“You don’t vacuum or broom after 6 p.m., because this will give you bad luck, and results in less income coming into the home.”

My informant was told this superstition as a little girl. It was supposed that females would be the ones conducting all the domestic work in the household, so this superstition was told mainly to females. She remembers sweeping her floor one evening in her home and her mother slapping the broom from her hand. Her mother is a huge believer in superstitions and avoids breaking them at all costs. She said that the family will become poor if they cleaned after six. As a result, all cleaning activities were done before sunset, and any unfinished cleaning was carried out the following morning. She continues the tradition and shares it with her family and friends, because she believes it to be a creative way to instill values about hard work.

I believed this superstition to be particularly interesting, because I thought it was ridiculous growing up. However, it could be used as a kind of way to help people avoid developing bad habits. It is analogous to procrastination, where one often does things the last minute. It could also be used in an economic way to help people understand proper work ethics, where working in a time-oriented fashion can be a more effective means to produce the most profit.