AIBU to have a filthy house?

[MissElaineNeus]

So many threads on here where people's houses, towels, linen are spotless - am I the only one who's the total opposite? My house gets cleaned once a week. We have a large dog who goes on muddy walks and then lies on the furniture. The sofas are old and stained anyway. After a couple of days past the clean, the floors are covered in a light patina of dirt and bundles of fur and dust can be found in most corners. That said, we're never ill and are fighting fit in our fifties. So I know I'm not BU but just hoping there are other like-minded slatterns!

Your house may be a bit grimey but it's hardly filthy if you clean once a week. Some of the houses I've had to visit have literally not been cleaned for years, now that's filthy

Wonkysack In my case there were no pets in my childhood, and I've had dogs ever since I could - own home, working hours permitted etc, hence the username.

I do hoover a bit more than the OP though, because I hate dirt and dog hair on the floor or furniture.

Method floor cleaner with the gorgeous almond smell makes up for the chore of cleaning the wooden floors.

Ooh I love Method but have not tried that - will give it a go!

@buckingfrolics for me I don’t do it for competitiveness I do it because it is good for my mental health and well being to live in an environment I enjoy and am relaxed in
A dirty house makes me feel eughhh and clutter everywhere annoys me.

—my doorstep— doesn’t get a loom in

Well mine sounds pretty much the same as yours except I also have a horse, so the smell of horse piss battles with muddy dog around the porch area where boots etc are. Tonight will be last night of 5 12 hour shifts. My house looks like it's been burgled and smells like a stable and kennel combined. But all animals are fed, exercised and happy and the bills are paid and I'm getting some sleep in between it all and Christmas so it's really quite low on my list of priorities. House won't fall down .

I might not look back on my death bed and wish I had done more cleaning but I do it while I’m living a life with young kids and friends and family who visit.
I often have days where I think ‘I wish I had done more cleaning during the week so I can have a relaxed weekend’

Haven't RTFT but yes to a mucky, muddy house. We've never had so few viruses since having dogs and cats.

Our kitchen cloths go in bleach and I'm strict about that, but life's not worth living without dogs

Amen again

Or a look in

I'd love to have a dog but tbh that's what puts me off.

Life's not worth living without dogs

Wow - not a compliment to your family and friends!

Well, that's quite a leap to make isn't it?

My house is tidy to the point I know where literally everything is and it's clean but I love going to dirty housesit makes mine feel even better as sometimes I think it's not good enough.
You feel more at home in a lived in home anyway.... Your life op 👍

I have to have a clean and tidy house for my own wellbeing and good mental health. If the bedroom is untidy I never sleep as well as if it's all tidy. I also struggle going to people's houses if it's unclean and smelly. Just makes me heave.

You can live life and still have a clean home. It's amazing the amount of people saying life's for living and not cleaning.

Surely they know it's possible to do both if you choose!!!!

I think it's your home and your way. But I do not visit or sit in dirty homes, messy yes, dirty no.

Can’t abide dirt or mess so to me, YABU.

And we live very rurally, have horses and a dog. We don’t let the dog roll in anything on walks, therefore apart from muddy paws and belly (which get hosed and towel dried) and then she gets told to go straight in her bed for an hour until she’s properly dry and clean) she doesn’t get filthy and if she did i’m Afraid the last place she’d be is on the sofas.

But that’s just me, I just cannot relax in a messy, dirty home and hate how people think animals = mess. They don’t. People who don’t care about dirt and mess = Mess.

But that’s just me, I just cannot relax in a messy, dirty home and hate how people think animals = mess. They don’t. People who don’t care about dirt and mess = Mess

Well that's me told then.

Theres a very big difference between DIRTY and MESSY! My house is often messy but never dirty.

If you have dogs or cats, you need to clean more often than if you don't. I like dogs, but I do dislike going into houses that actually smell strongly of unwashed dog and where you come out afterwards covered in dog hair. I don't see why every single sofa should be covered in dog hair and dog saliva! If you are happy for your dogs' smell to pervade the house, I'm not sure why you would be bothered to wash yourself, either, so would be a bit dubious about every aspect of someone's personal and household hygiene regime, if their whole house had a fine covering of dog hair and smelt strongly of dog, tbh. No problem when not entertaining guests, though!

There’s a difference between dirty and messy. I have no qualms about an element of mess, I have four under-ten’s so I expect that but I couldn’t live in filth.

If you are happy for your dogs' smell to pervade the house, I'm not sure why you would be bothered to wash yourself, either, so would be a bit dubious about every aspect of someone's personal and household hygiene regime

Well, that has given me a good laugh today. Thank you.

@Somersetlady but she said it gets cleaned once a week!
I'm lucky enough to be able to pay a cleaner to come once a week and after they've been I don't give it another thought until the following week.
I think the OP was making a point about the extreme cleaning threads which have been up lately.
People doing 4 loads of washing a day and changing towels daily is just bizarre and OTT.

I have a disability and it does sometimes upset me that I can’t keep my house as clean and tidy as I’d like. I try to prioritise cooking / dishes / laundry / litter trays, but often wish the floors were cleaner or the clutter would disappear. The cats are elderly and predate the illness but I swear they sometimes make more mess than the kids! I’ll manage to clean their tray, sweep and mop the bathroom, and the minute I put it back together they’ll kick (clean!) litter over the floor again. Plus the long haired one sheds like there’s no tomorrow..

@Bluelady I actually do hate them
I'd never hurt one, but I would think the world a better place without them, no dirty streets, no children being bitten, no loud barking, etc. Similar with cats, nobody would have filthy gardens. I dislike cats, but I hate dogs. And hate even more owners who think everyone else should love their dogs.

I wouldn't want to sit on a sofa with mud on it.
I would clean the mud off my dogs after a walk.

I think the fact that I grew up in a dirty messy house has contributed to the fact that I hate the idea of living in squalor. My house is clean and tidy today because OH and I "did" the house when DD was out. It will look a wreck tomorrow, but it will be clean if not tidy.