Chores aren’t a lot of fun, but they are things that must be done. The alternative would be living in a pigsty, and I’m pretty sure none of us want that. There are, however, some chores that are worse than others. Here’s my list of chores I absolutely hate to do.

1. Cleaning the deep fryer. After deep-frying several pounds of French fries and a variety of other food items, the gunk in the bottom of the deep fryer is just nasty. It probably wouldn’t be so bad if I didn’t wait so long between rounds of deep-frying before I cleaned it, but I just hate it so much, this is one of those things that has to get to the point of “it must be done now” before it gets done. Honestly, I’d almost rather buy a new deep fryer every five or six weeks than clean out the one I have. I used to hate using the crock pot or baking things in the oven, especially if it were things that would leave my pots and pans hard to clean. But then some genius put crock pot liners and pan lining paper (foil on one side, parchment on the other) on the market. If you haven’t tried either of those, I suggest you do. They make cooking much more fun because there is less cleanup. So, I know it will be harder to do, but I’m waiting for the genius who can invent the deep fryer liner to make my cleanup job as easy as cleaning up the crock pot and my baking dishes.

2. Running the vacuum cleaner. I mainly hate this one because I can never get a good vacuum. Of course, I’ve about decided that’s because I always buy the cheap ones. I just really hate the idea of spending $300 or more on a vacuum, mainly because I’m afraid I will and it’ll be as worthless as the $60 vac I currently own. Almost all the vacuums are bagless now, which should be better, right? Not for my cheap-o vacuum. We never can get the filter completely cleaned out. Dust gets all stirred up. And when we turn it off, we have to be sure to do it on the uncarpeted floor because it will spit some of the dirt back out, then we get a broom and sweep it up again. Since I don’t think there will be a miraculous invention to save me here (nothing as good as crock pot liners, pan lining paper, or hopefully deep fryer liners), I’ve about decided my only option is going to be to buy the expensive vacuum. I’ve been arguing with myself on this one for over six months. I’m starting to wear myself down.

3. Cleaning the bathroom. This one doesn’t really need much explanation; it’s just a nasty job, but it’s the one that gets done more frequently than the other two. It is a little easier to clean it as it’s used, so that makes it a little better, but it’s still not a fun job.

If anyone wants to make my life easier, have that brainstorm that puts deep fryer liners on the market, makes a cheap vacuum work well, and creates a self-cleaning bathroom.