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Relationships

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

DP's household hygiene, what to do?

158 replies

IndieTara · 16/06/2019 12:17

Been with DP 5 months but have known him 15 years.
This is our second time round trying the relationship thing.
We've always had chemistry, friends have always said we should be together, we generally get on great and laugh a lot.
From a DP point of view he is caring, generous, helpful and gets on well with DD ( who he also knew already before we got together through mutual friends get togethers that kind of thing, )

12 mths after I split from now XH, DP was the first person I dated. It didn't work out because I couldn't stand his lack of hygiene/attitude to housework type stuff.
DD was only 3 at the time ( he never met her then ) but I just kept thinking that I couldn't ever take her round there because of the dirt, dust etc
To clarify it wasn't just a bit of dust, it was inches thick, the kitchen was filthy and I hated eating or drinking there.

We still saw each other occasionally over the next few years through mutual friends events
And got on fine.

This led to us having the occasional night out together purely as friends but we always had a great time. During this time we were both on OLD sites too but nothing ever worked out except bad dates!

We talked a lot about our dating disasters which eventually got me thinking that perhaps we should try again. He jumped at the idea and said that going forward I needed to make sure I communicated clearly to him anything I was unhappy about.

This time He appeared to take on board everything I said about the state of his house and how much it affected me. Plus I scrubbed his kitchen top to toe so I felt better about being there ( just once I'm not doing it again )
Since we split the first time he has acquired 2 pets as he wanted the company. This however means more dirt and smells.

Every time I go round to his now he very proudly tells me how much he's cleaned up and tidied etc but as soon as I walk through the door the first thing that hits me is thesmell of the pet food. He leaves it out all day and the pets are messy eaters so it's all over the floor.
His solution is to burn a nice smelling candle by the front door to mask the smell!

Whenever I get a glass, mug or plate out of the cupboard to use it's inevitably dirty, greasy and has bits of stuff encrusted on it. So does the cutlery. If I take something off the drainer to use that's just been washed, it's the same.

I can't use a tea towel there because they're always manky , I opened his microwave yesterday to defrost something and it was filthy.

When I stay the night the pets always jump on thé bed and therefore walk over me too.

I've communicated til I'm blue in the face about all of this but it obviously isn't a big problem for him.
I'm also not houseproud as such but my house can be untidy but it's not fundamentally dirty. Everything gets washed and washed properly.

I'm getting to the stage again that I don't want to be in his house.
( his personal hygiene is absolutely fine and clothes clean etc )

He is the loveliest man and I feel so bad for constantly bringing these things up.

OP posts:
another20 · 24/06/2019 14:00

Is he preoccupied / scatty / have low mood or totally absorbed in work / hobby / interest?

What’s his relationship history / has he children?

another20 · 24/06/2019 14:02

Do you sense a resistance or does he present as it as incompetent?

1forAll74 · 24/06/2019 14:54

I am not sure what I would do being as you are, I mean you being busy,and having many other things to do in your life. Some people just don't ever think about living in a clean house.. But if it was me,as having plenty of time, I would go and spend ages,going through the house like a whirlwind. cleaning everything, then saying to the man,now look here, you must now keep everything good from now on,or else I am not ever coming round again.

I think I must be like those people on the TV progs,who go and clean up shitty crap houses ha ha.

IndieTara · 24/06/2019 15:05

@another20 no he's not really scatty but does put energy into his work and a lot goes into time spent in his garden.

He's kind of laughed it off until this weekend as a bit of incompetency. A bit of not taking me seriously and underestimating how I felt.

However he also said I could not have been any blunter with him about it in the last 5 months.

I suppose there must have been resistance because it took me threatening to walk away for him to take me seriously

OP posts:
IndieTara · 24/06/2019 15:08

@1forAll74 there's absolutely no way I'm doing that. He's the one who has lots of free time. I'm a single parent with an extremely busy full time job I never seem to have enough time to get everything done

What he also fails to realise is that since I've been seeing him I have a lot less free time to get everything done but I still do

OP posts:
IndieTara · 24/06/2019 15:11

@another20 meant to add he's never been married or had kids, he had a fiancé years ago he lived with for a while, then when they split he moved back to his mums and lived with her until she died approx 18 yrs ago,

He's had a few relationships since but nothing particularly long term. He still lives in his mums old house

OP posts:
VictoriaBun · 24/06/2019 15:20

I have a messy dh, he has no concept of cleaning. In 20 years he has never hovered nor used the washing machine. Does it piss me off - yes , but he is good in other ways such as never needing to get someone in to do jobs in the house including plumbing, electrics etc he's just a messy fucker

IndieTara · 24/06/2019 15:23

@VictoriaBun I think messy and dirty are different.

