What sort of state is your house *generally* in?

[Appuskidu]

I was talking to some friends about this on Friday night-they were both saying that they were constantly moving stuff around and felt that they needed a week just to try to get to the bottom of their houses. One was saying that she was embarrassed when people dropped round because it was so messy.

It got me thinking really. I might have cupboards that need sorting out and God knows what's in the loft or garage, but generally each room is very tidy. There is a place for everything (we haven't got tonnes of storage, but don't hoard) and I try to leave a room tidy as I walk out-cushions back on the sofa, washing away, surfaces clear, chairs pushed in, toys picked up etc

I just didn't get that it bothered them so much that their houses were (in their words) 'tips', yet didn't just sort them out!

Both have children at school (I've got 2 at school and one toddler)-so they have time. I'm probably sounding annoying and perfect which isn't my intention at all-I'm just being nosy and wondered how you'd feel if people just dropped in-would your house be presentable, or would you try to herd them into one room that you knew was tidy!?

Generally tidy and uncluttered and surfacely clean. However although I am anal about, say, wiping the kitchen surfaces, the tops of the cupboards and the light fittings etc never rarely get done so it's probably quite dirty in the non visible bits.

At the moment it feels like I could do with emptying everything out and washing it top to bottom- but to visitors it probably looks fine.

Very untidy -
Some of us don't find it easy to keep a tidy home

Would like to help daughter to get her room a bit straighter though - might work on that this week

• DS is the tidiest one in our family - his room is quite presentable.

If anyone comes round perhaps we can have our cup of tea in DS's room !

Our house is pretty scruffy most of the time. DH is very good but even if you go to bed and the house is tidy, as soon as you open the front door in the morning a tide of papers, plastic toys, pens and other detritus sweeps through the kitchen and covers all the surfaces. We both go a bit mental now and again and blitz it but it takes an huge amount of work (we probably have too much stuff for the size of the house we're in) and I get a bit despondent. It's like trying to empty a lake with a teaspoon.

arf at "lake with teaspoon"

depressingly untidy.
Start tidying, decluttering and before I know it is pickup time and ivebeenonmumsnettolongonGoodHousekeeping and and

threw out 3 bags of rubbish today though!

anyway, Appus you have a garage! A garage would fit a lot of the cr**P we have no space to tidy up!

Kindle woman! I faint at thought. Anyway we'd need five of them wouldn't we with five of us, and we'd all be tapping away at our little electronic screens. What a sad thought...

My house is always messy. Like your way of describing it binto thats exactly what it feels to me. We have too much stuff, it's as simple as that. It's a complete shithole atm but I'm working on it :) several bags have gone to the charity shop already and no doubt there will plenty more. It just seems never ending :(

Not too bad now DH works away in the week .
The 'main' rooms (eg sitting room, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom) are generally ok, or would be within 10 mins. The dumping ground spare room is usually a tip, as is the bomb site my DD room.

Mine is always pretty clean tidy but DP and I quite similar in our tidiness and it drives us both crazy if we can't find anything.

There is a checklist that is easy to do to check your tidiness and your ability to find things.

You are going on a trip, mentally find the following items in your home (if you have them):

1. Tent
2. Sleeping bag
3. Thermos flask
4. Penknife
5. Box of matches
6. Candles
7. Torch
8. Radio
9. Flip flops
10. Cool box
11. Camera
12. Road Map
13. Binoculars
14. Passports
15. Backpack/rucksack/large bag

How did you score out of 15?

RedRuby - I have no idea but DH would. In fact he has a list, just like that one, laminated for when we go on holiday. Opposites attract in our case. thank god

See I can answer all your questions RedRuby, but a lot of the answers are things like 'on the dining table' or 'on the kitchen windowsill' (i.e. untidily in full view).

Which is why my house is usually both messy and a little bit grubby as there just isn;t the storage space I need. I have been ruthlessly chucking stuff out, but nightmare as 3 DC + 2 adults into a house with a tiny kitchen and just one reception room is only achievable for minimalists...

