To not wish to be called OCD?

[BlueButTrue]

Every day I:

Clean my floors with floor wipes (twice a day, more if I see any mark etc).

Wash up as I go.

Make my beds first thing

Hoover all rooms (about 3/4 times a day)

Wash on, put a wash away

Clean kitchen surfaces (3/4 times, more if I'm using kitchen more).

Clean cupboard doors/draws

Hoover sofa

Hoover living room rug (twice)

Wipe down living room surfaces (3/4 times)

Clean toilet (3/4 times a day, sometimes more)

Clean bathroom (about twice a day top to bottom, and little wipe downs etc whenever else).

Empty bin

Wipe down bedroom furniture/dust surfaces

Every other day I:

Steam clean bathroom and kitchen. Sometimes this is every day too.

Hoover behind sofas (will do this each day if any actual messes are created).

Twice a week:

Clean out fridge

Clean inside cupboards

My Nan is apparently "worried" at the extent I'm cleaning, but I think it's healthy and normal. It keeps me calm and makes me happy. I don't believe it's extensive. "Cleaning isn't good for the soul" says DNan.

MIL has hinted I should be checked for OCD.

Personally, I find this quite offensive. OCD is a serious health issue and not one to joke about.

AIBU to clean the way I do and think it's healthy? AIBU to think it's offensive to others who really do suffer that it isn't acceptable to go around, throwing the term 'OCD' about?

Bear in mind the effect that so much cleaning will have on your child when they're older. Trust me, it's bloody miserable growing up in a house where everything has to be spotless constantly.

Meh, it's free (mostly) and easily accessible. If it keeps one happy, why not crack on?

Cooking is deemed to be an acceptable hobby but cleaning isn't it seems!

I've not read the whole thread but op please can you move in with me?!

No matter how hard I try I cannot stick to a routine. My 21 month old messes up as I clean. It's never ending and I still don't have a home I could call immaculate 😩

I'm on your side OP!! I just meant that needing another hobby is the worst thing that you could say about obsessive cleaning with no underlying anxiety or compulsions. I didn't mean you should find another hobby!

And I totally agree re the obsessive cooking especially baking that people do these days (although - yum!) and dads who leave their kids all day Sunday to go out for long bike rides. As long as they are not compulsive behaviours fuelled by obsessive thinking it really is just an interest that you possibly spend too long on.

It's interesting how in a recent thread about books that have changed your life, the most oft-mentioned book was about the art of tidying. Yet when a poster admits to finding peace in maintaining an impeccably tidy house, she is labelled as having mental health problems. If Marie Kondo can make a living out of tidying, then I don't see why it's odd to view cleaning as a hobby. And I agree with the poster who said that OCD is a desperate, lonely place to be - I have friends with OCD, and cleaning doesn't bring them peace and joy, it reduces fear and anxiety. That doesn't sound like the case here, and I can see why it would be frustrating to be labelled as such.

Oh yes, I totally agree I'm very invested in it and enjoy myself a little too much

I suppose the cooking thing is deemed more acceptable and enjoyable in general so doesn't seem a bit '' by everyone else.

hannah why of course, I'll have things spick and span in no time at all!

I have friends with OCD, and cleaning doesn't bring them peace and joy, it reduces fear and anxiety. That doesn't sound like the case here, and I can see why it would be frustrating to be labelled as such

You've hit the nail on the head there. I admittedly don't know anyone with OCD but I have a lot of family with MH issues. They're constantly fighting their own personal battles and MH is absolutely rotten to go through. I applaud anyone who wins those battles daily by surviving another day.

One of my first thoughts when being accused of having OCD is "like fuck do I, I can't imagine what those people go through. I don't have to fight with my own mind each day. I'm not brave enough to deal with half the things they do".

I think people jump to a conclusion that I have OCD, 1. because it's not generally seen as something enjoyable and most find it quite a hindrance (cleaning), so for someone to come along and say they 'love it ' is strange to them. And 2., because many OCD sufferers do indeed find release from obsessive cleaning

What I dont understand (apologies if already said) is how can you actually call it cleaning because it isn't actually dirty as it has been thoroughly cleaned several times that day already. What your really doing is pretending to clean because it feels good. A bit like ocd meditation in motion.

