what does your MUM regard as normal household practice that you DONT

[WilliamGray]

washing rice

turnign matresses

[Monkeytrousers]

Being totally anal about everything and making everyones life a misery so her house is tidy.

Now a sad lonley old woman in a v clean house

[noddyholder]

monkey i totally identify with that

[DrNortherner]

Lo,l at Vim - what on earth is it?

My Mum insists on stock piling Badedas and loads of paraeetomol in little plastic tubs.

[claireybee]

My mum wears petticoats, she calls them slips.

She insists on knickers, sheets, towels etc being ironed (it is my poor dad that does the ironing)

She uses carrier bags as bin liners (as do I), but she is obsessive about not having any of the bag showing so it is kind of scrunched down inside the bin and unless you are really careful when you put something in the bin it all ends up outside of the bag.

She dries the shower after use.

She also has a cupboard of out of date stuff.

She isn't nearly as bad as she was when I was a kid though, these days she is more career minded and, well, normal.

[DrNortherner]

Oh mine wears petticoats too! She calls them 'underskirts'

She also wear american tan tights every day, whatever the weather, even under trousers...

[GetOrfMoiLand]

DrNortherner - it's a tin of abrasive powder used to clean things like the loo. It was invented probably in 1932 and I think the active ingredients are caustic soda, sulphuric acid and plutonium. It's lethal stuff.

She also has tins of stuff called Ajax - think it's the same kind of thing.

I think these tins are older than me (along with the tins of pilchards in tomato sauce and packets of tapioca in teh cupboard which date from the 70s!)

[GetOrfMoiLand]

lol american tan tights.

Mum still uses ponds cold cream to clean her face off (aw, bless)

[Countingthegreyhairs]

I'm afraid I identify with that too Monkey (and NoddyH)

[Monkeytrousers]

Take note cleaning obessives!

[Turniphead1]

My MiL uses on average SIX clothespegs on every single item of clothes on the line (what is case there is a hurricane ffs).

When packing she puts every item into an individual plastic bag. At college her nickname was plastic bag. Good to know that her mania has been around for a long time.

Washes and reuses TINFOIL - now there is eco-friendly and just plain minging...

Went to catering college for three years but appears to have no knowledge of food hygiene - not handling other foods when she has just touched raw chicken, keeping dairy on top of cooked meats etc, endlessly reheating food etc etc

[JamieJay]

Ironing - I don't do any full stop, she irons everything including underwear, towels and fitted sheets

[maidamess]

My Mum has an upstairs and a downstairs hoover. And one in the garage for the car. And a handheld one. And a carpet shampooer.

[squeaver]

DrN - My MIL wears those tights too and underskirts. Also, she has NEVER, in all her life, worn trousers.

[Shoshe]

maidamess i definitly am your mother, I have all them, and hoover everyday, use the handheld when the kids have eaten, and shampoo the hall living room and playroom on a Friday evening

[lazarou]

I have 3 vacuum cleaners, An upright, a cylinder for the stairs and under cupboards, and a handheld dustbuster. I also have a dyson cylinder but the attachments are missing and would cost about £30 to replace.

Don't do much hoovering though

[DrNortherner]

My Mum doesn't wear trousers - she wears 'slacks'

[FeelingDeviant]

Living like a slob. Not washing up properly, never cleaning unless she has guests, putting feet on coffee table.
Too many to number ... we're so different.

[merryandmad]

My Mum wears american tan tights, underskirts and 'roll-ons'- tummy control elastic pants on top of knickers and tights to keep everything in place
I've never seen her in trousers
Also has unpstairs and downstairs hover and uses jiff (didn't they change their name about 5 yrs ago)- but my mum still calls it that, on absolutley everything!!1

[melpomene]

Always puts milk into a proper jug before putting it on the table (We just plonk the carton of milk on the table, unless we're making a special effort for guests)

[MmeBovary]

OMG - was just giggling out loud about the 3/4 hoover scenario and DH asked what was funny. Turns out he thinks that is a really sensible idea! I think I need a new DH - what was the name of that Rafael bloke off Wimbledon...?

[MmeBovary]

LOL for american tan tights - and now you come to mention it I've never seen my mum wear trousers either - EVER. I can't believe I didn't notice...

[bramblebooks]

I just want to say that I have LOLed at this thread with lots of memories. And I LOVE my mum I think she is from the same 'pod' as your mums.

[Bink]

I'm quite sorry for these mothers.

Let me ask: did any of them have careers? - ie, that went on after they had children?

[boudoiricca]

Ha ha! I LOVE this thread. Makes me feel like a normal person, rather than the lazy, filthy slattern I am.

My Mum;

Is OBSESSED WITH a) hoovering and b) laundry. Constantly tries to take the clothes off my back to wash them. Has one of those stupid roller carpet cleaner things which she uses incessantly. Irons EVERYTHING, despite proclaiming to loathe ironing.
Starts packing for holidays about 2 weeks prior to leaving date. Drives herself crazy cleaning everywhere before they leave (carpet rollering herself to the door etc. AGH)

And Bink, yes, she had a great career - headmistress. Still insane about housework, sadly.

My Granny;

ALWAYS set the breakfast table at night before she went to bed (when we were kids we said the fairies did it)

And kept Spaghetti. In a Tin. In the Fridge.

So glad I am not the only one to fail to keep up these "standards"

[Bink]

boudoiricca - exactly what I wanted to know - and really an ideal example - thanks. Obviously I wondered whether it was nature abhorring a vacuum but it's clearly a lot more complicated than that.

(As obviously is me (a careerist) being more compulsive than my (non-careerist) ma.)