7 Reasons Why a Little Mess Won't Hurt ...

If your house is up for sale, then of course it will need to be tidy and clean. No potential buyer is going to be impressed if they have to tread carefully so they don’t squash your belongings. But for normal family life it’s no fun living in a home that looks like it belongs in the pages of a glossy magazine.

I’m led to believe that there are, as crazy as it may sound, some people who actually enjoy housework. Okay … well, to each their own. Personally I do what needs to be done but no more, as there are so many other, more enjoyable things to occupy your time with. Who wants to do chores when they’ve already been working all day?

The link between the rise in allergies and increased obsession with cleaning is well documented. This is not to say that houses weren’t clean in the past, rather that we go to extremes these days, freaking out if our kids are crawling around on a slightly dirty floor. However, it’s better that they are exposed to some germs so that they build up an immunity.

Cleanliness may be next to godliness, but I say it’s impossible. If you have pets or kids, it’s an ongoing battle. Anyway, who wants to live in a sterile vacuum? No way am I going to run around every day sweeping, washing and polishing. I sweep up the cat hairs regularly and that way the house doesn’t look too bad. I don’t care if it’s not perfect though.

As I said before, who wants to spend their precious spare time doing a mountain of housework? Evenings and weekends should be for relaxing and having fun! Sure, a certain amount of housework and cleaning needs to be done, and you don’t want kids’ toys all over the place, but it’s more enjoyable to play with the kids than nag them about tidying up (best teach them good habits early on!).

While I don’t like to see an inch of dust on everything, I find that dusting can really make me sneeze. Have you ever noticed how, when you clean shelves etc, the dust can be seen in the air (especially when it’s sunny). It can’t be healthy breathing that in! So if anyone knows of any ways of repelling dust so that it doesn’t build up and require removing, do let me know …

We all know that this is the 21st century. So why do adverts persist in trying to portray us as happy little housewives, and implying that if we don’t buy their product we are not looking after our home and family properly? I’m not interested in living up to any ideal, and since I live alone I’m glad that I don’t have anyone nagging me about any perceived untidyness.

Are you a bit of a domestic sloth like me, and what would you rather do than housework?

Top Photo Credit: hwoo.park