# How Do You Feel About Housework?



## SeaBreeze

Do you like to do housework, hate it or don't care either way?  Do you feel happy and satisfied when you get a big cleaning job done at home?  Do you ever feel like for the longest time, you've done nothing but tedious household tasks like vacuuming, mopping, laundry, dusting, cleaning over an over again, feeling like you never catch up, and once something's clean, within a week or so you couldn't even tell anymore?

I hate housework, and although I do what I have to, my house would never pass the white glove test, especially with furkids around.  I do feel satisfied when I tackle a cleaning job that was starting to fade on my mental 'to do' list.  But a lot of times I get tired of it all, a good dusting is short-lived, especially where I live with an open field behind me, and dust and dirt being tracked in constantly by two footed and four footed occupants.

How do you feel about housework?


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## fureverywhere

Reflex answer is I hate it. But like you say...sometimes you take on a job and it feels really cathartic. Plus the smell of lemon polish and this floor cleaner called Fabuloso. Everything smells wonderful...then a cat will come in and gack on the freshly washed floor. And I would pay somebody to clean litter boxes.


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## Ruth n Jersey

I might be crazy, but I love housework. I arrange, rearrange cabinets,closets, and drawers on a regular basis. I do believe I have some type of OCD. As I look back I now realize, that at times, my family may have suffered because of it. I never would leave the house for any reason until it was in perfect order. The week before holidays I went into a cleaning frenzy. I am sorry I did that. The kids grow up so quickly, I wish now I had spent more time with them and less time cleaning. Can't undo the past, but do try to enjoy life as it comes with a lot less emphasis on cleaning.


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## Bobw235

Ruth n Jersey said:


> I might be crazy, but I love housework. I arrange, rearrange cabinets,closets, and drawers on a regular basis. I do believe I have some type of OCD. As I look back I now realize, that at times, my family may have suffered because of it. I never would leave the house for any reason until it was in perfect order. The week before holidays I went into a cleaning frenzy. I am sorry I did that. The kids grow up so quickly, I wish now I had spent more time with them and less time cleaning. Can't undo the past, but do try to enjoy life as it comes with a lot less emphasis on cleaning.



We got rid of the house cleaner a few months ago.  She came in once a month.  I told my wife we can do it together and we do a better job anyway.  I don't have a problem with running the vacuum or cleaning the kitchen counters, helping change sheets, etc.


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## SifuPhil

I think every woman should do it, on a daily basis.


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## NancyNGA

SeaBreeze said:


> .... you've done nothing but tedious household tasks like vacuuming, mopping, laundry, dusting, cleaning over an over again, feeling like you never catch up, and once something's clean, within a week or so you couldn't even tell anymore?
> 
> I hate housework, and although I do what I have to, my house would never pass the white glove test..



Your words pretty much sum it up for me.   I absolutely hate it.  Routine, over and over again.  I like to try new things. Even then, once is often enough if I can do it right the first time. That's why I hate painting.   I know I can paint. You just need patience. I have no patience for something that boring. (Especially second coats.)


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## fureverywhere

Shame on you Philly, I had such a pretty French maid costume waiting...just your size


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## jujube

Believe it or not, I LIKE to do dishes.  I have a dishwasher but I haven't used it in over six years.  It works; I just don't like dishwashers.   

As for the rest of the house......let's just say I have really clean dishes.


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## Cookie

I don't do my whole place all in one go anymore, just bits at a time. My place is clean enough and if it gets out of hand, I do it.  In younger days I was a complete clean freak, but not anymore.


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## SifuPhil

fureverywhere said:


> Shame on you Philly, I had such a pretty French maid costume waiting...just your size


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## SeaBreeze

SifuPhil said:


> I think every woman should do it, on a daily basis.



I guess you're right Phil, it can be glamorous and very rewarding.


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## fureverywhere

Ahhhh, Back in the day of The Stepford Wives and sparkling bathroom mirrors were just zen yeah...


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## SeaBreeze

We can always adopt a kid like this, seems to know his stuff.


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## fureverywhere

Nope, my girl is past that...Holy Crap


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## jnos

Cookie said:


> I don't do my whole place all in one go anymore, just bits at a time. My place is clean enough and if it gets out of hand, I do it.  In younger days I was a complete clean freak, but not anymore.


This is me too. Saturday was cleaning day come "hell or high water."  Thankfully there's a lot less cleaning--and cooking and laundry--with no kids at home. I also care less or am just lazy--may 50% each! layful:


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## GeorgiaXplant

I don't mind it, but since retiring as a cleaning fairy my place usually just gets a lick and a promise even though here in Lilliput it only takes about 15-20 minutes max. A deep cleaning takes about an hour or so.

One thing I truly loathe doing is dusting. Ugh.


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## Jackie22

I too can have a touch of OCD when it comes to my house cleaning, but it gives me a feeling of order and well being to have a clean house.


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## Arachne

SifuPhil said:


> I think every woman should do it, on a daily basis.









 thats how I feel lol..


