My house is a big mess! - Page 3

chrisinhouston · 01-27-2009, 12:14 PM

That's a way cool jack. I bought it about 20 years ago at a garage sale and used it to level an old house I had with a peer and beam foundation. It says on the side BUDA 25 Ton Locomotive Jack. You know, you just never know when you need to lift something that weighs 50,000 pounds!

I've always wanted to find an old train and try jacking it up!

Shawnee123 · 01-27-2009, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisinhouston

That's a way cool jack. I bought it about 20 years ago at a garage sale and used it to level an old house I had with a peer and beam foundation. It says on the side BUDA 25 Ton Locomotive Jack. You know, you just never know when you need to lift something that weighs 50,000 pounds!

I've always wanted to find an old train and try jacking it up!

There's prolly one under a pile of something, if you look around.

fargon · 01-27-2009, 07:45 AM

Dude a clean work bench is a sign of a sick mind.

Pie · 01-27-2009, 09:21 AM

My house was a disaster area. No clear floor patches greater than 2'x2'. Then about 5 years ago, my catsitter very hesitantly told me that I should hire a cleaning lady, you know, once a month or something...

We went on a massive cleaning spree, hired a cleaning lady to come in every week (we told ourselves it would go to every other or once a month when everything was under control). We got used to a clean, tidy house really fast, let me tell you! Never did go to a reduced schedule.

Since the cleaning lady came on Wednesdays, Tuesday night was our 'tidy-up' night. We each spent about 30 minutes putting stuff away. That's the real key to a clean house, not the vacuuming or dusting. It's all in the organization. Having the nice Polish immigrant lady mop and sweep and scrub was just a major motivator for us putting our crap away at least once a week.

Now that we're in the new house, I'm looking for a new cleaning lady or service. Even though we haven't scrubbed/vacuumed/mopped/etc as much as I would have liked, the house is in good enough shape to have people over (except for all the still-packed boxes, natch!) It got to be a habit in the last 5 years, and I don't want to relapse!

The way I figure it, I'd rather work an hour or two (or three) more at my job (which I'm good at), and pay someone else (who could really use the money to feed her family!) to do what I'm not good at.

Pooka · 02-04-2009, 02:48 PM

I can appreciate this struggle.

Keeping a house clean with two little randomizers like we have is a lesson in futility, yet I do my best even when it isn't good enough for some of our family member who feel compelled to clean everytime they come over. Still I think I do pretty good all things considered and when I fall behind I simply start in the kitchen and work my way around the house. I do feel like I clean the same messes 3 or 4 times a day and despite my daughters attmpts to help ... I still find myself doing most of the work. IF the kids make big messes involving liquids I generally make them clean it up... then I take over when they've given it their best effort... just so they take part in picking up after themselvs. Flint and I can be just as bad as they can I'll admit. Flint seems to have a real problem getting clothes INTO the hamper and bottles INTO the recycling. My problem area is the kitchen.

Somehow the kitchen being neat makes the rest of the house seem managable. It is a bit tricky however because the boy child is obsessed with our dishwasher and comes running from any corner in the house if I so much as open it.

One trick I've found that helps me real in the mess and disorganization is that I generally keep a rubber made tub handy and as I'm cleaning each room I place in the tub items that do not belong in that room (this is a problem for us because the kiddos carry things from one room to the next just to "mix it up" I'm convinced) then when I'm done I just sort the items in the tub back into their respective places.

I have a chore list for Monday -Friday and I do try to stick to it, though I'll admit I've fallen off track lately... no sense in moping a floor we are replacing Friday if all goes well... so that covers Kitchen entry and bathroom. I've been remiss on the tub as well... not my favorite task and difficult if the kiddos are awake... they LOVE baths and want to take one every time. Vaccuuming can also be tricky because he chaes it and climbs on I while I'm trying to vaccuum.

Right now I have half a load of laundry that needed to be put away like Monday... but haven't managed to finish mostly out of laziness... and exhaustion.

When my energy is good I manage to keep it pretty clean... not OCD clean like some folks think I should be, but clean enough.

LabRat · 02-05-2009, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pooka

. . .two little randomizers . . .

Never heard 'em called that before. How totally appropriate, I love it!

chrisinhouston · 03-03-2009, 05:42 PM

Just an update. I got a lot done before returning to Atlanta to remodel the kitchen in my parents house there. Next week I am going to South Africa to be with my wife whom I hope to soon start living with on a more normal basis, however there is something to be said for meeting your lover in foriegn places or airports!!!! No one is at home to see anything left undone and we have a wedding rehersal dinner at our house on April 24th so we will have it all spick and span by then!!!

Sundae · 01-27-2009, 12:22 PM

Chris, tis true, your house is a mess. And I wouldn't want to live there.
That said - my flat before I left was far (x infinite) worse.
In my defence, I was at the lowest point I have ever been in my life. I hope never to touch it again. But it was a health hazard, and I was living there. It took Dani and I days just to clear the rubbish, with my friend Teri in charge of removing binbags in her VW camper.

