"but I don't enjoy housework like you do" grrr!

[ullavon]

Ok so I do keep my house very clean, tidy and organised. In that area I'm a very all or nothing person and having a clean well organised, pleasent home is important to my mental health. I'm much happier and energetic if I keep on top of the housework I don't enjoy it as such but do feel satisfaction from it I also use daily, weekly etc routines to help me keep on top of it all and listen to music, audiobooks to make it less dull.

My sister in law was round yesterday evening for dinner and she was going around my cupboards commenting on how tidy they were inside and then she said how she could never be bothered with all that as she just doesn't "enjoy housework like you do" and the implication is that they all have better things to do.

She isn't the only who thinks this my mother in law and cousin have both said similar things. It just annoys me that people think I love cleaning like I have nothing better to do. I don't love and I don't spend hours every day I just keep on top of it day in day out and it really doesn't take that much time.

AIBU to be annoyed at this?

Standard joke at work when I'm in on Wednesday - oh it must be sheet changing day cos it's Wednesday, and it's true! I'm very lucky, i work very part time and look after my grandson and Pil's a lot. I have a house work schedule, upstairs Wednesday's, downstairs Thursday's. Everything is done properly once a week, with the tidying and quick whizz of the bathrooms done daily. However if I'm invited out on "housework days" I don't say I can't, just think bugger it, I've done it last week so it won't hurt if it gets delayed or not done at all!
We're in the process of renovating a house ( 3 1/2 years of house renovation so far) and I get pissed off with getting a room nice and then having to move crap from somewhere else to work on that part of the house. I'm halfway thru sorting the paperwork out but until the office is finished I've got bits all over the place, drives me mad. Half of the paperwork is in the kitchen cupboards, more is in the utility room, which means we can't get the other kitchen stuff out the garage as there's nowhere to put it. Drives me mad.
Soon it'll be finished and I'll be having major cupboard tidying then!

Do you think its possible OP that they think you are judging them for not being as clean and tidy as you? And they feel defensive?

I'm the same OP, I don't hugely enjoy cleaning our house, but great great satisfaction from the end result. I cannot relax at home if all I can see are cleaning jobs that need doing. Our friends all rib me mercilessly too.

I've had this several times op. I suppose it depends one the intention of whoever is saying it. I've taken it as both a compliment and a dig depending on who said it!

I agree with you that when everything is generally organised it doesn't take nearly as long to keep things tidy and when you have a system (or a cleaner!)it's easier to keep things clean.

It also saves you time. I was at my very disorganised friends a few weeks ago for the evening. They had a little Pile of Stuff on the sofa when I arrived(there was some post, half a box of chocolates and some drawings her dd had done), friend moved it off one sofa onto another so I could sit down. Her dh then asked where a shirt he wanted was, she said the clean clothes basket. There were three baskets of clean clothes dotted about so he looked through them all. She came back in, moved the Pile to the other end of the sofa. Her dh came in and moved it onto the floor. The dog started messing with it so he moved it to the coffee table. Her dh went out, we went to get a glass of wine came back and the toddler had got into the Pile, helped herself to some chocolate which was now all over her pjs and the post. Friend then looked through the three washing baskets for clean pjs. I'm sat there thinking just deal with the pile of stuff first!!!. And obviously saying nothing!

Wow I wouldn't even call chocolates and some drawings a "pile of stuff"! Not that need a dealing with anyway!!! I wouldn't mind chocolates and some pictures in the living room.

Piles of stuff in our house would be an actual pile of things that need homes/sorting!!!

But it was a little Pile of Stuff! It did need dealing with, as evidenced by the chocolate covered toddler, pjs and (apparently)electoral registration forms!

Do you have kids OP?

Like you i need a housework routine if not i go abit crazy lol....I have 2 dogs so with the shedding of fur I feel my hoover is attached to my body lol

CremeEgg - I am a bit like that too - tidying, etc helps me when I am feeling anxious and down. I think it's to do with feeling in control and achieving something useful....

Definitely, Notcontent. It's a relatively easy area of your life to achieve control in. It might seem a bit pathetic or sad to lots of people, but your home is where you spend most of your time, apart from work, so to me, it's a big part of my life to have under control.

I couldn't cope with that 'little pile of stuff' example. Just reading about it is making my teeth itch!

I have many piles of stuff all over the house, it's how we roll here

I'd say others are jealous of your clean and tidy house OP