I absolutely HATE washing dishes.
I happened to marry someone who’s “old school” and doesn’t think the dishwasher does a great job. Well, Sir, mine did a great job before we got married. But, that’s another story for another day.
Recently, my husband went out of town, so I decided to surprise him. I bought scrubbers, brushes, water stain removers, and a bunch of bath accessories for “Operation Spruce Up.” The day he left, I was in the bathroom sweating, scrubbing the shower walls. I also spot-cleaned the shower curtain and washed the rugs.
Two days later, scrubbed all the base boards, toilets, and floors. Then, I started adding my bath accessories, like a new shower caddy and counter organizer. I was so proud.
There was one problem.
Every one of these days, there were dirty dishes in the sink.
I don’t understand why he left them there. He knows how I hate dishes. I’d been cooking in the oven with foil and eating on paper plates. (I’m skilled at maneuvering around my dysfunction.) Finally, FIVE days later, I washed the dishes and cleaned the kitchen. I knew some time around the first base board that a blog post was in the making. Here’s why.
I have a system and a preference, and I’m curious to know whether anyone else has similar ones. See, I’m really good at doing the “thankless” jobs. Cleaning toilets is a “thankless” job, but I have no problem with it. It doesn’t matter if no one notices, or says ‘thank you.’ I clean the toilet just for me and I don’t get anxiety if someone uses it after I’m done.
On the other hand, if I clean the kitchen, take-out and restaurant menus should be on deck for at least 48 hours.
I love cleaning the bathrooms. While I don’t do these deep cleanings often, I’ve been known to get up and clean the bathroom at any time. Maybe it’s because I have more control over making the mess in the bathroom and find it easier to clean. Or, perhaps it’s that I like to keep things tidy for quick clean-ups, while my spouse likes to focus on one thing at a time.
For example, I wash dishes as I cook so clean-up at the end of the night is quick and painless. But should he get interrupted between the cooking/eating phase and the cleaning phase, those dishes may be there a while. Like days. And I will be eating out to avoid the whole mess.
However, when he cleans, everything shines. Except maybe the microwave. The point is, he doesn’t mind cleaning or how long it takes. He has his own groove.
My groove? Do a little each day to avoid having frequent big cleaning projects like the one I did last week.
So, what’s your groove? Anyone have cleaning dysfunctions similar to mine? Since we’ll likely have guests at some point in the coming months, we may want to form a support group.