I’m sure everyone’s heard about the coronavirus and COVID-19 and how contagious it is. There are quarantines being declared all over the place, a lot of us are getting extended breaks, and there’s a big chance of schooling going online for a massive portion of us, maybe even for the rest of the school year. And this is worldwide, not just in the US.
Times like this can be really stressful for families, especially on your folks, so I’m issuing a How I Helped Make the Quarantine Less Sucky Challenge.
It might seem like the boring or least interesting part of being stuck at home, but one of the biggest challenges for families is keeping the house clean. Not just your room (though that’s really important) but the whole house. Laundry, dishes, keeping surfaces clean, all the things.
RULES
- Send me photos of your completed chores/tasks to challenge@roux36.com.
- The photo MUST include:
- A completed chore or task
- A note with the date, your Discord handle or email address
- The nature of the chore
- DO NOT send a picture of your face (particularly important if you’re under 18).
- Keep the email addresses the same between pictures so that we can track your progress.
- You can do the same chore more than once, but we’re actually looking at them, so we’ll know if you’re just trying to game the system.
Completed chores can include things like a dishwasher full of clean dishes, a basket of folded clothes, clean countertops, vacuumed floors (sample list below). Fully cleaned rooms may count as more than one chore, depending on the judges’ discretion, but Before and Afters are required for that. See the full-er list of rules here.
TIERS
- TIER 1:
- REQUIREMENT: 10 Chores/Tasks
- REWARD: A Challenge-Exclusive desktop graphic declaring that you made the quarantine less sucky.
- TIER 2
- REQUIREMENT: 25 Chores/Tasks
- REWARDS: A Challenge-Exclusive desktop graphic declaring that you made the quarantine less sucky AND entry into a random drawing for three people to win a Roux36 Original Piece of IRL Art, 8×10 Autographed Poster.
- TIER 3
- REQUIREMENT: 50 Chores/Tasks
- REWARDS: A Challenge-Exclusive desktop graphic declaring that you made the quarantine less sucky AND entry into a random drawing for ONE person to win a Roux36 Original Piece of IRL Art, 12×18 Autographed Poster
The more people enter, the more possible winner slots will open. If a TON of people hit the final tier, we will open more winner slots and then also add a higher tier.
INFO ABOUT COVID-19/SOURCES
Did you know that you could be a carrier for up to three weeks before you show symptoms, during which time you’re contagious? And that the coronavirus can live on surfaces for several days, they’re finding? That means that if someone came over to your house a few days ago and didn’t know that they were carrying it, and then you touch something that THEY touched – like, a CHAIR or a TABLE – and then you touch your face… congrats, you got the cooties.
But you won’t know it yet because you won’t feel sick for a while – and then you can get other people sick because of all the things that you touched, unless you keep your stuff clean.
The best source for information about it is the World Health Organization (links provided below) because they are unbiased and exclusively dedicated to making you not die. Here’s the best source for finding out the latest: https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus
You’re not in this alone!
I’m going to be doing all of this, too. Cleaning once during a quarantine really isn’t enough because, again, if you’re a carrier, you can clean something up but then re-infect the area quickly by touching it again. Lather, rinse, repeat, pun intended.
Don’t panic, don’t freak out, just stay on top of things. All this stuff is really just good practice for being good humans anyway, but I figure, why not make it a little more awesome, right? Or, at least, less sucky.
MORE WORDY GUIDELINES and POLICIES:
- Progress is tracked by your unique email address. Do not submit the same person’s chores under multiple email addresses. They will all be disqualified.
- ONLY entries sent to the challenge@roux36 email address will qualify. Do not send pictures to any other email address, or post them to the Discord server, YouTube channel, or any other social media. If this occurs, you will be redirected to the correct channel. Abusing the social media channels will result in disqualification and possible banishment from those channels.
- Do not send pictures of any human without their consent. Do not send pictures of humans younger than 18 in particular. However, pictures of parents giving a thumbs up is okay.
- Images of chores that you did not perform are automatic disqualification. However, they do not have to happen exclusively in your house. If you are in a position to help other people out (cleaning up for a neighbor, for instance), that will count.
- All entries MUST have a note with the date, email handle, and chore or chores.
- If you send a picture of a clean living room, it will only count as one chore unless you include a “before” picture. In your entry note, list the chores you performed: dusted, vacuumed, picked up the detritus, and brushed the couch, for instance.
- Occasionally, you may receive a reply to your entry from the judges asking for clarification or offering advice. Reply to these messages do not count as additional entries, even with further photographic support.
- Do your chores well. A chart of qualified chores for full rooms is listed below.
- The judges have the right to suspend, investigate, or disqualify any entry from anyone. Reasons for these actions may be to avoid contest fraud, protect other players/entrants, or to defeat trolls. Trolling and/or not honoring the spirit of the contest could result in action from the judges.
- The final random drawings will be performed by assigning a numeric value to each entry, at which point a random number generator will be used to determine the winning entries. The winners will be announced on April 15, 2020, and prizes will be sent out shortly thereafter.
- Winners from previous tiers are still included if they have accomplished the threshold for higher tiers. This means that if you have done 60 chores, you should have three unique desktop images and will be entered into both the Tier 2 and Tier 3 drawings.
Sample Chore List
| CHORES | EXAMPLES |
|---|---|
| Living Room | Vacuum or Sweep Dusting Pick up the trash/clutter No dishes or other extraneous detritus Tidy bookshelves Pick up floor Return wandering toys/books to bedrooms Wipe down leatherette couches with slightly damp cloth Vacuum inside couch Clear off desk and tables Fold blankets/throws |
| Kitchen | Dishes (loading and unloading) Clean and sanitize counters Sweep/Mop the floors Wipe down the cabinet faces (before and after pictures required) Take out the trash/recycling Clean appliances Scrub Sink Empty out fridge of leftovers and soiled food Restock paper products – napkins/paper towels Wipe down table and chairs |
| Bedroom | Make the bed (change sheets once per week) Laundry (wash, dry, fold, put away) Pick up trash/clutter Stack books/papers neatly Pick up toys/floor Vacuum/Sweep Dust including ceiling fans |
| Bathrooms | Wipe down the mirrors Scrub toilets Scrub the shower/tub Clean and sanitize bathroom counters and sinks Restock toilet paper and soaps Empty all small trash cans |
| Outdoors/Yardwork | Sweep patio Pick weeds Spray for bugs Water plants Trim trees, plants, grass Tend garden Rake and bag leaves |
| Extra Stuff | Cook meals Help take care of siblings/younger children Bathe animals as needed |