Do you all have a hard time keeping your house clean?

[KimRaye]

Boy can I relate!!

Besides the "who's coming over?" remarks, I swear I live with slobs, , which doesn't help.

I was a SAHM for 5+ years (after being a working Mom for 10 before that) and, I'm now working PT while DD is in full-time kindergarten. Let me tell you, I didn't spend those 5+ years cleaning!!! No way!!! So, when she went to school, I said, "I haven't cleaned in 5 years, why start now?! Back to work!".

When I worked those 1st 10 years, I was ANAL about cleaning but, sometime after DD was born, I gave up! We have a SMALL house and, it's ALWAYS cluttered. There's no where to GO with our stuff and, I DO pitch and toss whenever I can!

We have several estimators coming in this week and, you can bet we'll be doing the "10-sec. tidy" (from The Big Comfy Couch) EVERYNIGHT they come!!!!!

As it is now, I come home about 3:30 and spend almost 5 hours in the kitchen, going thru backpacks, making dinner, making lunches for the next day, keeping the shopping list up-to-date, paying the bills, laying out clothes, doing laundry.....you know what I mean. When is there time to clean?!?!



P.S. CALL me before you drop by!!!!!!!!! Or, suffer the consequences!

 

[WhenUwishUponAstar]

Normally I can let things go but we are trying to sell our house. I am trying to keep it clean so that I can do the hurry up dance faster. I can't wait to sell this house not so much because I want to move but because I'm ready to be able to relax and live for awhile.

 

[disykat]

I'm a big tidier, so unless we're in the middle of some major project (like blanket forts etc.) the house is usually presentable. The boys usually tidy their rooms once a day before we leave for school (their school doesn't start until 9). I'm the type that makes my bed every morning before I go anywhere. My problem is the CLEAN part. I live in fear that someone will stop by and want to use my bathroom!

I just finished steam cleaning my family room carpet. Yuck, Yuck, Yuck! I don't even want to think about the muddy brown water I just tossed out.

 

[ValerieK]

I spend most of my time picking up. I never seem to get around to cleaning. No one else picks anything up. DH leaves clothes everywhere. DS takes off his socks and stuffs them into the corners of the couch and chairs. The thing that gets me is that DH thinks he helps around the house, but he doesn't.

 

[JetMom]

I tell my DH all the time that I feel like a hamster on a wheel when it comes to housework! I'm running as fast as I can, but I never seem to get anywhere!

I could probably keep up with the cleaning if I didn't have to do the laundry and vice versa.

Oh well -- one of these days I'll catch up!

 

[BedKnobbery2]

JetMom, you hit the nail on the head! I've done really well lately keeping up with the clutter, but what gets me is the CAT HAIR! Even after I vacuum, it is everywhere. And my "problem cat", the one who seems to shed everywhere, HATES to be brushed. I mean HATES it. On those rare occasions I decide to give it a try, I have to put on leather work gloves that go to the elbow, or I'll end up all bitten and scratched. I hate putting him through it, too. Ah, well.

 

[powellrj]

I usually inlist the troops to clean for several hours on the weekend, but DH was gone and the kids were everywhere but home so I gave it a lick and a promise and made it presentable. It will look ok until about Thursday, then it kinda goes down hill. We are tired and the kids seem to bring more home from school and I will be out of town several days in the middle of the week. By next Saturday (unless everyone is gone again) it should look good for a few days.

 

[Tinkerbelle739]

I just wanted to add that I am soooo tempted to post a pic of DD6's room. You can barely walk in there! I have given up. I cannot count the times I have cleaned it up or helped her pick it up. She is then compelled to go in there and play and pull everything out again. Whats a mom to do?

This mom is just going to live with it and not stress about it. I will just keep the door closed!

Wishing everyone a "magical" day!

 

[disneygals]

It is endless!! When the kids were little, I used to have college girls come and help and that was great. Didn't cost as much as a housekeeper and we worked together. Now that the kids are in school, I should be able to do it, but it is SOOOOO boring.

 

[pjlla]

Just one more frustrated Mom here...... but I had to laugh at the original poster who said something about cleaning "three hours before"..... Your house must not be nearly as dirty as you think!! I had double Easter dinner at my house..... Saturday was my family, Sunday was my DH's family (20 people each day)....

I started with deep cleaning (junk drawer, kitchen closet, garage) about three weeks in advance (this was after doing some redecorating... paint the kitchen, new chandelier in the dining room, new sconces in the living room, new curtains that I made myself for the kitchen and mudroom, new flooring for the kitchen that DH and I did ourselves, repairing wobbly dining room chairs).

Then one week before Easter I started with one room at a time (dining room first, then living room, including shampooing the carpets) until on Friday night I was doing last minute vacumming/dusting and my Mom came and helped me with the bathrooms. But I worked HARD until about 10pm Friday. But I was happy about the way it all looked. But here it is, one week later, and..... oh well.... maybe it will be that clean again sometime next year....P

 

[pammypooh]

I just had to post. I also have been working on cleaning my house for our DD 1st Communion party that we had this past weekend...

