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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

Original poster

How messy is the average person's home?

64 replies

Astressedmumoftwo · 17/04/2022 11:42

I have two kids, six indoor cats (two in foster) and an average sized semi detached house. While I can get my house "surface tidy" by most people's standards within an hour, if you open cupboards and drawers you'll find a very different story, and would possibly be killed by an avalanche. They're full of cr*p. Often I shove random stuff into a big reusable bag and dump them in a cupboard so they're out of sight when speed cleaning.

This weekend we are going through and trying to sort everything and throw a lot out , and I'm really overwhelmed with how much stuff we have in random places. I feel like I've barely made a dent.

Is this normal or am I bordering on hoarding territory?

OP posts:
Dsisproblem · 17/04/2022 11:44

Normal in our house! Piles of crap hidden everywhere.

Foghead · 17/04/2022 11:49

It gets like that in my house but I do get sudden urges to have a clear out.
But they build up again quite quickly.
Yesterday a had a good clear out of dds room and I’ve recently done the kitchen cupboards.
I want to tackle the living room bookshelves next but that would mean getting rid of books Sad (and lots of other bits of crap that kids think belong there Hmm)

AllThatFancyPaintsAsFair · 17/04/2022 11:49

I'm not a fantastic housekeeper by any definition but I don't think it's normal to have cupboards like that.

Good luck with the decluttering

Original poster
Astressedmumoftwo · 17/04/2022 11:49

@Dsisproblem

Normal in our house! Piles of crap hidden everywhere.
This makes me feel better. I always feel like everyone else has it together and I'm missing something!
OP posts:
TheBigDilemma · 17/04/2022 11:51

I do not have piles of stuff hidden and the house is mostly visitor ready all the time… provided they come at night… shame on me but I truly have a procrastinating problem when it comes to vacuum cleaning and dusting… it is tidy, but much shit around but clean? Don’t think so.

Fairislefandango · 17/04/2022 11:52

I'm the opposite tbh - my house gets surface untidy quite a lot, but I don't have piles of crap in cupboards. I mean... my clothes drawers need a sort out occasionally, and ds has a cupboard that needs a bit of sorting out in his bedroom, but apart from that the storage all has a sensible amount of stuff in it that actually belongs in there. No piles of hidden stuff. I have no emotional reluctance to get rid of stuff though, which helps!

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 17/04/2022 11:54

My Dh is like this but I'm not so I go through drawers and cupboards frequently to keep on top of things. I think you just have to accept chucking out/donating as part of every day life and that way it doesn't build up. Keep going!

TonkaTruckduck · 17/04/2022 11:55

Mine is the opposite, cupboards very organised, but you might see piles of toys or a half built lego on the floor or something.

I just won't fill the cupboards with junk, it would depress me. What sort of stuff are you keeping, can't your just get rid of 90% of it if it is junk?

AprilShortbread · 17/04/2022 11:55

Do you remember the TV program where obsessive cleaners were matched with hoarders? I think the average is in the middle so that we viewers cannot console ourselves we are at neither extreme.

Remember it took time to accumulate so it will take time to get rid.
We have a lot of out of date children s stuff I want to get rid of, but it's a joint decision.
I am clearing out my own stuff in phases. Good luck!

ElbowsandArses · 17/04/2022 11:56

I consider the biggest and hardest housekeeping task is clearing shit out. I don’t do it as often as I should.

Timeforanewoneofthese · 17/04/2022 12:00

It’s just not a one and done job unfortunately, and once I accepted that it’s a lot easier.

Not sure how to word this, but my brain often “scans” through the house almost semi conciously, and will get “stuck” on a particular area. I think flylady called them clutter hotspots. Once my brain starts getting stuck somewhere then I know it’s time for it to be needing doing and I will build that in to the next couple of weeks as a task that needs doing. Bathroom cabinet is my next target as there is a load of shit in there. I’ve recently sorted my wardrobe and the kids wardrobes and drawers. Under stairs cupboard is mounting up and will come on to my radar at some point. Playroom had an overhaul last week. But it’s a constant process. I literally try and think in individual cupboards and drawers to make it much more doable.

