Household chores suck. There’s nothing exciting about them. Playing some music whilst doing them can make them a bit better. But not much.
Some chores I can live with.
A bit of dusting. Wiping down the kitchen counters. Folding some towels.
Boring but manageable.
There are certain household chores though that 1) increase my stress levels considerably and 2) make me want to abandon adulthood and walk through the wardrobe in my bedroom in the hope that Narnia actually exists.
Here are ten of the worst (in my opinion), ranked from least worst to the absolute worst:
10. Putting the bins out
I’ve come to realise that two of the most-asked questions in my adult life are:
“What bin do we need to put out this week?”
And
“Did you remember to put the bin out?”
On the weeks when the husband and I completely forget about bin day (I’m proud to say that this is rare), we’re usually reminded when we hear the sound of the neighbour’s bin being wheeled out. It’s the only time I’m thankful for any noise that the neighbours make.
And on the weeks when we do remember but aren’t sure what colour bin to put out, we become curtain twitchers, spying on the neighbours to see which one they’ve put out.
To be fair, there are three separate colours and life is busy, so it’s hard to keep track.
It’s definitely not the worst household chore but let’s be honest, it’s one that we can’t be bothered to deal with every single week.
9. Shopping
A simple task that becomes much more stressful when you live in a family of fussy eaters.
Online shopping is a nice convenience, but it takes three times longer than it should due to trying to decide what ingredients will suit everyone and the only time I get to do it is when the kids are in bed.
A day of parenting and other household chores results in feeling exhausted at the end of the day.
Which results in mistakes being made when trying to complete an online shop.
I’m not even surprised anymore when 25 bananas or 20 potatoes are delivered. Or when we discover a solitary packet of crisps instead of the multipack that I intended to order.
I might start asking the husband to complete this task in future.
8. Watering plants
I’ll be honest, I’m terrible at remembering to do this. If anyone buys me a plant as a gift then the poor thing is usually dead within a few weeks. The only time I’m happy with a plant being in the home is when it’s artificial.
Don’t worry, I’m definitely not as terrible at feeding and watering the children. They are more vocal and ask for a snack and drink every hour though, so it’s a bit hard to forget about them.
7. Hoovering
An incredibly boring household task that takes twice as long due to trying desperately not to accidentally hoover up the tiny pieces of Playmobil that always seem to be embedded into the carpet.
And also due to the 3-year-old always wanting to grab the hoover off me and take charge. I’ve given in and started letting him. To be fair, he does a pretty good job of it.
6. Mowing the lawn
Mowing the lawn in the sunshine without the kids around – a quick task that is actually enjoyable.
Mowing the lawn with two small children in tow – a two-hour task that results in grass getting in places you didn’t even think were possible.
5. Tidying the living room
A tedious household chore that is pointless when you have small children. The only thing that makes it worth it is being able to sit in a tidy living room for half an hour with a cup of tea whilst everyone is out and remember what life used to be like. I like to savour the peace and quiet and the tidiness because it won’t be long before the room is littered with pants, odd socks and dinosaur toys again.
4. Washing up
An absolutely awful chore that is boring and takes up far too much time.
And why oh why is it that every time you think you’ve finished it, you discover a small teaspoon in the bottom of the washing up bowl?!
3. Changing the duvet cover
This definitely deserves to be in 3rd place. Every time I complete this task, I feel like I’ve been on some sort of journey.
Mostly because several times when placing my head under the duvet cover I’ve gotten lost and been unable to find my way out of it. I sort of sit there on the bed, stuck in the white sheet looking like a defeated ghost.
And then when I do manage to cram the corners of the duvet into the cover, the kids decide to come in and jump on the bed and ruin my handiwork.
Sigh.
2. Cleaning the toilets
Small children plus a toilet equals a messy situation. Whether it’s poo or vomit, cleaning the toilet is definitely not a pleasant task, but someone’s got to do it!
1. Doing the laundry
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again:
I HATE DOING THE LAUNDRY. There’s too much of it. It’s no surprise that it’s previously been voted one of the worst household chores in the UK.
No matter how big the load of washing is, there’s still a huge pile when I go back to the laundry basket the next day.
It’s like running a marathon that never ends. Running up a never-ending hill. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve muttered “this is f**king ridiculous!” as I’ve tried to cram the biggest load of washing that you’ve ever seen into the washing machine.
The machine does have a self-cleaning function though, so it’s not all bad.
I wonder what bin it is this week?
