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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

Re my husband and his mess

58 replies

Frazzled2207 · 23/01/2020 23:22

A bit of an Aibu but Don’t want to post in there!

Back story- when I first met dh I was really worried about the amount of clutter/mess in his house and if I could live with someone that thought that was ok. I then realised that his parents home was just the same. He then moved into my house and tbh was pretty good about tidying up etc
(I am not a neatness freak at all, I have plenty of clutter around the house but normally insist on having all floors at least clear!).
We then got married about bought our house jointly and by and large be has been good about tidying up clutter/mess in all but one of the rooms albeit with a prod here and there.

However. Husband works from home (office type job so not one that makes a mess!). He used to work in the Boxroom but once we were expecting baby no 2 we decided to spend a lot of OUR
Money on a loft conversion. That would be his (now much larger) office, ensuite, and the general agreement is that once kids are at high school one of them will get the loft and husband will probably be back in the boxroom but not for at least 4 years. We might actually move before then anyway but that's another thread.
Because it's so large the loft doubles as an office and also guest room. We've very rarely had overnight guests though partly because of the problem I am about to mention.

The room is a state. Stuff everywhere, bits of computers, Cds, books, goodness knows what. His whole family are terrible hoarders which is part of the problem.

When he first moved up there we sorted it all out together and it was all fine but that was 5 years ago and he's put virtually zero effort into keeping it clean and tidy. I dare not enter the bathroom but pretty sure it's never been cleaned, definitely not properly. I have hassled him and hassled him about tidying it up and he's always had some sort of excuse, no time is the usual one and he doesn't want to spend any more time in there than he does working (?). He otherwise can't explain his totally inability to to sort it out. I can't explain it but it really upsets me that part of OUR house is such a state and although it's mostly used by him it's OUR loft extension. I would love to have guests to stay occasionally but never invite them because I couldn't trust him to tidy it up first. I have made it clear how much it upsets me that he can't sort it out and the fact that he doesn't seem bothered upsets me more than the mess itself. He tries to argue that it's his room and I need not go up there if I don't like it. But I'd like to be able to invite guests as I said and also not be utterly disgusted on the occasion I take him a cup of tea like I did tonight. We've just had another argument about it and I can hear him stomping around doing a bit of tidying now but he won't get it properly sorted and even if it did he would have zero motivation to actually keep it reasonably clean and tidy. We had our last argument about it about 2 months ago and since then he has made an effort to start selling stuff on eBay and I've done a lot of post office trips with stuff he's sold but he's still done ZERO Effort to actually clean/tidy.

I am prepared to have arguments with my sons about keeping their room tidy but not a 42 year old man ffs.

To clarify I don't expect completely clear surfaces etc none of our house is like that. But a clear path from the door to the desk is surely not too much to ask?

Aibu to want him to tidy up his bloody stuff? And if Ianbu what can I do?

OP posts:
Onthemaintrunkline · 23/01/2020 23:43

You have my sympathies, this would be an absolute deal breaker for me, mainly because this problem usually gets worse not better without a major rethink or intervention. No you’re not being unreasonable, without one huge sort out, what’s it going to look like this time next year never mind the year after! How does he ever find anything? I don’t know.......psychological counselling? Good luck, I don’t think this is going to be easy without his cooperation.

Glosstwit · 24/01/2020 00:08

You've mentioned his family seem to all be hoarders but if you genuinely mean hoarders as opposed to untidy, I'm not seeing much acknowledgment of the fact this is a psychological mental health issue and not a "my husband doesn't tidy up" issue?

As a short term fix have you considered getting a part time cleaning person

12345kbm · 24/01/2020 00:14

Has he been diagnosed with anything OP like ADHD? Can you give him this space, compromise and make him responsible for clearing it out if you have guests to stay? Perhaps ask him to see his Dr to see if it's part of a deeper issue like depression or OCD. Arguing with him evidently isn't working so perhaps it's time to try other strategies.

Frazzled2207 · 24/01/2020 00:15

Thank you
When I say hoarders they are def mild hoarders but mostly untidy. His dad was a definite hoarder, was very sad situation. The rest of the family not so much.
We actually have a clearer. She doesn't go in the loft, am too bloody ashamed. But she couldn't clean anyway with all the stuff. He won't let anyone else tidy it.

OP posts:
UYScuti · 24/01/2020 00:16

Very little you can do if he won't co-operate ☹️

Frazzled2207 · 24/01/2020 00:17

@Onthemaintrunkline when you say it would be an absolute deal breaker what do you mean? You would actually leave someone over this? He is otherwise a very loving husband and father.

