We’re not going to completely generalise and say that no one likes housework. There are sure to be some people out there who love it and who get excited when their home shows signs of needing it done. A lot of people, however, dislike housework with a passion. They would much rather be doing anything else, or even nothing at all, instead of dragging the vacuum cleaner around or dusting their bookshelves.
Yet it still needs to be done. If it isn’t, you’ll have to live in a mucky house, and that can be bad for your health (both physical and mental), and it will be embarrassing if anyone were ever to see it. Not to mention the fact that after the housework is done, you do tend to feel pretty good because your home looks so much better.
So what is the answer? If we hate housework but have to do it, is there any way to make it better? The answer is yes. Read on to find out how to make housework easier so that you can benefit from a clean and tidy house and not have to do quite so many chores.
Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels
Set A Timer
Have you ever noticed how much more you can get done when you have a deadline looming? Due to the way the mind is wired, if we have a lot of time to get something done, it may not get done at all. If we have a limited amount of time, we’re often more productive. That’s where this idea of setting a timer comes in.
By setting a timer for just 15 minutes and only doing housework during that time, you’ll be amazed at how much you can get done. You can set the timer a number of times a day at various times and have quick bursts of tidying and cleaning, and it won’t be long before you’re finished. Once the timer sounds, you don’t have to stop working if you’re in the middle of something or you’re keen to continue – keep going if you can.
Multitask
These days, multitasking is a dirty word and something we’re not encouraged to do anymore. The theory is that rather than getting more done, we’re actually less productive, and the results are lower quality too.
That might be the case with most things, but multitasking is a great way to work when it comes to housework. If you have a lot of ironing to do, for example, watch the next couple of episodes of whatever you’re bingeing. If you need to vacuum, listen to some music. Got a kitchen and bathroom to clean? Download an audiobook and get into the story. The cleaning won’t feel like such a drag, and you can enjoy yourself while you’re doing it.
Buy Easy To Care For Furniture And Accessories
Every six months or so, it’s a good idea to have a deep clean of the house instead of the usual, much less thorough one. This involves cleaning your curtains and sofa cushions, getting inside the oven, clearing out the fridge and the kitchen cupboards, and much more. Essentially, anything you don’t do on a regular basis should be dealt with at this point.
If you have bought furniture and other accessories that are easy to clean or that don’t get too dirty in the first place, this job becomes much less arduous too. Examples include having a self-cleaning oven, wipe clean sofa coverings, and even investing in a cowhide rug which is extremely simple to take care of, among other benefits which you can read about here: https://www.cowhiderugslondon.co.uk/blog/cowhide-rug-top-10-benefits.html.
Go Automatic
What do you have in your home that helps you in terms of your housework and that you wouldn’t be without? Your washing machine and tumble dryer is a good example. Your dishwasher too. But what else could you automate when you need to clean up?
You may have seen that there are such things as robot vacuums. These were once prohibitively expensive, but now there are many more on the market, and not only has the choice improved, but the prices have gone down. A robot vacuum works by roving around the house and picking up debris as it goes. Set it on a timer while you’re at work or watch it do its thing, and you won’t have to lift a finger. Some of them will even mop and sweep as well as vacuum, so all different floor types are covered.
Break It Into Smaller Chunks
When you look around your home and see how much needs to be done, it can be very overwhelming, and this can lead you to not getting started at all. However, if you break the jobs down into small tasks that you can list out and cross off as you go, everything suddenly becomes much easier and much more achievable.
These small tasks could be as simple as cleaning the toilet, putting the towels on a long wash, wiping down the shower screen, emptying the dishwasher, and so on. Take each room at a time and list out the individual parts of the job. You’ll find you get a lot more done in this way than just ploughing on and trying to do as much as possible. It’s even fun to see how much you can do, and it will save you from getting too bored.
It Doesn’t Have To Be Perfect
One of the biggest problems with housework, and one of the reasons it can often feel so daunting and unpleasant, is that everyone wants their house to look perfect. After all, if you’re spending all that time cleaning, the result needs to be an impressive one.
This is too much to ask, and it’s not necessary. Getting the housework done is far better than doing it perfectly. At least you’ll have a clean house to live in and a feeling of satisfaction.
Outsource
For those who genuinely do not want to spend even one minute of their free time cleaning their home, there is something that can be done. It will cost you money, but it also means you never have to push a vacuum around again. The answer is to outsource your housework. Or, in other words, hire a cleaner to do the work for you.
Once upon a time, having a cleaner come in once a week (and sometimes more) was a sign of wealth and upper-class living. Today things are very different; we are all so busy that finding the time to clean up is hard in the first place. Plus, we need to also find time to relax and unwind, to spend time with friends and family, perhaps to study, to go out and have fun, and so on. Cleaning is a chore that really does get in the way.
Finding a reliable cleaner to help you is something more and more people are doing, and it’s a great idea. You don’t have to worry about using up half your weekend cleaning your home, and because the cleaner you choose should be experienced with good references, they will often do the work to a much higher standard than if you did it yourself (partly because of lack of practice and partly because of lack of interest on your part).
Even if you don’t have a cleaner in your home on a regular basis due to costs or other reasons, you can still outsource some of the work, such as having a window cleaning or someone to do your ironing for you.
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