For Partners of People with AD/HD: Suck It

Let's face it. Very few people actually like to clean, but everybody has to do it. In our house, we have two shedding dogs who, for reasons known only to them, enjoy rolling around on the carpet. And the vast majority of our house is wall-to-wall carpeting. So we have to vacuum more than most people.

The problem is, Jen and I both hate doing it. Especially Jen. It's boring, tiresome, and the worst part is no matter how great a job you do, you have to vacuum again within a day or two. So I'm the one that usually ends up vacuuming. Frankly, it sucks. (Pun totally intended.)

But we had a bit of excitement recently that turned our usual routine upside down: we got a new vacuum. 

Our old vacuum went to the big carpet in the sky, and we desperately needed to replace it. The new one is much lighter to maneuver and has infinitely better suction. And the best part? It has a light that turns red when the floor is dirty and green when the floor is clean.

I was looking forward to the arrival of our new vacuum, but it was actually Jen who was the most excited, believe it or not. She couldn't wait to open the box! I knew I had to take full advantage of her sudden, unexpected enthusiasm.

So my advice for getting your ADD partner to do the dirty work? Play up the novelty of the situation. 

Jen couldn't get enough of the clean/dirty light on the new vacuum. It was like a game to her. So I kept pointing out how cool it was, along with all the other favorable comparisons to our old vacuum.

"Honey, how great is the self-propel feature? You barely have to push!"

"I've never seen a vacuum that color before! What would you call that, electric blue?"

"Did I tell you this vacuum is the Anniversary Edition?"

My strategy worked. Jen played with her new toy all day. She vacuumed the entire house and actually managed to enjoy it...which means I didn't have to lift a finger. Let's just hope the novelty doesn't wear off anytime soon!

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Comments

[Jeff]

To keep the enjoyment level high, there needs to be a vacuum that has a DVD player built in with the screen way down at the bottom of the power nozzle. This would force you to look at the floor but you can glance at the screen at the same time.

[Firesheep67]

And, as an ADDer - I just have to know - what vacuum is this?!? :D

[Carmen]

How would Jen like to come over with the vacuum and vacuum my house for me?

[Erin]

Firesheep (Firesheep?! Awesome.), It's the Hoover WindTunnel Anniversary Upright Vacuum, Self-Propelled, Bagged, #U6485900. Works great.

[Firesheep67]

Not that I need a new vacuum, but just in case! Thanks!

...Firesheep from my Chinese Zodiac sign ;)...

[LMG]

This post reflects sth that is totally true for me (ADHDer) and cleaning. My husband is a neat freak and focuses on the function of things. I don't really hate cleaning, I just never see the dirty stuff til the pile is quite high. However, I love color, new toys, well-designed gadgets, aesthetics, etc. He's been gone for a few days and I bought scented, organic household cleaner, new aerodynamically designed mops and nanofiber polishing and dusting cloths. This stuff was really fun to clean with. Plus the whole house sparkles and smells better. I know that sort of thing might be silly to some people, but I like to enjoy cleaning as much as I like the other fun stuff we do.