Our house looks like that (except for the mould and carpet stains -even i don't let it get that far) We keep the dishes washed, the clothes clean and most of the trash out, but beyond that..... piles of crap everywhere avalanches of the stuff. Yes we hate it -well in theory we do. In practice it only bothers us occasionallly, then we improve it a little. We don't have time or energy and most certainly not the willing to make it perfect and keep it that way. We make a room clean and tidy and publicly presentable -doesn't last 24 hours. We're never in. Our house is somewhere we sleep and keep stuff. We come in, we drop stuff where we see space, we eat, we grab stuff, we go out, we come in, drop more stuff, do to bed. rinse, repeat. Speaking of rinsing, the bathrooms don't get cluttered and do get cleaned. and the kitchen. sorta. occasionally. everywhere else is fair game. I'll clean when i'm dead. When my kids are gone. One day. I have other stuff to do right now.

I want to hire a maid service, but my hang-up is I need to get it tidy first, so they can see how i want it and then keep it that way. Problem is -aside from lack of willing and time- I don't know how I want it. nothing has a "home" yet, after 7 years.... :lol:

My big yard sale is going to happen soon, though. really.

HLJ, I think $200 is arounfd the mark for a one-off deep clean of the average sized, averagely-messy house. Don't know why I think this, but I do. maybe I've seen a flyer....

ugh. I have all sorts of really strong personal feelings about this stuff, but -- I think it's a good idea to periodically get rid of the clutter in your life. It weighs you down and blocks the energy in your home.

I like the Apartment Therapy guy who talks about your home "breathing" and how after 5 years there's so much clutter and neglect it can't breath. Touch all the walls, clean out the corners. Toss the clutter. Repaint, renew.

But that takes a lot of energy. People who are depressed, mentally ill, or have other issues in their lives often don't have the energy or support to accomplish what must be done. So houses get that way.

the "unhealthy attachment" thing is also a big part of it. possessions are a prison. The need for abundance is deeply rooted in us, and causes all sorts of problems in the modern age.

I can't stand having a messy house. Lately I've been a bit slack about the housework though, but I find that when I do get my arse into gear and get it done I feel better all round.

You're right about the negative or lack of energy created by clutter Cloud. Any feng shui person will tell you that less is more. If you have order in your house, you have order in your mind.

I have a couple of loads of washing (mostly towels) that need folding and it's giving me the shits knowing it's there but I've been lazy this week. I think this thread has motivated me to go tidy it though. I can't stand the thought of the house being grotty.

I think people with no mementos have issues. t'aint normal. Not all attachment to object are unhealthy. A complete lack of attachment may be, though....

Now my laundry is never left.... and i even fold my fitted sheets ;)

"Taint"... (insert bevis style laugh here)

you're welcome :D

Oh, I'm bad about the laundry. I leave it in the dryer way too often. Homeless Guy could fold it when it comes out but he stacks it on a nearby shelf thingy...so do I learn to take it out of the dryer and hang and fold like a normal person? Nooooooooooooo! :)

I keep my house clean because I'm lazy - it's easier to put something away rather than walking around it all the time. But it's not so hard. My preference is for crowded walls (art, shelves, etc.) and empty floors.

With two littles... one a creepy crawly at 9 months... I kinda HAVE to keep the house swept/ vaccuumed ... etc... little man will graze on what he finds... and ewww... I just can't stand the thought of that... so I clean... it is never ending... I feel like I need to chase everyone around with a broom sweeping and picking up as they move. I don't of course, but there are days that feel like I do.

We still have too much stuff... I've been clearing out what we don't need for about a year now and haven't finished the project. The garage is almost in order... Flint now has a workshop area and there is still plenty of rrom to park a car!

I found a great resource:
www.freecycle.org

I love this site... I just freecycled the last of the junk from our garage. I had been donating it to my local charity... but then our Jeep died and well... my little honda only has so much room after the 2 car seats.

if it were easy to put things away, I would. mostly. but so few things have an official home that it generally isn't easy. Walk through door, release grasp on things. Easy. I put the clean dishes away. that's easy, because obviously they go in the kitchen cupboards which are conveniently within reach of the dishwasher. I put clothes away... same principle. Beyond that....
plus there's the sheer joy I get from dumping whatever I'm carrying in the clear space that beest has just made on a surface for some project he's about to start -a joy which surpasses the frustration of that not being a logical place for that item :lol: :D

Well, I will admit my biggest vices when it comes to housecleaning are boxes and closets. As long as it's behind a door or in a box, I'm good. Well, sort of. I know the closets and boxes have to be sifted through eventually, but I'll get to them later. ;)

You can have an uncluttered house and still have mementos. Other people prefer to take pictures to remember things by. There are plenty of ways to sort things out so that you don't have mess everywhere.

I didn't say you couldn't, I was replying to cloud and you got in the way.

you just can't help yourself can you.