The Grueling and the Grungy

There it was mocking me day in and day out. Every time I went to grill up some Yaki Soba there were speckles of sticky oil, crumbs, and streaks of sauce. My oven was clean one day and completely destroyed five minutes later. I don't understand how I can go a week without adding to the dirt, and then the moment I clean something it turns dirty the moment I turn around. Cleaning is another topic that touches every young adult and adult alike; cleaning. I got to wondering what motivates people to clean. What makes them finally take the step to just 'get it done'? Cause that is what it is for me.

I hear of these people who supposedly love cleaning. Paint me skeptical, I don't see the appeal. I do know people who compulsively clean but I question whether that is out of a joy for cleaning or more from some childhood conditioning around social expectations or parental smackdowns. Fast-forward to the results, I too enjoy a space once the energy has been cleansed and unsightly spills are gone. However, I do not experience a sense of joy or motivation when I am faced with the daunting task of tackling all these tedious steps to keep a space clean. Cleaning is not only about time management it is finding the mental capacity to commit to participating in something that you otherwise would have someone else do. Why do you think parents have their kids deal with as much as they can.

I talked to a couple interlocutors to explore their sentiments about the same subject. The word 'hate' came up most repeatedly. I have always believed that in order to hate something it requires a strong emotional connection. In this case, the opposite of love. But it seems that is not always the case. I highly dislike cleaning as you've already gathered but hate is way too strong an emotion to invoke for such an aspect of adulthood. Yet it still very much aligns with people's feelings about the subject. There is no clear motivation to clean other than the need to get it done.

I have worked in jobs where cleaning maintenance was a practical aspect. As a server, it was usually minor dining upkeep, at property sites it is picking up trash, but as an actual maid in a hotel it was top to bottom, crack and cranny oversight. As a maid, I did learn how much easier the process could become if done in micro-transactions on a regular basis. Secret tip: I also discovered the all-purpose power of lemon juice. I kept these habits for about six months after quitting the job, but then just rolled back into my poor relationship with cleaning motivation. I spent more time navigating my life as a professional and less as a housekeeper. Which may just be an excuse because, bottom line, I do not enjoy cleaning.

In restaurants there are the servers who do touch-ups, and then there is the kitchen staff, that every single day after working long grueling shifts full-purpose clean every aspect of the kitchen from top to bottom. Something I have not done to my own kitchen since moving in. I look at my stove every week and think, damn, I really need to pull that thing out and clean. I know the person living here before me probably never did it. In that same moment when I think of doing it, the thought slips my mind as proactively as my desire to deal with medical insurance policies.

Experiment time. Let's see what happens if I stop now, while I am motivated by talking about cleaning the oven to go and pull that metal monster from the wall. (Pause; I am going to do it now) Well, that was an utter failure. Pulling on it did not get it to budge even a centimeter. The device seems to be securely in place for someone with my menial grip strength to pull from its crevasse. While I was pulling at parts I did discover that the top can be propped open like the hood of a car so you can clean easily under the grill traps. But it stayed where it was and I am left imagining the gunk that's acting as glue, sealing it in place.

Now back to the subject of cleaning and motivation, since my temporary motivation died out. I eventually do the basis of what needs to be done regarding the cleaning tasks. Does my apartment constantly smell like Lysol or bleach? Hell to the no. But it also doesn't smell like old food and sweaty gym bags. I keep a tidy but lived-in space and upon completing the tasks I am left feeling recharged and cleansed by the results. However, getting the motivation to a space that doesn't conflict with all my other perceived responsibilities exists in a state of time where all elements perfectly align.

I will feel that crumble of food under my foot for a week before I pull out the vacuum and do my best to disperse the bell pepper seeds that fall off the counter. I will ignore those oil spots on the oven until they too, start gathering dust. And I will dust one shelf at a time when I can no longer stand looking at that thin film that dims the color beneath it. Sometimes, at the most inopportune moments, like right before going to bed. Or after a shower. I get that surge of action where I know I can't let it go by. For some women this happens a little after their cycle just ended and you feel a need to restructure. This system of dealing with cleaning makes the process an unfinished cycle of constant catch-up.

This got me to wondering how so many of you do it, and if I am alone in my struggle to get motivated to clean. I wanted to test if there are really those out there that actually experience the emotion of enjoyment while cleaning. I don't discount such personality types exist, but as a representation of average behavior, I am more sure now than I was before that no one enjoys the act of cleaning. I strive to keep my life in order, a piece of that includes the process of cleaning. I know myself to know that of all the responsibilities in my life, I would rather pay someone to do instead of do it myself, cleaning tops that list. I am more motivated to do my taxes than to participate in the cycle of cleaning. Where do you sit on this spectrum?

The theme of automated assistants came up in my conversations on the subject. The Hoover has come a long way since the age of our parents, when it was already considered a great innovation. Rumba style helpers can now vacuum, mop and recharge all on their own. They do not have to wait until getting home from work, after shopping for groceries, or working on the laundry after other appointments. Apps on our phones also provide third-party assistants for negotiable prices for those who have the money. In some countries I have lived or visited, it is common practice for even the middle class to have live in 'helpers' to do the brunt of the cleaning labor. We struggle in this day and age just to find the peace of mind to enjoy our own habits, let alone find time for a task for which one has no motivation to participate. Imagine if we still washed clothes by hand, we would never get real work done.

In the end, I will do what I have to do so I am living in a cleansed space, but if I didn't have to do it I wouldn't. I come home from work exhausted. To which I still have to worry about cooking myself dinner then doing the dishes. Cleaning up the mess of clothes I left after getting dressed. Preparing meals for the next day and resolving to allocate time for things I enjoy, like rest, before I have to go to bed and start all over again.

Exhaustion from the commitments of modern life leads to the time allocation of many big tasks to the weekend. Where weekends are supposed to be free days off left to explore a sense of rest and relaxation. Instead they become nothing but more time to fit in cleaning responsibilities. I am at a loss to experience true levels of motivation to clean. My thoughts are very much in-line with the people I spoke to about it. I dread the task no matter how good my space looks and feels afterward. If I didn't, my place would be dust-free 100% of the time.

How do you guys program the task of cleaning into your daily habits? Does anyone out there actually enjoy cleaning? Truly compare the emotion of enjoyment with cleaning. Acts like eating chocolate, wining games, date night with someone you love or sunsets. Is the tale of enjoying cleaning just the remnants of early childhood programing from parents trying to convince us that we are going to love something we know we won't? Are you part of the group I spoke with that do it because 'it needs to get done'? Or do you buy electronics to help lighten the load? Or are you the unicorn that does actually experience joy when cleaning? And what about those people who don't find the motivation to clean. We have all seen a couple of these in our life. This should be added to the list of things that are certainties in life, death, taxes and cleaning.