Annoying jobs that are always left unfinished and make your house look like a tip?

[PettyLittleThings]

For me it's things like:

There are always Tetrapacks left by the sink waiting to be rinsed out, or just taken out to the recycling box.

Similarly, plastic cartons and anything else that can't go in the dishwasher.

Piles of letters etc that I leave out to remind me to action them. Then I don't.

Loo roll innards left in the bathroom, again waiting to go out to the recycling. Hmm, there's a bit of a theme here!

Knitting or sewing projects that are almost but not quite finished!

Letters in a pile on the side

Unfinished books on the coffee table

Dead batteries and water filters in a big box on the side that need to go to the recycling point but we keep forgetting to take

Laundry waiting to be put into drawers , two boys DP and I. There is always fresh laundry waiting to be put away. I got really excited 2 weeks ago. Every single piece was washed dried and in where it should be other than the clothes on our backs. It was glorious. Then I spilt my coffee down me and had to change and dp realised he hadn't emptied his case of dirty laundry from his last work trip. It had lasted 2 hours. I nearly cried .

Toys , I absolutely swear I tidy all the toys up several times a day ,yesterday I caught ds2 taking one out quietly while my back was turned and staying behind me as i turned. 30 minutes later it looked like tidmouth sheds on three rooms worth of floors downstairs.

Finally cups. Now to be fair that one I have to assume is mystical. I have definitely several times a day put all used mugs since the morning in the dishwasher. Dp brings me coffee in bed every morning and I specifically remember bringing the mug down with me Saturday morning and when I went up later a mug was by my bed. Apparently I'm being haunted by lazy , non scary really freaking untidy coffee addicts. Clearly the only explanation for it (aside from the most obvious that DP had finished his coffee near my side of the bed ,left his mug because he is trying to slowly send me around the twist....its working )

@TwoZeroTwoZero Yes, I forgot about sewing things. There's also a pile of partially worn out clothes that I might be able to make some masks or something from, or take the buttons off. Or things that need altering or mending (one item has been there for about ten years!).

I have a place in a cupboard for the batteries so at least they are hidden!

Laundry - never ending laundry!

Stuff piled up on the stairs and ignored every time we go past it

@Shinyletsbebadguys Ooh the cup thing is weird!

Laundry is the one thing I do manage to keep on top of. Although there's often a random thing that's bright red, or wool or something that can be at the bottom of the basket for weeks! It's just me and DD so not too bad and we are thankfully past the toy stage. Although recently she got rid of loads of her stuff from younger days, and it's all now in piles in the lounge waiting for the charity shop to accept it (or for me to try and sell if I can be bothered).

@DinosApple I have come to accept that the best I can do is to treat the washing machine like I do the dishwasher, and put it on everyday and never expect it to be done. I don't have to iron much and have invested in a washer dryer and a small heater airer, which does help when it's not washing drying weather - though it does mean there's an airer pretty much permanently up in the kitchen. Oh how I'd love a dedicated laundry room!

We tend to scatter our shoes around - I'm as guilty of this as DH (though not as bad as toddler DS who has just learned to take his own shoes off so we keep finding them in random places) but it drives me a bit mad because it makes the house look so messy from the moment you walk in.

Glossing the woodwork and other DIY jobs. I never quite finish any DIY job I do. I don't know why. So there is a tiny bit of skirting board propped up against the side of the fireplace and none of the glossing is done. I hate glossing but also hate the thought of having someone else in to do something I could do myself (but don't).

Massive trainers all over the hall.

About seven tea towels strewn around the kitchen.

‘Unusual’ kitchen things that DH or the DSes don’t know where to put and can’t be arsed to find out left on the kitchen sides/drainer. Things like the food processor parts/my running bottle/salad spinner.

Bags for fucking life in the hall/on the table/cluttering up the pantry.

Oh and piles of post. And endless books everywhere.

@lurch3r Don't get me started on DIY! I filled some screw holes in some lovely shelves that I had put up, I just need to sand them and paint over, but I just don't do it! it would take five minutes. And some other shelves in my downstairs loo that need completely painting. I meant to do it last winter. (Summer is for gardening which isn't a chore for me). I guess it will be this winter! It's almost as If I can imagine these things done and that's enough! And they are functional in their current state. I think it's getting all the tools and bits and bobs needed. And enough uninterrupted time to complete the job.

Neither of us are very handy but we have just moved into a new house which needs completely redecorating and we can't afford to pay someone to do it, so what we do is do it both slowly and slightly shittily. I find that's a very efficient way of making the place look a constantly a bit of a state.

@Hardbackwriter & @LunaNorth Yes, shoes! There are only 2 of us in the house but so many shoes (luckily not too massive!) by the front and back door. Have been considering a shoe rack but find them a bit naff. And don't have room for a shoe cupboard thing, and always imagine that they would be very stinky too.

The hallway table of doom.
I got rid of our table as it was collecting junk. Now the fuckers just put things on the bastard shoe rack of doom.
Apparently only I have the capability to sort through the pile of junk, no one else can even see it, much less sort it.
Might just black bag the lot....

Lack of carpet in the hallway. Prematurely ripped up the old one just before covid struck. Didn’t realise just how much it would impact the whole house.
Unmade beds and wardrobe doors left open too.

@Darkestseasonofall yes, when we moved DH declared - and I enthusiastically agreed - that we wouldn't have an obvious dumping ground like the table near the door was in the last house. So now we just balance post and other random items on the arm of the sofa. I'm sat here right now next to a letter from the bank and what I think is a full change of clothes for DS that DH lifted out for some now unclear purpose

Pre covid kids would got to DGP's every week and bring home a bag for life with clothes in. Damn bags sat around until they needed things from them!

Post and junk mail

Recycling 'waiting to go out'

Water bottles sit by the sink as they can't go in dishwasher

Cushions on sofa always needed fluffing your but rarely get it

Weeds on front drive as required cars to be moved to do it. We park over them and forget it

Clothes the eldest cleared out that might be useful for youngest. Rarely is that the case as they have totally different style and taste. Can't just get rid though 'just in case!'

So many things!!! The dishwasher not being emptied or piles of stuff on top of it waiting to go in, the dog hair dust bunnies that roll around on the floor, dirty knickers in the bathroom, the bed not being made in the morning, the recycling not being taken out or the bin emptied - then I have to remind myself after a day or two of carnage that I live alone now and I have to deal with this myself because it won't clean itself up! I just pretend I'm out if the doorbell rings 😂

Yes to all these things but I never seem to see them in other people's houses.

I moved in last year so still finding my feet but so far;

Skirting not finished, do doing it and with work, covid etc just not had time

Spare room not defined so ends up as a dumping ground

Wardrobes not built in my room

Kitchen...ideally needs replacing but can't find one I like so need to fix all the broken bits, have started painting the cupboards but been ill so not finished

Bathroom...awaiting replacement in a couple of weeks

Garden....half done, just waiting for the landscapers to come back and finish

My main issue is recycling stuff just lying around. I have a covid build up from when the recycling centre was closed, but can't take it at the moment as my car is full of stuff waiting for the charity shop! So once I do a dump run and a charity shop run things will be better - I'm just running out of room and my local council only takes certain kinds of plastic and no tetrapaks kerbside.

At the moment I have about three different places where paperwork is gathering. At least if it's all in one place that might make a difference. I'm glad it's not just me though!

Oh and I still have a pile of hats and gloves etc by the front door from last winter, maybe I'll just leave them there as it will be winter again soonish!