How Messy/dirty does your house get??

[LBelle]

A few years back we were selling our home. The purchasers wanted the normal Home Inspection thing, which was no problem....BUT...

on the inspectors report he had written down, as a joke.... the home suffers from a LAUNDRY STRUCTURAL PROBLEM!!!!!!

I swear there must have been 4 or 5 HUGE mountains of dirty clothes in our basement!!! I have never been able to live this one down!!! Oh, new home has the Main Flor Laundry Room so NO MORE MOUNTAINS!!!

 

[hlbtimes2]

:When we're having company, we'll clean it to a "company clean," which still isn't perfect, and then we'll apologize for the "mess" because we know that what's clean to us is still messy for some.

We have various stages of "company" clean. There is the clean you do when your family is coming over= pick up some clutter, and make sure the dishes are done.
Then close friends= pick up more clutter, wipe down the bathroom, and maybe clean up the kids rooms.
Then there is not so close friends/ parents of the kids your kids are friends with= all the above, plus run the vacuum and mop the floors.
Then there is people you dont know or people you need to impress- all the above, plus dust the furniture, clean up the yard.

My best friend who I love dearly has one of the messiest houses. Even her company is coming clean is still pretty messy. She'll get the dishes done, and declutter the living room. Just dont venture past those and you are safe. Her hall way, which you see when you use the bathroom is always covered in a layer of toys and clothes. It's sort of pouring out of the kids room and laundry area.

 

[kbmoo]

I am so glad I am not alone. My house isn't really dirty. I clean semi regularly, but it's the clutter. A year ago we refinanced our house. I straighted for days so the inspector could come out. When he was here I apoligized for my messy house. I said "I bet you don't see this messy of a house very often". He told me he had seen worse, but not very many. All I know is all my good friends have pretty cluttery houses. I think we all feel better knowing that we are not neat freaks. I like others have family christmas and other get togethers so I will clean. The problem is my standards are getting more lax. I figure my family came to see me, not my house. I'm sure we are the talk of my husbands family, but I don't care. Housekeeping is not number 1 on my priority list. I am not home that much. I would much rather travel & have fun. Sometimes it takes 2 years for people to get the presents I bought in the middle of the year, but at Christmas time I forget where I put them. I just need alitlle organization and someone to come over and help me purge alot of my stuff. I am a true pack rat. Maybe some magical fairy will come over and organize.

 

[Ub_Iwerks]

Laundry and clutter are big problems for me. I like to say that I'm organized in "my mind." In other words, I know where everything is, most of the time, but it just might not look organized.

I have the same problem as the original poster in that I let it build up. If it's too overwhelming of a task, I just ignore because I don't even know where to start. If I can get a room clean and organized, then it's really easy to keep it that way.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

When DD was in elementary school, she was having a friend over for the first time. I didn't really know the friends parents to well yet so, of course, was worried about making a good impression. So I spent about 6 hours cleaning my house and making it perfect!!!! I was sweating when I was done and took a quick shower before the friend got here. I have to tell you my house was sparkling!!!! I was so proud of myself. Well Friend and her Mom arrive, and the mom says oh I was so worried about coming here, but I'm so glad to see that you're house is messy like mine!!!

That is so funny, but I think that I might have opened my mouth and inserted my foot.

I try to have friends who are messier than I am, which makes me feel better, but doesn't encourage me to keep a cleaner house.

One thing that I do try to do is to keep the front of my house picked up at all times. That includes the dining room, living room, powder room, and foyer. So if anyone drops by my house I'm in good shape. I'm toast if they walk through those rooms into the kitchen or family room and my kids are in trouble if they walk into the study (their area to clean, which is usually a disaster), but someone stopping by uninvited won't be invited past the front of the house. I can't guarantee that the dog toys won't be all over the place and there might be some dog hair, but I do try to keep that area no more than "5 minute messy".

 

[icebrat001]

Ours doesn't get too messy. We've been cleaning every single day (only because we just bought it and it's new to us). I'm sure once the house seems old that we won't clean every day and end up hiring help, because we aren't the type that is into cleaning.

Although, dear partner enjoy's doing laundry. So I let her do it all.

 

[hlbtimes2]

I just thought of another bad/ funny story related to our messy house. Back in January, dh ran our dd to school and came back about 20 minutes later. He interupted a break in. After the guy ran from the house, dh called the police. Two officers came out and did walk thru before they would let dh back in. I dont think they could tell if the place had been ransacked or if we were just slobs. :lol Dh actually told the cop that "my wife isnt a very good house keeper". I about kicked him when he told me that.

 

[sameyeyam]

Hire someone to clean your house. For years I spent every Saturday cleaning the house. Now I enjoy the time with my family instead.

I pay a neighbor lady to come in for about 3 hours every Thursday. The cost is only $40! She cleans the bathrooms, changes sheets, vacuums & dusts. We still do all of the other stuff, but it really helps and doesn't really cost that much. If you are a working mother I highly recommend it. Your life will change drastically and for the better.

Hire a trusted friend or neighbor that wants to make a little money and have them come in once a week. You will never regret it and it really isn't all that expensive.

 

[JVL1018]

My house is usually pretty neat, but truly I think it's because it's small(1400 sf, with another 400 sf if you count the palyroom and office, but they're in the basement) so if I let things get out of control, it gets bad quickly!

