Everyone seems to have that one chore that they cannot stand. The one they put off as long as possible until it is impossible to ignore. It probably pops right into your head when you think of your litany of household chores or errands.
When we were first married, my husband was quick to share his most hated household task: laundry. He essentially said he would be willing to do anything else as long as I would do laundry. I don’t really know what specifically he doesn’t like about the task. If I had to guess, based on my own feelings and those of my daughter who has recently started doing her own laundry, it’d be the folding and putting away part. But, really, I don’t mind doing laundry as long as no one else minds that it may not get folded and returned to drawers the same day.
When we had the discussion, I could not really come up with something I disliked so much that I could commit to it being the one task I would (almost) never do again. I wasn’t a huge fan of doing the dishes but using gloves makes it less bothersome (a now mandatory accessory since I’ve developed eczema on my hands).
More recently I have “ughed” at menu planning. I don’t have a strong preference on what I eat each day – I eat the same couple of breakfasts and lunches all week long without issue. Variety is not that important to me. But dinner with two young kids is a challenge when you know they “will not care for” most of what you prepare. I think I add stress to it because I know my husband likes food more than I do and I want him to be happy with whatever we’re eating. I do know that he’d be fine showing up to the table to whatever was prepared so I make this task worse than it should be (especially since we discuss the menu together until it’s complete). I think we both have the same feelings about the process. Once we have a menu it’s fine. Neither of us have an issue cooking as long as there’s a plan in place. It’s just getting there.
This week, though, I think I finally found my most loathed chore: cleaning the shower. I don’t mind cleaning the sink, tub or toilet. What is it about the shower? It might be that it’s usually still wet from the last shower when I go to clean it. Removing soap scum from the shower door is a pain. Moving the wet bottles of shampoo and soap around while I clean the shelves gets me sometimes. Getting rid of all the grime between the wall tiles (this is about equal whether it’s real or faux grout) and on the rubber seal of the door and the various other cracks where moisture likes to sit can at times be tedious. Having typed my issues onto the page, dealing with all of the wetness seems to be the underlying issue. For some reason it really bothers me and I would not miss not having to deal with it ever again.
So there’s my current worst chore. I’m sure if I hear others’ answers it might change. I’ve definitely had worse tasks (like cleaning poop out of the carpet during potty training) but it (thankfully) was not a task I had to tackle each week for perpetuity. Please share your least favorite chore with me so we can commiserate together about being responsible adults.
Megan Byrd 