To wonder why people can't keep their houses in a basic state of cleanliness?

[HarderToKidnap]

Disabilities aside, why can't people keep their homes basically clean?

I work part time, have a messy dog, a demanding toddler, am extremely lazy but my house always looks OK. You couldn't eat your tea off the top of the door frames but the kitchen surfaces are clean, floors hoovered, sofas plumped and inviting, toilet free of poo crumbs. It's easy and doesn't take long. So WHY do I go round to so many of my friend's houses and see they live in complete pits? Gritty nasty sofas that are horrible to sit on, filthy kitchens, poo smears and crumbs all over toilet, minging hand towels, floors covered in bits. IT IS NOT HARD to do the basics. I've just done a house once over and it's taken 45 minutes.

I understand not wanting to spend all day dusting your books or whatever but when people are coming over why wouldn't you want them to feel clean and comfy in your house? I'm not talking about people that physically can't do it because of illness or disability, but the rest of you? WHY??!!!

Has anyone given you a to hang round your neck with your medals?

Agree with OP. Maintaining a basic level of cleanliness is not so hard.

I just need 30 minutes a day, at the most, to clean loos, wipe kitchen surfaces, put fresh tea towels, throw DS toys in the toy box and hoover the main living area.

On some days, when I am changing sheets, ironing etc., I will skip a couple of these chores.

My house is not spotless or very well organised. It can be a bit messy also on busy days.

However, my friends are forever complimenting me on my housekeeping skills and I am baffled. These are very basic chores that hardly take up any time.

And when I go over to most of my friends houses, I am surprised at the lack of basic cleanliness. I don't mind biscuit crumbs on the coffee table, but how can you have smelly soggy hand towels, toilet bowls covered in skid marks, dog hair everywhere...

Thanks Rooners x

YANBU especially in the kitchen work surface department.

take care.

imip, you are the one who deserves the medal!

Two mentions just on this page so far of precious moments spent playing with dc's rather than hoovering !

This is all relative. I am considered a domestic goddess by quite a few friends and a slattern by my mother.

I can't bear filth and I must admit I have silently judged gritty carpets, dirty kitchens and grubby bathrooms. And houses that aren't aired sufficiently. I have 3 DC's under 6 admittedly I work infrequently as a freelancer but it can be done without spending all day cleaning.

Yabu
That's all I have to say at the moment. Don't get me started!

Yes kaosak because having a seriously ill child is just hysterical, hey?

If you actually had to face this day in, day out, perhaps cleaning might be less of a priority. Perhaps if you spent 50% of your time living in hospital with associated lack of sleep, you might be too tired to clean, or need to pay bills etc instead in your odd moments at home.

Or maybe you'd just spend your time laughing at other people's misfortunes.

"A once over in 45 minutes? Then you're just tidying and not cleaning properly. That's disgusting."

depends what size Op's house is. I can do my small 3 bed terrace in a hour. that's dishes and counters, bathroom (cleaned properly with spray- tiles and all) windows in all rooms, dusting in all rooms, hoovering in all rooms and mopping in all rooms apart from my room and the landing (carpet) it's definitely clean AND tidy. the reason I can do it so fast is because it is tidy to start with. I speak as a former slatter who completely bought into the idea that it wasn't possible to keep a house clean and tidy with pre-schoolers and a hairy shedding dog whilst working. in fact I do more cleaning now since I've been back at work.

My house is a bit scruffy - it needs redecorating and some diy (both of which I am gradually doing, money permitting). I think scruffy is fine, but I agree with the OP that a home should be reasonably clean.

If you are too busy to wipe the loo and keep kitchen counters hygienic, then you are doing something wrong and need to change your life in some way - these tasks take minutes.

My house is tidy, but not as clean as it could be. Me & DP both work full time and we have 4 children between us, and 4 cats. Sometimes it seems insurmountable, and we have loads to do at the weekend.

However. I go by this - when I'm lying on my deathbed, I'm not going to be thinking 'I wish I'd done more housework....'

As an addendum, I wouldn't dream of having dirty bathrooms. That's revolting.

caterpillar so you do get it all clean and work very hard to do so :-) that's all the OP meant I think.

