What better time than the Home & Garden issue to talk about housecleaning, right!
While I don’t think I have oikophobia (an aversion to house cleaning), I may have a slight case of clutterphobia. Now, I know that clutterphobia is not a real word, but I would venture to say most of us have at least ONE room in our house that strikes fear in our hearts when we approach the task of cleaning or de-cluttering.
David Desk Clutter
According to the internet, one in four Americans has as clutter problem. The average home contains 300,000 items! Of course, having a messy room might be the result of any number of factors. You may be busy and have little time to clean or organize. You might have too much stuff (300,000!!). Or it could be the result of having young kids in the house.
Bear keeping cool
In my case, it’s a little bit of ergophobia, which I define as “the art of laziness.” If you have a lot of stuff in the attic or garage, this might indicate an inability to let go of the past. A cluttered bathroom might reveal body image issues. Clutter in the living room might suggest a hectic social life.
The workplace is one of the most interesting spots in the home in terms of psychology. Some people sort everything into folders and put the folders on shelves. Others mix up all the papers, pens, pencils, laptops, etc. If you have a cluttered desk, there is a high probability that your workplace doesn’t “look” very clean. But it’s also quite likely that you often have unusual and creative ideas
The key is how figuring out how to apply my ergophobia to house cleaning, so I decided to find the ONE best cleaning tip that I could apply to my house. After an exhausting search on the internet (ok, more like 5 minutes because this letter was due half an hour ago) I found a great tip that fits perfectly into my bachelor lifestyle: walk around the house wearing fluffy socks to avoid dusting! WOW! What a great idea! With a 188 lbs. dog who slobbers and sheds constantly, this could be a gamechanger! They say we’re supposed to take 10,000 steps a day for health reasons, so I figure I can get my exercise AND clean my house at the same time! I just hope I don’t develop canineoslipaphobia: the fear of being chased by dogs around a kitchen table while wearing socks on a freshly waxed floor.