Fresh It isn't actually immaculate when I go over it again. For example, the toilet. I'll clean it and then DH will go in there to do more than a wee. I want it back to the standard I left it so will repeat what I've already done, except it literally takes 30 seconds because it's always kept on top of.

With hoovering, it never stays as fresh 4/5 hours on. So if I do a thorough hoover at 8am, by the time 1pm rolls around, I do a quick whip round so it's back to its original standard.

I never clean around when I have people over and have 0 objections to shoes etc, so naturally this does create some mess and I clean it after these people leave. I like people to feel as at home as possible, and swap my cleaning regularities for making sure everyone is happy and has anything they want refreshment wise etc.

I wash up as I go along so the sink side needs a go over quite often etc.

And kitchen sides etc get a go over quite frequently due to crumbs and what have you.

But all these things are literally only taking me 1 minute max since they weren't ever a total mess to begin with.

I was lucky enough to have a cleaner last year. Sadly I'm now on the tail end of maternity pay so it's just me now! My lovely cleaner was going to do a huge clean of the kitchen including insides of cupboards, tops of units, under the plinths etc. I was apologising for it being a mess and disorganised and she stopped me and told me it was her pleasure because she absolutely loved cleaning and tidying.

I on the other hand an absolutely useless at it and just cannot manage my time.

I see.

It doesnt have to be OCD or not OCD, it can be inbetween. My DC is like this. Its a general type of OCD that can be applied to anything depending on what triggers it. In my day we would have called it either stubbornness or being a perfectionist.

You can cope without cleaning your house but once you start you keep going until its perfect and stays perfect. Unless you are triggered by another event like visitors where you make sure they are all perfectly catered for. Do you have this behavior in other aspects of life? I dont see OCD as being a bad thing as long as its under control.

How long could you cope with living in a messy/dirty house and doing nothing to clean it? Or would you get real edgy and have to sort it?

paper And I can assure you that she enjoyed every minute of doing that! We do exist, those people who actually like cleaning stuff. No idea what the appeal is, think for me it's a mixture of antiseptic/fresh smells and the overall 'look' when the job is done

If cleaning isn't for you then sod it. Who cares, as long as the house isn't 'dirty'.

If I didn't enjoy cleaning then I would do the very minimum. Who has time to spend time on something they don't enjoy? Not me

Just popping in to add that this week is OCD Awareness Week... take a look at ocduk.org for some information about what is and isn't OCD.

Fresh That's a tricky one, so I'll try and answer with two separate scenarios.

Scenario 1 = How would I cope with no cleaning if I couldn't, for example, due to sleep exhaustion (with a newborn), or something like having to leave the house imperfect because something else needs seeing to right away.

My answer? No problem, it wouldn't bother me. If I didn't have the energy then I wouldn't do it. Likewise, if I had priorities elsewhere, I'd just leave it.

Scenario 2 = How would I cope if just out of interest I was told not to clean and just 'leave it' with nothing else to do that I find fun?

My answer? That would bother me and I don't think I could leave it, purely because there's no reason to. Why miss out on doing something I love just 'to see'?

I have OCD. It’s a misunderstood condition and it doesn’t always present as obsessive cleaning. Mine certainly doesn’t - I have a rather laissez faire approach to housework, although the idea of having carpets makes me feel faintly Ill. Shoes indoors are taboo here and people are horrified by the British carpets plus shoes thing :)

Anyway, people throw ocd around as a term and they don’t really understand what it is. It’s basically using behaviours to control ones anxiety.

To diagnose op we would need to establish how the cleaning fitted into her life, how it affects it, if it is extreme, how she feels when she does it and how she feels if she’s prevented from doing it. The ‘cycle’ of feeling-action-feeling is what’s important.

Op no one on here can diagnose you. I will say that it sounds like you clean a lot - more than is strictly needed. Maybe have a think about how it makes you feel, before and after, and how you feel if you’re prevented from doing it - not just for a day but to the point the house is dirty.

