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?

Do you not feel like you're wasting your life? Get out there and start living!

It's not about how much cleaning you do. It's about how you feel if you don't clean, whether the cleaning affects your family life, your own life and whether it is an interruption.

I love my Sebo I have to say - but I only use it once a week and I promise you it looks fine! I don't have a lot of people tramping through the house or dogs or anything though. Or carpets to be fair.

My DMIL hoovers four times a week and hoovers/mops the kitchen every other day v but she has two really messy big dogs in there.

Why won't you answer about work/other responsibilities?

Sorry, just trying to catch up and reply to everything.

I'm currently on maternity leave. I'm the same whilst working but of course there's no one in during the day so it's pretty much untouched. DH is out the house all day because of work too

I don't find it hard to do other things. For example, I clean my fridge etc before a food shop so won't do a food shop before this, but that's the only restriction I have

Never have an issue visiting SIL or whoever at the drop of a hat

Hoovering all rooms 3/4 times a day seems rather a waste of electricity?

Do you work?

sounds excessive and definitely not healthy.

do you work? or do you have friends you spend time with. I struggle to understand how you could possibly fit anything else into your day. Does it prevent you from doing 'normal' things?

What happens to the carpets between hoovering... surely some rooms you can’t even have been in since the last hoover?

Seems a bit extreme to me. OCD or not seems pretty unnecessary, it must take you all day. How about trying a hobby?

Do you still have time left to spend with your baby?

gosh, you pull this off with a baby (mat leave)

It sounds excessive to me.
Have you nothing else to do?

I've got two huge dogs and even I don't hoover that much, that seems excessive and like it might get in the way of stuff as it must take a while to complete the whole thing every day.

but I think it's healthy and normal. It keeps me calm and makes me happy. I don't believe it's extensive.

I think cleaning the bathroom top to bottom a day is incredibly excessive. The "keeps me calm" is ringing alarm bells - had you said you clean because you're bored, or enjoy doing it, or for some other reason but for calmness? If you get twitchy and anxious when you're not able to clean the bathroom twice a day then yes you've got a problem and your relative is spot on.

when and how do you spend time with your DC? and how does it cope with the constant hoovering noise?

Whilst my house is clean, I'd be also concerned about all the chemicals in the cleaning products around the house.

Thought also too clean makes it more likely for children to develop allergies

How old is your baby and where are they while you are cleaning?

It's not about how much cleaning you do. It's about how you feel if you don't clean, whether the cleaning affects your family life, your own life and whether it is an interruption

If I don't clean, I don't feel upset but after a while I do sort of day dream about it and think about different jobs etc that I can get back to soon. I get quite excited

I love when new products come on the market, for example. I'm always very eager to try them out.

I don't have any issues leaving the cleaning to do other things. But, I don't watch telly if I want a job done/I feel something needs doing. This isn't through force, I'd just rather be cleaning

You don’t have OCD, but you might have OCPD :

www.counselling-directory.org.uk/ocdpersonality.html

Beyond excessive, definitely sounds like OCD. How do you have time to do anything other than clean? I would seek help, you can't waste so much of your life cleaning!

Llamacorn is spot on. OCD isn't about cleaning for all sufferers, there are many other forms which are less visible or not visible to an onlooker at all. Likewise, there are plenty of very organised people who clean a lot and do not suffer from the distressing anxiety disorder which is OCD. Also, while someone may have OCD it doesn't mean they "are" OCD, they are still a person not a label.

Beyond excessive, definitely sounds like OCD. How do you have time to do anything other than clean? I would seek help, you can't waste so much of your life cleaning!

I don't waste any time cleaning really. I'm usually just pottering about doing things. Hoovering the bedroom takes two minutes. Hoovering the living room and kitchen together takes 5 max.

Cleaning the bathroom top to bottom takes less than 5 minutes. A general wipe down when I see fit maybe 30 seconds most?

I don't miss out on anything. I don't have any issues leaving my house at the drop of a hat.

I don't feel anxious about cleaning. It's just something that fills me with peace and I really enjoy it

I don't do all that in a whole week, never mind every day, so to me this sounds beyond excessive. I am however very impressed you can do all this with a baby in tow.

I think you need to learn to knit. Or play tennis. Or roller skate.

Cleaning that much is very boring and dull. What do you talk to other people about, apart from your child? The latest bleach and how amazing your hoover is? Not trying to be mean here - if you are doing that much cleaning, it leaves NO time for anything other than domestic drudgery.

The fact that you think that this is normal and healthy is even more worrying than the actual excessive cleaning

I hate to sound like I'm in denial but how is it worrying if it isn't impacting me?

I do it because I enjoy it and get a kick out of the nice fresh smells and spotless surfaces.

I've never felt like I 'just have to'.

It's like watching something good on telly to some people - relaxing and enjoyable

Do you do all this cleaning while your baby is sleeping? Maybe it's just me, but my babies never slept enough for me to do more than the basic amount of cleaning.

Are you sure you're not neglecting other things in order to clean? So you mention you'd rather clean than watch tv, which is totally fine. But are you cleaning when your DH comes home and therefore can't talk to him? Are you cleaning while your baby or other DC are at home and would like your attention? Do you still have time for other, non cleaning tasks such as cooking, bathing (yourself/ your children), admin, paperwork, shopping etc? What are the other members of your family doing while you're cleaning? have they ever expressed a desire to spend more time with you because you're too busy cleaning?

Cleaning that much is very boring and dull. What do you talk to other people about, apart from your child? The latest bleach and how amazing your hoover is? Not trying to be mean here - if you are doing that much cleaning, it leaves NO time for anything other than domestic drudgery.

Most mothers I know don't have anything else to talk about other than their children and what's on TV