musings | housework

today i want to talk about housework. no one really loves its per-se, but we all do it for fear of being featured on "hoarders: buried alive."*

my housework dislikes |

sweeping: i can't stand when the dust bunnies catch in the bristles of the broom. then you undoubtedly have to use either your hands or your feet to pull it all out. blech!

the bathtub: maybe because this was always my chore growing up, but i hate scrubbing the tub. i find it incredibly difficult and so very tiresome.

bathroom sinks: it totally grosses me out to clean sinks. if i use a paper towel, i'm less disgusted because i can toss it in the trash - but then i feel bad for the environment. but when i use a washcloth, i have to then clean all the gunk out of the material! two jobs in one :(

my housework likes |

vacuuming: there is something entirely satisfying about picking up all the debris on a carpet and leaving those delightful vacuum lines.

clutter removal: it's not considered a real "chore" but clutter removal is a surefire way to create a cleaner look. i'm convinced that if i put everything back in its place, nobody will even notice the dust!

mirrors and glass: i feel like an artist when i windex. after i'm finished and it's all sparkling clean, i literally feel like i created that pretty mirror myself!

likes and dislikes aside - i often endeavour to put aside whole days to clean my house. this stems from a lifelong habit of what i refer to as "build up and clear up." for about a week and half, my home becomes super messy. i pull things out, but don't put them away. i make a meal, but forget to wash the dishes. while running late in the morning i throw things on counters and floors!

and when i get to a point where my spaces are a complete mess - suddenly i can't think, or work or create - until it's all cleaned up and reorganized! so i clean. and organize. jon is the exact same way. and then we don't put anything away, or wash the dishes, or pick up our clothes off the floor. and as you can see...it's a vicious cycle! and i have no idea how to get out of it. will we be like this for the rest of our lives. any tips?

*just a light joke - i totally get that hoarding is a mental disease.


  1. When I was living in an apartment while going to college, I would get in the mood to clean, and then I'd be ON A MISSION. Scrubbing the tub? I wouldn't stop until it shined. I have to be motivated to clean, and when I am? Boy, do I clean.

    But now I'm home and my mom does it. ;P

  2. That's the best part about being married...he does everything that I hate to do :) I definitely do more work than he does, but not having to wash the dishes or mop the floors definitely makes up for it!

  3. I don't mind the actual sweeping but yes the cleaning out of the bristles totally grosses me out! YUCK. Cleaning the bathtub/shower is the worst though. My most dreaded chore. I feel the same way about vacuuming and glass cleaning!

    I'm a compulsive straightener and a firm believer that when things are neat/uncluttered, they feel cleaner. This drives my husband crazy because I am constantly picking up his piles of stuff and putting it away where it can't be seen. ;-)


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