Endless fucking cleaning

[Abskil33]

Am I just really lazy/ unclean? I clean for about two hours a day in the evening and bits during the day and my house is still filthy. Not sure if I see bits that others don't or whether I'm shit at cleaning and think I'm good. With two under 2 I clean the kitchen and tidy toys everyday. Jobs like skirting, our bedroom & the ironing I never do because I want to go to bed! I put away there clothes, do the bathrooms but that is all I fit in!
Wish I had OCD.

[Misfitless]

Me too!

I think I spend too much time on mn tbh...but even when I didn't my house was still.....y'know!

[Bakerof3pudsxx]

Me too

I recently wiped my living room skirting boards as a random one off

[Awkwardsis]

Having two under two is your answer there. Constant mess and tidying away after them. And I know you didn't mean it, but really, you don't wish you had OCD. At all.

[Orangeanddemons]

Skirting boards? It never occurs to me to clean them? Do people really clean skirting boards?

[HerlockSholmes]

my gran taught me that you can dust the skirting boards just by running your feet over them with your socks not that i desperately give a fuck about sparkling skirting boards .


i have a four year old. my house is a bit of a tip. it is clean but i never seem to have time to deal with clutter so it looks messy. i spend about two hours a day cleaning/tidying too, plus maybe half an hour washing clothes but it doesn't seem to make much of a dent.

[5HundredUsernamesLater]

I don't have two hours to spare everyday for cleaning but I do clean my skirting boards every time I do my floors. If its a hard floor I sweep along skirting at same time as I sweep floor before mopping and on carpeted areas I run the small brush attachment over skirting while vacuuming. It doesn't take more then I few minutes extra. I only really do this because I have a cat and his hairs seem to collect on the skirting especially in the corners, I'm not obsessive about it but it has just become routine now.
I'm terrible about cleaning windows though. everyone I know seems to clean theirs much more than I do but it's a job I hate and takes me ages to get round to it.

[WeeTeaJenny]

I am the same, I have two small children and just feel like a 'picker upper' all day every day. All I seem to do is pick toys and clothes up in every room of my house. I have always been so houseproud but after having two kids my stds have definitely slipped. I manage daily - dishes , wipe surfaces , put washing machine on , make beds but basically everything else is on a when its possible basis.
Hoover and dust a few times a week, do a big purge on the mountain of clean laundry , usually when it starts to spill out of the basket. Havn't cleaned inside my oven for months, really need to deep clean the bathroom and shower screen properly , really need to mop all the floors properly instead of just mopping spills with a flash wipe
The thing is, it looks okay to the outsider as all surfaces are clear and clutter free for visitors but I know that all my skirtings need done, inside of cupboards need cleaned,oven and fridge inside, under couches need hoovered etc etc , clothes drawers need decluttered , ironing basket needs ironed , god it is endless .
Sometimes I have been know to put partners excess clothes into charity bags as he has too much , to save me washing and ironing them, he has never noticed :)

[5HundredUsernamesLater]

Jenny!
Can't believe you give your partners clothes away! Couldn't stop laughing after reading that. What a fab idea.

[daisydee43]

I hope that I have a happy medium - have dd1 and live in 2 bed flat (dh doesn't do any housework except clean the oven ). Get up an hr before dd and do a 'sweep' around room by room - tidy up, dust, sweep, mop, Hoover, load dishwasher, clean kitchen and bathroom.

I think because I do a little every day it doesn't build up. Do the min ironing to bring the pile down once a week and as long as I can close the laundry basket I can sleep at night.

I think buying stuff can help out - I have a steam mop, dishwasher and tumble dryer. I don't think kids should live in mess and dirt but I'm no way OCD but do enjoy organising and having a chuck out!

[WeeTeaJenny]

5Hundred , He had lots of items cluttering up the hooks on the back of our bedroom door, I was so sick of lying in bed looking at it all that it got charity bagged including his navy towelling dressing gown! to this day he has never noticed or asked where is my dressing gown ! And now I have a lovely clear white door x no hooks now so nothing added x

[notarealgrownup]

Mine is the same. It doesn't help when you're the only one doing any cleaning.
I see dirt everywhere but just never seem to have the time for a really deep clean.

[AmyMumsnet]

Hi OP

We've had a couple reports about the bit in your OP where you say 'Wish I had OCD'. We're sure you didn't mean to, but it came across as a bit dismissive of a real condition, and one that can cause real distress for people who live with it. With that in mind we thought it might be useful to link to our This Is My Child info about behavioural disorders www.mumsnet.com/campaigns/this-is-my-child-myth-1-behavioural-disorders-are-just-bad-behaviour - it's written mostly about children, but the broader point (that people with these disorders could do with some understanding and support) applies to adults too of course.

All that said, we do empathise with the general feeling that housework and cleaning never ends!