what are your opinions of what the following are: an untidy house, a dirty house, a clean house

[katak]

People have such different ideas about housework.So, in the interests of finding a shared understanding of the topic of good and bad housekeeping, in your opinion what makes a house just untidy as opposed to actually dirty? Is it "unclean" to have dust on the skirting boards? Is it unclean to have cobwes anywhere at all?I don't think that either of those = dirty- but some people might.

If a basin is not cleaned every day, is that dirty?????

WHy do some people think that you need to "dust" everything daily in order to avoid "it building up?" What exactly are they are scared of building up???How can you dust daily- there would be no dust on day 2. And these people who dust all the time- are you actually cleaning too, or just removing dust? Do you get up on a chair and clean the tops of your kitchen units? Do you pull everything out form under all the beds daily and clean under there too?

How far do you take it? If someone does a big job in the loo, does it bother you if there remains a tiny bit of it in the loo bowl after flushing, for more than one day?
Do you judge people badly if you think there house is not clean/tidy enough?

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I don't really care about mess from toys. I try and tidy them up once a day, but if it doesn't happen, I don't worry.

I like certain things to be clean - kitchen, toilet, sinks. My bathroom stays quite clean because I do it when the kids are in the bath and it's easy to do. Loos I'm a bit anal about, so they're generally quite clean.

Mess generally though is horrific, although I do try to shift it upstairs (to my room usually) as much as possible.

Wouldn't care a bit about an untidy house. Clean tidy houses are great, and my sanctuary if I have a friend whose house is like this. It's a welcome escape from mine! Dirty houses... well, I could cope with certain things, but if I felt that it was dirty / unhygenic in the loo or kitchen, I wouldn't be entirely comfortable.

When I was younger I used to babysit a lot, and it makes me realise how some people can live. My house is immaculate in comparison to some of those houses!

My ideal house is reasonably clean but slightly messy.
I like a home that is full of interesting objects, pictures, projects in process, nice food....full of life.
A clinically clean home makes me feel nervous about dropping a crumb.

My home is too messy at the moment and I'm always moaning because I want the house to be relaxed but not totally chaotic which it descends into so quickly....in the wink of an eye the place is trashed!

Fairymum, Charliecat etc - you're all welcome at my house

I live in Denmark now, where generally houses (and gardens) are very very clean, and IMHO, rather sterile. I think a bit of clutter and mess shows a bit of personality I couldn't bear to live in a show home, but each to their own!

My take on this is that mess is fine, dirt is not. I try and ensure bathroom, toilet, kitchen are clean (and with that goes tidy) most of the time. Living areas are often messy but I try and do a deepish clean of each room once a month. In answer to your questions :

Is it "unclean" to have dust on the skirting boards? NO but nice to clean once every few months.

Is it unclean to have cobwes anywhere at all? NO, but nice to get rid once a month.

If a basin is not cleaned every day, is that dirty? NO but I do wipe mine with a wet cloth every day.

WHy do some people think that you need to "dust" everything daily in order to avoid "it building up?" NOT ME

Do you get up on a chair and clean the tops of your kitchen units? NO, ghastly job.

Do you pull everything out form under all the beds daily and clean under there too? NO as nothing under my beds. Cant stand it being manky under there so if it is clear I can hoover.

If someone does a big job in the loo, does it bother you if there remains a tiny bit of it in the loo bowl after flushing, for more than one day? YES it bothers me. I would scrub with a brush and shove some cleaner down there.

Do you judge people badly if you think there house is not clean/tidy enough? NO because I know we all have different priorities.

yup, ditto Rosylily

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Clean the toilet every other day, brush/mop the floors every other day, hoover upstairs once a week, keep the kitchen spotless and all the clothes are clean (not ironed though)

Clean skirting boards/lightswitches when I notice the dirt! Try to keep the bathroom clean but fail miserably although the sink, bath and toilet are always clean it's just the floor and the shower screen that upset me.

Tidy up ate least twice a day but still looks cluttered (sad).

Wash sofa cushions every fortnight.

