Filed under: Storage & Cleaning, Storage & Organization, Cleaning
When I wrote a story about how I hate to clean my house, I never thought that readers would get so fired up about it. Here's what they had to say.You never know who is going to read your stories on ShelterPop. After writing about how I rarely clean my house in "The Case Against Cleaning," (and how I pay a cleaning lady to the dirty work), I got a Facebook message from my 6th grade health teacher who read all about my slovenly ways: "Was just strolling through my aol mail and i suddenly saw a very familiar face- YOU. hope all is well," he wrote.
Photo: Getty Images
Um, embarrassing. Yes, I'm well -- I just don't clean my house much.
But my former teacher wasn't the only one who wrote in. I heard from readers who offered criticism, praise and even tips to get me cleaning.
"I totally agree with the author," wrote Patty Linck Oberg. "I would much rather spend time with family and friends than have an immaculate house. I read a poem that said something like, housecleaning will always wait for you, but your children grow so fast. They remember the good times you had with them, not how clean their house was." Indeed.
One commenter made me laugh when she heard how little I clean: "Makes you wonder how many days the woman wears her panties before changing them," said Beth DeRoos.
Then came Kristine O'Malley-Levy, who called readers out for saying they'd rather spend time with their kids than clean. "If you want to spend every second playing with your child instead of tending to life's normal responsibilities, you will create a child who has learned to be the center of attention. That is not reality and not a good lesson."
Yes, I thought, but cleaning makes me unhappy -- it's not only about spending time with my baby. But Kristine brought it back to the kids when she added an interesting point. She suggests getting your child to help you clean. "To a child," she wrote, "it's all play anyway."
Amanda Regan got me thinking when she saw the fault in my mindset. "Notice that the author describes things SHE will give up or the additional hours SHE will work in order to pay for a cleaning lady," she says. "Even though she is able to contract the physical act of cleaning, the burden still falls on her and not so much her husband." Good point! Why is it assumed that women are responsible for all of the cleaning?
Stacey Staaterman Feeney echoed that when she said that her husband lobbied against hiring a housekeeper. "I let him know I was down with that as long as he understood that I would not be cleaning. He slogged through the housecleaning for about 4 months, then found us a new one." Mary Nelle Clendenen did something similar to her husband. "I went to work part-time in the '90s just so I could afford a housecleaner once a week. Hubby was not happy about it. I told him, fine, here is the Comet, Windex, rags. Never heard another word about it."
Becky Avery Brennan's tongue was sharp. "Personally, I say anyone who won't clean the place they live in is lazy...The fact that the author doesn't change their sheets for 3 to 4 weeks is disgusting. Sorry, but I have worked full-time, taken care of my family & pets, volunteered and still kept my house clean." Ouch. Well, maybe some women are just better at juggling. And you know what else, Becky, I could do it, I'm choosing not to. I'm thankful that I have the choice.
Photo: Getty Images
"I don't like to clean either," wrote Robin Baker. But she offered this tip to make it more bearable: turn on your favorite music and get out your favorite toothpaste. "It cleans, polishes and smells good too. I have used on all types of sinks, showers and a few toilets...It saves time, gets rid of soap scum. Hope this makes you smile." It did.
We love that we inspired some people to hire a cleaning lady. Ann Campbell says, "Don't even have kids or a fussy husband, but I just always have something better to do. This article convinced me to pull the trigger and hire that cleaning person!"
DeCarla Jenkins Steels is currently deployed, but she's already thinking about hiring a cleaning lady when she comes home. She says she actually loves to clean -- Hmm, maybe she just misses home? But she can't stand a dirty house. "But it seems I'm always cleaning and doing laundry with little time for anything else. Sooo, when I return from deployment I'm going to hire a cleaning lady as a reward to myself. Not because I'm lazy or spoiled but I want to spend time doing other things like gardening which I love."
A few housecleaners themselves piped in. "I love all of you spoiled women. You keep me in a job...I love the thank you's I get from all of my clients when they come home to a clean house it makes me feel good that they're so happy about something I've done," writes Nicole Vatala Keesler.
My favorite commenter by far was Lora Cali: "I'm absolutely proud of the author and the other ladies for making this breakthrough! Cleaning sucks, and for most of us women it is an annoying chore! It sucks up your time like crazy and just before you know it you need to clean again. So I say screw cleaning! Don't stress yourself and your family over crumbs on the floor or the mess in the bathroo. Life is too short to waste it.. Happy mother = Happy home!!!"
We couldn't agree more. Thanks ShelterPop readers for your spirited comments!
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