One of my downfalls is my refrigerator. It was covered with pictures, magnets, and clutter on top of it too. I was quite proud of my accomplishment of clearing and cleaning. Then my DD came home and looked at it and said, "Our refrigerator is white!"

DH is quite happy now with the house and since we really de-cluttered (is that a word?) , we are going to try to keep this up, as long as possible.

It is so nice not to trip over toys in living room!

My other challenge is my Brittany (not Spears - My Dog!) He sheds alot! My carpets are navy blue...with white dog hair...

Thank Goodness we have a Kirby!

We actually had a cleaning service come in when our children were very young, but I found myself cleaning house before the cleaner would come...didn't make sense. I have decided that I don't need a cleaner, but I would love to have an "Alice", because she picked up things, did laundry, did cooking, did cleaning, babysat, did errands...

Happy Cleaning everyone.

Pam

 

[tkd lisa]

Another messy house here. I do a major clean about 4 times a year (usually related to people coming over). I work full time, am really involved in our kids scout troops and am pretty tied up on Sundays with church. My family is also of the drop it and leave it mind-set, so the end result is a cluttered house. I do get the laundry done, and the floors swept on a regular basis.

I firmly believe that when my kids are grown up, they'll remember that Mom was there for them when they needed me, not that the house was messy!

DH gets grumpy about the house, and I just tell him if he doesn't like it, he knows where the vaccuum cleaner is. I'm not embarassed to have people see it (it's messy, not a pig sty), but he doesn't feel that way. I would be willing to have a cleaning service, but I"m like the person who wants the Alice, since most of our problem is the clutter, not the dirt!

 

[KristiKelly]

I feel better knowing I'm not the only one. Like most of you, my house is not "dirty", just cluttered. I do try to keep it clean on the surface, but this weekend I did baseboards, blinds, ceiling fans (how does the dust get up there???). The funny thing, you know when the sun shines in the house in early mornings or late afternoon and you can actually see the dust floating in the air - DD4 thinks that "pixie dust" - it would be WRONG to get rid of that, now wouldn't it

 

[mickeyboat]

Fighting the same battle here. I clean on Saturday mornings for about 2 hours, keep things picked up and laundry done. But it seems that is all I ever do once I get home from work and get dinner going.

We are staying with my FIL for a couple of months while our house is being remodeled. I am hoping once everything is new and we have hardwood floors, it will be a lot easier to keep it clean and clutter-free. You would not believe how much stuff I got rid of while we were moving things out for the project.

My problem with DH is that he just doesn't care if the house is a wreck. When I get home and see a mess I can't help myself. I have to clean it. When DH sees a mess, it doesn't faze him. He just doesn't care and he tells me that all the time.

Denae

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Sometimes. It's just me, DBF and our dog. Or dog likes to destroy things so there's that. DBF is a neat freak, so that helps too, but we are both easily sidetracked so sometimes it gets messy. Other times the biggest problem is where to put everything.

 

[Cocamami]

With 3 kids, DS-6, DDs-7&8 who participate in EVERYTHING year round, not to mention I work full time and go to school at night and DH works and coaches, who has time??? I try to keep the common/public access areas (kitchen, bathroom, living room) in some sort of order, but the bedrooms are hopeless! And usually I'm too tired to care.

 

[shortbun]

My nickname when I was little was "Messalina Messydesk."
I'm still messy. I keep the living room, kitchen and bathroom
company ready. DO NOT ask for a tour of my house if you
drop in!!!! lol
DS has been learning to do the dishes and clean up the kitchen
so it's not always sparkling. I don't want him to get discouraged
AND I'm not going to be the tyrant my mother was standing over
me until it was perfect. The office, bedrooms, dining room and
toyroom are trashed. I dust, mop and wipe but i hate bending
over to pick things up-I always end up at the chiropractor. I have
one of those tools to pkup but it doesnt work that well. Ds and
DH have to pitch in when a deep cleaning is required. DH works
so long and hard outside the house, I hate asking-really! When
he comes home, he drops and I can not ask him to do another thing. Sometimes he's so tired, he comes to bed in his dirty work
clothes after I'm asleep, too tired to take them off. My extra time
is spent with DS. He's so important to us, I can't bear the thought
of him watching endless TV or playing alone while I clean. We do
things together and we're both happier. We're messy and we're
happy!! The other day, DS made DH and me a certificate saying
we were 1st class cleaners. DH laughed til he cried. Thankfully,
DS doesn't have any friends who's parents make cleaning a
priority over them!

 

[goodferry]

Jetmom, you soooo nailed right on the head how I feel about cleaning the house. I do feel like a hamster running and running and never getting anywhere!!