Nostalgic Chores From Growing Up at Home
Growing up, chores were just part of life - things we did because our parents told us to, not because we wanted to. It was hard at the time, but we learned responsibility, and in some cases that stayed with us into our adult years.
Washing the Dishes
Before dishwashers were common, doing the dishes meant scrubbing every plate by hand. This was hands down one of the most whined-about chores, but you had to do it. And if you left smears of food on any of the dishes, you had to do it again.
Taking Out the Trash
Nobody ever wanted this job, but someone had to drag that smelly bag outside. Back then, trash bags seemed twice as heavy, and the bins weren’t those neat rolling carts we have today. Plus, there were raccoons lurking out there.
Sweeping the Floors
There were no robot vacuums to help back then, or even regular vacuums in some cases. There was just a broom, dustpan, and lots of bending over. Sweeping seemed simple until a line of crumbs always refused to budge. Fun times.
Vacuuming Carpets
Eventually, vacuums were invented! But dragging the big vacuum around the house felt like steering a clunky machine through an obstacle course. You always had to move chairs, untangle cords, and pray it didn’t suck up something it wasn’t supposed to, like one of Mom’s earrings.
Making the Bed
If you had a parent who was in the military, this was especially drilled into you. Every morning, you had to make the bed perfectly and that was supposed to set you up for the rest of the day. It was a pain at the time, but admittedly it did teach discipline.
Hanging Clothes on the Line
Before dryers were in every house, laundry day meant heading outside with a basket and clothespins. When you were a kid wet jeans felt like they weighed fifty pounds, and the sheets took forever to hang. Still, there was something nice about the smell of sun-dried laundry.
Folding Laundry
Moms would happily delegate the task of folding laundry to their children. Admittedly, folding wasn’t so bad until you had to deal with fitted sheets, which no one ever mastered. Matching socks was another battle since at least one always went missing.
Raking Leaves
When fall rolled around, it was time to rake. Children of the ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s and a little beyond would be handed a rake and told not to stop until the yard looked neat. Of course, you could always jump into the big pile of leaves afterward… except that meant raking it again.
Mowing the Lawn
Pushing that heavy mower around in the heat was a rite of passage for boys and some girls of the not-so-distant past. Gas-powered mowers were loud and finicky, and you had to yank the cord a dozen times to get them started.
Dusting Furniture
Armed only with an old rag or feather duster, we had to chase down dust on shelves we could barely reach. It always seemed to come back the very next day, no matter how hard we worked. The worst part was moving all of Mom’s or Grandma’s little decorations to dust them, knowing you’d be yelled at if you broke one.
Cleaning the Windows
Wiping windows was always a chore that somehow left streaks no matter how hard we tried. It was messy, frustrating, and sometimes made you feel like the windows looked worse before they looked better. Sometimes parents would just give up making their kids do this one and do it themselves.
Scrubbing the Bathroom
Bathrooms were, for obvious reasons, everyone’s least favorite room to clean. If there were a lot of kids in the house, they got nasty fast. Fed-up parents would simply send their kids in with scrubbing brushes and rubber gloves and tell them to get to work.
Washing the Car
It was a ritual on warm summer weekends: buckets of soapy water, sponges, and a hose that you definitely used to spray your siblings with water when no-one was looking. Dad cleaned the more difficult parts of the car and you got to feel proud of yourself for helping.
Cleaning Out the Garage
Garages were often a graveyard of forgotten boxes and random junk. Clearing it out meant hauling, sweeping, and deciding what to toss versus what to begrudgingly keep. It wasn’t always easy, but at least sometimes you’d find some cool old stuff.
Taking Care of Pets
If you wanted a dog or cat in the ‘60s, your parents would buy it for you and expect you to take of it. This meant walking, brushing, feeding, everything. Giving children full responsibility over a pet doesn’t happen much anymore – parents do all the looking after.
Cleaning the Fridge
Nothing smelled worse than a forgotten container your sibling left at the back of the fridge. Cleaning it meant pulling everything out, wiping down shelves, and throwing away things that were growing mold. It was gross, tedious work that put you off your dinner later.
Polishing Shoes
For school uniforms or special occasions, shoe polish was a must. Rubbing, buffing, and trying not to stain your fingers with black or brown goo was tricky, but most kids managed it. It’s a lost art now – shoes just don’t need to be shiny anymore.
