apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Nothing says 'I love you' more then cleaning the toilet.

I would marry the guy who cleans out the bathtub drain . . .

Waking up early and surprising them with a huge breakfast is always a classic. If you arent lucky enough to have an in home washer and dryer doing all of the laundry, folding it, and putting it away so when they come home the closet is stacked. Hell you can even hang a cedar block or other closet freshener for good measure!

I just hope for the day my husband stops "keeping score" about chores. For some reason he is obsessed with how many times he does things (like grocery shopping, cooking dinner, laundry) vs. when I do them. Sigh. It is incredibly annoying because I do a lot of stuff he doesn't even think about -- I just don't bring it up all the time.

I'm lucky in that we have a good natural balance. He loves to grocery shop & cook (I hate both), I find mopping & scrubbing strangely meditative and we are both relaxed but not slobs about the laundry. As long as there is a dishwasher in the apartment there is peace.

For a special gesture I'll organize his closet & dresser and not complain when it's completely wrecked a week later.

If I keep my husband fed and in clean clothes, he's a happy guy - we're both pretty low maintenance, I guess.

When my old boyfriend & I were young & had no $$, he taught the dog to roll over for Valentine's Day - he had worked on it with her for weeks whenever I wasn't home. I think it was the best present I've ever gotten, and completely free. I still get teary when I think about it. Sigh...

I married the guy who cleans the shower drain - love him!

And I agree w/pp: having a dishwasher = peace. But I'm happiest when he mops the floors!

My husband and I split cleaning chores but I do all of the daily stuff.... cooking, dishes, straightening, etc.

However, my husband is a teacher so when he's on summer break, I do very little at home. He does it all! Even the drain!

I think what works well for us is mostly we are really both anal about different things.

He has hardly done a dish because I just don't trust him to get them as clean as I do. I need the laundry done, hung, folded and stored a certain way. He can't stand things not being put in their place, mail not sorted straight away, making the bed daily, whereas with me most those things would be weekend tasks.

I think what I appreciate most is, he seldom relaxes when he is aware I am doing something for us/the house. While I cook, he sorts the mail, tidies up the house, ect. While I do the dishes, he'll sweep and take out the trash. We save heavier stuff for the weekend, but again work together. Most days we enjoy a good meal, a clean house, and eachother.

Thanks everyone for sharing--keep em coming! What means the most to you, what chores are cool with doing and what would you rather die than do?

Ditto Gravity's Rainbow. We are the same way. There are certain things only I do, ie laundry, and certain things only he does, ie vaccum. But we pretty much work together on a lot of things and I do appreciate him always wanting to help. I'm a bit OCD and even though that makes life a bit difficult at times, my husband totally understands me. My husband works from home when he's not traveling, so when he's home I try to make breakfast and bring it to his office. He LOVES it and thinks I'm spoiling him rotten. It's really not much and makes me very happy that I can make him so happy and feel loved.

Cleaning is its own reward! I'll sometimes tidy up before husband gets home, as a treat for him, but I think I appreciate it even more!

When I was growing up, my Dad worked out of town several days a week and got home on Fridays. We would clean up the house so it was nice on Friday when he came home. Not that he cared about such things, but when I think about it, it was a sweet gesture on my Mom's part!

Judie might get mad at me for saying this, but my man just cleaned out the bathroom drain a couple days ago! Sorry, he's already taken;) It's all about balance, though.

My wife can't even load the dishwasher efficiently - and she outrightly admits it. I, however, cannot be trusted with any major matter involving a dollar sign, and have surrendered to this fact. So I make sure there isn't any glass collisions in the dishwasher, or black wool in the dryer with white cottons. She takes care of everything financial, and doles me out a reasonable allowance for daily expenses, groceries, etc. I couldn't love her more for doing the things I dread and fail at; she feels exactly the same.