An Equal share of the Mess?

Continuing our theme of household mess (see out last twoblogs) Malones Cleaning now have the results of a survey undertaken on their behalf by Pivotal Research Ltd. Household chores is still a the main bone of contention between couples, with 67% of men claiming they do an equal share of the cleaning, while 75 % of women argue that they do ALL of the above! The statistics just speak for themselves.

"Many men are under the illusion that if they empty the dishwasher, they are doing an equal share of housework!" Dr. Tony Humphreys, Clinical Psychologist.

How do we expect our children to have a balanced sense of looking after themselves on leaving the nest when 63% of women believe that it is their duty to tidy up in their wake. On top of this 52.7% still believe that it is Mum's job in the first place. You might have expected feeedback like that thirty years ago.

"In this situation a parent should ask themselves, why they do not allow their child to do things for themselves... Behaviours within families are learned and passed on, so the next generation mimics the last." Dr. Tony Humphreys.

Imelda Graham of Barnardos adds "It also fosters independence, encourages development of self esteem through feelings of achievement and it is healthy for the family for children to play their part in making family life easier and sharing what can be seen as a burden."

So listen to the people who know what they are talking about, if you have ever been frustrated and feel you are doing more than your fair share do not keep quiet about it. Encourage everybody to pitch in as it may well add to a balanced and healthier domestic atmosphere now and in the future.

Domestic Bliss

Wasps Find A Way

wasp

Do you remember the tagline from the first Jurassic Park movie... “Life finds a way.”

Well it is wasp season and they seem to find a way to get into your home when all the doors and windows have been closed for hours.

Usually this is something we do not have to worry about until a little later on in August and early September. This year we have noticed a few gangs of them already.

The worker wasps have little to do as their summer job of feeding the larvae is over as the last batch of eggs are dying off so they are out looking for kicks in our kitchens and around our bins.

If you are only being bothered by one or two solitary wasps and you are not allergic to them it is best to leave them alone, maybe even encourage them to fly out a nearby window.

If it is the case that you are infested by them and you know you have a wasp’s nest close by then this website has some invaluable and straightforward advice about how to tackle it on your own.

We are much larger than them, we can find a way as well.

Sellling your home and keeping it clean can be a trial

I had coffee this morning with a friend whose house is on the market – a tough proposition in this current market, as you can imagine; but I was amazed to find that she was in great form and very upbeat about the situation. Despite having to vacate her house twice a week to allow strangers to trek through the place, the big fringe benefit she sees is that she always has a clean house!! The agent told them to declutter at the start of the sales process and before each viewing on a Wednesday evening and a Saturday morning, the whole family pitches in to scrub and polish for the viewers.

 The place doesn’t really get dirty anymore with this ongoing routine and despite not being the most house proud family (three teenage sons and accompanying football kit, boots etc.) they are finding they like living in a ‘showhouse’ . She says “ I don’t have much confidence in the house selling with the market as it is but it might teach my dirty divils better habits that carry over – for a while at least!). Actually sometimes when we have the place all tidy and smelling freshly of lavender, myself and my husband look at each other and aks oursevles why we are selling?

It got me thinking about the tips people use when selling their home.  The baked bread in the oven, the coffee aroma and the fresh cut flowers in every room. 

I'll share a few of my cleaning up before a viewing tips in the next blog but if you have any to add please drop us a note.