If I had a house it would always be tidy?

[flamesoffire]

Colleague asked what I was doing at the weekend and I just gave the generic answer of meeting a friend for coffee and I really need to clean the house.

(For reference I mean hoover, put clean washing away, clean the bathroom, my house isn’t a state but I’ve been a bit lazy this week).

She responded with “if I had a house it would always be clean”

Shes late 20s and still lives in her bedroom, which is fine as the housing situation is shit but if you’ve never had to run a house on your own then you have no idea what it takes.

My reply would be that a tidy house still needs cleaning

Surely in order to always have a clean house you have to, you know, clean it.

I think I would have said to her 'yup, my house is clean. Because I clean it. That's how it works'.

I don't see what is worng woth what she said? She didnt screw her nose up at you and call you filthy cow. She just stated a desire of her own. Seems like you have added subtext onto her statement and are using that to be a bit mean about her.

My house is always clean...my car on the other hand is a threat to public health 😆

When I lived alone my house was always tidy, one person doesn't make much mess, you tend to have enough storage for the possessions of one person and I worked long hours, so I would leave the place clean and tidy, come back 12-13 hours later and nothing had moved! I also lived on quite simple food, less desire/motivation to cook complicated meals for one and an omelette or a piece of fish and veg doesn't create much washing up compared to a roast, crumble and custard for a family. Also not much laundry for one. I still had to clean though, things get dusty, bathroom and kitchen need cleaning, still need to hoover, change beds, clean windows, I don't know when she thinks those things get done, usually at the weekend! It's an odd thing to say

I think the point is she was rude, that comment was made to put you down. Very childish of her, brush it off.

next time just say ‘yes hypothetical houses are the easiest to keep clean, just like hypothetical children are the easiest to raise’

depending on how you worded it, she might have thought your house was a pigsty. If someone told me that’s almost all they were going att the weekend I’d be inclined to think that!

Yeah this!

It's also essential for me to have a tidy house, I find the mess and chaos very stressful but realistically this means I have to spend a lot of time, including the weekend, cleaning. It's not that this bothers me that much, I just find it ridiculous when people are so confused as to why a house can't be clean and tidy at all times - as others have said, no matter how much you tidy as you go, windows still need cleaning, floors need cleaning, six people create an awful lot of washing, ironing and cooking, it's really not as simple as it seems to someone who has never run a house! The process of stripping, washing, drying, ironing and then replacing bedding for six people (and the dogs) takes the best part of a day.

It also depends on circumstances - we used to live beside an unmade road and near a main road. Half an hour after cleaning anything it was covered in dust again. Now we have moved and I can't believe how much cleaner the house is just by being much further away from roads.

As others have pointed out, it's just like those without children smugly claiming they won't allow their children to watch telly, they'll only eat organic, raw veggies and thei rlittle darlings will be taught to keep their toys tidy. How I laugh now when I hear these pronouncements!

My house is always tidy, bar DS's room. No messy pets and one teen.

Of course you have to clean, but if you do
it as you go, it doesn't turn into this massive job that takes over your free time:

I don't think anyone is saying they never have to clean, just that they don't necessarily leave it all until the weekend like OP does.

DH used to complain about how long it took him to do housework but he left it all until the weekend and then spent most of his Saturday on it. I'd rather do half an hour a day before work and bed, and have my weekends to myself - that way it doesn't feel like it's taking over my life.

This, my house is clean, tidy, everything has its place. But i never do any house work at the weekend. my weeks days are manic but i always do half hour a day before bed so that my weekends are free for fun stuff and my house is always tidy.

Op didn't say it was a massive job that takes over her free time. Nor did she say she leaves it all till the weekend.

She said she has been a bit lazy this week.

Some weeks I can be really busy. Tonight I'm going to the theatre, tomorrow night I have a work thing on, Wednesday I'm going to the cinema, Thursday I'm spending the day in a different city, Friday/Saturday I might be heading north to visit family. It's unusual that this all hits in one week. It does mean that Sunday will be the day I do housework.

Next week I may well be lazy, purely because this week is so busy, so it might mean a housework day at the weekend again.

Usually I try to do a bit every day.

My response still stands.

@SharpLily
Thank you for your answer.
Makes sense.
Depending on age we used to get the kids helping.
We had an evening Rota.
One on ironing - 20 mins
One washing the pots
One folding and putting away laundry/ - 20 mins again
Which crafty certainly speeded things up. .

Absolutely perfect response.

Lots of people on here are completly missing the point. So what if she's right and she would have a clean house all the time? it was a bloody rude and judegemental thing to say so a rude and judgemental comment back is deserved so maybe she won't be so judgy in the future.