5 Adult Chores You Should Definitely Be Doing But Probably Aren’t

Let’s face it: if you hated doing chores as a kid, you probably still hate doing them now.

Not everyone is cut out to maintain an immaculate living space. And if you happen to have a higher tolerance for environmental chaos, you’re more likely to let chores slide as long as possible.

Yeah, we’re all busy, but unfortunately keeping a relatively in-order living space is a part of the “adulting” deal.

There are some chores, however, that are universally avoided like the plague. So until science comes up with a way to eliminate them altogether, we’ll have to bite the bullet and tell our parents we did them.

Emptying the fridge
Managing a refrigerator’s contents can feel like a losing battle. How are you supposed to remember everything in there when you’re grocery shopping? Next thing you know, you have two-week old takeout, sour milk, and a jar of spaghetti sauce sprouting its own tiny ecosystem.

If you have a strong gag reflex, cleaning out the fridge can feel like pulling teeth. It’s way too tempting to let the food sit in there and fester quietly – especially if it’s sealed in a container. Out of sight, out of mind…

Tip: Use a list-making app like Wunderlist to keep track of what’s in your fridge and set alarms for when the food is approaching expiration so you can make a point to use it.

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Wiping down the shower
Isn’t the whole point of a shower or tub that it’s self-cleaning? That’s the perpetual lie we tell ourselves to mask the sight of mildew low-key developing in your shower curtain. The tub and shower hosts lots of germs and bacteria, which could make you sick or infect any cuts or scrapes you have.

With that unsettling thought, it’s recommended by experts that these areas are cleaned and disinfected once a week. Hilarious.

Tip: If your excuse is that you can’t afford bathroom cleaning supplies, mix equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle and spray liberally on the walls, tub, and faucets. Let dry completely, then rinse… cheap and easy.

Cleaning the toilet
Hate your roommates for having terrible aim? Perhaps you’re not a great marksman yourself.

Toilets are at the business end of every digestive encounter, so it’s natural to avoid coming face to face with it.

As much as the legion of cartoon bubbles wants you to think cleaning your porcelain throne can be a pleasant experience, there will always be a part of you that will put it off until you’ve reached your threshold. PS: if you’re laying out toilet paper every time you need a seat, it might be a sign.

Tip: If you happen to have denture cleaner lying around, toss that in the toilet to give the inside a good clean. Unfortunately, you’re on your own for scrubbing the outside – we suggest long rubber gloves.  

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Doing the laundry
Have you ever been at the mall and considered buying a new shirt or pair of pants so you wouldn’t have to do the laundry?

The only thing more shameful than that is taking up five laundry machines on a Saturday afternoon while everyone judges your procrastinating ways and you silently give props to that pair of jeans that you’ve worn for two weeks straight because, no matter what anyone says, denim never gets dirty.

Tip: There’s no hack for this – just pull up your pants and try to remember that a family of four probably had no clean clothes that weekend because of you.

Scrubbing the oven
Every time you open the oven, you see it sitting there… a vengeful, charred lump living under your frozen pizza. It sits for months, even years, guilting you every time you poke your head in.

But how are you supposed to even approach it? Does soap work on it? Can it be rinsed out? How do you know your cleaning supplies are safe to put in the appliance? The complexity of the task is usually enough to render most people useless as they push the chore to the back of their mind, all but forgotten.

Tip: Mix baking soda, vinegar, and a few drops of liquid detergent into a paste and spread it over the inner surface of the over. Let it sit for 15 minutes and wipe the paste off. Voila!

If you find that your budget for a personal maid service has been devastated by student debt, and singing to woodland creatures isn’t convincing them to become your personal cleaning minions, join the majority of your peers who face one of two options: roll up your sleeves and get things done or hide in your blanket fort riddled with coffee cups and hope your mother doesn’t make a house call.

But who are we to tell you what to do – you’re an adult. Good luck with those life choices!