To be so happy about my house being clean!!

[hellomrclean]

I'll start by saying that I know I shouldn't let it get in to such a state in the first place but due to mental health, raising three small DC, DH who won't do any housework and working full time it's just all become too much and I've been absolutely crap at keeping on top of things. The house has been absolutely awful for as long as I can remember.
We've had a really difficult 6 months due to a major bereavement and my husband having massive mental health problems so I recently decided to cut down on my working hours. For the first time in my adult life I am now working 3 days instead of 5.
Today was my first day off and I spent it deep cleaning the whole house top to bottom. And it's honestly the best feeling in the world which I know sounds really sad! But it's helped my anxiety ten fold just having that huge black cloud gone and now I can see the wood for the trees (or the carpet from the toys as the case may be!)

Just had to share how sad I am that something like this has made me so ridiculously happy!

YANBU!

I seem to live in a constant cycle of my house becoming completely untidy and then spending a Saturday with my husband and I trying to sort our life out so I absolutely know the joy you just be feeling to have things clean and tidy again!

Unfortunately for me there is no way to go part time so my cycle will continue.....but now you're at 3 days per week I hope you manage to keep it all up as it's so much better for the soul to have a clean and tidy house! :)

A win is a win so YANBU at all.

Onwards and upwards hopefully 👌🏾

Yanbu I value a clean house much more than the mess made by kids being kids. I cannot function in an untidy house, let alone a house that needs a clean. That feeling is the best, almost like a mind reset.

Well done! Do you have any tips of how you did it? And how to keep motivated?

Well done OP. I love that feeling! (Not that I get it often 😆)

Well done! I work 3 days a week too and the value to our family life giving me time to clean, do laundry, meal prep, food shopping etc is well worth whatever money I'm losing.

We tried me working full time and having a cleaner but I was still spending so much time cleaning!

A clean and tidy house does wonders to lift my spirits and make me calm. I spend hours trying to achieve this because of how positive it makes me feel. Well done! Now the challenge is keeping on top of it. On a previous thread here I read some advice to never walk around the house empty handed, ie always move something back to it's home. I found that really helpful advice. I'm also making sure everything has a home. Swimming things have a designated swimming bag for example. Now I don't lose the dc goggles. It's things like this that make me content.

(I also work part time to achieve this)

@GhoulWithADragonTattoo to be honest I'm not the best person to ask as I never normally have the motivation but I am trying to turn over a new leaf! What got me going/kept me at it today was the thought that if I get it all done it will finally mean I can spend quality time with my family at the weekends rather than running around like a headless chicken all weekend trying (and failing) to keep on top of all the jobs that need doing!

Xylenegy yeah to be honest it was a big decision as we will take a big hit financially but if it means the Dc having a less stressed out mum because I'm actually managing to get things done like the house, food shopping etc whilst not having them with me then it's worth it. Also the big bereavement helped me and DH see that life is just too short. I've been on the verge of a breakdown for months because there is just so much pressure on me from all angles and we got to a point that we just thought things couldn't carry on how they were!

It really grinds me down when the house is in a state, I feel disorganised and ... meh, everything feels like an uphill struggle. But when it is clean and tidy and organized it feels like I'm swishing around the house and all the other things that need to get done are a complete breeze. So I'll join you on the YABU bench if that's how this thread pans out.

We try not to have too much clutter, and kids are quite big, so our house is quite tidy, but watching Sort Your Life Out gives me such a wild satisfaction like I at least decluttered my own house.

Well done chick my mh is soo much better in a clean house I find it declutters my entire mind well done YOU xxx

I feel like that too OP if I ever manage to get my house all clean at the same time. It’s rarer these days .

We've all been primed to buy so much over the last 20 years with the online delivery services etc - most of us are slowly realising we don't need so many appliances and storage solutions if we go back to thinking about what is coming in rather than buying weird things at 2am after some wine or stress!

Well done OP - I've been off work for a bit and can honestly remember doing the same. Try to keep it up as it becomes easier to not see stuff when you are at home more often. I've found my purging feet again recently and can say again it's so much fun watching a sq meter of space re-appear when some random bits of plastic tat can be binned!

It’s a good feeling. I know where you are coming from. Well done OP

Well done! This is why I don't work Fridays. 6 blissful hours to get stuff done.

My user name says it all. I have time. No excuses but I cannot get the place sorted at all. I live in chaos very unhappily. I clean a lot but nothing is ever done. Boxes everywhere. Never find anything. It’s awful.
there’s just too much. I can’t imagine being able to work on it for one day and it make any difference.
well done op. It’s fantastic and I agree with you - if you can keep it up it’s going to be worth losing some of your money.

I cannot wait to have a really clean house again.

Living with ILs whilst house saving and they are not clean people at all. I don't mean mess I mean actual uncleanliness. I clean the upstairs as much as possible and the kitchen every time I use it but cannot bear to sit in the lounge. I refuse to clean an area I don't use when I clean 80% of the rest of the house. There is dog fur everywhere and it actually smells in some rooms downstairs. It's destroying my mental health.

I bet you feel better OP after all that sorting and cleaning.

When one of my DS was struggling with his mental health, we went down to where he was, OH took him out for a walk and to buy a load of food, and I blitzed the flat for him.

He told me later it was such a boost for him, that it was all tidy, and also that he knew we'd come and not be judgemental, just help him.

I hope you continue to feel better with everything.

Yanbu. I feel so much calmer and more relaxed when the house is clear and tidy. I (loosely) follow TOMM. Her podcasts are amazing, a real game changer for me.

Well done 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

it's not sad that it makes you happy, not at all.

Declutter if you can, it's Soooo much easier to keep it clean if you don't have to move stuff!

Dana K White is very 'real' and it's a no mess process, so you're always better off, never worse! Look her up on YouTube.

You bossed it! Love this for you!