Ah, chores. At least when we were kids, we'd get pocket money in return for them. Now, we have to do them, or live in our own filth. If only there was a way to make them a little bit more bearable. Of course, if you're Mary Poppins, you can just click your fingers and things become clean and tidy but, as hard as I study that Tidy Up the Nursery scene from the film, I can't work out how she does it, so I'm stuck cleaning the house in the normal (boring) way.
Let's not pretend that anyone likes washing dishes. Washing up is a necessary evil, but it has to be done eventually. Some people are better at getting it done and out the way, while others are happy to let it build up until there's nothing left to eat their dinner from, except a measuring jug (and only when the jug is dirty, they'll wash up). I've lived with both types of people and, as someone who falls somewhere in the middle of the two, the former is far easier to live with! If only we could wave a magic wand over it all to make it clean… Ok, so this Dish Wish Washing Up Brush, from I Want One of Those, still requires a bit of elbow grease, (soak your dishes first to loosen that elbow grease, it can be tricky) at least it adds a bit of fun to proceedings. It's £6.99, worth it, if it makes cleaning that mixing bowl a bit more enjoyable. A pair of lovely rubber gloves would make the task more bearable, too. The gorgeous gloves, above, are £8.50 from Bow Boutique and are delightfully trimmed with Cath Kidson print.
Taking out the bins. Surely that's a task that no one likes? There's always the risk of the bag splitting or, worse, dripping manky bin-water over your feet. Then, if you're a weakling like me, there's the challenge of hoisting it into the wheelie bin without tipping the contents down yourself. While these fabulous goldfish bin bags, from Funky Honey, don't actually reduce the risk of any of the aforementioned disasters, at least they're a wee bit more fun than your common-or-garden bin bags. Admittedly, £9 for 12 bags is a bit steep, but as a gift for a fellow refuse-hater, they're a great idea!
Wait! Before you take the bins out, you need to separate the recycling! These brilliant recycling bags from The Holding Company are a big step up from my sad little plastic box. These bright bags are perfect for separating your plastics, glass, paper and metal, and the carrying handles take the stress out of transporting them out to the bin, or your recycling centre. At £14.95 each, they're a great investment into your kitchen or utility room, and they'll definitely make life easier!
What chore do you hate doing? How do you make it more bearable?
I do all of my cleaning on a Friday morning and then I always meet my best mate in the pub for lunch and some beers! Always makes it much more bearable!x
ReplyDeleteThat's a great incentive! I must try something like that.
DeleteI am as typically timetabled about my chores as everything else. I make myself tidy up in 15 minute chunks throughout the week, so it doesn't seem too overwhelming. (I do actually set an alarm so I know when it's time to stop!)
ReplyDeleteI'm far too disorganised to do that, I just do it when it sort of looks like it should be done. 15 minutes chunks sounds pretty manageable, I might give it a go!
DeleteI hate ALL chores and generally make them more bearable by not doing them. This results in my living in squalor for a week or so and not letting any visitors in, before having a massive tantrum and stomping around the house dealing with it. It's not a perfect system, I'll admit.
ReplyDeleteI like the 15 minutes approach. I think I could get on board with that. If I could combine it with the alcoholic reward approach I think my house would look much less like a reality tv case. Alas, I fear my liver may raise some objections.