Do you like to have an immaculate house?

[Poodlelove]

Since our children have left home , I have been clearing and sorting things so if anything happens to us, then the house is not the terrible mess / cluttered that my parents and other family has left for us to deal with.
We have emptied our loft and garage .
I feel that I am getting a little obsessed and wanting to clear more things in the house.
I just feel more relaxed if I leave for work and the house is tidy , husband thinks it's a bit over the top.
Does anyone else put their house ' to bed ' at night ?

I’d like to but it would be fair if I didn’t, as most of it is the adult kids crap anyway!

I cannot bare mess. Everything has a place. I love coming home / getting up to a tidy lovely house. If I am doing something that is messy, I tidy as I go as I find it very stressful. You just do you and what makes you feel good. I would not care a jot about anyone's opinions.

Following this thread because I am currently doing a lengthy de-clutter. I kept my children’s baby clothes, their favourite books and toys and both children were given huge amounts of toys every Christmas and birthday by the whole family. I have hung onto clothes that I can’t bear to part with, despite knowing I will never wear them again. For a long time it was all too overwhelming to deal with and easier to pack into boxes and pile up. I’m now meticulously re-selling this stuff and what doesn’t sell is going to charity. However, it’s the personal things which cause the most pain … the huge amounts of school books, art projects, letters and cards. I feel so bad because so much work and effort was put into those school books. How do you make a decision to send all that out to recycle?

Yes I like my house to be spotless when I go to bed/go out….but unfortunately it’s not 🤣 but I do fully intend to do ‘Swedish Death Cleaning’ which I am slowly beginning (I’m 50s, kids are late teens). My sister and I are currently in the process of clearing our Mum’s after she unexpectedly passed at 70 and was fully in the middle of living. It has been so so hard and I don’t want my kids to have to deal with clearing quite so much stuff.

A place for everything and everything in its place is what I’d like .
However …I have untidy people living with me and we have moved house a fair bit so it takes a while to get a house working for you IYSWIM

This is my dream OP

This

Yes…my house is always immaculate and I have 2 dc. I can’t stand mess and I tidy as I go. I also am quite minimalist and there’s a place for everything. My house doesn’t get messy.

Yes, I love an immaculate house.

It's only myself and the dogs, but I hoover most days, dust twice a week, clean the bathrooms every 3 days or more often if I know I have a guest coming over.

The only room that isn't immaculate is my spare room. There is 'stuff' on the bed and its driving me insane. I rent my house and there is just one wardrobe in there and no room to add another. I keep walking in, scratching my head and walking about again as I really don't have anywhere to put the extra jumpers / shoes and other random odds and sods. I'm thinking of buying a chest to place in that room where the extras can go.

OP, me and to be honest it does kill me to have a tidy and clean home! But overall it helps me cope and have better mental health, sense of self as stupid as that may sound.

we have a Labrador,toys and dog hair and a 10 month old just toys and baby stuff everywhere and before moving in - we had an interior design do our home. It’s a bit like a show home but lived in. I try to maintain it but keep on top of stains and spills. I do have a cleaner twice a week but to stay on top of it,by running the hoover every day, clean sink at bed time. once the little one is down for the night, I tidy and put the house to bed so first thing in the morning when I come down with her at 6am for her morning feed, we head into a clean kitchen for my coffee and her playroom. It’s utterly exhausting but it’s so ingrained I couldn’t get by may going in an untidy house!

I run a home not a show house

You see I hoover every day, dust every room at least once a week, clean the bathrooms at least twice a week, tidy up and clean the kitchen every night after dinner but I would not describe anywhere in my home as immaculate! As it’s clearly not a lack of effort on my part I’m going to blame the 5 mess makers I live with 😉

Me too! Despite a lot of effort, it is a disaster zone 😒

I would be happier in a clutter-free house, but my house is full of clutter! DIY, several children at different ages and stages, not enough housework time …. yadda yadda.

One day my house will be tidy enough to feel peaceful!

I would love an immaculate house. Unfortunately, I have laid back children who prefer clothes left on the floor and stuff from uni is still sitting in bags a year on. Also a DH who just doesn't see or mind untidiness. I have bought so much storage recently to try to address it.

In fact, a couple of days ago, DH finally commented on how every surface was gathering stuff. I did point out that I am fighting a losing battle 3 against 1 so he has committed this weekend having a huge de-clutter and tidy. Fingers crossed.

Our house is tidy and clean always. I would never leave laundry not tidied away or dishes unwashed. I don’t have OCD or any mental health issues as is sometimes foolishly alluded to on threads like these. I also will have zero regrets on my deathbed for being tidy. Being clean and organised means I never have to waste time on a big declutter and can find what I want easily.

The uni kids keep their clutter to their rooms. I only complain when the family’s crockery and mugs are sequestered there.

Decluttering my mum’s house made me also sort out our financial stuff. We have created a spreadsheet with all our family’s bank accounts, store cards, memberships, subscriptions etc. It will make life easier should something happen to us or the adult kids. That’s not morbid, it’s just practical! I would rather do this when we are all thankfully fit and well.

For the last few years I have been trying to declutter my house/garage. My late husband was a collector of hobbies and the various pieces of equipment/tools/parts that went with each hobby. It's been a long old slog with some bits being sold, some binned and some sent to the charity shop and I'm still not done - the loft still has some bits left to get rid of and the garage is still full. Its my aim to get my car in the garage one day! I have the house pretty much decluttered now, and as there is just me its easier to keep it tidy. I confess though I have to leave it in a tidy state before I leave the house - just in case I don't make it home again and someone else (family member for example) is the next person to enter the property. I'm not obsessive about it but my husband left the house and never came back so it does happen, and I don't want anyone having to go through decades of someone else's 'stuff' after they're gone as I know first-hand how hard it is.

This is what my sitting room and kitchen look like pretty much all the time…

We spent six months skipping and tipping the contents of PIL house, it was utterly soul destroying and left a very bad taste. I’m constantly thinking like you now and in fact went through some cupboards the other day throwing stuff out.
Our house is very tidy anyway. I think I inherited that from my mum whose house was cleared easily when she passed.Her paperwork was all ordered and filed. No ‘junk’. I will always be grateful for that.

Yes. There are just the 2 of us so its easy. Dh does most of the cleaning and I keep it organised.

Thank you for these tips I really struggle with tidyness and hate spending time tidying and cleaning which feels like such a waste of life. How do people train themselves not to resent the time these chores take? I wish I could feel more positive about the constant cycle of washing and tidying but so far haven't found a way and my messy apartment is annoying me.
Thanks!

🤪

I would love that! I just lack the motivation to keep it that way. I do keep if fairly clean as I do not like a messy house. We have a small house plus young children and both working, so if does feel like a bit of an endless battle. Immaculate is unlikely for another decade or more

Me too

Yes love it. I don't keep anything unless I know it will get used. I hate clutter , and things that collect dust. I love it clean.
I also re paint far too often.