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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask if you've ever experienced a house get out of control

362 replies

atthelake · 12/07/2015 10:33

That gives a weird image of a tantrumming house but the truth isn't so funny.

House is disgusting. Repulsive, awful, dirty. I just can't seem to manage it. I used to be able to. Now I'm struggling so much.

I'm talking washing up on the dirty sofa and piles of dirty clothes and crisps trodden in carpet upstairs and bathroom full of clothes and cat wee (thanks cat) and empty bottles and half full bottles of drinks and tin openers in lounge and cobwebs and muck and dirt.

Am i trying to have my child taken off me or something? :)

I semi confided in a friend yesterday who said she had found it hard until she went on ADs.

Is this the answer? When I've taken them in the past I just felt flat but maybe I didn't try the right ones or for long enough.

It's getting me down, it's getting everybody down but it's as if I cant. Sometimes I make some vague attempt to clear some rubble but it barely makes a dent.

OP posts:
DoesItReallyMatter · 13/07/2015 17:02

Well done OP. Smile

I find with cleaning it often looks worse before it looks better iyswim

formerbabe · 13/07/2015 17:02

Brilliant op! Congrats...that it a big achievement!

grapejuicerocks · 13/07/2015 17:07

Sit in your tidy lounge tonight and enjoy the product of your hard work. Bathroom or kitchen tomorrow?

Original poster
atthelake · 13/07/2015 17:09

I'll try the kitchen :)

OP posts:
grapejuicerocks · 13/07/2015 17:21

Kitchen it is then. Germs be warned. Grin

Looking forward to the update tomorrow.

HotBurrito1 · 13/07/2015 17:59

You're doing so well Lake. Your husband's going to think he's gone in the wrong house on Friday Wink

MissDuke · 13/07/2015 18:07

You are flying op, well done! Brilliant progress. Have a well deserved rest too though!

gymboywalton · 13/07/2015 18:16

I think your original post painted a blacker picture than the reality.we have all been imaging kim and aggie territory when I bet it's just a bit messy!

answersonapostcardplease · 13/07/2015 18:36

Well done lake i bet you feel miles better and thank you fo giving me a push. I spent all morning putting the clothes mountain away! Nearly done, feel so much happier its done before school holidays.Flowers

LoisWilkersonsLastNerve · 13/07/2015 19:10

Well done lake Smile I hope your feeling better today.

maccapacwac · 13/07/2015 19:15

Well done OP! I read your first few posts and your last one... Think in between you must have had some great encouragement!

I'm now imspired to get off mumsnet and put a load of washing on :)

drudgetrudy · 13/07/2015 19:29

Brill-you're onto it! Well done!

MamaLazarou · 13/07/2015 20:16

Thrilled to hear you are making progress, OP. You should be proud of yourself.

EponasWildDaughter · 13/07/2015 20:42

This is fantastic news OP! Grin FlowersFlowers

I've been thinking about you, and hoping you found something in your thread to motivate you. It can be as simple as one sentence, one turn of phrase, one idea which switches something in your mind sometimes. I'm so pleased that that happened for you here.

(i've ordered the book linked in this thread written by the 'Japanese expert declutterer' Magic of Tidying. My house is very clean and tidy ... until you peep in the cupboards upstairs! I need help to detach from the stuff i hide away)

ApocalypseNowt · 13/07/2015 20:54

Well done OP. You're doing so well!

I found this thread today and it's motivated me to get my arse into gear. I've run around and filled one black bag with rubbish (not from bins, just crap lying around) and i've tidied toys and hoovered the living room - the whole room too, under the sofa and everything. I also made dh go and do a quick trim of the hedge by our path so it looks less day of the triffids. It already looks better. and i feel better.

Tomorrow we have plans to do some of the kitchen.

A pp (sorry can't remember who) said their dc behave better when the house is tidy. I must say I totally agree with this.

Keep on keeping on OP. Flowers

flanjabelle · 13/07/2015 21:26

Has anyone on here got any tips for sorting a hellish cupboard? Ops thread has given me a kick up the arse to have a clear out too. Got loads done today, but I have a cupboard of doom that I have no idea what to do with. Everything that doesn't have a home is in there and I don't know where to start!

RedCrayons · 13/07/2015 21:34

Put it all in a bin bag. If you haven't missed any of it in a month chuck it.

Steadycampaign · 13/07/2015 21:51

flanjabelle Flylady's advice is not to pull out more than you can put back in one hour (ie tackle it bit by bit) ie shelf by shelf?

Another approach would be to empty contents in to 3 cardboard boxes 1. to 'chuck', 2. to 'give away' 3. keep and put away (but the rule with this is that you have to give away stuff to friends/charity immediately otherwise if you have a full bag or box hanging around, little hands get in to it and "re-discover" all the crapola and you are back where you started.

My favourite method though is to empty out all contents of cupboard in to huge bags or bin bags in one fell swoop without organising it, wipe down shelves etc, clean floor of cupboard etc/paint, whatever you have to do to it etc, let dry. Then go through the boxes/bags a bit at a time, chucking stuff away, or arranging properly on shelves as you go. If you don't get to open boxes/sort bags/ say within 18 mths and don't miss any of the contents then just chuck entire lot out without looking at them.

If it's a large under the stairs cupboard, you might need to put some shelving or rails in there to make the most of the space.

Main thing is to be ruthless. You can't clean clutter or junk. Do you really need any of it? Could the stuff go somewhere else in the house (roof?) if it is rarely used. Given cupboard's location, what items would make the most sense to be stored there?

Good motivator is to take photos at start and finish of process.

Good luck!

[Have just read this back and am a bit Confused at the enthusiasm with which I have answered this question [old saddo emoticon] ] Blush

Original poster
atthelake · 13/07/2015 21:52

I've got scented candles so the house even smells nice and fairy lights up, I feel better :)

OP posts:
Steadycampaign · 13/07/2015 21:53

Redcrayons Shock at month's grace only!

You are obviously operating with rather more dynamism than I am Grin

Steadycampaign · 13/07/2015 21:54

Good for you atthelake Thanks

drudgetrudy · 13/07/2015 21:54

Star Flowers

flanjabelle · 13/07/2015 21:55

No no not a saddo steady. Very helpful thank you! That is tomorrows job then.

I managed to get rid of 4 bin bags of clutter today, so it's going well. I have an immaculate walk in wardrobe and even tackled the junk drawer in the kitchen.

We are all in this together op! We all have junk to sort!

answersonapostcardplease · 13/07/2015 22:01

Im super impressed lake. Fairy lights.... I only managed these recently youngest dc 2.7

Steadycampaign · 13/07/2015 22:33

flanjabelle four bin bags of decluttered stuff is really good going

Forgot to mention, key to sorting cupboards of doom is to re-organise them in a way that makes sense so that they keep organised ie you don't have to move things to get to other things, stuff is easy to access, and it is really easy to put things away again.

[Just need to follow my own advice now Blush ]