To wonder how the heck my house gets in such a state?

[Awhiteelephantintheroom]

Does anyone else feel that they are on a housework treadmill? I clean and tidy every day, yet every morning when I get up the house looks like it hasn't been cleaned in months. I'm not OCD about things, but like the house to be cleanish, and organised. I'm not so bothered about mess but it seems that the house just gets so filthy.

For example this morning although I hoovered downstairs yesterday, this morning the floor is absolutely filthy; crumbs, muck from the dog's paws, dog hair, fluff, you name it, it's there. It honestly looks like it hasn't been hoovered for weeks. The kitchen surfaces were absolutely filthy despite being wiped down yesterday after tea. The washing basket is overflowing even though it was virtually emptied yesterday. There is just "stuff" everywhere that DH and the older kids have left lying around; shoes, coats, paperwork, empty glasses, plates etc.

My friend claims to do very little housework yet her house just always looks clean and tidy. She has kids, and pets too. I seem to do far more cleaning and tidying than she does yet my house is always in a state.

Really fed up with it all

No, you're not the only one. My house looks clean for about 10 minutes, then everyone gets home and it all goes to pieces.

Dogs, children and husbands do not make for a clean house. I think I'm the only one who notices a) that it's been cleaned, and b) that it's bloody messy/dirty again.

Living with 3 sons, plus husband is a continual strain on my fairly low key pride in my house.

I am in your club. It is never ending and never looking good!

I do believe there is an elf that comes out and makes things worse.

Also, I wouldn't believe your friend. Does she have a cleaner secretly?

For me it's the floors.

Have six cats (four of them are long haired) and despite daily sweeping/mopping fluff floats about like tumbleweed.

Have laminated floors and they never look clean/

:(

Yes, I have the same problem. I think that unless you have zero pets, zero kids and ocd then this is what happens in houses

yep, my house too

5 cats, 3 children and a husband. The house is never going to be clean and tidy is it?

I find the mess harder to deal with. My house is fairly easy to clean....but I'm forever tidying up piles of STUFF and as soon as one disappears the next one appears!

Small toys that get EVERYWHERE! Dressing up clothes in our bedroom, books in the bathroom etc. Drives me mad!

I have a dog and I could easily go a few days without hoovering, and sometimes do.

Have a child at home - 17, but he is excessively tidy and hates mess, guess I am just lucky. When I clean it looks clean and tidy for ages. I think I make more mess, with my ash, and copious coffee's.

Well I'm still in shock that when you quit work/go on maternity leave to look after your babies you have to clean the house too!

It never occurred to me that I'd have to be a 'housewife' and look after the house too. I feel like I've been conned.

Fabby, can I swap your 17yo for x2 15yo and x1 12yo so that they can mess up your house and make your cleaning really worthwhile.

I can deliver.....!

I feel exactly the same as this. In fact I was just saying it to DH yesterday. I am forever cleaning yet my house is usually embarrassingly dirty - I dont understand it. My aunt actually said to me, "every time I walk in here you're cleaning!!! how is this place always in such a mess??"

I can only get one room looking clean and tidy at a time. As soon as I start the next one, the first one is wrecked!

LittleBugsMum - totally agree. Big shock and much harder than work. The cooking. The endless cooking with salt for us, without salt for dd. Freezing meals, unfreezing them. No going out like on the good old days of salaried living. SIGH.
However watching dd chase me with the hoover is quite fun.

yes i agree. hence why i have days where i dont do anything as its fruitless anyway. but on here you have to be careful admiting to that or else you are a skank. ;)

It's like painting the Forth bridge, as soon as you're done it's time to start again!
I've had a flurry of activity last night and today and it's looking lovely here, but by the time Wednesday (if I'm lucky!) rolls around it'll look rubbish again.
I have trained dd to pick up after herself (after I went in her room with a bin bag which she then had to sort!), and even the children I mind put the things away before we go out.
I've a cat, dog (very hairy), husband (not as hairy), own dd (a little hairy) and mindees though, so it's fairly busy house.

People who always have clean and tidy houses have well-trained children. Mine are not like this and I am not sure if it is down to slack parenting on dh's and my part or that we have heedless children! I suspect it's a bit of both.

My children take food into the living room and leave yoghurt carton lying around. . If ds1 makes cocoa, he leaves the cocoa tin an d the milk out on the worktop. My tidy friend's ds comes over to mine and will come into the kitchen with his juice caron looking for the bin. Her children tidy their toys away after they play with them without being told. Mine don't.

I have decided that ds4 is going to br the perfect tidy child. I will let you all know how that goes!