We'd all like to do less housework, right? There's so much other STUFF we have to do, or would like to do.
So why not be a bit sneaky, and reduce it as much as we possibly can? Here's a few ideas that might help you achieve the same results with less work...
Lazy tip # 1: Have less STUFF.
Okay, I know I'm cheating here, trying to get you to reduce your STUFF. But there's no getting around the fact that the less STUFF you have, the less STUFF you have to dust, or clean around, or find a place for. Each ornament or unecessary bit of STUFF you get out of your house is one more thing that you'll never, ever have to clean again. Enough incentive?
Lazy tip # 2: Polished floors.
Polished floors, whether timber, tile, or vinyl, can reduce your housework drastically. How? I'll let you in on the secret.
When you have hard floors, you hardly ever need to vacuum. Most of the time, you can get rid of about 70 - 80% of the fluff, dust, and pet hair by swooping around with a dust mop. It takes about 10 minutes and a shake in the garden (the mop, not you), and if you do it every few days your house stays relatively fluff-free.
Another advantage of the dust mop is that it's far better at getting under, around, and behind things than the vacuum cleaner. And they're much quieter, so you can wave your dust mop around in the wee small hours without annoying the family.
Lazy tip # 3: Furniture on wheels.
Sounds a bit strange, yes? What do wheels have to do with anything? Should we be wheeling all our furniture down the street?
No, nothing like that. It's just that when you clean, you're always trying to get around or behind or under something. If the something is on wheels, a bit of a nudge shifts it enough for you to get at the dust.
Even if the item is heavy and doesn't roll far or easily, it's still better than having to stop what you're doing, roll up your sleeves, heave the thing about, start again, stop again, heave the thing back, and then go on with your job.
Lazy tip # 4: Appropriate storage.
Now, I want you to pay attention here: note that I didn't say lots of storage. I said appropriate storage. There's a big difference.
Having lots of storage just means that your house may be full of enormous cupboards into which you can toss anything and everything in an emergency. That might sound fine, right up until the day when you need something from one of those cupboards. Then the whole lot tumbles out on your head, and you still can't find what you're looking for.
Just imagine, though, if you had appropriate storage. If all your STUFF had a home of its own, in the room where it gets used. Imagine little drawers for weeny stationery or cotton reels, huge drawers for saucepans or boots, hanging belt racks on the back of doors, a funky filing cabinet, bookshelves with bookends, and so on. You'd know exactly where to find everything, you could put it back without risking injury, and your housework would be so much easier without STUFF lying about all over the place.