Trust me, they will eventually clean
Posted
Monday, March 24, 2008 2:37 PM
I'm not sure what most of your husbands are like. Mine likes things clean and straightened up, but he doesn't like to really get down and dirty with his cleaning. He will pick things up and put them where they belong (or where he thinks they belong) but I can forget about him vacuuming corners, dusting, or wiping down the toilet or stove.
I always do the real cleaning. I wipe off the countertops in the kitchen, get on my hands and knees to scrub the filth off the bathroom floor, take the nozzle attachment of the vacuum to the couches, stairs, and corners, clean out the dogs bowls when they got gross, and sweep up the dust bunnies. It's not that my husband expects this out of me, I just am more of a perfectionist than he is. And he never has to worry about doing it because I take the initiative.
However...pregnancy has made me, well, lazy. I don't want to clean. I can't imagine a night of going through paperwork or washing the dishes. I started letting a lot of things go as soon as the pregnancy sickness kicked in, and now that I'm over that stage, I just don't feel like doing much other than sitting on the couch and watching Jon & Kate Plus 8.
This has gone on for about 2 months. Our house was NASTY! It was getting to the point where I seriously contemplated spending the whole next weekend just sterilizing our house. But then on that Wednesday, I came home from work to find my husband cleaning the bathroom. I mean really cleaning it. The rug was even removed for this cleaning event. The dishes were done in the sink. The kitchen countertops and stovetop were both free of crusted food and spilled drinks.
The next day, I came home to my husband vacuuming the living room and couches.
And honestly, his motivation motivates me. So I have picked up the pace again. The reason for my post is that many women think their husbands would choose to live in filth rather than do detail cleaning. I disagree. I believe that men simply have a higher tolerance for dirt and it takes longer for them to feel grossed out in their environment. Since most wives will have already cleaned before men reach their threshold, the men aren't stepping up to the plate.
Try it once. Stop cleaning and see how long it takes your husband/significant other to pick up a mop, dust, or remove that stain from the carpet.