At the risk of sounding like a spoiled princess, I don’t do too many household chores! My house husband Kristen does a tremendous amount of the housework in our home. I pretty much only cook (and handle some of the related tasks like grocery shopping — but she does ALL the dishes!!!!!). Kristen does all the laundry but I fold my own since my closet is like a Hellraiser-style puzzle box. I often procrastinate on folding the laundry though, but not for any reason other than just being really busy and overwhelmed by my Hellraiser-style puzzlebox of a closet. If I get a bigger closet one day, I think I’ll procrastinate on folding less. Because ultimately I actually do like folding laundry because I can watch television while I do it!

I used to hate scooping litter like most people, so I got one of those self-scooping ones, but I do handle any tasks related to that, including disposing of and replacing trays. In general, Kristen handles the dog and I handle the cat, but those aren’t strict distinctions.

Before I was with my amazing wife who does everything (literally everything — vacuuming, bathrooms, dishes, laundry, trash, yardwork, inside plants, etc and beyond), I think I’d say my favorite chore was vacuuming, although I’ve been told I do it poorly. When I still lived at home with my parents, I genuinely enjoyed mowing the lawn because I could listen to music. When I lived with my ex, she hated reality television and didn’t even want to tangentially experience it, so I used folding laundry time as my time to catch up on Bravo shows. At the end of the day, I suppose I only like chores that allow me to do other things while doing them.

I like a chore that has a clear beginning and end. There are dirty dishes, then there are clean dishes. There is dirty laundry, then there is clean laundry. There is dust on the bookshelf, now there is no dust. It feels good to have a task and then complete that task perfectly.

I HATE chores that feel impossible to do perfectly. Cleaning the bathtub? Or the oven? You scrub and scrub but it never really feels like you accomplish anything. Of course, it’s often better than nothing. But not for me psychologically. I really hate not doing something perfectly. Which I’m aware says a lot about me in a work-it-out-with-my-therapist sort of way. There’s nothing I hate more than taking the time to do a chore and then not feeling like it was done well or to completion.

The one exception to this is I love to clean a cast iron skillet. I think because it feels like I’m doing a little science project? It’s never fully clean, but it’s not supposed to be. That’s just seasoning, baby!

Hopefully my girlfriend doesn’t read this, but I’d say the household chore division is close to 65:35, with me taking on most of the work. BUT! This is because I love chores, I’m specific about how they get done, and even more importantly, how often they are done. I’m a straight up slut for vacuuming, windexing, dusting, anything I can see an immediate result for. I do love an elbow greaser, though. Unlike Drew, I do want to spend hours scrubbing the bathtub and the oven. I want to unscrew the panels, clean those, get in the crevices with Q-tips, get real intimate with it. When I had a car, I loved to deep clean the car like in those car-detailing TikTok videos. I think that’s because I used to work at Enterprise and my main job was to clean all the returned cars so they’d be brand spankin’ new for the next rental.

I like the beginning of doing laundry. I like separating the towels from the clothes, and then the whites from the colors, and then the priority first load from the second load. But I really do not like folding it and putting it away. This gets tough because I also don’t like how my girlfriend folds clothes (you gotta see how she folds a tee-shirt), so it’s not like it’s something we could go 50:50 on.

We live in an apartment, but there’s still a bit of “housework” to be done. I take care of loose cabinet hinges, closet door knobs, I magic-eraser our white walls once a quarter, and I even manage our gallery wall of art! I’m sure now you’re thinking well, what does your girlfriend do then? She makes the bed every morning <3

Like Kayla, I like to pair chores with activities — for me that’s listening to audiobooks, watching TV or watching YouTube videos about themed entertainment experiences. But the thing I like to do most, it turns out, is meal planning and cooking! So I do all the meal planning, grocery shopping and cooking for the home. I like cleaning out the fridge. The chore I hate the most is washing dishes. I hate it so much that before moving in with my wife, I avoided cooking at all costs and NEVER made anything that required more than two pots/pans/etc to prepare…even though I had a dishwasher (‘cause I still had to wash pots and pans). Also my kitchen when I lived alone was so very tiny so I was just unhappy every time I walked into it. Now that we’ve moved in together and I’m cooking for two in a proper kitchen, I love it.

I like doing laundry because I love having clean clothes. I love folding but I hate putting laundry away. I hate cleaning the bathroom and the kitchen and anything that involves a sink, although I do like cleaning a flat surface. But I feel like sinks never get all the way clean and I hate that. Vacuuming is nice though, I like to vacuum. I always had to wash windows at my serving jobs so I hate that too!