As you have already identified it is a problem for you, all I can suggest is what Pie did. If this is a regular build-up, get a cleaner. Sacrifice other luxuries in order to do so. You never want to have cans with maggots in them in your kitchen, or have to hold your breath as you walk through it, or have to sleep on the sofa because the bedroom is full of rubbish.

I'm not saying you will get to that stage (at least not without mental illness) but a clean house is a beautiful thing. It's really taken the sting out of moving home I can tell you.

Sundae · 01-27-2009, 12:27 PM

A previous shot of my flat. In case I came across as harsh.

TheMercenary · 01-27-2009, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sundae Girl

A previous shot of my flat. In case I came across as harsh.

SG, please tell me that is not a pile of trash in your flat.

Elspode · 01-27-2009, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sundae Girl

A previous shot of my flat. In case I came across as harsh.

You should really sort your recycling outside, honey.

Clodfobble · 01-27-2009, 03:56 PM

It's not. It's a pile of trash in her previous flat.

TheMercenary · 01-27-2009, 04:07 PM

Oh, well that makes a difference.

Cloud · 01-27-2009, 09:38 PM

My house has pretty much always looked like that. Sometimes better, sometimes worse, but always messy. I've made a great deal of progress in the last couple of years by getting help, making an effort, really thinking about where things go, and decluttering. Some suggestions:

1) Get help. Hire someone, pay your kids to do one room, bribe your friends with pizza and beer. Just clearing enough stuff away to allow people in your house can be a big step and a big motivator. Do something!

2) Throw crap away! Get rid of junk! This will help A LOT. Don't hold on to crap you don't need. Identify stuff you need and then taking it all the way out the door to the trash or Salvation Army.

3) Do one thing at a time: one room, one corner. Clear a path! Progress not perfection.

Here are some resources I highly recommend:

flylady.net. This is a good one, because they have a daily task, and baby steps. A little cutsie, but still good. http://www.flylady.net/

Aliantha · 01-27-2009, 09:41 PM

Good on you for getting tidied up chris. I personally can't imagine living in a house that cluttered up. I get annoyed when too much stuff collects on our coffee table, so to have stuff all over the floor would drive me crazy. lol

I like having my house clean and tidy, but I have plenty of time to manage it. I think if I were working full time, we'd have a cleaner come in to do the floors and washing because those are two of the things I like to have squared up all the time as much as possible.

Good luck with the rest of it. I'm looking forward to the pics of the transformation.

01-27-2009, 07:45 AM	#3
fargon Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: La Crosse, WI Posts: 8,924	Dude a clean work bench is a sign of a sick mind. __________________ Annoy the ones that ignore you!!! I live a blessed life I Love my Country, I Fear the Government!!! Heavily medicated for the good of mankind.

01-27-2009, 09:21 AM	#4
Pie Gone and done Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 4,808	My house was a disaster area. No clear floor patches greater than 2'x2'. Then about 5 years ago, my catsitter very hesitantly told me that I should hire a cleaning lady, you know, once a month or something... We went on a massive cleaning spree, hired a cleaning lady to come in every week (we told ourselves it would go to every other or once a month when everything was under control). We got used to a clean, tidy house really fast, let me tell you! Never did go to a reduced schedule. Since the cleaning lady came on Wednesdays, Tuesday night was our 'tidy-up' night. We each spent about 30 minutes putting stuff away. That's the real key to a clean house, not the vacuuming or dusting. It's all in the organization. Having the nice Polish immigrant lady mop and sweep and scrub was just a major motivator for us putting our crap away at least once a week. Now that we're in the new house, I'm looking for a new cleaning lady or service. Even though we haven't scrubbed/vacuumed/mopped/etc as much as I would have liked, the house is in good enough shape to have people over (except for all the still-packed boxes, natch!) It got to be a habit in the last 5 years, and I don't want to relapse! The way I figure it, I'd rather work an hour or two (or three) more at my job (which I'm good at), and pay someone else (who could really use the money to feed her family!) to do what I'm not good at. __________________ per·son \ˈpər-sən\ (noun) - an ephemeral collection of small, irrational decisions The fun thing about evolution (and science in general) is that it happens whether you believe in it or not.

01-27-2009, 03:56 PM	#12
Clodfobble UNDER CONDITIONAL MITIGATION Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 20,012	It's not. It's a pile of trash in her previous flat. __________________ My book My other book My spirit animal

01-27-2009, 04:07 PM	#13
TheMercenary “Hypocrisy: prejudice with a halo” Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Savannah, Georgia Posts: 21,393	Oh, well that makes a difference. __________________ Anyone but the this most fuked up President in History in 2012!

