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?

eeek anna8888 I am terrified now

i hasten to add I have to hoover at least once a day as actually I find it theraputic, that and with the little dog, my long curley hair and two children making a mess, it makes sense. THat is one chore I do enjoy

I loathe dirty houses. I don't mind a bit of clutter (toys etc) - life is for living, after all.

when a house looks like a catalogue layout, then i judge . odd isnt it? to judge when a place istoo clean?
messy houses are good. they look as if people live there.
dirt, stuff that makes the place unhygienic makes me upset, but i dont judge them.

Anna8888 I feel as if I've told off now. Dusting every day I stillthink is unnecessary- ifsomeone has an allergy , then maybe they do needto do that. However, if the dusting is done with a damp cloth as well (omg is that what people do every day) then I really do not see that there would be anything elase to dust the following day?

Why is a cobweb ina high corner of a ceilin a sign of actual "dirt"?

And how do people that fussy manage when they go on hoilday- do you clean the holioday room/property all the holiday before you feel that it is clean enough?

DO you ever travel on public transport?
Do you trust restaurant kitchens?

I rather like cobwebs. When we bought our house 2 years ago it had high ceilings, cobwebs on the chandeliers, and high arched gothic windows, and is right by a graveyard.

I did wonder why the sellers hadn't removed the cobwebs for selling. but now I'm quite attached to them, it goes with the whole decor. sort of Addams family theme. and is very useful for Halloween parties, we don't have to bother with buying "fake" cobwebs.

BTW my loos are always clean- I was just asking the question.

My kitchen is always clean- the hob is always completely clean,theunits are cleaned whenever they are used; unit fronts are cleaned regularly, no surface is sticky to touch or has spillages left, floor is mopped in reality between 2 and 3 times a week.
However, I just think some people seem to be doing a lot of dusting and seeking out of any potential dust, when I just wonder if they are the "norm" or if they are more fussy than average, or have they developed this cleaning obession as a result of it being their full-time occupation..... if they have, I can see that to them is a dailyjob ratherthan actually something needs to be done.I am not looking to stir up a row between SAHM and working parents though.

Years ago during illness(severe depression), my then best friend visited me. My place was a mess. This was unusual. My so called friend said to me " Quite frankly Solo, I'm shocked". She didn't ask me if she could do anything for me though or help in any way...Not my best friend nowadays. Funny that.

Anna, you're not invited to mine.
I suffer from debilitating illness too, I have ME and my place is a mess. I hate it, but atm can't deal with it. I don't ever judge other people by what they have or how they live. Nobody should do that. Nobody knows the reasons behind the chaos and ' there but for the grace of God go I' ought to be something that more people live by. Judgement is an ugly word for us to use on others, even uglier though, is turning our backs on someone because they live differently to us.

If you shit in my toilet you clean it - that is the rule in our house - unfortunately I have to clean it for DCs!

Hate pet hair over everything.

Always thinkt he measure of a clean house is wthether the bit of the rim behind the toilet seat is clean - mind you there may be mumsnetters who have been to my house that think I am slovenly but from what my friends say there is more chance of them accusing me of having an OCD!

I don't like dirty bathrooms - toilet bowls need to be spotless. Baths and sinks to a lesser extent. Kitchen needs to be reasonably clean. However I would be unlikely to base any judgements of someone on that.

Personally I would like to live in a spotless house with no clutter but as I live with 4 scruffy squirrel-types I think it's unlikely.

Don't mind a bit of mud on the carpets. Like clean kitchen tops and clean loo and basin.

Very, very clean and tidy women and I don't have much in common. I just think life's too short.

dust isn't a problem unless you actually have allergies in the first place. It won't cause them in a healthy person.

new daily fresh dirt and mess- ok
old dirt been there for a few days/weeks - gross

I like a house to look like people live there and places that are immaculate, don't make me feel relaxed at all.

riven, I think if someone is able to do all those things then yes, it can be lazy not to, but I certainly wouldn't judge a disabled person who hadn't done it, nor a busy mother with young children.
I would expect someone who was able-bodied and had school-aged children to have a clean and tidy house though, they can delegate to their children and the house needn't get in a state that requires heavy cleaning.
I used to have a friend who never cleaned her house, her kitchen was full of mouldy plates an d bin bags, empty take away cartons, etc. When she got pregnant I tidied and cleaned the whole flat for her, even though it made me feel sick, it wasn't healthy for her to go in there so I did it.
It's all well and good sitting on a high horse saying 'ooh my house is so clean , yours is filthy' but if you can help and don't then you're selfish which is worse than untidy, IMO.

victoriansqualor, I'm rechristening you VictorianShiny?

edam, agree.

In fact, there is a reliable strand of research that found that children with the most exposure to dirt and siblings and pets in their early years had the strongest immune systems. It is called the hygiene paradox.

All this clean modern living in houses and flats with less contact with the outdoors has given rise to a startling increase in exzema and allergies in this current generation of children.

So don't feel bad about a little dirt or dust. You are doing your children a favour

eczema

For me, a house is only dirty if there are poo stains in the loo, wee stains on the loo seat, kitchen floor is sticky or covered in crumbs, etc.

I don't really consider dust to be dirt. I can turn a blind eye to mud and cobwebs too.

I love going to houses that are on the untidy or even dirty side. The people who live there have better things to do than polish things all day long. Really clean and tidy houses make me feel very uncomfortable; I just know that I'll break something, or spill my coffee.

Dh has dust mite allergy (grew up in a spotless house!) His nurse said we need to hoover and dust every day . I only really manage 1xwk.

For me dust/cobwebs dont equal dirty but they would irritate me. I could put up with it for a bit. Dirty houses well there are no excuses as far as im concerned, and yes, i would judge someone.

Untidy is acceptable for a bit also. For example while there are children around or if you have been working without a day off(there are my only excuses) but then I would like it tidied. I have a messy house in the morning for a while, then its untidy again until the evening(!) and then when kids in bed its tidy up time again.

Skids down the loo must be bleached!lol