People Are Sharing the Chores They Didn't Even Know Existed...Until It Was Too Late

Growing up, you learn the big ones: taking out the trash, doing laundry, washing dishes. But as you get real deep into adulthood, you start to realize that there are other, hidden chores that no one bothered to tell you about until it was way too late. With one clever tweet — "Writing a horror book called 'Chores you didn't know existed and were supposed to be doing all along'" — Melissa McEwen unleashed a terrifying thread of all the chores you didn't know you had to do...until now.

Melissa starts us off by explaining that apparently, you have to wipe down the dishwasher door seal. I haven't had a dishwasher in many years, but thinking back to when I did have one... I never cleaned that seal. Yikes.

This is a REAL ONE and I learned it the hard way. In my old fridge, I noticed some spots under the drawers in the bottom. I pulled out the drawers to find at least an inch of standing water covered in mold. It was the most disgusting thing I've ever witnessed. Since then, I make sure all surfaces in the fridge are at least clean-ish.

My husband is really good about cleaning out the bathtub drain every few months, mostly because it clogs up really badly and we end up with inches of water after showers that take hours to drain. The secret? Drain snakes. Sure, it's gross to get all the gunk out, but it's also really satisfying.

I...did not know that dryers had exhaust pipes. Then again, I've never owned my own machine. Here's hoping that if I ever have my own dryer, I'll remember this one.

I have watched my mom vacuum the curtains too many times not to know this one, but it really is a pain in the butt. Also, dry-cleaned drapes?!?! What are you, out of your mind? No way. Just vacuum them where they hang.

What even is a water alarm? No seriously, I had to google it just now. I guess it's supposed to detect leaks and water damage before it happens. Oh man. Owning a home really seems like a full-time job.

Sometimes when I use my apartment's washer and dryer, the clothes end up dirtier than they were when I put them in the laundry. I bet these filters and exhaust pipes have something to do with it. I can't imagine they've been cleaned in a while.

This is a big one. The stuff that's been sitting behind your oven and your refrigerator are probably so nasty, provided they haven't sprouted legs and walked away by this point. Please, for the love of all that is holy, clean behind your appliances and under your furniture.

Vacuum...your smoke detectors? Really? Is this a thing? I know that the battery has to be replaced every so often, especially when it starts chirping and driving you mad, but is vacuuming your smoke detector really a thing we should all be doing?! 

I will admit it took me a while to realize this too, but now, I get such satisfaction from cleaning out the AC filters. Oh don't get me wrong, they are gross. But it's still nice. In conclusion, if you're not spending every waking minute cleaning your home, then you are not adulting properly.