Like Kayla, I don’t like chores and I try to avoid them. I don’t like anything where I have to slightly lean over in a standing position (vacuuming, folding laundry, doing the dishes) because it hurts my back. I’m not a good cook and I also don’t like cooking so I let my sister/roommate do it. I’ll happily take out the trash! And dust! Where I really shine, though, is anything bathroom-related. Using unnecessarily strong anti-bacterial chemicals to wipe down hard, smooth surfaces scratches an itch in my brain.

Dishes are something I can find joy in as long as I’m on FaceTime with someone, watching TV, or blasting music. Dusting, mopping and scrubbing the tub feel like stress relief. However, laundry is a chore sent from Satan himself. I could write a whole raised Baptist-inspired essay about it, but I’ll spare y’all that religious trauma. I hate organizing my laundry, but I despise folding it. I’m staring down an overflowing laundry hamper as I type this out. Once I finally work up the strength to get it all done, I realize how much of a drama queen I’ve been, but despite that hindsight, the cycle continues. I also have a love/hate relationship with cooking. Even though I am a good cook, I struggle to find joy in it. My inner perfectionist always comes out when I cook, and if my food doesn’t end up at least 75 percent as good as my mother’s, I’m pretty hard on myself about it. I’m regularly calling her for tips and tricks just as she did my grandmother. Next time I’m in St. Louis, I need to take notes on how she makes collard greens, fried porkchops and mac n cheese. I’m determined to be as good as her before I’m 30. Maybe then I’ll find enjoyment in the craft.

I’m with Drew on this one — I like chores that are DONE when you’re done doing the chore. Cooking, dishes, laundry and folding the laundry and putting it away, going to the grocery store and coming home to put the groceries away, cleaning the stovetop after you’re done with it, wiping the table…you know, that kind of stuff is totally fine. I don’t even need an additional thing to distract me while I’m doing that, though I am often listening to music or a podcast if something is going to take me longer than 30 minutes to complete.

Pretty much, my least favorite household chores are any I didn’t list above. I hate vacuuming and mopping, cleaning the bathroom and the shower and the toilet. I hate scrubbing the sink because you’re just going to use it immediately after and that bums me out. I hate cleaning the fridge or the oven. And even though dusting is satisfying, I don’t like to do it because it irritates my eyes. REGARDLESS, I’m an adult and I do them, but as of this writing, I have never once enjoyed doing any of these. I wish I could be one of those people who’s really into it and has a lot of fun with them, but it’s not my thing so I just do my best.

My favorite chore is doing laundry. Everything from loading the washer to folding it up. I wouldn’t even call it a ‘chore’ at this point because the word implies irritation. I just like doing laundry. I like it when things are clean and low-labor, which is why the washer is there. Loading the washing machine feels like decluttering, but the kind where it’s appropriate to just hock everything into the bin. I stuff most of my clothes into delicates bags so they last way longer than they used to. I’ve also made sure as much stuff in our house is machine-washable as possible. Mouse mats (they get so gross), bathmats, even some of our silicone cookware. It gets bagged up if it needs it. Then it gets tossed in. Hanging up the laundry isn’t even that bad because it’s the combination of cleanliness and organization that my neurodivergent brain loves.

Least favorite household chore? Of those assigned to me, the dishes top the list. We’re not a dishwasher house. I am the dishwasher. It’s manual labor and kinda gross. I don’t like the food textures or smells near me. I don’t like the splashing of dishwater. I really don’t like the way dishes keep materializing as a result of daily living and it never gets old. Very strong Sisyphus and the boulder vibe.

I live with my girlfriend and the chore division is basically that… she cooks and I do the dishes and make sure the kitchen is clean before she arrives to cook. That means we get a homemade meal every day and plenty of leftovers, and the chef never has to work in a messy kitchen. She handles the bins and trash. I scrub the toilet, bathrooms, and sinks. Laundry is technically shared but I take to it with enthusiasm and she doesn’t exactly mind. I also do the vehicle maintenance and more manageable plumbing and electrical tasks. Basically, I can’t cook for shit and she can’t do handiwork for shit. We make up for each other’s skill gaps.

I love cleaning my room, studio, and kitchen. I wish I had a complicated explanation as to why, but it’s simply because I like to sleep, eat, and make music. There’s something about rejuvenating your space after a week of working — it genuinely makes me feel like my week is starting over.

My least favorite chore is doing laundry. I have a lot of clothes made from a plethora of fabrics, and everybody deserves special attention. It’s one of those things where I hate the process, but I love the outcome. I just need someone (not Elon Musk) to invent a device to wash, dry, and put my clothes away.

