Have you ever been frustrated when asking the men in your home to help clean up? It may be your husband, brother, or son, but their response would be most likely the same. “In a minute!”, they’ll say but it actually takes them an hour before they half-heartedly get up and do the chore you’ve set out for them to do.
There can be various theories and opinions why men hate doing household chores. In this article, we try to give some possible explanations why men hate cleaning and some tips on how you can encourage them to do it more and better.
Men may see cleaning as a job for the ladies
Most men may have grown up in a household where they saw their mum or sister doing the chores, while their father went to work. Men who have been raised in a traditional and patriarchal home may have a mindset that cleaning is a woman’s work. They may think that by doing the laundry or sweeping the floors, they’ll be perceived as less masculine.
How do you motivate the men in your house to do their share of chores? Let them know your expectations. This is where a home cleaning list comes in handy. Print out the list, delegate tasks and put the list up where everyone can see them.
Assign the men chores that may require more muscle compared to other tasks such as taking the rubbish out, vacuuming the carpet, cleaning tiled areas and other work that needs heavy lifting. When you tell them that you need their physical strength for these chores, they may be more willing to lend a helping hand.
Men may not see what needs to be done
Men think differently from women. When women see a pile of old photos, they see it as a scrapbooking project or something that needs to be arranged neatly in a photo album. When men see a pile of old photos, they simply see a pile of old photos. They may not see it as clutter or know what to do with it unless they are told.
What can you do? Set some house rules and communicate these clearly to the men in your home. For example, a rule could be to clean and wash up right after eating so that the dirty dishes don’t pile up, or to spend 5 to 10 minutes every night picking up and putting away clutter before bed. These may be little things but when you tell the men exactly what they need to do, they can do it quickly and your home will be much cleaner.
Men may define ‘clean’ differently
For many men, clean may be the absence of obvious dirt or stains. When a rubbish bag splits open in the kitchen floor, they’ll wipe the mess and move on. When food is spilled on the counter tops, again, they’ll wipe the mess and move on. They don’t think about germs, bacteria, or allergens that can possibly come with the mess. If they can’t see it, it’s not there.
How do you motivate them to improve their understanding of clean? Simplify how you would like to get cleaning done. If possible, break it down into one to two steps. For example, spills on the floor can be cleaned by step one, wipe the spill away with a rag cloth and step two, apply disinfectant to the area and wipe with a clean cloth. Men like doing things straightforwardly. If you can show how simple it is to be thorough in cleaning any mess, chances are they’ll be more inclined to do it.
Keep in mind, men can’t do all the tough cleaning jobs
Yes, ladies think the men in their home are strong and capable, but remember that they have their limits too. When was the last time your carpet had a detailed clean? If you haven’t had your carpet professionally cleaned in 12 months or more, they won’t be able to vacuum it clean. Or do your tiled areas have unsightly dirt and grime that can’t be removed? In these cases, pure muscle and heavy lifting just may not be enough.
For cleaning jobs that need professional carpet cleaning or tile and grout cleaning, it’s best to call in the experts. The team at Wizard offers steam carpet cleaning that removes stain, dirt and grime that may be hiding deep in the carpet fibres, giving your carpet a thorough clean. We also offer tile and grout cleaning, rug cleaning, duct cleaning and upholstery cleaning. Call us on 0438 554 830 and book our professional cleaning services. The men in your home will thank you for it!