To conduct an experiment against DH and not clean the house?

[CheshireDing]

The deal is I clean and iron, DH cooks and fixes stuff. I like a clean house and don't mind ironing (because I can watch Housewives of NYC at the same time), he likes cooking (I hate it) and if there is someone else to fix stuff I figure get that person to do it (and he is happy to fix stuff).

The "problem' lies in his generally household trampyness. I don't think it's too much to ask that if you are going to a different level and there is something you could take with you, cup/piece of clothing etc you do. Otherwise it's a 3 storey house and I am constantly putting stuff in it's correct room/laundry basket/dishwasher.

DH buys a new item of clothing and just throws the tag on the floor. Even when I say "oh I didn't know we lived IN a bin" he just moves it to the side half the time.

Honestly I love him to bits but I have said today I go back to work in September after Mat Leave and I am not cleaning any bloody more. If he chooses to use the ground floor toilet and not clean it that's his problem because I never use it so never check.

AIBU to try and never clean again and see how long he holds out his laziness? Otherwise please tell me how to deal with it because our arguing over it today caused him to reverse in to a tree! :(

tunnock instead of you washing up when he cooks, change it to when he cooks he washes up and when you cook you wash up.

As for picking up labels ffs that is a minimum. It strikes me that 'fixes things' is not really an everyday household task and maybe you should consider another task for dh, that is more regular and useful- bin emptying, laundry or something?

We have a similar agreement op. I flipped my lid tonight when i got home and the wet swimming stuff was just dumped in a pile on the floor. Not even near the washing machine / basket or anything. If dh does it, dc will think its ok.
Its about respect and he just expects you to do it as you are 'the cleaner' element.

The equivalent would be if OP went round deliberately breaking things so that DH would have to fix them, or making a mess of all the pans so DH would have to wash them before he could cook.

seems a good plan :)

Get a large receptacle. Basket, plastic box with lid or similar. Each week clear all the random unputaway crap into it and put it away somewhere. When someone asks 'where's my?' direct them to it. It will take them ages to rummage through and eventually they will start putting their crap away.
Drives me mad this. Stuff on the end of the kitchen table, on the end of the cupboard, on the end of the dresser, in the bloody nice ornamental bowl thingy on the table. It is there to look nice, not to fill with crap FFS!

I am thinking from other peoples situations there is little/no hope.

I do say things like "why can the spoon not go in the dishwasher instead of on the worktop directly above the dishwasher" but maybe I need to say "put the spoon in the dishwasher".

I have used the baby a couple of times too "BabyDing will eat that tag when she is crawling". The problem seems to be he is aware once made aware but oblivious prior to that.

He has said to me in the past that his Nan used to say "have you got your maths book/PE kit etc etc" as he was going out of the door for school and I know his Mum used to come and clean his first two houses for him I am sure the cleaning, plus knowing someone else will check you have everything must have something to do with it.

I did say the other day if BabyDing forgets to take something to school I will not be reminding her so it will be touch. Although I wonder whether this is a bit harsh for nursery In all seriousness what age would it be acceptable to expect a child to remember their own stuff for school?

hehehe...many of the above here too...mine puts his dirty washing where the laundry basket WOULD BE if it wasn't downstairs being emptied into the wash...it's beyond me. And what is it with putting empty jars / bottles back where they came from?

maybe I need to say "put the spoon in the dishwasher".

It's a radical concept but why don't you try that?

My DH takes his socks off wherever he happens to be standing, and leaves them there. So does my 22 yo DS (not a habit he learned before leaving for university). Everywhere you go in the house there is a stinky black sock sitting there. I did leave them but I got so fed up with them being there for days on end that I have now started gathering them up and putting them in the wash. But it makes me

His other favourite habit is putting his incredibly filthy jeans in the washing basket on Sunday night, when he knows damn well I've spent the whole of Saturday and Sunday washing and drying clothes. It would be nice to at least start the week with an empty basket :(

Honestly, there is no hope, they are just wired not to see / care about stuff like we do. My DH:

• Leaves his dirty laundry NEXT to the laundry basket
• Takes his pants off in the bathroom and leaves them there, forever probably
• Opens cupboards to remove items (clothes in bedroom, pots in kitchen) and LEAVES THEM WIDE OPEN. Why? I spend my life closing cupboard doors!
• Creates a bomb site every time he cooks and never washes up when it's his turn
• Leaves his shoes wherever they get taken off
• etc etc

That last one I thought I had cracked by taking on a rescue dog with chewing problems and who eats discarded shoes, but no, not after even 3 pairs of shoes getting nobbled does my DH learn to put his shoes away.

But I am currently a SAHM and we have a cleaner and he works long hours and travels a lot, so I just pick up after him at the moment. When I go back to work (and probably lose the cleaner due to relocation back to the UK), then I'm not sure how I will be able to stand it!

Good luck OP.