I have a friend who's anally retentively clean and tidy and I feel uncomfortable in her house. you can always sense her anxiety as well, that someone might drop a crumb or leave a mark on the table. Does my head in a bit, especially when you've got dcs! What do you expect?

Untidy means your house was tidy, and clean, probably that morning, but you've lived in it since, My house is never untidy at bedtime but often untidy by lunch.

A dirty house is one where you wouldn't put a biscuit on the side and then eat it, one where normal surfaces like tables, and windowsills aren't clean.

Cobwebs and dust, IMO are 30second jobs and it's just laziness that stops it being sorted, if you see a cobweb, wipe it off, then you won't look like you live in a haunted house.

I dust every day, but that's because we have a wooden table that needs polishing after the main meal or it looks all smeared, so I polish that and then go into the living room and do in there. The windowsill/fireplace and TV unit does get dusty daily though, so on day 2 it would be manky.

If your basin is not dirty, and you don't clean it, no, it's not 'dirty' but if it has toothpaste or soap or grime on it, around the taps etc then yes, it is dirty.

IMO a clean house you couldn't clean anymore, an untidy house would look clean if things were put away, a dirty house needs a clean.

Untidy house - means that there are layers of stuff which have not been moved for at least a week. I would not think that someone's house was untidy because mess had accumulated through the day (unless it was mine - different standards there).

Dirty house - I would prefer not to drink a cup of tea there as the cups don't look as though they get washed much and the kitchen work surfaces seem to have an entire ecosystem supported by them.

Clean house - one that I don't think "ewhhh" about. Doesn't have to be shiny just sanitary. Dust would not bother me, basin with soap scum on would be fine. Basic with congealed phlegm on and loo with encrusted poo would not be great.

I would not judge people per-se on the state of their house. For example, if I knew that their lives were very busy and cleaning came last, who am I to judge their priorities. If I knew that they watched television all day, then I might think that they were lazy!

Untidy house - Just think people are actually living in the house. Do not make assumptions it is always untidy. If it is clean and untidy it is obviously only surface mess.

Dirty House - Would not feel comfortable. Especially with kitchen and bathroom. A bit of dust would not bother me but massive cobwebs, sticky floors and carpets would.
If this was a friend, I would not say anything ( veryone lives their own way) but would always try and meet up somewhere other than their house.

Clean house - my fav kind. I am obsessive and do clean daily. I damp dust and hoover daily, clean under beds/ behind furniture weekly. This is because my son has asthma and eczema and dust is a contributary factor in aggrivation of symptoms.

And yes my loo does get cleaned if there is ever any nasties stuck to the sides. even if that is 2-3 times a day.

My definitions:

• an untidy house = less tidy than mine
• a dirty house = less clean than mine
• a clean house = cleaner than mine

(BUt I would say, if I'm getting judged on sticky prints on light switches, I'm buggered)

"And yes my loo does get cleaned if there is ever any nasties stuck to the sides. even if that is 2-3 times a day."

Totally agree.

Toilet dirt is unacceptable at all times.

I'm in the charliecat camp. Some slight differences but I think I'd feel at home in her house and she in mine.

I never take ds1 to a fussy person's house. Not because I think he'd do anything- he wouldn't do any damage - but he likes to open cupboards and stand behind TV's and climb in people's beds and I have to go round and shut windows. I find the fussy can't stand it so we stay away (and I can't do with constantly apologising).

Now a messy relaxed house....... I'm there.

I said on here recently I've found there are two types in this world. There are one's that walk into our house and draw a sharp intake of breath, and those that say 'oh how lovely to see a family home that's lived in'. Personally I'd like some of the clutter gone (and then it would be easier to live in) but the rest can wait.

i have an 'untidy' house. they are little piles of clutter in every room. with 3 kids and appointments most days atm, things just arent getting done as often as i would like. we are thinking of drawing up a rota for everyone, including small job for the kids like making beds daily.

but it is clean. dh tends to tidy up, so i then follow him with my kicthen spray clean, clothes, mop and bucket and do the follow up jobs.

things like skirting boards dont get done very often, but get the hoover run over them. light switches get cleaned when they look grubby.

reminds me, the bathroom door needs wiping over today, it has chocolate finger marks on it from when dd3 had a run in with a chocolate biscuit.