Workyticket · 17/04/2022 12:00

I feel like I'm forever de-cluttering 😪

I crochet and use a circular knitting machine. I have bags of yarn stashed on the dining room chairs - I need a home for them

Dh has tools everywhere - he's currently building a massive garden shed so I'm hoping they'll all get shifted into it along with the camping gear which currently pisses me off

Ds has lego everywhere too

florianfortescue · 17/04/2022 12:01

My house was very tidy and orderly until I had kids. Now every surface has piles of crap on it and every drawer/cupboard is full. I try to discard or recycle things on a rolling basis but it does get me down sometimes. I hope I'll get back on top of it one day!

Theunamedcat · 17/04/2022 12:02

Look up doom boxes and you will know my house it's full of doom boxes and drawers bags of stuff but I know I'm close to a hoarder I have too much everything and I need to get rid

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 17/04/2022 12:14

I have a bag for the charity shop in my bedroom and as soon as it's full it goes in the car so next time I'm out I can donate it.

Caspianberg · 17/04/2022 12:20

It’s pretty tidy and organised. Overseas move, followed by extensive renovations means stuff has been boxed up and moved several times. Each time more and more was sorted and donated.
2 year old now added to mix, but I try and have a space for everything and sort and donate anything he’s outgrown.

It’s messy with toys daytime, but 10 min clean up and they are all away.

PaddleBoardingMomma · 17/04/2022 12:42

We have a very Monica Gellar situation going on here, utterly precious and neurotic about it being clean and everything in its place... but have the huge cupboard of shame where I shove everything I can't part with but has no home 🤣

sleepymum50 · 17/04/2022 12:45

I used to have a tidy, organised house til I had children. Then I spent years with too much stuff. If I decided to have a big clean/sort out it just felt I was moving a whole load of stuff from one room to another.

Now they have left home, my house is back to reasonably tidy and organised with one or two areas of chaos.

MyNameIsAngelicaSchuyler · 17/04/2022 12:50

That’s not workable for me. Can’t feel relaxed unless things are in their place. I used kondo and the home edit over a period of a few years once my kids were a bit older, really helped to create systems that we now maintain.

My teens tell me they love this about our house. I grew up with hoarders and have gone the other way.

Notcontent · 17/04/2022 16:00

It is a lot of effort to keep things tidy and keep on top of clutter, but it’s worth it. I try to get rid of stuff on a regular basis and now I am also focusing on not buying too many things.

Lovelydovey · 17/04/2022 16:04

I’m trying very hard to keep my house visitor friendly - at least the downstairs and bathrooms. Really I want a super organised and minimalist house - having cleared my parents house after they passed away, I aim to have a house that is easy to empty and clear. I’m not there yet….

coodawoodashooda · 17/04/2022 16:08

@Timeforanewoneofthese

It’s just not a one and done job unfortunately, and once I accepted that it’s a lot easier.

Not sure how to word this, but my brain often “scans” through the house almost semi conciously, and will get “stuck” on a particular area. I think flylady called them clutter hotspots. Once my brain starts getting stuck somewhere then I know it’s time for it to be needing doing and I will build that in to the next couple of weeks as a task that needs doing. Bathroom cabinet is my next target as there is a load of shit in there. I’ve recently sorted my wardrobe and the kids wardrobes and drawers. Under stairs cupboard is mounting up and will come on to my radar at some point. Playroom had an overhaul last week. But it’s a constant process. I literally try and think in individual cupboards and drawers to make it much more doable.

Omg i do this.
TheTurn0fTheScrew · 17/04/2022 16:09

sitting room is usually ok, I make an effort to keep it presentable. The rest though...I will plead the 5th.

H and the kids are fond of Their Stuff, and so we do have lots of too-full cupboards and drawers. It's their house as well as mine though, so I pretend not to care.

CornedBeef451 · 17/04/2022 16:14

I've had a massive decluttering over the last year so it's fairly manageable now and most things have a place but I'm amazed how much stuff builds up again.

Extreme tidying for house viewings revealed how much stuff we still needed to hide so I'm working my way through all that now in preparation for moving.

I have a LOT of labelled baskets so its easier to tidy. Previously if DH decided to do his twice a year tidy we would lose things forever but he has now adjusted to the baskets and the concept of putting a things in the right one so we can find things again.

Decluttering definitely makes it easier but it is an ongoing process.

Floralnomad · 17/04/2022 16:14

We have literally no clutter and my drawers are extremely tidy and only contain things I need / will use . My husband , who verges on hoarding if allowed to , has the loft and double garage and both are crammed . Once a year when he’s out I have a few hours in the garage getting rid of crap because if I do it when he’s here nothing ever leaves .