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Almost no one, save Marie Kondo and possibly Mr. Clean, actually loves tidying up. But we had no idea how much Americans disliked mopping and dusting until a new survey from Yelp shed some light: 37 percent of respondents would be willing to surrender alcohol forever if it meant never having to do another chore again.
The report, which looked at 2,000 people’s housework habits and highlighted the most common pet peeves, also includes a list of the most-hated tasks. Cleaning the kitchen comes in first, with doing laundry, cleaning the bathroom, vacuuming, and cooking rounding out the top five. (Whoever picked cooking as their least favorite chore needs to watch some Ina Garten, stat.)
But while having to scrub the stove is hardly cause for celebration, it’s also not worth giving up wine for; just work smarter, not harder. Here are some ideas to make these most-dreaded tasks a bit more bearable:
Perfect the Art of the Multipurpose Shower
Wash yourself and the tiles in one go. Keep your squeegee and your favorite nontoxic cleaner in the tub, and while your conditioner is soaking in, give the walls a quick scrub. When you do it regularly, this method only takes a couple minutes, as opposed to the 15 to 20 you’d need for a biweekly scrub.
Time Yourself
Cleaning influencer Lynsey Crombie religiously follows her five-minute challenge. “Set the timer to five minutes and do as much as you can in one room, then move on to the next one,” she explains.
Make Meal Prep Fun
To avoid cooking late into the night on a workday, dedicate a few hours every Sunday to prepping for the week ahead. Some pointers from recipe developer Lee Tilghman: Eat seasonally, always include your favorite staples (something to look forward to!), and switch up the spices and sauces to keep things interesting. It doesn’t hurt to have some chic containers to dress up your creations, as well.
See more cleaning tips: 10 Cleaning Hacks We Learned From Professional Housekeepers Inside the Fascinating World of Instagram’s Cleaning Influencers These Cleaning Supplies Are So Nice You’ll Actually Want to Clean