Tey keeping your house perfect with a toddler with adhd and asd, a german sheppard puppy that no amount of money and hard work can train. A rescue cat that decided to have kittens and a dp that works all the hours under the sun in a very grubby job.

My ds gets up at 5. He does not nap unless ill. It is a miracle if I get him to sleep before 11pm. He can open stairgates and cannot manage to get up and down stairs alone without falling so I cannot leave him alone for any amount of time. He can climb the bookcase, tv unit etc and has no danger perception.

I would love to have a spotless house. Really I would. But sometimes the kitchen does need a bit more of a clean, and sometimes the sides do get a bit grubby.

My ds is never dirty and is healthy. As am dp and I. But sometimes circumstances dictate that cleaning cannot always be done when it needs to be. Bloody hell if I could get 45 mins a day to clean I would be over the moon.

Pagwatch nailed it - depression, anxiety and a sense of hopelessness.

So most of you aren't as screwed-up as others. Congratulations.

What is with the poo obsession on this forum? Ohhh I sat in poo crumbs! Yesterday some disgusting person left poo streaks in the asda toilet! I was sat at the Opera next to someone who stank of poo! Poo poo poo!
Really, just swish a bit of cleaner in your toilet, swish the brush, flush..everyone is happy

My house is cluttered and fairly dusty. It's def not up to the standard I like. I've given up, tbh. I've got lots of pets and a fairly messy family. However, I do hoover regularly, clean the loo and bathroom and try to keep the kitchen in order. Never seem to get more than that done.

We struggle to be honest. I never feel like I have any energy and sometimes 'easy' tasks seen huge.

Our house is tiny. We have clutter simplm as we don't have enough space. You walk in and the stairs are on one side and a barrage of coats and shoes the other. We don't have enough space in the kitchen so the drawers are full and there's often bits out. I find the state of the house depressing but by the time I've finished getting the kids in bed I want to go to bed!

I also didn't grow up in a great home. I sometimes don't actually know what people expect. If I know someone is coming we Hoover, but it wouldn't be if you popped by. I don't check our towels in the bathroom. They're just towels and fairly old so probably don't look good. We don't have a lot of spare money and the towels work, just don't look great, I'm now thinking I should replace them :-(

Our kitchen floor often needs doing. We have washing machine, dining table, tumble dryer in small kitchen, so there's often a pile of clothes either about to be washed or need folding etc. Because the kitchen is tiny this instantly looks a mess. In a large house it just would look like a basket of washing.

We have a tiny hall. I need to keep the pushchair there. This means it feels cluttered already and you have to squeeze past.

Now I have two kids in a small space, low energy and enthusiasm I find it really really hard. I'm sure if I had 45 mins child free each day to clean it would be fine. I'm exhausted just with the children.

Thanks for reminding me why I don't have people over very often, yet another season why being broke makes me a failure.

If people come round to see me I will

• Make them tea/real coffee/pour wine
• Offer something to eat
• Take an interest in what they have to tell me
• Aim to offer some good conversation of my own

With overnight guests I'd make sure their room was comfortable and bathroom seemed usuable.
With dinner guests - we eat in the (largish) kitchen - I'd want to ensure that surfaces, the cooker etc looked vaguely hygienic (i.e. not encrusted with decades of grime)

But frankly, if people who come to my house are more interested in the state of my handtowels than in the state of my life, I don't think they're people who I have much time for. (I have probably sussed this and haven't invited you round. You probably sussed this and didn't angle for an invite.)

Secretswitch, try starting a thread on workmen/delivery staff using your loo and see what happens

I don't understand why people have dirty bathrooms or loos. They are the easiest rooms to keep clean.

Would any of the cleaner types on this thread like to come round to mine and demonstrate their skills please?

I am a lazy baggage and I can't be bothered most days.

However, I do agree with the OP that it takes no time to wipe surfaces/hoover and clean the lav once a day. I do a big clean on my day off but my place will always look messy because I have too much stuff.

this all just reinforces my view of not having people over to my house unless ive already seen their house first, or reasonably sure theyre not likely to be sitting there judging

There could be a TV show called 'Come Judge With Me.'

(There seems to be an assumption that cleaning is primarily a woman's work/responsibility here.)