish, it's not mom's concern any more.

 

[iLander]

I hate vacuuming. Our dogs just spew hair off their bodies continuously, and it gets tangled in chair feet, meaning I have to pick it off each chair leg. It triples vacuum time.

I've considered spraying one of them down with hair spray to keep the hair stuck on her. Or just vacuuming her little body directly. No amount of brushing or combing helps. And she has actual hair, not fur, so it's super fine and long. Makes little hair tumbleweeds everywhere.

 

[purplesparklies]

Yes. Once a kid reaches 6 years old, he or she should put away their own laundry. Once they reach 11 or 12, I just dump their laundry on their bed and they can fold it if they wish. Even if it's not folded, they have to put it away. They can stuff it in their drawers, if they wish, it's not mom's concern any more.

Agreed! My older son (14) has been doing his and his brother's (10) laundry for a couple of years. Start to finish. I tell him that it is my job as his mother to teach him life skills. For the record, I told him his brother could help with folding but he prefers to do alone rather than be stuck in the laundry room with his brother. He has his brother gather and separate before washing. Works for me!

When I was doing their laundry, I folded or hung up however it came out. If it was inside out, as it was more often than not, that is how it was folded. I wasted too much time turning it right side out before I made that rule. Also, I would do their laundry IF they would simply use their hampers so it is all separated and ready. They refuse. I refuse to go through their rooms and bathroom looking for all their nasty, smelly laundry to collect and separate. When I am doing laundry, I check their hamper. Full? Great! And I wheel it down to the laundry room. Empty because clothes are strewn about? I tell them, "Thanks for volunteering to do the laundry." Drives them nuts. Natural consequences = Mom win!