Top Three Household Chores I Can't Stand And How I'm Making Them More Bearable

Sponsored Post

My life right now? Pretty darn blessed. I live in my parents' home (true story!) and I have a wonderful helper named Surat who helps with all my housework, which allows me to spend my time doing my freelance work and raising my kids. I am so grateful to have this arrangement.

But in a few months, all this will change. In a few months, I'll be married and I'll be responsible for running my own household again. It's an exhilarating thought - I actually really LOVE running a household and I do miss the organized chaos of daily chores just to make sure my house doesn't end up on a show like Hoarders. But goshdarnit, there are some household chores I just CANNOT stand! So, like a proper control freak, I am already strategizing and planning ahead so that I can make these must-do stuff just a teensy bit more bearable.

  1. Washing Dishes
    I cannot even begin to explain how much I hate washing dishes. The water, the food mixed with water, the soap mixed with the food mixed with water...*cringe*. Unfortunately, my family needs to eat, and they need eating utensils to do that with. So this is a daily chore I can't avoid.
    a) Teach the kids to do their own dishes, which is something I've been trying to teach them only to be undermined by shocked house helpers who can't fathom that kids can and should do their own chores, and/or
    b) Get a dishwasher. I've never actually used one, even when I had them in the houses or apartments I've rented before, mostly because I've been told that it uses up a lot of water and energy. But Dan tells me they're making energy-efficient types these days, so I might just get one!
  2. Hanging Clothes Out To Dry
    Wet clothes are heavy, and I am tiny. Also, my children go through so many clothes in a day because...well, because they're boys and boys are quite gross. And of course, I remember the days when they were babies and there were the assorted spit-up stained onesies, saliva-covered mittens and poop-stained cloth diapers that needed to be hung up to dry every single day. And I hope those days do happen again in a couple of years, but I'd really rather not do all the hanging involved!
    a) Get a dryer. I did have one in the US, but it was a shared one in the basement so all the neighbors had to all take turns, and once, I was almost attacked by a rabid squirrel there. Anyway, same with the dishwasher - I've always hesitated to get one for my own home because I've been worried about energy efficiency, but the other day I used this awesome washer/dryer combo machine at this service apartment I was staying in, and it was all like "4-star awards for energy efficiency", so things have changed and thus my purchasing plans have changed.
  3. Ironing
    I do not know one person who enjoys ironing. I specifically buy clothes that don't need ironing, and I think part of the reason I've never been attracted to "suits" is because I don't want to be ironing suits/shirts. Seriously.
    a) TEFAL's Ultimate 500 Steam Power Iron! Why I love it:
    - Extra Stable Heel so my iron won't fall off the board and hurt my kiddos. 
    - Security Auto Off so it turns off automatically when left idle. On it's side, it will shut off in 30 seconds, and when left standing, it will shut off in 8 minutes. None of the paranoia of "did I turn off my iron??" anymore when I leave the house.
    - Anti-drip mechanism so I don't burn myself with hot water (it's happened before k...I don't have much finesse with ironing, clearly).
    - VERTICAL STEAM CAPABILITIES, which means it can be used like a standing steam iron! This has to be the most awesome part of this iron, for sure. I can use it like a conventional iron AND a convenient standing steam iron. SO cool.
Extra Special Bonus Solution: Make Dan do all the above chores. Thanks, Dan!


  1. “There is no appreciable functional or material difference” between prescription eyewear bought online and bought in brick-and-mortar stores, Timberland Sale Mitchell tells me, but in stores “the cost to the consumer is anywhere from four to ten times more. It turns out that they’re making ridiculous margins on the frames, the lenses and the coatings.” Timberland Outlet online Complete with antiscratch coatings and other pluses, his own glasses cost between $30 and $60 per pair online.


Thoughts, questions, suggestions? Leave a comment here!