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## BlunderWoman

housework ....phooey


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## Linda

I don't like housework at all.  I don't like a dirty house either so I do what I have to do.  Hubby helps a little.  I also clean my daughter's house when I go down there as they don't want a stranger coming in.  Her house is a lot bigger than mine but they keep it up real well so it's just cleaning not trying to figure out where to put stuff like I run into here.  The big problem at her house is a huge dark corduroy sectional.  It gets cat and dog hair on it and they just take a damp cloth and wipe it off.  That takes me about 20 minutes and I hate that job so I'm going to take some of the $ she pays me and buy some sort of a hand held vacuum that says it's good for pet hair.  Do any of you have that problem?  Any advise on what I should buy?  I was looking at something called a shark that had a photo of a dog on the box so I'm thinking of going with that one.    I only have leather stuff in my house but she said their cats would ruin it if they did.  I don't allow cats in our house.


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## RadishRose

I love my little home and like it clean and attractive. I'm not crazy about housework, but I do it.


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## FazeFour

My name is Faze, and I'm a housework addict. There. I said it. And I realize I will always be a housework addict, but I can control it. I swear I can. I can put down the feather duster whenever I want. I have tapered-off. I've tried going cold-turkey, but it just made me crazy. Within a week, I was even a little homicidal. So, one day at a time. Baby steps.


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## GeorgiaXplant

FazeFour said:


> My name is Faze, and I'm a housework addict. There. I said it. And I realize I will always be a housework addict, but I can control it. I swear I can. I can put down the feather duster whenever I want. I have tapered-off. I've tried going cold-turkey, but it just made me crazy. Within a week, I was even a little homicidal. So, one day at a time. Baby steps.



Faze, you have described me in retirement. Described me perfectly. I loved being OCD in somebody else's house! All my "somebody elses" loved it, too


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## FazeFour

GeorgiaXplant said:


> Faze, you have described me in retirement. Described me perfectly. I loved being OCD in somebody else's house! All my "somebody elses" loved it, too



So then you know when I say can put down the feather duster whenever I want, I'm lying. It's what we do. But I'm only lying to myself, so, really, who am I hurting? layful:


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## GeorgiaXplant

I know you're lying; you know you're lying; the feather duster knows you're lying! LOL


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## AprilT

I view it as a necessary evil.  But thank goodness for under bed space and large closets for when company is coming.


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## Lon

No Problem for me with just a two bed two bath apartment and living alone. It's a mild form of exercise for me as well. I am a neatnick so no need to hire it done.


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## Ruthanne

I don't like cleaning house!!  I haven't liked it in a long time.  It is never done...as soon as you dust the dust comes back in a few days.  I hate doing laundry, too.  I had someone come over and clean for me and he didn't do a very good job.  So I am doing it myself again.  At least I am doing it again.  Once I let it go for about 6 mos!!  What a dusty place I had!! LOL


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## fureverywhere

I will do everything else...just someone to do litterboxes, human bathrooms and the laundry holy crap the laundry...my girl thinks socks will walk to the washer on their own, they just might. The boy does his wash and that's it...the towels are howling and nope...that's for Mom's...hubby is easy. Someone to do ALL the wash...awesome!


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## Ken N Tx

My wife said that there was not enough time in the day to get her housework done!! So I set her alarm an hour early!! 

The doctor said my swelling will go down in a day or so..


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## debbie in seattle

Housework is housework, gotta do, no one else is going to do it for me.   Have a sis-in-law who complained because it took her 8 hours to clean her house each week.    I started wondering what I wasn't doing.    Figured out a) she likes to complain all the time and b) she's nuts.    Each week she moves her fridge to clean behind it, takes the toilet seat completely off the toilet to clean, takes down her drapes, etc to wash, etc etc etc.   So much more to life to do as in fun things.


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## Ken N Tx




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## AprilSun

I hate housework too especially dusting! I have learned that when I dust, if I turn my oldies music on, I don't think about how much I like being finished. I listen to the music instead while I dust and before I know it, I'm finished.


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## lydiag

I guess I have a 'cleaning day' ingrained in me, and cannot let a Saturday (Friday in the summer when school is out) go by without cleaning!  I don't relish it, but I do like it when it is done (I like clean floors and that polished furniture look).


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## SeaBreeze

I can relate to this every morning!


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## Carla

Used to do it all in one day but now it takes 2-3 to do all the rooms. I keep things reasonably clean and neat but I have to confess, I have had to lower my standards a bit. I don't hate cleaning, it's just one of things we have to do. Dust makes me sneeze.


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## Aunt Bea

I don't like the cleaning but I enjoy the results.

I also believe that a _keep clean_ beats a _make clean_ any day, I do hundreds of little jobs so I rarely have to do any big jobs.

I spot clean while I'm waiting for the teakettle to boil, during television commercials, before I pull the plug on a sink full of hot sudsy water, etc...

Like Morty says, _"How much dirt can we manufacture, very little!".