Will now go and tidy as DS has a playdate tomorrow and I have put people off in the past as ashamed of our house.

Mine is lovely and tidy, now we have a big house within which I have areas to hide stuff. No toys in the lounge as the kids have a room each and a communal playroom, no overly-cluttered kitchen as I now have a futility room (pun intended) and no shittola in the garden as it goes in the garage. I even have a bureau for bills and paperwork in the spare room. I luffs it.

Of course I also have a paralysing mortgage to match but my house is neat.

Ooooh this could get messy..
but you don't seem to mind.
Dont go telling everybody and overlook this supposed crime.

I know where my stuff is, but I don't own binoculars. :)

I don't keep stuff i don't use, that's the thing.

Same as Nightlark. Except that the pile of miscellaneous stuff moves around the house - yesterday it was on the kitchen table, now it's on the upstairs windowsills.

well I've no idea where the binoculars are, although we have at least five pairs of children's ones
I've never had a pair of flipflops which stayed in the same room together for long
and a pocket knife is rather advanced technology isn't it? what is it for?
I've lost my passport, but I have ID

other than that I can find everything

except the jelly filter

I could find all those things and can picture where they are bu my house scquite cluttered and has about 40% too much stuff in. The weird thing is we actually have some empty cupboards and drawers but I think ifi put them away I will not use them, eg the digital photo frame that is in dresser cupboard and neverused

OK you lot-who has spotless skirting boards??

I am always incredibly impressed by spotless gleaming skirting boards.

i clean the hallway ones incase a visitor at the door glances...the rest are flitted over occasionally.

I may be slightly obsessed with skirting boards though.

I clean the hallway ones too for that very reason, ggirl. And the bathroom ones that get covered with little-boy pee which is too gross to let go.

yy loo ones get done here too..and the radiator in the loo...boak

My house is good enough most of the time and that will do for me. I work FT and am chair of governors at DSs school and DH works 4 days a week. We sometimes have a blitz on a friday night or before people come round but otherwise we just try to do a bit each day - we do make an effort to keep on top of the washing and dishes. Also for the last 2 years we have decorated every room in the house after buying a project (never again!) but that creates a lot of disorder as items get moved out of rooms while we decorate them, and from all the dust that's generated - we're now on to the last room in the house and I can't wait to have a christmas with everything being straight!

Skirting boards are definitely not spotless (except in the bathroom:)) but do get wiped during blitzing!

mess!!! 2.5 yr old drags everything out and chops up everything, dog hair constant, gritty floor as wood (and living on farm dusty), hubby isnt good either he is prob worse than the children, he puts nothing away.

But I have to walk away from it sometimes and let it go over my head. I help run the business too and cleaning makes no money.

Yes, I feel embarressed but until the boys are older I suppose I'll have to live with it!

I have two DC, one at school, one toddler at home. I don't like clutter, so I exhaust myself trying to keep it tidy, but I also like my DC to be able to pull toys out and make a mess - I believe it is important, they are only young at the moment.
I generally wipe kitchen surfaces as I go, as having a 'minimal' style kitchen (inherited, not by choice ), any mess/crumbs show. However, with the toddler, if she runs off, I leave everything, or if we are leaving for school, things are left for later.
My house varies tremendously during the day. Sometimes i hope no-one comes to the door. You can guarantee my friends or neighbors will pop round when it is a mess.
I think it depends entirely on your child, how busy you are in a sociable sense (you can't tidy if you aren't there), and the size of your house.

Our house is lived in but not a tip.

Before I started doing FLYlady though, DH would assess it as to whether it counted as a 'sty' or a 'slum'.

Mine is generally OK to have visitors into, and an hour short of being ready for estate agents type viewings. However some days I let it get messy on principle as there are often more exciting things to do than housework!

Mine is at least six months short of being ready for estate agents type viewings. Visitors are not encouraged, but when anyone comes to the door I'm sure they take one look at the hall and think "omg" I need to go back to doing Flylady properly.