My house is often messy but it's not really dirty

OP posts:
another20 · 24/06/2019 15:57

Wow hasn’t really spread his wings has he? Did his mother do everything for him do you think?

LoafofSellotape · 24/06/2019 16:02

Wow hasn’t really spread his wings has he? Did his mother do everything for him do you think?

Don't blame his mum! My ds has a room like a pig sty,he does jobs round the house and helps out and does his own washing when severely prodded but he's quite happy to live in squalor and I have no doubt when he has his own place it'll be as bad as his room is now. It is NOT through lack of trying on my part or his father's!

IndieTara · 24/06/2019 16:03

@another20 actually he lived abroad for a good few years but was single

OP posts:
silverstream · 24/06/2019 16:24

How is his eyesight? Maybe he just can't see well enough to see the dirt? I know if I tried cleaning without my glasses on stuff would very easily get missed.

IndieTara · 24/06/2019 17:08

@silverstream he wears glasses but by his own admission he is lackadaisical

OP posts:
another20 · 24/06/2019 17:25

I think that you have two options.

1st - be really specific what your needs are and how important they are to you and them be even clearer what the consequences are. So for example - before I come around x,y,z needs to be done to this standard - otherwise I will end the relationship as I can’t tolerate it. Then stick to your guns every single time.

  1. Just walk if this sounds like doing a start chart and struggling with a toddler.

I think he may have some unresolved emotional issues.

IndieTara · 24/06/2019 17:28

@another20 I did all of that last weekend

Highly doubt it's unresolved emotional issues. Suspect he's probably a bit of a lazy arse who underestimated me,

But you never know

OP posts:
another20 · 24/06/2019 17:48

I wonder if he uses this as method to avoid intimacy and keep relationships at arms length. He doesn’t seem to have had a mature committed adult partnership for decades.

It’s really sad that you have explained something that is v important to you (and would be to 99% of the population) “until you are blue in the face” - yet he doesn’t care enough about you to spend a few minutes to make you comfortable. I would say he is deliberately frustrating you - in a passive aggressive way - he may not even be conscious of it.

another20 · 24/06/2019 17:52

*He's kind of laughed it off until this weekend as a bit of incompetency. A bit of not taking me seriously and underestimating how I felt.

However he also said I could not have been any blunter with him about it in the last 5 months.

I suppose there must have been resistance because it took me threatening to walk away for him to take me seriously*

This is really disrespectful in a covert way.

IndieTara · 24/06/2019 20:56

He doesn’t seem to have had a mature committed adult partnership for decades.

But this isn't what I was asking advice on so I don't think it's relevant.

I didn't come on here to tear his character apart or analyse any issues some of you appear to be inventing.

He's def not passive aggressive and if anything he's probably more committed than I am. I'm his 'one that got away' so if he loses me again it will be his own fault

OP posts:
RandomMess · 24/06/2019 21:29

You don't like his slovenly ways and you've now told him it's a deal breaker, good for you I really hope he chooses the relationship and you and realises the effort you are asking for isn't that much.

IndieTara · 24/06/2019 22:08

Thanks @RandomMess me too

OP posts:
Mycatatetherat · 24/06/2019 22:17

He sounds like me. Except that I am a single mum juggling 2 kids, 2 pets, 3 jobs and a busy social life.

I wish I had more time to clean but at the moment I've had to accept that my house (and car, which is vile) is what it is and I simply haven't got time, energy and resources to put into it. If my bf tried to clean me up he'd be gone. I'd be devastated to know my friends wouldn't eat at my house.

However it does sound like he has time and energy. His priorities are probably very different to yours though. Will you actually walk away if he slips back into old ways?

IndieTara · 24/06/2019 22:18

@Mycatatetherat yes I will

OP posts:
Mycatatetherat · 24/06/2019 22:22

Then I would imagine unfortunately that he will slip and you will have to walk. People can't change things that are this ingrained, especially at 56 (did I read that?)

IndieTara · 24/06/2019 22:34

Yes 56

OP posts:
IndieTara · 27/06/2019 07:37

He's now sending me photos of things he's cleaned...

OP posts:
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