Ever so often, I stumble across intense conversations
about..maids (domestic help). During social visits, in parties, at welfare meets,
in Whatsapp groups, I see the topic of
maids sneaking into conversations. I get it – here in India, we do depend
heavily on house help.
It’s not just the colossal dust that needs to be cleaned
and mopped and dusted from our floors and shelves that finds us utterly
dependent on domestic help, but also a certain mindset that prevents us from
picking up a broom or rinsing our own dishes or even cooking our own meals. And
more often than not, when we pay someone else to cook and clean, we find them
come up short - more so, in today’s world.
Sweeping and mopping that’s not up to the mark, dishes that
retain stains of previous meals, food that isn’t cooked hygienically or
tastefully, and unprofessional attitudes (i.e. asking for higher salaries than
what’s fixed in a society, answering back, grumpiness etc.) lead ladies into
fraught-with-anxiety discussions about maids and the daily annoyance they cause
them.
But is there a way around this? Is there a way we can stop this
profuse time drain? Can we find a way to discuss maids less (no one needs to
stop ‘coz we need to talk sometimes to find a way out), so we can pack our days
and conversations with more hearty and interesting things?
Over the years, having employed a variety of domestic help,
most of whom entered my home with a bucket load of baggage and attitude issues,
I can safely say that the help at the end of my arm is way more reliable.
As my
son crossed his toddler stage, I slowly delegated less and did more to reclaim
my peace. We went intentionally maid-free when we moved to as big town (for a
while we hired someone for the basics, but again, we noticed that that brought
in more hassles, so we went back to our maid-free existence).
Note 1: I don’t spend the entire day cooking and cleaning – in
case, you’re wondering if that’s all I do, so I can mange in maid-free mode.
With an almost 5-year-old, a blog to write, workshops to teach and a new green
start-up to grow & tonnes of books to read and hobbies to tend to, my day
includes all of this and cooking & a dash of cleaning.
Note 2: I’m not suggesting firing the maid
(like I did).
With these 5 methods anyone can reclaim control over their
house chores + time and be less dependent on maids and maid-related
issues:
1. Invest in a dishwasher: I bought a dishwasher a year back
and can say that it’s one of the best things to have happened to our home. The
dirty dishes, once stacked properly, are squeaky clean and germ-free after a
wash cycle. Whether its summer and the basin water too hot to put my hands in,
or winter with freezing cold tap water (yes, in Punjab, the water was just as
temperamental as the climate), I don’t really have to worry about the temperature
of the water anymore. Neither do I have to fret about semi-clean utensils or a wild
jumble of washed dishes in the drying rack, waiting for a maid to arrange on
the shelves. Yes, at Rs 36,000, the cost of a dishwasher might seem steep, but
it’s worth every little penny in terms of the stress-free dishwashing
experience that it offers.
2. Check if you need cleaning gadgets or tools: There are great
cleaning tools available in the market that can make the mundane chore of
cleaning and mopping a lot easier. I use a spin mop to wipe up the floors, but
someday, I wouldn’t mind getting a Floor Cleaning Robot. Yes, you heard right –
there are circular robots that’ll sweep and mop for you (google the offerings
by Milagrow). Interspersed with manual cleaning, it’s a great house-cleaning
solution. Also, stocking a cleaning caddy with everything you need (baking
soda, surface cleaner, cloth wipes, duster, scrubbers and brushes) to dust and
wash around the house, makes chores a tad easier. And of course, we all have washing machines, so that's one job less to worry about.
3. Elbow grease and gym workout: We often drive to the gym to
work out and keep fit, or invest in a treadmill for a home-based workout. But
interestingly, a full-body workout is available for free right at your home via
house cleaning and chores. Whether you’re sweeping, mopping the floors (even with
a Spin Mop), dusting, wiping gadgets around the house, washing bathrooms or
even emptying your dishwasher, you’re engaging all kinds of muscles and keeping
those joints supple.
4. A change in how we perceive housework, including daily
cooking: A slight shift (okay, Major shift) in our attitude about doing our own
work (at least a lot of it, if not all) instead of having to get it done by
someone else, even if we’re not happy with their output or attitude, can make a
Lot of difference in how we approach housework. Its food for our family and
it’s the house we live in – when I keep that in perspective, a lot can get done
through DIY.
5. Ask your family members to help: Whether it’s your spouse or
kids, everyone can do something for the house – it’s their home too and
chipping in just makes the load lighter. When kids are involved in keeping
their home or room clean, they understand the value of work, won’t depend on
others to clean up after them when they grow up and will learn life skills. My
husband helps me keep our home clean, while our little one, does what he can
(like grate the cheese, mop up the spills he makes, pick up crumbs, prune the
houseplants & water them). I totally believe that just one person cannot do
every single task to run a home, especially, if you’re also managing business/project/job.
Try these five tips and see if you can free up time. I get
more done with less stress with this maid-free/minimum approach than when I had more help. Yes, when
we’re not discussing maids most of the time or following them around to check
if they are cleaning/mopping properly or showing them how to clean or cook our
way or trying to figure out why they answered back when you were perfectly polite, we can reclaim back precious time (yup, even while doing a fair chunk of
the housework with the help at the end of our arms). Time that we can spend
reading books, learning a new skill, watching a movie at home or setting up a
venture.
Do you do a lot of your own work + cooking? If you have any
tips to get it done more efficiently, do leave a comment below.
And hey if you're on Twitter, follow us at @chandanawriter.
Would you like to detoxify your personal care products, greenify your home and introduce your kids to eco-friendly ways? Download my 17-min Online Workshop for Free at Gorgeous Girls Go Green.
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