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10 Chores you thought you would have mastered by now

You have to do some really awful stuff to keep your house in order. We’ve rounded up the tasks we hate the most.

1. Ironing

What do you iron first? The collar? The sleeves? Those impossible shoulders? And there’s the question about whether or not to use steam (or that squirt thing that just seems to add more wrinkles).

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2. Caring for houseplants

You try to improve indoor air quality by adding beautiful green plants throughout your house. Unfortunately, they’ll only stay green if you can figure out the complicated problem of how much light (full sun? partial sun?) and water they need to survive.

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3. Folding a fitted sheet

No matter how many YouTube tutorials you watch, there’s just no way to master the art of folding a fitted sheet. The solution: Roll it into a giant ball and shove it into the linen closet. And speaking of sheets…

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4. Making the bed

The picture in the catalog shows a fabulously appointed bed. The comforter is casually pulled back to reveal coordinating sheets and blankets. You try this and it looks like you were just slacking on bed-making chores this morning. (And what the heck are those “hospital corners” your mother-in-law keeps reminding you about anyway?)

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5. Washing windows

Honestly, it doesn’t matter if you use newspapers, vinegar, glass cleaner or squeegees. Your just-washed windows will appear smudge-free until the sun hits them, and then it will appear that they’ve never been washed. Not once. Ever.

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6. Hanging picture frames

You’d better be good at math if you want those frames to look right. If you’re not, then expect to pound at least 400 misplaced holes in the wall before you get that photo gallery just the way you want it.

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7. Sorting laundry

Separating dark from light should be a piece of cake, but it’s not. Into which pile should that black-and-white striped shirt go? And the sorting doesn’t stop at colors. You have to figure out which items are normal, permanent press, delicate. Heaven forbid you get a red cotton top with an attached white lacy overlay.

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8. Cleaning dirty pots and pans

You can’t enjoy your beautiful dinner because you know that those nasty pots are waiting to be cleaned. As you eat, you mull over the best ways to remove the baked-on gunk that you’d rather not touch. Should you let the pots and pans soak overnight (or over the weekend)? Should you try using the power washer from the garage? Or should you just throw them away and buy new ones tomorrow?

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9. Vacuuming

When dealing with wall-to-wall carpeting, vacuuming is a piece of cake. But, apparently, you’re supposed to be using all of the attachments, too. Kudos to anyone who can figure out which one works on carpeted stairs.

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10. Emptying the litter box

Putting kitty litter in a box is the easy part. The challenge is keeping it clean so your cat doesn’t end up with feline urethral obstruction (yeah, that’s a thing). Unless you’re willing to spend a ton of money replacing all of the kitty litter every day, you’re going to have to scoop.

Image: Flickr/Elaine Faith

More in help for your toughest household chores

How to iron
Make your bed super-comfortable
Litter box maintenance 101

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