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Original poster

Is your house tidier or messier than before covid?

53 replies

Fantasisa · 29/08/2020 21:19

I've worked FT throughout so my house is much the same. I have spent more time at home so I have been slowly trying to declutter a bit but it is a never ending battle.

We haven't done any extra jobs - garden/DIY etc which I'm starting to feel frustrated about. But I am keeping on top of the day to day stuff considering we have all been here a lot more than we would usually be.

How are your homes?

OP posts:
DCIRozHuntley · 29/08/2020 21:22

Mine is tidy enough but like you, I haven't done any of the once-in-a-while jobs - defrosting the freezer is first on the list! I also need to do a cull of all the treasures produced during home-schooling... I have 4 DC 8 and under, DH has been working full-time, I've been working and volunteering quite a lot too. It's always a state after the 6 weeks holidays so it's just like that but a bit worse!

HMSSophie · 29/08/2020 21:23

Much messier as I don't anticipate visitors!

Original poster
Fantasisa · 29/08/2020 21:25

Ha ha @HMSSophie Good point! All our visitors prebook now.

OP posts:
DramaAlpaca · 29/08/2020 21:27

At the start it was much tidier than before as I was at home all the time. I went back to work in June and the house is back to its usual state of benign neglect.

Cotswoldmama · 29/08/2020 21:28

Messier as my kids are home all day. I clean the same amount though as I can't be bothered to put too much effort in knowing it will be messy within hours!

ShouldWeChangeTheBulb · 29/08/2020 21:29

About the same despite being furloughed for months. I have now accepted that the reason I don’t live in an immaculate home is because I can’t be arsed, not as a previously thought, because I don’t have enough time.

MondeoFan · 29/08/2020 21:30

Much tidier but needs a bit of tweaking. I had a big clear out and did 3 boot sales in June/July. Once DC at school I can tidy it all in one day

LikeaSnowflake · 29/08/2020 21:31

During first few weeks of lockdown - tidy and so clean! Now - we seem to be messier than ever. The Groundhog Day of cleaning up after kids makes it never-ending!

Brenna24 · 29/08/2020 21:32

Tidier. DH is working from home and watches toddler DD on his breaks while I get some housework done. I am further ahead than I have been since she was born.

Original poster
Fantasisa · 29/08/2020 21:32

@ShouldWeChangeTheBulb That is reassuring! I am still telling myself the reason mine hasn't improved is because I've had even less time than usual this year.

OP posts:
CountFosco · 29/08/2020 21:32

Now my cleaner is back at work the same as before. Missed her so much.

Original poster
Fantasisa · 29/08/2020 21:33

@MondeoFan and @Brenna24 are living the dream

OP posts:
HighBrows · 29/08/2020 21:35

Mines more tidy, we're a household of 5 adults and two of us are working from home.
I decorated my bedroom, clean the oven, did a big clear out, cleaned behind fridge, washer etc.
We're all on top of the laundry too. I'm loving working from home as I can do little bits around the house between calls and meetings.

Original poster
Fantasisa · 29/08/2020 21:35

We've done one tip run, one charity shop run and dropping of old clothes to various friends but I'm not noticing much difference. I've decided we need more organisation/storage for where things go so they actually have a home. Maybe that will crack it.

OP posts:
SilenceOfThePrams · 29/08/2020 21:37

Emptier as have had mega clear outs. But messier as everybody home, and I’m too tired to tidy.

Kaiserin · 29/08/2020 21:44

A different mess. We managed to rearrange the living room as I had been planning for a while (adding some storage space, including a new sofa), but everything is now covered in homeschooling crap (workbooks, projects, stationery, ...)

HighBrows · 29/08/2020 21:47

My next big job is clearing out my wardrobe

waitingforadulthood · 29/08/2020 22:02

Mine has fallen into disrepair. It's an absolute sty. I don't get when oriole are cleaning and doing the house up?! Where are the kids? I could do it if I were happy to ignore them maybe?

mawbroon · 29/08/2020 22:13

I have decluttered 13 years of mess from my house. It now sounds echoey 😃
And for the first time ever, I've managed to keep plants alive in the garden!

Original poster
Fantasisa · 29/08/2020 22:21

Mawbroon - amazing! What did you do with it all?

A friend had coincidentally hired a skip just before lockdown. She was the envy of everyone on FB!

OP posts:
ButterflyRuns · 29/08/2020 22:23

Messier, but I've got two newborns added into the mix so haven't paid as much attention to the housework anymore...

badlydrawnbear · 29/08/2020 22:24

Messier. And it was an absolute tip to start with. I was working 13hr days/ 12hr night shifts in my actual job and teaching my children. We couldn't get rid of anything because the tip and charity shops were shut. I used to tidy up and clean my house on my days off when DC were at school and DH was at work, and it has been nearly 6 months since they went to school/ work. And half the front room was taken over by school things each day.

Original poster
Fantasisa · 29/08/2020 22:25

Two newborns? How long has 2020 lasted...

OP posts:
SisterAgatha · 29/08/2020 22:25

Oh god mine is bad. The play room is a no go zone, you can’t even see the floor for all the dress up clothes. There’s no point even putting them away, they just pull them out again first thing.

Their bedrooms look better though.

reflectivesunglasses · 29/08/2020 22:33

Interesting question.

Our house is tidier. Everyone much more aware of need to put away when they have finished with things.

But it's just not clean. No cleaner for months, DH and I working from home all the hours and just no energy to regularly clean everything properly.

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