I am more neat than clean, if that makes sense.
I can't stand having crap all over my coffee table(right now there is a couple of magazines, a few pieces of white paper for the kids to draw on, a deck of cards, box of caryons and a remote-they are all stacked neatly in one pile at the corner) or all over my kitchen table or counters.

BUT I just cleaned my moldings and baseboards for the first time in like a year. LOL

I dust weekly, vacuum a lot(I have a black lab who sheds a lot), keep the tables and counters clean and wiped down, the beds made as soon as we get up, the sink and toilet cleaned, and the laundry down(I love doing laundry!)

But the mopping of the kitchen floor gets pushed off, the cleaning of the bath/shower gets pushed off, the deep cleaning(windows, baseboards, walls, anything that involves moving furniture) gets pushed off, my closet is a giant jumble of shoes, I have a BIG stack of books on the floor next to my bed(because my nightstand is already full of books LOL)

The kids rooms, I make them clean once a week.

The playroom at times looks like a bomb hit it, that I let slide more often because it's in the basement and no guests ever need to go down there.

The office is cluttered because it has a big desk, DH's drum kit, a bookcase, big totes where I throw all the kids stuff I wnat to save forever and my Costco sized packaged of TP and paper towels.
I try not to go in there because it drives me crazy!

So basically if my living room and kitchen are neat(not necessarily clean celan) than I am happy. I can't sit and relax and watch TV if it's too messy in here, drives me nuts.

 

[lovmy2girls]

(I love doing laundry!)

Well after that statement, I will have to put you on my ignore list. Nothing you have to say can be worth anything, or trusted! Clearly you need help.

 

[JVL1018]

Well after that statement, I will have to put you on my ignore list. Nothing you have to say can be worth anything, or trusted! Clearly you need help.

Maybe it's because I never, not once, did laundry before I got married? Actually even after that, my husband did it pretty much until my DD was born.
When I lived at home, my Mom always did it.
When I got married, we lived in the upstairs apt of our 2 family, my inlaws lived downstairs, laundry room is in the basement and I felt weird trekking through their living room on my way to do laundry, so my husband always did it.
MIL died rigt before DD was born, I stopped working that same time, so #1 I had more time, and #2 I didn't feel like I was bugging my MIL going back and forth to the basement(not that she EVER did anything to make me feel that way, it was just me, we got along great).

Now I do it all, but it's only been 7 years. It's the newness of it all.

 

[lovmy2girls]

Maybe it's because I never, not once, did laundry before I got married? Actually even after that, my husband did it pretty much until my DD was born.
When I lived at home, my Mom always did it.
When I got married, we lived in the upstairs apt of our 2 family, my inlaws lived downstairs, laundry room is in the basement and I felt weird trekking through their living room on my way to do laundry, so my husband always did it.
MIL died rigt before DD was born, I stopped working that same time, so #1 I had more time, and #2 I didn't feel like I was bugging my MIL going back and forth to the basement(not that she EVER did anything to make me feel that way, it was just me, we got along great).

Now I do it all, but it's only been 7 years. It's the newness of it all.

Ok, if thats your story you stick to it I'm sure there is a "I like to do Laundry 12 step program" in your town.

 

[HOGFAN]

Our house never gets very messy, DH is the cleaning Nazi!

 

[WatchinCaptKangaroo]

I have about 3 loads of laundry that has to be done today. But it's about 103 and we are in a power crisis so I have to wait.

My house is small and I try and keep it clean. But I'm lazy. The bathroom could use a good scrubbing and the living room could use a dusting. Oh well.

 

[MareQ]

Well after that statement, I will have to put you on my ignore list. Nothing you have to say can be worth anything, or trusted! Clearly you need help.

Maybe she has front loaders like I do - there's something so satisfying about seeing your clothes tumble through the window....... plus with my front loaders I feel like I am a "cheater" - there's just that little thrill that comes with knowing that I have more than double the load in those babies than what I would have in my old washer. Everytime I do a load of laundry I feel like I got away with something

 

[pixie dust 112]

OMG! That totally sounds like us!

When we're having company, we'll clean it to a "company clean," which still isn't perfect, and then we'll apologize for the "mess" because we know that what's clean to us is still messy for some.

If you'd seen the way my mom kept house... OMG. It was bad. Clutter everywhere, mess and mayhem, it was a disaster. I've never quite been able to overcome that.

We had an aunt like that! Her house was the worst I've ever seen. She would grocery shop every week and not put anything away. Canned foods and bottled soda was just piled up everywhere amongst the other piles. I don't think she had any idea what was in the house and just bought the same things every week. My brothers and sisters & I used to joke that if there was ever a disaster we were going to her house because there would be plenty to eat.

When we go there you have to move things from the kitchen chairs in order to sit down.

My sisters and I now joke that at least we haven't gotten as bad as Aunt Judy!!!

 

[snowwite]

My house is a disaster and there's no excuse for it! I don't work, and I've been off all summer from school.

We definitely have CHAOS -- Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome

We have CHAOS also! I am just too embarassed to have people see the clutter.
We live in a condo with no cellar,attic or garage and I have run out of closet space so we have a Tri fold screen with exercise equipment and boxes behind it in the bedroom,boxes piled in a corner of the dining room plus piles of paper on the counter and desk.
It is tough to organize without enough space. We cant afford to rent a storage unit now but when we want to sell we will have to rent one and fill it before we can even clean up enough to show it.
I feel better knowing I am not the only one with clutter.