fifty shades of dust and clutter

Yes must agree whenever everywhere is spick and span don't see a soul! I had a cousin whose house was like a show house. His wife, didn't bake, sew ect so nothing to make a mess. I remember his inviting us to visit with some friends from Germany. We had a pleasant evening but when we got back home , our German friends, said 'you know your cousin he has a beautiful house but he does not have a home!' As Golden Girl says friends say I've come to see you not the house! Can't win can we?

I'm with you Trisher! Petunia, you definitely made me laugh with the toilet tale. My Dust Rats always remind me of tumbleweed as I open the front door and they take a journey down the hall. I always imagine the neighbours hearing me vacuuming must think 'ah, she must be expecting visitors'.

Oh dear, I just cast my eye around my little sitting room. Bearing in mind I cleared up about all the Christmas stuff 3 days ago, hoovered and got it looking quite pristine (for me). Now it is not.

There are a heap of cards scattered on the floor, from 2 days ago. I may keep some and make gift tags, and dispose of the rest. There are several clothes bags waiting to be returned to the shop. Some bits of a basket on the carpet, that the cat has been attacking. Some paper work to be filed away.

It takes no time at all to build up lots of clutter and mess again. I know the answer is to have a 15 minute daily blast at clearing up. I may get Alexa to time me, and meanwhile play me some energetic "clearing up" music.

We always have at least one person lodging with us, a lot of people who come to stay for short visits, people who simply drop in and others who come to the house for meetings (often held over lunch). My son and toddler grandson also come to stay for a weekend about twice a month and my other son and his wife bring their new baby over quite frequently. So I keep on top of the general cleaning, de-clutter about once a week (usually in a hurry and often by dumping said clutter into my bedroom to be sorted at a later date) and accept that in a house as well used as mine it won't always be pristine, but it is child-friendly and welcoming.

I occasionally come out in a cold sweat at the thought of being suddenly taken ill and people having to enter my bedroom at times like now when it looks like a jumble sale is about to take place.

I am convinced my DH flings toast crumbs around the kitchen in gay abandon. He is quite clean in other areas and about his person but just doesn't seem to see toast or breadcrumbs. Shouldn't moan really, he does the hoovering and heavy duty stuff like drains!

Aaah, the joys of living alone. I'm pretty tidy and love coming home to a neat home just how I left it. Its just a small one bed flat so I have to get rid of any clutter as soon as it acumualtes. Luckily there are 8 charity shops within easy
reach!

I like a tidy, clutter free house and most of the time it is, as we are only two here.My Husband is not tidy he doesnt seem to think when he leaves things in the kitchen which he could easily throw away, he has one room which is his office, and its like a junk room, it is situated right opposite where guests sit when we have company, we have a bungalow so space is limited, but I always feel ashamed whn people sit and cannot avoid looing at the mess, I hope it doeasnt reflect on me, the fact HIS room is a mess, why cant men be tidy, maybe because they have slaves to do it for them!

I like a clean and tidy house but since DH has retired his tendency to ocd has developed - a day to clean a room starting at ceilings to moving furniture and skirting boards. I’ve not cleaned loo or bathroom in 2 years as HIS job !! At least twice a week tiles/ceiling etc. I know I shouldn’t moan but actually quite like cleaning and ironing, which is something else he’s taken to doing 15mins to do a shirt. He’s always been good at cooking so really I’m redundant ? Think it stems from his mum being ill from him being 14 and he helped out.

I'd also love to have a clean, neat and tidy house but I never seem to achieve it - or not for long. Trouble is, my house is just that little bit too small and I've a lot of 'stuff' like books, records, etc but these things are what make a house a home. don't you think? If people refused to visit that's when you're really in trouble.
A house that is too neat and tidy is a bit sterile with no personality. in my experience.

Yes I think there is a happy medium.

I hate clutter but in our house not having it somewhere is a tall order indeed. H and I have arrived at an unspoken compromise.....he messes and hoards to his hearts content in his own 'spaces', namely his workshop, his own desk and the garage. Shared spaces remain reasonably tidy since we have both agreed to keep them that way (my effort equaling roughly 70% vs H's 30%).