01-27-2009, 09:38 PM	#14
Cloud ... Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 8,360	My house has pretty much always looked like that. Sometimes better, sometimes worse, but always messy. I've made a great deal of progress in the last couple of years by getting help, making an effort, really thinking about where things go, and decluttering. Some suggestions: 1) Get help. Hire someone, pay your kids to do one room, bribe your friends with pizza and beer. Just clearing enough stuff away to allow people in your house can be a big step and a big motivator. Do something! 2) Throw crap away! Get rid of junk! This will help A LOT. Don't hold on to crap you don't need. Identify stuff you need and then taking it all the way out the door to the trash or Salvation Army. 3) Do one thing at a time: one room, one corner. Clear a path! Progress not perfection. Here are some resources I highly recommend: flylady.net. This is a good one, because they have a daily task, and baby steps. A little cutsie, but still good. http://www.flylady.net/ __________________ "Guard your honor. Let your reputation fall where it will. And outlive the bastards!"

01-27-2009, 12:14 PM	#1
chrisinhouston Professor Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Houston TX Posts: 1,857	That's a way cool jack. I bought it about 20 years ago at a garage sale and used it to level an old house I had with a peer and beam foundation. It says on the side BUDA 25 Ton Locomotive Jack. You know, you just never know when you need to lift something that weighs 50,000 pounds! I've always wanted to find an old train and try jacking it up!

02-04-2009, 02:48 PM	#5
Pooka Your Invisible Rabbit Friend Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Betwixt and Between Posts: 528	I can appreciate this struggle. Keeping a house clean with two little randomizers like we have is a lesson in futility, yet I do my best even when it isn't good enough for some of our family member who feel compelled to clean everytime they come over. Still I think I do pretty good all things considered and when I fall behind I simply start in the kitchen and work my way around the house. I do feel like I clean the same messes 3 or 4 times a day and despite my daughters attmpts to help ... I still find myself doing most of the work. IF the kids make big messes involving liquids I generally make them clean it up... then I take over when they've given it their best effort... just so they take part in picking up after themselvs. Flint and I can be just as bad as they can I'll admit. Flint seems to have a real problem getting clothes INTO the hamper and bottles INTO the recycling. My problem area is the kitchen. Somehow the kitchen being neat makes the rest of the house seem managable. It is a bit tricky however because the boy child is obsessed with our dishwasher and comes running from any corner in the house if I so much as open it. One trick I've found that helps me real in the mess and disorganization is that I generally keep a rubber made tub handy and as I'm cleaning each room I place in the tub items that do not belong in that room (this is a problem for us because the kiddos carry things from one room to the next just to "mix it up" I'm convinced) then when I'm done I just sort the items in the tub back into their respective places. I have a chore list for Monday -Friday and I do try to stick to it, though I'll admit I've fallen off track lately... no sense in moping a floor we are replacing Friday if all goes well... so that covers Kitchen entry and bathroom. I've been remiss on the tub as well... not my favorite task and difficult if the kiddos are awake... they LOVE baths and want to take one every time. Vaccuuming can also be tricky because he chaes it and climbs on I while I'm trying to vaccuum. Right now I have half a load of laundry that needed to be put away like Monday... but haven't managed to finish mostly out of laziness... and exhaustion. When my energy is good I manage to keep it pretty clean... not OCD clean like some folks think I should be, but clean enough.

03-03-2009, 05:42 PM	#7
chrisinhouston Professor Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Houston TX Posts: 1,857	Just an update. I got a lot done before returning to Atlanta to remodel the kitchen in my parents house there. Next week I am going to South Africa to be with my wife whom I hope to soon start living with on a more normal basis, however there is something to be said for meeting your lover in foriegn places or airports!!!! No one is at home to see anything left undone and we have a wedding rehersal dinner at our house on April 24th so we will have it all spick and span by then!!!

01-27-2009, 12:22 PM	#8
Sundae polaroid of perfection Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 24,185	Chris, tis true, your house is a mess. And I wouldn't want to live there. That said - my flat before I left was far (x infinite) worse. In my defence, I was at the lowest point I have ever been in my life. I hope never to touch it again. But it was a health hazard, and I was living there. It took Dani and I days just to clear the rubbish, with my friend Teri in charge of removing binbags in her VW camper. As you have already identified it is a problem for you, all I can suggest is what Pie did. If this is a regular build-up, get a cleaner. Sacrifice other luxuries in order to do so. You never want to have cans with maggots in them in your kitchen, or have to hold your breath as you walk through it, or have to sleep on the sofa because the bedroom is full of rubbish. I'm not saying you will get to that stage (at least not without mental illness) but a clean house is a beautiful thing. It's really taken the sting out of moving home I can tell you.

01-27-2009, 12:27 PM	#9
Sundae polaroid of perfection Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 24,185	A previous shot of my flat. In case I came across as harsh.

01-27-2009, 09:41 PM	#15
Aliantha trying hard to be a better person Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 16,493	Good on you for getting tidied up chris. I personally can't imagine living in a house that cluttered up. I get annoyed when too much stuff collects on our coffee table, so to have stuff all over the floor would drive me crazy. lol I like having my house clean and tidy, but I have plenty of time to manage it. I think if I were working full time, we'd have a cleaner come in to do the floors and washing because those are two of the things I like to have squared up all the time as much as possible. Good luck with the rest of it. I'm looking forward to the pics of the transformation. __________________ Kind words are the music of the world. F. W. Faber

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