OP posts:
MikeUniformMike · 24/01/2020 00:17

It is how he is and he probably doesn't want to be like that. I think you need to address it, maybe consider getting a professional declutterer in.

It is unfair on you because you are missing out on having guests, and it is your loft too.

If you do not do something about it, you won't move.

Nomorechips · 24/01/2020 00:25

Maybe he's become overwhelmed with it and doesn't know where to start? Although understandably you're angry and frustrated, perhaps try from a gentler angle and offer to sort it between you? Some people just arenethat good at organising their own things.

Mrsmummy90 · 24/01/2020 00:28

I'd throw the lot in bin bags and tell him he can go through it all and decide what to keep and what to throw away but the next time he leaves it in that state, it's getting bin bagged and taken to the tip!

Mrsmummy90 · 24/01/2020 00:29

It's harsh (and frankly patronising) but I would go insane with that kind of mess.

12345kbm · 24/01/2020 00:33

You might find this helpful OP: [https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hoarding-disorder/]] It's the NHS guide to hoarding. Perhaps see if he'll seek out therapy like CBT?

12345kbm · 24/01/2020 00:33

www.nhs.uk/conditions/hoarding-disorder/

MikeUniformMike · 24/01/2020 00:35

If he had to move back to the box room, he'd need to organise his stuff to fit in.

He probably is overwhelmed. Basically you have to be ruthless. If you have too much clutter you forget what you have, and when you need it you will buy another one.

I recently decided to recycle the box something came in because I had lost the unused contents. Within days, the contents were found. It's happened a few times.

Things need to be useful and have their place. If it is a might come in handy item, you will not need it until it's gone.

If he works as a freelancer, he may have documents or equipment that he has to keep for a certain number of years.

Onthemaintrunkline · 24/01/2020 00:38

Hi Frazzled, yep it would be a deal breaker for me if some sort of middle-ground or compromise couldn’t be reached. It’s huge to end a marriage, so I guess you have to weigh up how important this is to you, can you live with it for the sake of yr marriage and family or not. Tough question. Before it gets anywhere near this question tho, does your husband know how upset you are over this? If so does this matter to him?

This is a mental health issue, genuine hoarders would rather do anything other than get rid of some their stuff, to overcome that fear/dread that’s where psychological help is required. Would your husband be open to this? For your sake I’m hoping so. Best wishes

MikeUniformMike · 24/01/2020 00:38

Could you allocate time to sorting it out. The easiest approach would be to take everything out of the office and only put back what he has to keep or that sparks joy.

UYScuti · 24/01/2020 11:01

This is why I will never live with anyone again, I refuse to have someone else's tidiness standards imposed upon me. If two people have very different ways of dealing with how to organise the living space there is no mutually acceptable compromise and neither person can be happy. However the unhappiest person is usually the tidiest person and that seems a bit out of order to me☹️

UYScuti · 24/01/2020 11:02

The problem with hoarders is that their problem sabotages the life of the other person as well!
As with anyone who has an addiction or a compulsion, should they be allowed to just flop all over everyone else with their problems?

Bluntness100 · 24/01/2020 11:06

Could you allocate a day and do it together? I know it's not your job or mess, but helping out as a one off isn't a bad thing, then after that expect him to keep it tidy and have the cleaner clean if?

TooGood2BeTrue · 24/01/2020 11:12

Could you set him small goals, such as half an hour each day that he spends tidying? Maybe get some folders and office cabinets first to put things in an order where they'll be easier to find. My husband is a little bit like this also, we have bags and bags of cables and old chargers - just why?!

UYScuti · 24/01/2020 11:46

If you help him to tidy up he will feel as if he has license to be even more messy because you are creating more space for him to make a mess in, it's a form of covert dominance, if you push he will push back with more mess and clutter

UYScuti · 24/01/2020 11:48

He comes from a family of hoarders it is hardwired into him from when he was a child, his default setting is hoarding mess and clutter that is what he will always revert to

Musti · 24/01/2020 11:53

My ex was/is like this. I offered to do it and did do it a few times but he would just replace it with something else. Since we split, his office and dining room have become unusable and he works in the living room. The massive double garage and big conservative is filled to the brim with his stuff.

Mamia15 · 24/01/2020 12:01

Move his office back to the box room?

UYScuti · 24/01/2020 12:06

Moving him back to the box room will be like trying to get the worms back into the can

testnamehere · 24/01/2020 12:18

Give him back the box room and use the nice new room with ensuite as your bedroom? Then ignore the box room?

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