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OCD or plain bonkers!

(122 Posts)
Silverlining47 Mon 12-Mar-18 13:02:21

I don't consider myself excessively houseproud or even very tidy but the other day when a visiting friend offered to hang out my washing I was surprised at my own reaction to the line of washing! It was pinned up hickedly pickledy and all the clothes mixed up. My fingers positively itched to change it!
I then realised that I always hang the socks in pairs, DH's all together and then mine. Then his pants and then mine in order and so on. T-shirts, shirts, blouses etc the same way. They get taken down and folded in that order too. Whites only get washed together. I have a slight sense of revulsion when I see people put all their things in the wash together confused
Do other GNs have extreme habits that don't match the rest of their life?

Heather51 Tue 13-Mar-18 13:50:36

I also like to stack the dishwasher in a certain way which seems very logical to me. DH however, will put things in ‘any old how’ even flat against each other so that water cannot circulate between them. I have tried to educate him pointing out the reason, but he either doesn’t listen or just completely ignores the explanation. He now refuses to put things in and leaves them all stacked on the counter above the machine! ? As a result of this outcome, I now bite my tongue when he hangs washing: socks by their tops; pants by the crutch; in any order all around the line and as for packing shopping - don’t go there ?

Carolpaint Tue 13-Mar-18 13:54:37

How do you find the time, stop sweating the little things and love life and all its richness more. Bizarre

lizzypopbottle Tue 13-Mar-18 13:55:42

I like things hung straight and taut on the line and tee shirts pegged at the armpit . Droopy washing leads to ironing! I'm not bothered about which order they go in or peg colours, though.

Aepgirl Tue 13-Mar-18 14:21:36

I have a (very clean and tidy) friend who stopped her neighbour from mowing her lawn for her because the lines weren't straight enough. I said 'send her round to me, she can mow it in spirals as long as I don't have to do it! She didn't think it was funny!

Gaggi3 Tue 13-Mar-18 14:25:15

I separate whites and colours to keep the whites white. However, I hang the larger items closer to the pole on the rotary dryer, so that sun and air can reach more surfaces. Don't care if anyone sees my undies, on the line, of course. grin

Marthjolly1 Tue 13-Mar-18 15:26:58

I consider myself to be just very slightly OCD. But Juggernaught I'm afraid I now realise I'm worse than I thought. Yes all tins in product groups, labels facing, spices by alphabet in a large wall rack. All dry goods decanted into tubs, labelled, stored in product groups. Washing definitely hung on line in groups, especially socks by pairs. Yes there is a strict routine at supermarket conveyor and again into the bags etc, etc. Can't bear towels in bathroom and kitchen to look squiffy. You can imagine what my wa4drobe is like blush

GabriellaG Tue 13-Mar-18 15:43:18

Uh-oh...just had a message saying that a Russian exile (a friend of the late Boris Berezovsky sp? who was found dead in his ex wife's bath) has been found dead at his home in London.

GabriellaG Tue 13-Mar-18 15:49:00

It's much quicker to wash dishes thsn hsve the faff of stacking them properly, waiting to fill the machine, arguing about the correct way to fill it and then waiting till the following day to empty and sort the contents back into cupboards. A waste of time and money in my book.

lemongrove Tue 13-Mar-18 15:50:37

Gabriella....put that on the Russian thread? smile

lemongrove Tue 13-Mar-18 15:52:49

Has anyone ever thought of buying some really sexy undies and hanging them out on the line/whirlygig for all to see?
I don’t mean wearing them then washing them, just buy them to peg out for show.grin

lovebeigecardigans1955 Tue 13-Mar-18 16:25:37

That makes me smile Juggernaut - I was once told by an Irish colleague that you must put your money in your purse so that the Queen's head is on display - so that 'fortune always smiles upon you.'

NotAGran55 Tue 13-Mar-18 16:31:51

None of this has ANYTHING to do with OCD . With respect please can I ask you all to do a little reading up on the subject and educate yourselves .

