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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wan ttk know how clean and tidy your home is, and do you believe your home is a reflection of your mind ?

79 replies

Lardlizard · 14/07/2019 09:45

Mind tends to be very clean and tidy downstairs
So always guest ready
ESp with a five min warning

The upstairs can have pies of washing etc that are clean and dry n waiting to go away
So the upstairs tends to be less tidy but people other than us don’t go up there

But when it’s tidy upstairs I feel my head is more in order

OP posts:
Yesicancancan · 14/07/2019 11:45

Almost always near and tidy. If it’s not I get the heebies, control freak, neat freak if not it irritates me.

MinnieMountain · 14/07/2019 11:49

Tidy mind. House is never as tidy as I would like, but I refuse to pick up after DH and DS.

WhenOneFacePalmDoesntCutIt · 14/07/2019 11:50

My home is always "guests ready" - I hate mess and clutter, and I don't see why I should have a welcoming home only for visitors.

When the kids are playing, there might be toys all over the house, but we live here. They just put them away when they are finished or before going to bed. If we are baking, there's stuff being used in the kitchen, but it goes straight in the dishwasher when we're done. And everything the same.

I takes just as long to throw something on the floor as it takes to put them away properly.

I feel so much happier in a tidy home and I'd rather deal with chores first thing in the morning and forget about them, than wasting my energy - mental or physical - to think about staff that needs to be done or put away.

HerSymphonyAndSong · 14/07/2019 11:55

Haha my house is always “guest ready” because I don’t know anyone who would come over and judge or be bothered by a bit of untidiness. Or if they do they keep it to themselves. I have a lot 14mo and if he is awake it’s likely to be messy. I’d need to sort out the spare room if someone were staying overnight unexpectedly, but it wouldn’t take long. I don’t think much about the state of other people’s houses when I visit (unless obviously unhygienic levels of dirt) so I don’t imagine they much care about mine

dementedma · 14/07/2019 11:56

Mine is always "guest ready" whether its tidy or a fucking tip. Any guests I would welcome dont care. Its never very tidy as I don't have the time or the inclination to have it looking like a show home, but it's fairly clean.

birdonawire1 · 14/07/2019 14:44

I feel intensely uncomfortable if the house is exceptionally untidy and even dirty. My car however is a skip on wheels

PookieDo · 14/07/2019 15:00

Tidy house, skip car
Am trying more with the car of late
Mess indoors does piss me off

dudsville · 14/07/2019 15:03

Mine is cleaner and tidyier than my mind's state would suggest!

Nautiloid · 14/07/2019 15:06

Mine is ok. I do a lot of housework and it is pretty clean and reasonably tidy.
I feel better when it's better, but like most of us I'm extremely busy and I've learned to set achievable standards.

Snugabugz · 14/07/2019 15:11

Absolutely! My elderly parents have serious mental health problems and their house is dirty and chaotic! Think maggots in kitchen bin, losing wallets and glasses several times a day, mouldy food etc. It’s not just now they are older, it was like this when I was growing up.

By comparison my house is always tidy (bit of clutter in cupboards but normal levels) and being organised makes me feel better. For example I’ve bought school uniforms for new term already and we always clean the house before we go on holiday so it’s nice when we get back.

You don’t need to be a psychologist to work out why I am this way!

hazell42 · 14/07/2019 15:16

My boss used to look at my desk in disdain, because it was always messy.
He pointed at it and said, loudly a tidy desk is a sign of a tidy mind.
I pointed at his and asked equally loudly, what an empty desk was a sign of.
Then I printed out a picture if Einstein's desk and pinned it to the wall.
Having said that, my entire house is both clean and tidy, except my teenage daughter's room, which is a midden.
I cannot work in a overly tidy environment, but I don't want to live in a mess

F2Feee · 14/07/2019 15:27

Very tidy house. I have a cleaner who comes in everyday and deep cleans so during the weekend a quick 15 minute tidy and I'm done for the day.
I hate being in untidy spaces. I have a toddler as well but our home is always tidy and almost spotless.

EleanorReally · 14/07/2019 15:30

Never tidy, unless someone is visiting.
chaos - can't have anyone round or something - without plenty of warning!
too much stuff.
too much hoarding.
not enough space!