I hate cleaning, with one exception — I love unloading and loading the dishwasher. Actually, maybe just loading the dishwasher. I like the Tetris of it all, being able to stuff the most dishes into the dishwasher and then, mere hours later, having them emerge clean and wet (I like it when my dishes drip dry – free humidity for my plants!). I’m in a relationship with someone whose parents used the dishwasher sparingly, mostly as a dish drying rack instead of a household appliance, so I’ve happily taken on the task of becoming Dishwasher Dad.

In terms of our chore split, we’ve tried to split things fairly and play to each of our strengths. I handle groceries, meals, and the aforementioned dishwasher, and my partner does the cleaning and laundry (and importantly, folds the laundry which is huge for me because if left to my own devices, I would just leave clean clothes in a basket and never fold them).

I don’t mind certain chores! My wife and I divide chores kind of based on who likes to do what. I hate sweeping and mopping the floor and taking out the trash, so those are hers by default. However! I will do them if it’s absolutely necessary. Even though she takes out the trash, I tend to the recycling. I’ll rinse out the bottles and cans and break down boxes so whoever grabs them first can take them out. She also cleans out the litter box since the cats are hers, and we both walk the dog.

I tend to wash and fold the laundry. It’s not my absolute favorite, but I don’t mind it. Folding laundry doesn’t always happen in a timely manner, but I do love the hour or so break from the chaos of my household that it gives me. I lock myself in the bedroom and listen to music, which definitely helps pass the time! The only chore we truly share is cleaning the bathroom.

Are we considering cooking a household chore? If we are, that’s my favorite! Cooking is the break in my day where I can shut off my mind, crank up my tunes, and get lost in making something delicious for my family. Along with that, I love grocery shopping. I know, I’m weird, but it’s such a zen experience. Before my wife, I used to do it alone, which was such a nice break for me. Now she’s usually with me, but it’s one of the few opportunities we have for alone time. And since I cook, my wife handles the dishes.

I actually don’t enjoy most chores which is unfortunate since I do live alone. I used to have a roommate who cleaned when she was stressed, and was often stressed, and I miss her dearly. I hate doing laundry. I live in New York in an apartment so my options are going to the laundromat or sending it out to be done. I used to haul my laundry up and down my three flights of stairs, but then one day during the pandemic, post-vaccine but still in the thick of it, when I was cutting it close to running out of underwear but was still too anxious to go to the laundromat where strangers were, I decided to send out my laundry and I fear I am spoiled by it. They pick up my laundry, I get to spend those three hours doing literally anything else, and my clothes come back clean and folded. I don’t think I can ever go back to the laundromat again. I also hate putting away the dishes. I don’t know why. I don’t mind washing them, though sometimes I get annoyed that there are constantly dishes and I’m the only one around to do them (I enjoy cooking, which doesn’t help this problem). Once I actually get started though, I find the act of washing the dishes almost relaxing. I pop on a podcast and go on autopilot. But putting them away? For some reason, I despise it. I don’t know if it’s because it feels tedious or what, but more often than not, I end up leaving the dishes on the counter drying so long I end up using them before I even put them away. I also hate dusting but that’s because I’m allergic to dust, though the fact that I now have an unlimited supply of face masks in my apartment, that helps a little.

I actually love a deep clean, an entire day of yard work, or decluttering and rearranging a room — and I hate that I always get too ambitious about these things and then they take way longer than the time estimate I gave myself. I love to pair chores with a podcast or audiobook and just go to town while feeling like I’m learning something.

A secret favorite kind of chore I enjoy is somebody else’s chores. When I visit my sister, I love to pop on some good listening and tackle her piled up dishes for her while she’s at work, and then I’m even more satisfied when she gets home and yells at me for doing the dishes and tells me to get out of the kitchen. Five out of five stars on that one, no notes. I recently also did an exchange with a friend where she would meal prep a week’s worth of dinner’s for me in exchange for one session (usually like an afternoon) of clearing out her front yard, which happens to be full of poison ivy. This means that I get to hack away with a machete (while wearing a Tyvek suit — I am sure it looks bizarre) and listen to my headphones and that I also don’t have to cook or worry about what’s for dinner that week — and I especially don’t have to worry about the dishes.

Which takes me to my most hated chore — the dishes. How and why do more dishes appear every day? I will argue that the dishes are never “done” for long because there are just going to be more! I hate that and despise routine maintenance chores like that. I want to remodel a room, I don’t want to wash the same damn cup every few days like some mythical figure trapped in Tartarus. Nevertheless, I am surviving and am very brave for doing the dishes, I know.