Having said that, he loves to cook and so do I. Our kitchen is where the battle lines are often drawn and where a lot of the bickering happens over who 'hid' the mixing paddles or who elected to play with the new food processor by making yet another batch of (unneeded) breadcrumbs. The last of the good bread having been obliterated, there's none to be had for breakfast.

I also think it's reasonable to be able to find things when they are put where they belong in the first place, but that's a much longer story.

Welcome to my World

What a good reply HurdyGurdy❗️

One of me dearest friends died at the age of 98 a couple of years ago. She once gave me a fridge magnet which said “interesting people do not have tidy homes” ... says it all about her home and mine!!

We took the Christmas decs down yesterday (Saturday) cleaned the living thoroughly you know pulling out furniture etc. Today bathroom has been cleaned sparkling.
Tackled gd room but that’s the room that will end up like a pit as soon as she comes home, shoes coats makeup all strewn about, hey ho that’s life.

Trisher ,Hi , I did'nt know I was a twin.

Separated at birth?
I just looked round- the dining room table has my painting things on it, one of the chairs has a pile of old photos I am sorting. The settee has a pile of books I'm reading next to it and a bag with my knitting. The box of christmas dekkies is sitting in the corner, waiting to go upstairs.
I could out-clutter anyone!

As I write this to you husband is siting at dining table cluttered with tax receipts doing yearly tax returns. Promised last year he'd do it monthly(I did offer) again now adding and finding receipts etc he is the most untidy man I've ever met but he's not going to change so I just hum and ha and shut the door as I go to work.some things we have to endure I just tidy around him.

Reading through this thread I feel very lucky. I am an anxious, worry wart who has to have things looking neat, beautiful and elegant to feel calm and happy.

And I managed to find a DH who is just the same.

I use my housework, ironing and gardening as my fitness workout and do them (with DH’s help) in the mornings. So I am ‘the servants’ in the a.m

After lunch I am the Dowager Countess of Downton in my neat, elegant mansion and engage in many pursuits with the DH. I walk, cook, engage with Mr Interverse, read and so on.

It seems like quite a good balance.

My daughter, who is not OCD about cleaning and tidying like me, visited this morning and commented yet again about how sparkling and neat the place was, ‘ like a hotel.’

We tend to invite people around for lunch/dinner once a month which ensures a good clean and declutter in the sitting room. We have a spare room to use as an office but we keep using the dinning table, hence the ice of aper, laptop, map, fruit bowl glasses and hairbrush

Massive relief to see myself here in several respects!

I would like that too Petunia but at 67 I don't have the energy. There are no dirty cupboards, drawers, or dusty corners. fridge is cleaned regularly as is oven, kitchen, bathroom.. I love a clean tidy house (always been a bit too obsessed with it to be honest). But its impossible to keep it tidy and have time to enjoy yourself.
I can't bear the thought of becoming an old person living in a smelly old dusty house and I don't want to be seen in that way. I don't want to be sick and my children discovering places not clean. So its important to keep doing it and not let standards slip. I'm about to employ a cleaner as I have M.E. On top of being older it makes having a clean house very difficult.
It's a nuisance. But has to be done. I'm sure I could survive with lower standards. But that's me. Oh to be a happy slob! Or super rich and never have to lift a finger. (and I won't mention the RF)

My husbands aunt was a bit of a slob but everyone loved meeting in her house for a cuppa and a chat. It was so cheerful and homely. No one cared.

I started de-cluttering before Christmas and sold things if I'm allowed to say, on Ebay but haven't got very far yet in cleaning up. Empty boxes here and everywhere that have to be out for the recycling on Tuesday. My bedroom(known as the shed) has everything in bags all over the floor. We had planned to get stuff I'd boxed up put into the attic today but it's not happened. I hate all the clutter, so I shall feel better when I get back in order. I used to be so tidy but as I've got older, I feel sometimes that I can't be bothered. In the better weather I'd rather be out doing the work in the garden than housework. As the saying goes, a clean and tidy house is the sign of a wasted life and I agree with that. We're only here once as far as we know so don't forget to enjoy life. I aim to get organised while we're in the winter months and to enjoy the rest of the year.

Yes, lesleyanne9 I've just started watching the new Marie Kondo series on Netflix. I began with the programme about the empty nester couple. It was lovely to see how much "lighter" and happier they looked at the end of the process.