Blinko Tue 13-Mar-18 16:40:43

Dear NotAGran, it's a lighthearted thread. Not meant to be taken too seriously. Not meant to offend anyone with actual, diagnosed OCD.

ffinnochio Tue 13-Mar-18 16:41:54

Agreed, NotAGran

Mercedes55 Tue 13-Mar-18 17:11:10

I have to say I do agree with NotAGran55 as none of these things are actually OCD and for people that do suffer with that terrible disorder I think they'd be quite happy to have the little foibles that most of us have.

I am another that hangs their laundry out in a certain way, I won't use the same colour pegs on one item, so everything is pegged up with non matching pegs. All the underwear is together and even if I have to put things to dry inside the house I still arrange them in a way that is the same each time.

My kitchen cupboards have all the tins rotated when I buy new things and the labels face the front and my herbs and spices are all arranged alphabetically.

To me it's just common sense!

GabriellaG Tue 13-Mar-18 17:17:31

lemongrove

Oh! Im so sorry. I forgot to change threads. I hope it didn't offend anyone.

GabriellaG Tue 13-Mar-18 17:24:26

NotAGran55
Oh dear!
Are we in trouble for straying too far off point? blush
I think we're all educated enough to know that we are talking about repetitive/habitual behaviour and not belittling those who have OCD.
Loosen up...we're just chatting, not having an earnest conference.

magshard20 Tue 13-Mar-18 17:48:52

Juggernaut, you made me laugh, I too used to match peg colours to the clothes....drove my family mad. Also if my husband or daughter hang washing on the line, they wait and have bets as to how long it will be before I go out and re-hang them, the way I THINK they should be. Same with if clothes are hung on the maiden to dry, I re-arrange them all too. OCD me.....NEVER x

Silverlining47 Tue 13-Mar-18 17:57:05

OK......I think I have to rephrase my original post to .....Bonkers but Happy!
Now I realise that in fact I do pin the socks on the line all happily marching in the same direction and my mug handles do face the same way and I definitely rearrange the dishwasher after OH has stacked it so illogically. My pants are folded and stacked in little piles of the same colour (never black and white sitting on top of each other) and pillow cases would never be in the same wash as socks (yuk!) whatever the colour.
So there you have it......I'm really quite normal grin.

stevej4491 Tue 13-Mar-18 17:58:42

Gran EdI agree.

JoJo58 Tue 13-Mar-18 18:56:27

I'm not OCD I just like things done in an organised manner, I like my washing put out in a certain way and most things in my life organised, I put it down to coming from a home that was always in chaos, until I was old enough to sort it out, my dad loved it my mum hated it, but was happy for me to do her housework so she didn't have to.

Baggs Tue 13-Mar-18 21:36:53

My mum taught me how to hang washing so as to maximise drying on the line or clotheshorse and, at the same time, to minimise ironing. So I do that. The order things get hung in seems unimportant unless one of those two things should be compromised.

I have two overhead pulley airers. Weight distribution is what matters there (as well as best drying etc). It wouldn't do to have an airer all skewiff! wink

Daisyboots Tue 13-Mar-18 22:15:55

Yes I do like to seperate mywashing into lights and darks. Bedding and towels never getwashed with the clothes. I have a long washing line but the solar panels at the end mean I have to put shorter length items there. My DH is gradually learning the right way to hang tops and tee shirts. I have done away with always matching the peg colours by only buying packs of blue pegs in our local Chinese shop. DH is very good at loading and packing the shopping. I just do the paying bit. But when it comes to the dishwasher he has no idea. Yesterday I came home after having my nails done and he had put the dishwasher on and it was just finishing. There were several items in the sink and when I asked why he didnt put them in the dishwasher he said there wasn't room. When I opened it if it had been loaded properly it would have only been half full. Bless him he does try.

lemongrove Tue 13-Mar-18 22:22:57

Gabrielle....I just meant you should put the post on the Russia thread so that more people would see it.smile

lemongrove Tue 13-Mar-18 22:28:43

Actually I think some of these behaviours are a mild form of OCD ( I include my own in that.)So the OP was quite right.
If not doing certain things brings a sense of anxiety or distress then it’s more than being fussy.
Nobody is claiming that they have OCD that totally blight their life.