Watering the Garden
In summer, the task of watering the garden might fall to one of the younger kids. It was a pretty easy job, especially with a garden hose. Yet really little kids often got distracted and ended up drinking out of the garden hose instead. Very unhygienic!
Emptying the Dishwasher
Dishwashers were amazing when they first rolled around, but they weren’t miracle workers. You still had to load and unload all the plates and bowls. It was a job that, alas, often ended in things getting broken if you were a clumsy kid.
Cleaning Out the Car
Once the backseat became a repository for crumbs and trash, it was time for a deep clean. Often while doing this, your dad would complain about his beautiful car being ruined, and you wouldn’t even have a hose or soapy water to distract yourself with. Still, occasionally you found loose change between the seats.
Changing the Bed Sheets
Changing sheets was never anyone’s favorite chore - especially when you had to wrestle fitted sheets into submission. There was always that one corner that refused to stay tucked, and pillowcases never seemed to line up right. Still, eventually bedsheet companies brought out child-friendly sheets with colorful characters on them, so that was nice.
Tidying up Your Toys
Parents were happy to buy their kids toys, and for that we’re all very grateful, but they didn’t like it when those toys ended up all over the floor. Kids would be told at the end of the day to pick their toys up and put them away nicely, and many a tantrum was thrown.
Ironing Clothes
Ironing seemed to take forever, and one wrong move could leave a burn mark or a crease in the wrong place. That’s not all – you yourself could get burned, and moms often informed children that an unattended iron could burn the house down.
Cleaning the Microwave
Microwaves were another fabulous invention that changed family life forever, but cleaning them up took a lot of work. And they got dirty so fast! One small pizza and they were rendered a huge mess. And then the stains would get stuck on and it’d be such a pain.
Cleaning the Oven
Oven cleaning was the kind of chore you avoided until you absolutely couldn’t anymore. Scraping baked-on grease and wiping down racks could take hours, and the smell of cleaner lingered for days. But Mom was always grateful, and sometimes she’d even slip you a few coins.
Mopping Floors
It was a brave parent who gave their kid a bucket of water and told them to get mopping. Kids don’t really know how to mop, and the floor would end up getting more water than it needed. And if there were two mops around, kids would just play lightsaber fight with them.
Taking Care of the Lawn Edges
Trimming the edges along the sidewalk or driveway was a finicky job. Too short and it looked bare; too long and it looked messy. And yet, Dad always took such pride in the lawn, and he installed that same sense of pride in his kids.
Washing Windowsills
Windowsills (especially one with plants) gathered a lot of dirt, and worse, gross little bugs would crawl on them in the summer and die. Part of the job was dealing with those disgusting bug corpses. Still, once you were done, the result was noticeable - a house that looked clean in the little details.
Cleaning Out Closets
To be fair, cleaning out a closet could sometimes be a fun chore, because you’d discover old toys you’d completely forgotten about. Course, you’d sometimes find old school reports as well. And you had to run the vacuum around in there, which wasn’t always easy.
Taking Out Recycling
Before recycling bins were common, having an environmentally conscious home often meant dragging cardboard and bottles to a separate bin outside. It was awkward, bulky and sometimes messy, but it felt important and you got a rush from helping save the planet.
Cleaning the Ceiling Fans
Ceiling fans were a dust magnet, and cleaning them meant climbing up on chairs or ladders with a rag in hand. One swipe, and the dust would fall straight onto the floor - or worse, your head. It was awkward and messy and some kids were even scared of climbing the ladder.
Weeding the Garden
Weeding was a slow, sometimes frustrating process, especially when stubborn roots refused to budge. It often meant bending over for long stretches, pulling away in the hot sun. But it did teach kids to have pride in their gardens and understand the power of the natural world.
Shoveling Snow
With winter snow came shovels. Clearing sidewalks or driveways was hard work, especially during heavy snowfalls, but parents insisted it be done. At least when it was finished you could go and have a snowball fight.
Washing Walls
God help you if you were a little kid who scribbled on a wall. Parents of the ’60s had no time for that sort of thing, and they’d make you clean it up straight away. These days, things actually haven't changed - kids are still expected to keep their bedroom walls clean.
Composting
For homes with gardens, composting was sometimes a daily job. Scooping out decomposed food scraps or old leaves into bins or piles wasn’t glamorous, and it could get smelly. But it was another thing that helped the planet.