_


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## Jackie22

A clean house is an ongoing thing that is never finished around here, something to do everyday, I'm not crazy about doing it but can't live with disorder or dirt.


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## dog lover

I hate it, love what it's like afterwards. I do it in small increments all the time so I don't notice so much that I am wasting good time scrubbing stuff. .


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## WheatenLover

I don't enjoy housework. If I could afford it, I'd hire a maid to do it. It isn't a waste of time because a clean and orderly house is one I prefer to live in.  BUT it feels like a waste of my life, mostly because it is never ending and nothing stays done. It takes me longer than it used to. I finally realized that when I allot time for chores, it is never enough because I am allotting time based on how long things took me to accomplish 20 years ago. My stamina is not what it used to be. Apparently I'm not as speedy, either.


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## Warrigal

> BUT it feels like a waste of my life, mostly because it is never ending and nothing stays done.


This how I have always felt about housework. A
nd it is another one of those thankless tasks that no-one notices until you fail to do it.

My standard is the standard of enough. If I think it is clean enough, then it is. If I think it is tidy enough, then so be it. 
Enough is a very flexible standard that leads to mental well being.


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## Aunt Bea

Warrigal said:


> This how I have always felt about housework. A
> nd it is another one of those thankless tasks that no-one notices until you fail to do it.
> 
> My standard is the standard of enough. If I think it is clean enough, then it is. If I think it is tidy enough, then so be it.
> Enough is a very flexible standard that leads to mental well being.



I agree.


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## yula

I agree. I don't like to make the house crispy clean. Making your house too clean and organized makes it seem unnatural.


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## OneEyedDiva

I don't like housework. Amazingly, I did more of it and a better job when I was working than when I retired until recently. I've gotten back into the habit of doing a household chore or two most days so the house stays looking neater and I don't have to do so much at once.  The chore I hate most...doing dishes. It helps to have the countertop dishwasher. Yes, I do feel so much better, so much freer when everything is done and the house looks so nice and neat.  For the past several years, I was spending way too much time social networking and not enough time doing housework. Several of my online friends suffered from the same affliction.  LOL For the first time in years, my dresser has been free of what I call "the creeps" (stuff that just wound up there) for about two months. I've found a better way to organize the crap that used to wind up on my dresser. I warned my husband I tend to go from one extreme to another. My "neat freak" has come out.

Aunt Bea posted about Swiffer.  I love my Swiffer which is such a big help. I have the wet and dry but mostly use the dry ones. The wet ones don't work that well on tile floors and really need a rinse after using.


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## Wilberforce

I am extremely picky but am getting so cleaning is getting too hard for me now especially some things. I have looked for a good cleaner but I find they do a quick skim over job not a real clean and I can do that myself. I am also very very organized so can find anything quickly. I hate chaos it is very soul destroying for me.


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## Butterfly

I absolutely loathe housework.  IMHO it is neverending, unfulfilling, boring, depressing, soul-deadening, and it makes my joints hurt worse.  I'm going to see if I can find someone to do it for me mostly because doing it really bothers my arthritic shoulders and knees and I never really get it done anymore.


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## Pappy

We picked this up the other day. Weights 12 pounds and is replacing the old clunker. Much quieter and a whole lot lighter.


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## Wilberforce

But it has a cord


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## Wilberforce

I wish I could find a good cleaning lady


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## Buckeye

Housework is no problem for me.  I just open up the doors and turn on my leaf blower to do the dusting and the floors, then I use my pressure washer to clean the bathrooms.  No problemo.


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## Butterfly

Great ideas, Hoot!


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## Butterfly

Jeannine said:


> But it has a cord



What's the big problem with a cord?  Just plug it in and throw the cord over your shoulder.  I've got one of those long, outside-type orange heavy-duty extension cords so I don't have to keep plugging it in and unplugging it.  I've always found the cordless ones don't have nearly as much power.


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## Pappy

Butterfly....I was wondering the same thing. We had a cordless before and it was worthless. I'll still rely on good old wall power.


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## HazyDavey

Pappy said:


> We picked this up the other day. Weights 12 pounds and is replacing the old clunker. Much quieter and a whole lot lighter.



Pappy, that's the same vacuum cleaner I just bought a few weeks ago. So far I'm really happy with it!  :eagerness:


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## Pappy

So are we, Davey. Lot of power for a smaller machine.


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## debodun

Something for which I have little enthusiasm. I do it when it becomes absolutely necessary (like wading ankle-deep in tracked cat litter). Of course, I live alone in a 2500 sq ft Victorian house, most of which is unused as a living space.


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## SeaBreeze

We bought a lightweight pricey Oreck years ago, not only did it not pick up dirt very well, but it burned through belts for the light use it got, like crazy.  A free hand held came with it that I use to do the stairs and corners, and any cat litter that's tracked around. I had a Dustbuster once that was pretty useless, rechargeable, didn't pick up much of anything.


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## debodun

Housework? What's that?


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