Untidy house - one with kids in
Dirty house - one where you can see the stains on the floor
Really dirty house - there's a floor?
Clean house - made by Barratt - has lady in suit showing you round and trying to convince you that the sofa really is a full size one

I don't really notice dirt or dust in other people's houses. I don't go around looking for it either. I do notice general clutter and untidiness though.

An immaculate house, which I do notice, would somehow make me think the owners are anal or like to put on a front. A little untidiness is reassuring and feels more inviting.

Although too much untidyness and unwashed dishes makes me want to go to work and tidy up for them. Have to resist.

Oh I love tidy friends who tidy up for me

I think I have pretty relaxed standards re. cleaning, but would still say that our house is mostly untidy rather than dirty. We vacuum/sweep up a lot as have two very hairy cats who shed everywhere, so try and keep that under control as much as possible. I always like clean kitchen worksurfaces, no washing up lying around etc. BUT am very lazy when it comes to cleaning the hob. Recycling that's not part of the kerbside collection is generally sorted into boxes but does build up till we can get to the tip with it.

Bathroom is generally clean to an acceptable level, ditto bedroom. I'm more prone to leaving piles of stuff around than DP - he's the tidy guru in our house so will periodically tidy everything away.

The thing I really hate is a stale-smelling house; that is something that milks my judgement gene when I go to other people's, if the place smells like it hasn't been cleaned/had windows opened in a while. Little things like greasy washing up sponges bother me (had horrible experience with one while feeding alcoholic neighbour's cat), but other stuff like smeared mirrors generally doesn't. Dust just doesn't register with me at all, unless it's two foot thick underfoot or coating everything, even food in the fridge.

On the other hand, I find it a bit disturbing when I enter a house that is clinically clean and tidy. My stepmum went through a period of obsessive cleaning during the worst years of our relationship, which was a manifestation of her need to exert control - her actions made my brother and I intensely uncomfortable in our own home, so I'm a bit distrusting of it now. Houses don't need to be dirty to be lived in, but it's hard to relax in a show home.

i am a little scared by some of the posts here esp the ones on cleanliness. I am not slovenly but I am lazy I admit. However our bathroom is usally quite clean as is the kitchen albeit somewhat messy. I have to pick stuff up off the floor as otherwise it drives me up the pole. the only exception being our bedroom where dh's cupboard is and quite frankly he is an adult who can pick up after himself and why should I do it.
DH tries to tell me its messy, but makes no effort to tidy himself so quite frankly if its down to me I do it in my own time. Generally its tidied just before dh comes home...like 10 mins before and after that just after the children have gone to bed. There truely is no point otherwise.

Is it "unclean" to have dust on the skirting boards? Yes

Is it unclean to have cobwebs anywhere at all? Yes

If a basin is not cleaned every day, is that dirty? If people wipe around the basin after using it, it may not need to be cleaned every day.

Why do some people think that you need to "dust" everything daily in order to avoid "it building up?" What exactly are they are scared of building up? Dust = dust mites = allergies. Remove dust = prevent illness.

And these people who dust all the time- are you actually cleaning too, or just removing dust? Remove dust, wipe with a damp cloth to clean marks.

Do you get up on a chair and clean the tops of your kitchen units? Yes of course.

Do you pull everything out from under all the beds daily and clean under there too? There is nothing under the beds. Whoever vacuums the floor (normally twice a week) vacuums under the beds as a matter of course.

If someone does a big job in the loo, does it bother you if there remains a tiny bit of it in the loo bowl after flushing, for more than one day? No-one leaves the loo like this - there is a loo brush and loo cleaner next to the loo and people are expected to leave the loo clean.

Do you judge people badly if you think there house is not clean/tidy enough? Yes