Lazy Man’s Guide To Making Housework A Bit More Pleasurable

If I say that no one likes to clean up the house, I bet I could get an empathetic nod from 99% of the readers. While some people may be diligent in keeping the home squeaky clean, most of us shiver at the thought of having to clean up the mess that’s been taking over the home over the past days or weeks.

Cleaning is due – what (not) to do?

So, the inevitable cannot be postponed anymore: you have some visitors coming by, and you see yourself forced to do what you’ve been dreading for some time. What to do? The way I used to do it was to arm myself with a broom and a fierce look and start hacking through the pile of “things” (which could have ranged from dirty socks, my cat’s toys, my bicycle repair tools, a pair of pants etc.) covering the floor. I quit that method a while back, as it had two major disadvantages. The first one was that I couldn’t just sweep them off the floor and throw them in the trash, I already have mismatching socks. The second was that I mumbled all through the work, aggravating the mood that didn’t really need any aggravation.

The easy way

One of the first things I learned is that as long as you keep it simple, things will be easier down the road. I keep just the furniture I need in the room, I keep things where they belong (mostly), and I minimize sock usage by wearing sandals (just kidding). Doing this is a lot easier on the cleaning as I can just sweep the floor and maybe mop it every week or so without having to spend two hours collecting things off the floor. I also try to keep the kitchen counter clean of things I won’t need often - that way, I don’t have to remove them or wipe between, underneath, play chess with them etc.

Doing the laundry is yet another thing which used to scare me, and I bet there are still a few people who think that their washing machine is made of pure evil. I found that having fewer clothes means I simplify this otherwise pleasurable activity, because even though I have to wash them more often, I don’t have to stare at the huge pile of dirty clothes and not have a single pair of socks to wear. I do the laundry one time per week, using a 1 hour and 20 minutes program, and that’s it.

Zen style cleaning

While I’m not an adept of staring at the ceiling for hours, I found that trying to truly focus on the task at hand increases both efficiency and mood. I don’t swear every time I start cleaning, and with a bit of concentration I do the job a lot faster. Another thing that works for me is music, but nothing too soft or slow, lest I fall asleep with broom in hand.

The above mentioned tips work for me and they help me keep the home decently clean without feeling miserable while doing it.