I've been divorced for a decade or so now, so I've had plenty of training in the domestic area.
It hasn't been much of an issue the past 3 years or so, as my companion pretty much takes care of the bulk of our domestic chores. However, as some of you may have read, thats all coming to an end tomorrow, and I'm back to being a bachelor yet again; at least for a while.
Anyhow, when it comes to domestic chores, I have to admit I'm pretty lazy. Unfortunately, I can't stand living in a pig sty. So, I've come up with a few things that make my life a lot easier, and still keep my place pretty immaculate.
Bathroom: Many will admit this and the kitchen needs to be the most clean areas of any living environment. Filthy bathrooms are not only gross, but can be quite embarrassing should you have female company. Heres the lazy way I keep mine clean:
1) The toilet is something most people loath to clean. Me, I don't mind; it's a piece of cake.
I use these Clorox tablets to keep germs and what have you vacant in the bowl and tank. These little guys are a bit expensive, but they are the only ones that really work. They contain a bromine compound, and I'm not aware of any germ, bacteria, or virus that can withstand it's contact.
After I take a leak, I have no trouble using a piece of toilet paper to free the rim of any "splashings" or what not.
On Saturdays I toss in some Comet, and let it sit while I change my laundry from the washer to the drier. Then I run the toilet bush around the inside of the bowl, and wipe down the outside with a rag; mostly for semantics.
These 3 practices keep my toilet pretty much immaculate, and I rarely need to do anything else.
2) Nobody wants to brush their teeth over a sink full of hair, 3 days worth of toothpaste, or soap scum; its just plain sick. No big deal. I make sure to rinse these things down the sink in the morning before I leave for work. When I come home in the afternoon, I take a shower, so when I strip down, I simply use my work shirt to wipe off the vanity and inside the sink, then into the hamper with it.
3) Same goes for the tub. Nasty hair, scum, mineral deposits, mildew and whatever is simply unacceptable. I take 2 showers a day usually. So at the end of each shower, I use the Arm & Hammer Clean Shower product to keep things tidy throughout the week. On Saturdays, I thoroughly clean the shower, which only takes about 5 minutes.
I use those carpet things in front of the tub, sink, and toilet, and the same on the toilet lid and tank top. All of these goes into the laundry on Saturday. I also keep one of those glade freshers in the bathroom; I like the Fresh Linen" scented ones.
Believe me, you could eat off any surface in my bathroom, and it costs me less than 10 minutes a week to keep it pristine.
Kitchen:
1) I use a dishwasher, and have enough plates and silverware to last me a week. On Saturday, the dishwasher is full, so I run it while I spend my 10 minutes cleaning the tub.
2) I bar-b-que at least 4 or 5 nights a week, so theres little in the way of pots. In any event, after I eat and rinse my stuff off for the dishwasher, I clean the pot(s) and pan(s); takes all of 5 minutes or so.
3) I have 7 kitchen towels that cost me about $0.50 each at the dollar store. At the end of each night, I use 409 on all the counter surfaces, stove top, inside the microwave, and the fridge. Then I wipe down any spills that may have hit the floor. All this takes less than 2 minutes and in the clothes hamper the kitchen towel goes. Oh yeah, I keep one of those "stick-ups" air fresheners in the clothes hamper as well.
I never really spend any time in the living room except to eat. Pretty much the only TV I watch is while I eat, and I do so at the coffee table. I have my trusty place mat for my meal, and when I'm finished, it's wiped down and set on the kitchen counter for tomorrow night.
The Floors in my living room and bedroom are carpeted. Since everybody takes their shoes of on the mat at the door, very little dirties up the carpet. Usually on Wednesdays and Saturdays I run the vacuum for about 5 minutes or so, and its all cleaned up.
I also keep my handy "Fresh Linen" glade air deodorizers plugged in a wall of each the living room and the bedroom.
The only place in my apartment that really tends to clutter a little is the computer niche. Here is where I live most of the time. I keep the desk generally dusted and free from ashes. I tend to smoke a lot at the PC, so I have the biggest Hepa air purifier I can find sitting right next to me. This thing runs 24 hours a day.
I admit, I might leave a glass on the desk overnight, or the full ashtray there till I get home the next day. I try to keep this area pretty tidy, but it does get a little neglected. On Saturdays, it's completely straightened out when I dust.
So thats about it. I spend 2 hours on Saturdays doing my laundry, and the other stuff reserved for that day. It's all done in that 2 hours. Two hours a week is nothing for a lazy bachelor such as myself, to keep his place spic and span all week long. I never have to worry about what somebody thinks when they come into my place, and like I said, I can't stand a cruddy living environment. Believe it or not, I'm a bit more civilized than that.
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