Chores – love them or hate them, they’re part and parcel of our daily lives. No one likes living in a messy house, after all. But is there anyone who legitimately likes doing housework? We spoke to 13 Singaporeans and got a little glimpse into their cleaning routines, as well as how often they do some common chores.
Mopping, sweeping and vacuuming the floor
Image credit: Blue Basket
“I live with my parents, sister, and helper in a landed house with 5 rooms. For my family, we mop our floors every 1-2 days. Of all the chores I have to do, I find this the most tolerable, probably because I was kinda drilled into doing that a lot when I was younger. Our family has been using a floor cleaner from Licin-Licin for years now. It’s very effective at getting rid of stains while not making the floor slippery. Plus, it smells pretty good.”
Belinda
“I live in a 5-room HDB unit with my parents and I usually sweep the floors whenever I feel like it, so it’s close to once every 2 days. I just find it really satisfying to see the floor so clean.”
Olivia
“I sweep, mop, and vacuum my 3-room condo about once or twice a week. My cleaning routine doesn’t have a set order, but I usually start with the chores that require more of my energy. So sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping are usually the last things I’ll do.”
Sam
Image credit: @ochre.home
“I live with my parents and 2 siblings in a 3-room flat, so I vacuum about once every 1-2 weeks – this number is heavily dependent on how much dust and hair my room collects. I also do it on weekends since that’s when I have the most free time. I love it honestly; it’s pretty therapeutic to see all the hair and dirt get sucked up.”
Hidaya
“Vacuuming – or sticky rolling surfaces – happens about twice a week, or whenever there’s a lot of hair in my room. It’s kinda the chore I enjoy the most, aside from washing dishes.”
Tris
“I live in a 5-room flat with my parents and brother. I usually vacuum my room once every 2 days and after I change my bedsheets on weekends. I love it because I’m able to get it done quite fast, as compared to mopping. Personally, I would recommend the Dibea cordless vacuum cleaner since it makes vacuuming way more convenient; I can finish cleaning the whole house in about 5-10 minutes.”
Nicole
Changing the bed sheets
Image credit: @evertonenclave
“I change the bedsheets every 2-3 weeks, mostly at night before I sleep. The agility and willpower required, and the need to make sure the bedsheets are evenly covering all corners, can be tedious. It also doesn’t help if the mattress is kinda heavy or the bed flush against the wall.”
Hidaya
“I usually change my bedsheets once every 2-3 weeks. This chore is done during the weekends, when I have more time and have eaten breakfast.”
Nicole
Laundry
“Personally, I do laundry about 3 times a week, which is expected for a family of 4. My laundry routine is pretty simple: sorting the clothes based on colours before dumping them into the washing machine. For clothes that were rinsed prior, I squeeze the water out before dumping it into the machine. I like this the most because it’s relaxing, and the Dynamo washing pods also ensure my clothes smell good.”
Yuanteng
“I live with 2 other flatmates and I usually do my own laundry about once a week, but it can be more or less depending on the load I generate. I set aside weekends to do chores but I usually procrastinate until the end of the day, then get annoyed with myself. I don’t like doing laundry, but I’ve found folding laundry to be quite fun. One product I would recommend is the Vanish Power O2, which lifts stains from clothes and fabric. It’s very useful if you’re a clumsy person who always gets white clothes dirty.”
Engracia
“My family does our laundry daily, but this is because we are quite large – my parents, sister, grandma, my helper and myself all live under one roof in a 3-storey landed house. We have 2 cats too, which is where our Magiclean Wiper dry sheets come in handy. We fold and keep our own clothes, though.”
Rae
“There are 3 adults and 1 child in my home, including myself, so it’s quite common for us to do laundry once every 2-3 days. Other than the usual laundry powder, I also like to use Sofsil fabric softeners. Makes sure my clothes don’t get crispy and also helps them smell great.”
Jessica F
Cleaning the toilet
“My family is pretty small – just another 2 people who live with me – so I clean the bathroom once every week, in addition to most of the other chores (oldest daughter things). I don’t really like it though, because of all the germs, but I put on some R&B music so it keeps me engaged and distracts me from the dirt.”
Gaby
“About once a week, I will clean the bathroom. There’s no set day though, I’ll just clean whenever I feel like it.”
Dewi
Washing the dishes
“I wash the dishes almost daily or whenever my family cooks. I’m generally OK about doing it and it’s like clockwork, but it can be rather annoying if I’m already pretty tired and there’s just a whole stack waiting for me.”
Hidaya
Image credit: Pexels
“I have to wash the dishes daily, usually after meals or at the end of the day. This chore alone is the reason why I don’t like cooking a ton, to be honest. Plus, I’m quite a hot mess when it comes to dishwashing.”
Belinda
“My partner and I do the dishes almost every day, because it’s just us. We use a GE dishwasher, and I like that the dishes smell clean when I take them out of the dishwasher. I also love looking at an empty sink, like, it’s very satisfactory seeing a clean sink at the end of the night after you’re done with dinner and not having to worry about leaving your dishes overnight. Unloading it is the true chore, though.”
Josiah
Wiping and dusting furniture
Image credit: @ourslowhouse
“The furniture at home is pretty susceptible to dust, so I’ll wipe them down once every few months with tissues and wet wipes. I would say the areas that give me the hardest time would be the displays. I have to pick the items up, wipe and wait for the area to dry before placing them back. It’s not difficult, just very inconvenient.”
Yuanteng
“I live with my parents and brother in a condo. Once a week, I’ll dust the furniture in addition to mopping the house. I hate it when I can feel the dust and hair all over my floor, so this is pretty essential for me. Plus, I have a Magiclean wiper, which makes it much easier for me to do chores.”
Pearly
Cleaning pet’s playpen
“I do the tedious task of taking apart and cleaning my Netherland dwarf rabbit’s playpen once every month. It tends to get quite dirty because of all the trapped fur and dirt. For this, I would recommend the Daiso melamine sponge. It removes stains and cleans all sorts of furniture surfaces without me needing to add on any cleaning detergent.”
Olivia
We ask: How often Singaporeans do common chores
Chores may be painful, but there’s no denying that we need to get them done for peace of mind and hygiene. Besides, once you get used to them, you may even find housework relaxing or therapeutic.
Responses have been edited for clarity and length.
For more of us being kaypoh:
- We ask: best smart home gadgets
- MUJI vs IKEA: which brand has better storage solutions
- Is paying $3.2K/month for a rental HDB worth it?
Cover image adapted from: @evertonenclave, Pexels, Blue Basket
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