Clean House
 

I admit it--I'm a slob. Spent a lot of time this past week sprucing things up in my apt. in prep for Daughter No. 2's visit. Looks good! Well, okay . . . better!

I was watching an ep of "Clean House" on the Style channel today. OMFG! Even I'm not that bad! Usually! Yet.

http://www.mystyle.com/mystyle/shows...ouse/index.jsp

Disgusting! And I feel so sorry for those people, because I understand. I do!

:sniff:

Yeah, parts of our house are disaster areas. Not quite that bad though. (Mostly.)

That show is completely twisted for me because I can't let go of the idea that it's hosted by Deputy Raineesha.

I'd go take a picture of youngest stepson's room for you guys, but I can't afford to replace all of your keyboards and monitors when you barf on them.

see sig

I love that show... I find it very motivational for sure... and it is pretty hilarious that Nicey is the host.

I pretty much lived it when we went to Houston to evict my brother from my mother's house... and her dust, roaches and years of clutter while we were at it. I felt guilty for bringing my kids... fortunatly no one was hurt or tossed out by accident.

Ah yes, that's an event that's certain to be in my future someday as well... I have no doubt my indigent slacker brother will still be living with my mother when she eventually passes away, and I'm sure it will be completely unclear to him why he can't just keep living there once no one is paying the mortgage anymore.

I'll be the oddball - see, I don't understand how they could let their homes get this way. I mean this in the nicest possible way and I'm trying to understand - not insult - but how does it happen? Is it lack of time, lack of energy, what?

I can see how it happens for those with a mental illness or a physical disability, but most of the people on "Clean House" seem to be fairly normal people with normal lives outside their homes. So how does a person in reasonably good health let this happen?

I am by no means a neat freak. Good Lord, no. My house is kind of embarrassing most days and does have a few disaster spots - but nothing like those homes. Nothing unhygienic, buggy, smelly, rotten, just cluttered. REAL dirt bothers me too much to just let it go.

And someday I'll get the damn fruit flies out of my kitchen, too. Probably not till after canning season.

I'm no neat freak, nor am I a dirty-butt. I did find when I took a one-week staycation I really enjoyed cleaning a little here, a little there for which the end result was a sparkly home.

So for me it's a time thing. I imagine a person with children has some serious constraints on being a cleanaholic as well.

Yeah, but you're supposed to teach those kids how to clean so they can help out. Mine aren't thrilled about it, but they sure can clean up when they have to!

I remember a "clean house" episode with a mom and a college age daughter; the daughter had never been able to have a friend visit, and at the time she was in college to be a pianist but couldn't have their house piano tuned because of the mess. No reason at all why that girl couldn't have pitched in and hauled away some of the crap herself. I just don't get it.

people always have things in their lives that are difficult or impossible to face, but the elephant in their living room may not be the same as yours.

You are trying to apply rational standards, but these people are not rational about this problem. They literally do not see or acknowledge it; it's very like depression, and in fact may be closely related to it, where you can't help yourself out of the black hole.

No elephants, though my cats sound like elephants from time to time!

Have any of you ever hired a maid service? I'm thinking of having the house cleaned for my wife's birthday. I have no idea what that would cost.

(It's a surprise, so don't say anything to her.)

$75-150 depending on how deep you want the place cleaned.

I don't really understand it myself. I have 2 kids and our not yet 2 year old loves to "sweep", "vaccuum" and clean the living room table. I make her clean up her own spills even if it means standing over her and helping her hand over hand. I'm not a neat freak either, but I don't understand what you'd do with little kids if your house was as filthy as depicted on that show... or as my brother's family lives.... in his case alcohol is the problem... he and his wife are always drunk. It is apathy and laziness and a lack of desire to take responsibility.

And some people just have unhealthy attachments to possesions... my mother is a hard core pack rat. It doesn't help that she has significant mobility issues. I visit her and don't even ask... I just start bagging up stuff she doesn't need. She literally keeps every piece of mail... envelopes included. She has the largest storage unit, a packed attic, garage and house and brings boxes to my house for "safe keeping" I've learned just to look through and donate about 80% of it. She has no idea what she has. Last time I cleaned and reorganized we took 2 uhauls full of stuff to the local charity, and put a large dumpster full of trash/ recycling out for pick up. It was embaressing. I can't wait for her to move here locally so I can clean her house weekly. I know in her case it is depression and possibly some senility.

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.

What, reminding you that once again it isn't all about you? I sort of feel it's the least I can do occasionally, othrwise you might think I was ignoring you completely. :)

oh just shut up you stupid woman.

:lol: priceless

urk?

It doesn't stop at houses with me.... :lol:

as you were....

actually my participation in this thread made me acutely aware of my house today, and I realized it isn't as bad as i think it is. It is bad, no doubt, but we can live like this because we know roughly where everything is (except Thor's cleats, but that's Thor for you.... he likes to put things in strange places) and there is a pathway to most places and seats free where we actually sit down.

When i get my dream house, though (1) it will have shitloads of storage and (2) it will not only have a mudroom, but also a swim kit room, a soccer room and a school stuff room. Enter the correct door depending on what activity you just came from. if more than one, move from wettest to driest.

hear, hear! monster, in all my dream houses (and they are legion) the utility spaces are emphasized way more than the public spaces.

Seems to me like the houses are all built with expansive, fancy "entertaining" spaces--and the spaces in which you actually live and work, like the laundry room, are crammed into a closet with crappy amenities.

what was called the dining room when we moved in is now 30% office and 70% swim shit.

(towels and suit racks for 5 people take up a fuckload of room....)

Moving a double or treble scad of boxes of household goods out of the catchall room. Busy busy busy... at least there will be room in the room. Rental storage places do make fine attics, don't they? And just as hot in the summer too.

and if in a year you haven't access those boxes . . . you can donate them away.

Will be working on my kitchen this weekend. Must remove everything from cabinets etc. for cleaning.

I have mice.

:(

But, I haven't decluttered the kitchen in a long time. So --put everything in boxes, then take out only the stuff I need. At the end of the month, I keep only the stuff I take out. Simple!

One of my jobs this weekend: find out how the mice are getting into the house. I've been relocating two or three every week. Or I've been relocating the same one over and over. They like the ride.

Me too, except I'm not sure if it's mice or something bigger that's in the basement.

Make sure you wear protection.

Errr... I think he's going to kill it, not date it

Why not both?

QFT :mecry:

This too, Houses are for selling, not homes for practically living in