I'm disgusting

[blackheartdarksoul]

I'm posting here for traffic.

My house is a pit. Every single room is dirty, all my possessions are old and falling apart. I have a flea problem too.

I'm working so many hours to keep a roof over my families head that when I get home I just sleep.

I can't afford to buy anything, I have £3.40 in the bank to last me until the end of the week.

How can I be proud of my home again? My boyfriend who doesn't live with me has made a remark about my home and I died of embarrassment on the spot.

I don't let anyone in except him because it's that bad.

Why am I so gross?

You mention your family, are there children living in the house?

You're looking at the whole problem and probably feeling overwhelmed.

Tackle one small problem area, tidy the floor of one room and until it's done do no more.

Broken into small easy to tackle chunks even the biggest of issues can be overcome. You'll also find the satisfaction of doing it quite motivating.

Good luck OP

You are not disgusting. I think you are amazing working for your the sake of your family! Could you just do, say, 15 minutes a day of tidying?

Can you start with one room at a time? Just spend half an hour or so, starting to clear cutter?

It probably seems like an impossible task at the moment, but if you make a start that may help motivate doing more.

Any older DCs or trusted friends you could enlist for help?

Kitchen - bathroom
Focus areas
Small chunks
No money needed - any kind of soap and scrubber will do
Mess isn't anyone else's concern

Will your council environmental health team help you tackle the flea problem?

You’re not gross, at all, my lovely.
You’re earning an honest living every day, so you’ve got nothing to be ashamed of.

It’s so easy to get bogged down in a big task like that, so i sympathise. But, what i do is ‘little and often’.
Even daft things like - whenever you go upstairs/downstairs, take something with you.
It just helps clear the decks, a bit.

Baby steps...

Who else is in the home?

Take it in small sections otherwise it’s too overwhelming.

If she's got a flea problem she needs to start with that.

Can you break it down and tackle it room by room so it’s not so overwhelming?

Start by throwing out any rubbish and removing stuff that doesn’t belong in that room like dirty dishes/cups etc.

Get some cleaning wipes to go over any surfaces and pick up any clothes that are on the floor. I usually find just doing a little bit puts me in the mood to do more than I’d planned to so you might find if you can get stuff like washing and washing up done it will look a lot better.

Can you enlist help from your family who presumably live their too? Just do 15 mins a day and see how you get on. Good luck!

Agree that you need to start with the fleas. Then break the problem down into manageable chunks. And everything is easier in a team - who can you ask for help?

As soon as you get paid, buy two cans of Indorex , it will be worth it. Spray round the edges of every room.

Are your children school age? They can help with cleaning. Decluttering is key, the fewer dust gathering items you have, the better. Start with one area of one room and do a fifteen minute cull.

You have nothing to be ashamed of. I know how overwhelming it can feel but it’s all doable.

My kids are all teenagers and they just add to the problem. My eldest brought in a stray cat which I took the a shelter but that's what caused the flea problem.

I'm a single parent and all the dishes get done and floors are hoovered. It just looks so grotty all the time. I'm so sad I could cry

You’re not gross. You’re overwhelmed.

Break it down into smaller steps: one room at a time.

So right now, go and grab whatever cleaning stuff you have (washing up liquid and a cloth?) and go clean the bathroom. Throw away any empty/old bottles (just keep shampoo and shower gel / soap). Put all of your towels and any clothes you find in the wash.

Then stop.

That’s enough for tonight.

Tomorrow, choose another room and do the same. Be ruthless! Chuck away what you don’t need.

Honestly, just start. One room and you’ll feel better

I'm sure you're not disgusting, love, things have just got a bit on top of you. Do you have any friends you could ask for help? I would be there like a shot - I love cleaning.

I have nothing to declutter. All I have is a sofa and a tv. I have nothing and it looks like a crackden

Just seen that you have teenagers - get them involved - and that your floor is hoovered. I suspect the problem isn’t as bad as you think.

Hoover daily until you can get the flea spray /treatment. Also lots of shallow bowls of hot Fairy water around the house. Fleas love a warm bath!! Then they drown!!

When you have some cash (or get some from your eldest) buy some diatomaceous earth, it's cheap and very effective at killing fleas.

www.thebugsquad.com/fleas/diatomaceous-earth-fleas/

And tell your children to clean the house if they want to be fed.

You're NOT disgusting Being a working single parent is hard.

I would prioritise the flea situation as soon as you get paid.

No clutter, you hoover the floors and all the dishes are done? I don't think it's as bad as you think! Get those teenagers of yours to help to.

Why can’t the teenagers help?

You're getting dishes washed and floors vacuumed. A bit at a time get the kitchen and bathroom how you want them. Tell your teenagers to take a (smallish) area there each and keep it clean.
Can you get on Freegle or Freecycle? I don't want to encourage more clutter but if you need furniture and other items to make your home more comfortable you'll find them advertised for free.
You're doing so much for your family. If they can help even a bit to improve their home you'll all feel better.

Really sarah

Your kids need to help. You are out working and basic tasks won’t be beyond them. You need a day when you all chip in and get it to an acceptable standard then everyone keeps on top of it.