ANT- a list-style approach for those in a hurry

FInland

Cleaning in Finland is an infrequent act, partly because of laziness but mostly because the closed windows and doors, removing shoes outside and dry air make it unnecessary. In the three households I’ve lived in vacuuming, cleaning toilets, and changing sheets, for example, are once every two weeks. The floor is seldom mopped because the vacuuming is often enough over wooden surfaces.My first host aiti (mom) hated dealing with the windows (two layers: one double pane and one single pane- blinds in the middle) that took a long time.

India

In India my home is swept, dusted and organized once a day alongside the screens and floors being wiped That may seem excessive but the climate in Mumbai demands it. There’s a ton of mud, dirt and water entering even though we follow the “Kengät Pois!” (shoes away) rule. Our doors and windows are open to allow air to circulate and unless you’re living under a stupid German mountain you’d know the air there isn’t any cleaner than Maradona’s blood..

Plus Indian culture takes cleanliness and the sanctity of a home seriously aaaaaaaaaaaand we have cheap labor and domestic help/maids ($80/month if you can bargain) so eh.

Wow I’m privileged oof.

We- ahem the maids- don’t use vacuum cleaners or mops but decrepit-pieces-of-clothing-turned-mops, and by hand which is not exactly beneficial for one’s back.

An advantage of a maid is that when she comes around cleaning your stuff the guilt, shame and embarrassment serve as character development. It makes me realise I MUST be responsible for my own stuff, so I tell her to stop…In my head and simply leave the room to avoid awkwardness.

ahem

BUT ONE DAY I WILL

Resuming this pointless post-

Bed sheets are changed every four days depending on the motivation of the maid. Tables are wiped at 8 am, 8 pm, before and after meals. Hand -washing is preferred over dish washing machines (which I personally don’t trust) in the average house. Ceiling fan (mainstream in India) blades are cleaned maybe thrice a year once during Diwali (big festival).

I like both countries.

India because the house gets cleaned more often and I don’t have to put in effort.

Finland because I have to put in effort but clean less often.

Laziness aside, both approaches work for both houses. It’s impossible to generalize, of course these are only my experiences and households- so if you relate or beg to respectfully differ feel free to leave a comment.

Maybe you can even describe your house ways, I’d love that .