Other Cool Projects - The Man Who Learnt To Love Cleaning
COOL PROJECT 5: Overview
The Man Who Learnt To Love Cleaning is an idea created by Martin Perry, for a 'reality' TV show, that transforms the attitudes of a man who simply hates cleaning.
Pre-Cleaning Activities
The Dirt Awareness Tour
Many men are simply unaware of the existence of dirt and dust in their familiar view of the house. The DAT is an opportunity for the lady of the house to increase her man's Dirt Awareness.
The Domestic Rules
The Rules are a necessary agreement which are created by all parties. They indicate what kind of activities are necessary to maintain a clean house, who will do those activities and when they will do them. The agreement is based on understanding both each other's needs and the greater need of the house.
Competence Assessment
The man's current domestic competence can be tested with a questionnaire. He can also be given starter tasks, such as ordering groceries online from Tesco's.
Getting Started
The following activities are designed against 10 masculine drives:
- Machismo
- Technological
- Sexual
- Competitive
- Romantic
- Intellectual
- Fun
- Laziness
- Family
- Friendship
Machismo
Many men see cleaning as being strictly for women and definitely not a macho activity. What will the lads say when they hear I've been dusting? To overcome this, two possible activities are suggested:
The Domestic God
The Domestic God provides cleaning services for the house, which have to be pre-booked by telephone. The Domestic God has his own range of cleaning equipment and overalls and offers a menu of services. The charge for these services must be fun e.g. one kiss for ten minutes cleaning, two kisses for twenty minutes and so on.
Playing the part of the Domestic God enables the man to save face with macho friends, as well as allowing his partner to see him in a different light.
Cleaning Wars
This is for the macho-technical type. The idea is to customise the vacuum cleaner to make it more powerful, with a longer more powerful hose, bigger motor, stronger sucking action, thus becoming a symbol of masculine power and prowess.
Competitive
These ideas are designed to appeal to the man's competitive streak.
Cleaning Against The Clock
In CATC the man has to clean as much of the house as possible in a given time. Failure to complete cleaning tasks, mean that the Inspectorate of Cleaning (the partner) has permission to impose domestic taxes on him, such as no sex for a night, no meals for a night etc.
The Cleaning Olympics
In the Olympics an independent panel judges his cleaning
(Family, friends) and he can be competing against the partner or another man friend. The scoring takes place weekly and at the end of the month the loser has to buy dinner.
Faking It
In this challenge the man is given a month to develop the skills of a professional cleaner and at the end of the month he competes in a faking it like challenge against professional cleaners in a 'clean-in' at an important persons house.
A professional cleaning company could provide the training and set the standards for him to attain to.
Man In Training
Perfect for the lazy man, MIT means that the man develops cleaning habits and patterns slowly and steadily. So on day one, he does one minutes worth of cleaning, day two, two minutes and so on, so he can overcome his fear of 'all that cleaning!'
Fun
This is for the man who doesn't take himself too seriously.
The Cleaning Party
To make cleaning something to look forward to, the man can play his favourite music at full volume, have drinks and snacks on hand, wear a party hat etc.
Drag Cleaning
In drag cleaning the man will liberate his feminine side by dressing up as a woman!
Sexual
This idea is to help use cleaning to spice up the couple's sex life
Dirty Cleaning
In Dirty Cleaning the man provides an appointment only service, like the Domestic God, but with a difference. He arrives as a regular cleaner, but halfway through the cleaning tasks, subtly shifts into a raunchy routine, with suitable background music, stripping down to a well oiled body and G-string to the delight of his watching partner.
The rest takes place off camera.
Family
To build family team spirit and morale. Suitable for Ned (Simpson's neighbour) like families
The Clean Team
The family take on the role of a team and design their own sweatshirts, caps e.g. Team Harrison and work the domestic routine together, including their own theme song and motto.
Role Reversal
Here the partners swap roles. The man takes on all the tasks the woman would normally do, such as washing, ironing, cooking etc, whilst she takes on the more traditional male roles, such as DIY,
fixing things, building things. This will enable them to appreciate each other more.
The Role Reversal begins with a skills swap, for example, 'I'll teach you how to use the washing machine, if you teach me how to wire a plug'.
Romantic
Perfect for the male with the romantic streak
Cleaning Love
In cleaning love the man provides cleaning as a gift of love to the partner. After cleaning he leaves her a romantic note, flowers and chocolates.
The Cleaning Reward
In return for cleaning, the partner provides incentives and rewards the man with treats, such as a massage, dressing up in attractive lingerie, a favourite meal etc.
Friendship
Lots of men worry about what their male friends will say if they become domesticated.
The Cleaning Buddies
Here the man teams up with a male friend who has a similar recalcitrance regarding cleaning, and they work together as a team, cleaning both houses.
Intellectual
For the intellectual type who knows something about everything.
Dustbusters
The man becomes a dust expert, knowing everything there is to know about the molecular breakdown of dust and dirt, what it causes and how best to deal with it.
