That actually worked really well because we then all attached a monetary value to the cleaning that none of us wanted to do. And it got done.

Also, what about all those commercials advertising a “new” cleaning product, wherein some dude comes to SPREAD THE WORD to all the ecstatically grateful ladies?

@nepenthe: I would just lay down the law and tell him you don’t want to be cleaning up after him anymore. Maybe with an Or Else, if you’ve got one. But then, I’m kind of a bitch like that. If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s lack of hygiene. That’s always the first thing I check up on when I’m looking for a flat – will they agree to a cleaning rota and do we have similar standards.

But yes, these commercials are awful. My mother hates any kind of housework with a fiery passion, but she also likes a clean house, and my dad tends to do outside work more than anything else, although to be fair, there’s a lot of outside work to be done. My brother on the other hand doesn’t understand the concept of tidiness, or dirt for that matter. He’s just a slob, and I can’t even blame it on our being socialized differently.

baraqiel, almost every grad student I knew used to steal solvents from the lab for cleaning.

I don’t remember what it was, but there is at least one carpet-cleaning commercial that involves the kids helping with the cleaning.

Count me among the kids who’s moms saw them as an escape from drudgery – we had a cleaning service, but I was doing my own laundry when I was ten. My husband (who does 70% of the cleaning around here – maybe more) and I constantly joke about how long it will be before our three-year-old boy can take over various tasks. On the bright side, I was the only person on my floor who really knew how to do laundry my freshman year.

My mother-in-law literally followed her children around the house picking up after them because she can’t bear a mess. For the first two months we lived together, my husband would say things like, “Wow, it’s really messy in here.” and “I wish the kitchen were cleaner.” and honestly didn’t seem to realize that if he wanted the house to be cleaner, he had to do something about it. Luckily, since his mess tolerance is way lower than mine, he learned pretty quickly. He even cleans toilets. Though never the area behind them.

I’ve become increasingly skeptical of cleaning products in any event. The fact that the vast majority of the product weight is water isn’t that problematic for me but it really bothers me that a significant portion of the other ingredients are dyes and thickeners and such as opposed to being actually useful for cleaning. Other chemists may relate to this feeling: I often find myself wishing that I could just bring home some solvents from the lab instead — damn if I’ve yet to find anything that doesn’t dissolve in tetrahydrofuran besides metals — but that wouldn’t be safe or legal. If only things wouldn’t get so dirty in the first place…

*I have to admit I kind of miss the Brawny man. He can come clean my kitchen any day, preferably in the nude.