I would also remind you of the rather excellent Russian proverb that translates as ‘if three people tell you you are ill, go and see a doctor.’

It may or may not be OCD - we can’t say.

Also, just a pedantic point, one is not OCD. One suffers from OCD.

I want to add actually that I find it quite sad in regards to the amount of raised eyebrows and funny suggestions I get about loving to clean so much

I have had a lot of people come over to comment and usually make a snidey remark. The thing that upsets me is I'd never dream of commenting on someone else's home to them, it's none of my business how they keep their homes yet people find it perfectly okay to comment on mine.

I had one 'friend' who always use to feel the need to make the point of how she'd rather spend time traveling and living life to the fullest with her DC.

Needless to say the furthest she's ever been is the next town and her DC does nothing but watch cartoons whilst she gets on with playing Candy Crush

Zaurak Gosh, that is of course true - I do clean an awful lot and I know it isn't necessary but again, I only do it because I enjoy it.

Much like I found horse riding, if I missed it, I would feel quite put out and miss it, but it wouldn't make me feel anxious. It's just like missing a favourite sport or something

I do a lot of cleaning but that's just it, it's a lot of cleaning because it's my 'hobby', if you like.

I don't do it to relieve anxiety or stress, although I do feel a massive uplifting when cleaning, but that's just enjoyment.

I enjoy other things too.

It's not just the actual act of cleaning I'm invested in. I also get a real kick out of sharing cleaning tips with others, and recommending cleaning products/trying new ones out.

My SIL once requested I gave her kitchen a quick whizz round. She looked very embarrassed about it and said she felt guilty. I on the other hand was giddy with excitement and was thrilled when she liked what I had done. Not to mention the pleasure I got from actually doing it. I wish people would ask me more often whilst I'm round!

It's all just a big happy land to me that is very easily accessible

Heaven help me if I hear someone who looks relatively friendly talk about a cleaning dilemma/what product should they use.

I've been known to nip in and give recommendations. I can't help it, I just love to talk about cleaning

I could spend hours chatting about methods and recommending things. It's honestly so fun for me

Well, is it worrying you? Does it affect your life or your family’s life (for example the time you spend, certain actions discouraged because it causes mess, etc?)

OCD is one of those things that people do misuse a lot to mean ‘very tidy’ - I’m always when I see the ‘oh my ocd wouldn’t allow that’ posts on fb. Actual ocd is crippling, and affects your life profoundly, in purely negative ways. It is not trivial. It is not ‘liking things orderly.’ It is a really unpleasant thing to suffer from.

Why don’t you talk it through with your gp if you’re worried?

You could also look up the standardised scales for ocd- the Y-BOCS and the BOCS.

In honour of this thread I cleaned a door in my house that has been food splattered for about 3 years. It was pretty awesome and I then wiped down some other areas too. I can actually imagine continuing to do this 5 mins here and there jobs and actually get our house into something people might regard as sanitary in the next calendar year or so.

I agree with the OP that there is something satisfying about these small cleaning jobs that make an immediate impact...even in a house that is a total tip.

I haven't done this before because it has felt like pissing in the wind to do tiny jobs when we have such severe (OCD generated) clutter issues as a family, but I am right on board with it now. I am going to change my living circumstance one tiny step at a time!

Zaurak No it isn't bothering me. People accusing me of suffering with OCD is what bothers me, these actual sufferers go through a lot and I feel as if accusing someone like me is minimising their struggles!

Alright OP, while you are here - how do I clean the metal bit behind the hob (also the hob) efficiently, bearing in mind I'm not allowed to use anything even vaguely associated with chemicals or that has been produced in China?

All advice very very welcome :(

Morphene Yay! I'm thrilled for you Well done you, getting started is always the hardest part

I bet I'd notice an immediate difference in your house if I visited

ps. if I use vinegar then I will be screamed at by DD who is hypersensitive to smells....

Thanks OP, honestly if this works I am going to owe you such a huge debt of gratitude!