Yachiru · 14/07/2019 15:31

My home is never 'guest ready' by my typical guests' standards, and no fucks are given by me.
If I'm caught during the week my house is usually tidy and clean. Weekends (like at the moment) there's washing up to be done, floor needs hooveri ng and my bedrooms' a shit tip of clothes. I tidy it up when the kid's go bed as thered no point now as it won't make a dent.
As a rule, my bathroom is spotless, because, that's where i draw the line on filth. Except for dishes in the sink, my kitchen isn't that bad.
It does have a direct link to peace of mind! and general health. However, I refuse to spend my weeke nd scrubbing a home.

Zippyx · 14/07/2019 15:32

I would need a weeks notice for guests. I thank my lucky stars that none of my relatives live close by. 😳

EleanorReally · 14/07/2019 15:33

exactly, I dont have time! or inclination

Glitterblue · 14/07/2019 15:37

We live in a farm cottage and the bedrooms are the first thing you come to. I try to keep DD's tidy but ours can become a dumping ground and I shut the door on it a lot. The rest of the house I try to keep clean and tidy because I get so stressed if I don't and it takes ages to get back to being nice. I have to be very disciplined with mysekf and tidy as I go, because I'm not a naturally tidy person! It's so easy at night to think I'll just leave the kitchen for the morning, especially on the weekends and that's a huge mistake! Most weekends we're in and out and we don't take the time to do much in the house, lunch dishes sometimes wait till we are cooking at night but we've decided this weekend to make a conscious effort just to deal with things as we go along and as a result I won't have to gut the house tomorrow when DC is at school, which will be lovely.

HerSymphonyAndSong · 14/07/2019 19:18

“Very tidy house. I have a cleaner who comes in everyday and deep cleans so during the weekend a quick 15 minute tidy and I'm done for the day.
I hate being in untidy spaces. I have a toddler as well but our home is always tidy and almost spotless”

Hahahaha so would mine be if I had a daily cleaner Grin

Millimollimandi · 14/07/2019 19:26

On a line with this, am I the only one who thinks Confused when I get told (and I have had many people say this) 'I don't mind a messy house, but it has to be clean'. My house is untidy but it's clean'. That then conjures up in my mind a woman running around, picking up all the clutter, cleaning underneath it THEN PUTTING IT ALL BACK. WTF????

DickZillaofTheVilla · 14/07/2019 19:37

@Millimollimandi I always think this too. If your home if cluttered and messy it can’t be clean either

BoomBoomsCousin · 14/07/2019 19:44

I like my spaces tidy but I live with 3 other people and they are less bothered so we have generally tidy living space (Kitchen, dining room, lounge) and guest room which devolves slightly during the weekend and then I get it all back in order. My half of my bedroom is fairly tidy. The rest can be a bit of a tip unless I hassle everyone and I'm not often into that. We also have a utility room that is frequently piled high with laundry and things that need donating/fixing/giving to someone/finding a space for/etc.

I do find I feel more relaxed when things look tidy (it's actually clutter that I find stressful, even if it's tidy I don't like shelves full of nicknacks) but that only has to be the visible bits - if all the mess is behind closed doors I'm still happy.

However, I wouldn't say that my (visible) home is a reflection of my mind it's more the other way round - my mind is a reflection of the state of the home. I can make myself feel more relaxed by tidying up and sitting down with a cup of tea in my oasis of calm but if I get relaxed some other way that doesn't result in my home becoming any tidier!

73kittycat73 · 14/07/2019 19:52

I also have OCD (diagnosed and being treated, not just saying it), but it's more checking things are locked and the house won't burn down and having to reread things many times over.

Sorry to go OT but @Lockheart, I could have written that post! I've never come across someone with OCD like me before. I'm always smelling burning and have to check the cooker, toaster etc. If I also miss read something I have to re-read it at least five times, then 9, then in increments of 3. Sorry but just had to post!

OneRingToRuleThemAll · 14/07/2019 19:53

My home is very clean and tidy, but I'm only able to keep it this way since organising enough fitted storage and the children growing out of toys, which were everywhere when they were small.

AllFourOfThem · 14/07/2019 19:55

Mine is messy but clean. I think most people expect or understand that small children make a mess so we generally have toys out in whatever room they are in.

My mind, memory and organisation skills are good.

JaceLancs · 14/07/2019 19:55

My house is always tidy
I am very organised and methodical
I hate cleaning though so will not be sparkling
DD cleans for me 2-3 hours sometimes weekly sometimes fortnightly depending on her days off
In between I keep on top of it so not minging

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