My house doesn't feel clean if...

United States
July 22, 2008 7:04pm CST
How would you finish that sentence? My house doesn't feel clean if... My house doesn't feel clean if: Toys are laying all over the place Clothes are on the floor and not in the hamper Any clothes in the hamper Spots on the floor in kitchen Spots on the wall Germs Clutter laying around Well, I could go on, all day. For me, a really clean house is one that is uncluttered and actually looks clean, as in spotless. According to my standards, my house rarely feels clean, though I'm constantly cleaning. What about you? What's your idea of clean for your home? What's your idea of not clean?
6 people like this
30 responses
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
23 Jul 08
My house is never clean, and without a complete makeover, it never will be. The carpets are gross, but I can't really clean them because they are a nasty kind of carpet. The floors will never get clean. They are scuffed and scratched, and the hard wood is not sealed so dirt gets down between the boards. The walls are filthy and covered in crayon and marker. Much of this was done before we even moved in, and until his parents sign the house over to us, we are not putting any money into it. So needless to say, a few toys on the floor never bother me.
3 people like this
• United States
23 Jul 08
So it's mostly a major home makeover issue and not a cleaning issue? I am in the middle of one of those crisis too. We need to repaint our walls. And I keep telling hubby that I'm fine with plain white paint, nothing fancy, but he still thinks it will cost too much money. Good grief, it's $12 gallon for plain white wall paint! We spend more than that every week on library fines and cookies! What's so expensive about it? Anyway, that's another gripe for another day!
2 people like this
• United States
23 Jul 08
Then consider yourself lucky you are not married to my husband. He spent 3 years working in the paint department of Home Depot. We can't go with a $12 gallon of paint. We have to use a primer and sander and get the Behr paint and give it exactly 2 coats, yada yada yada. One room would end up costing closer to $100.
3 people like this
• United States
23 Jul 08
Oh, good grief! I had no idea. I guess I'm pretty lucky then. I thought it was an easy process. For me, I'd be happy just to slap up some cheap paint and call it a day. I'm the one who painted our other house, inside and did a pretty good job of it. I would be the one painting the next time around.
@snowy22315 (170126)
• United States
23 Jul 08
I have a very simple answer for that. My house isnt clean enough if I would be embarassed for anyone to come over. I find it often fits into that category unfortunately. I am not big on cleaning. It seems like the waste of a perfectly good day to me. I do like the way a clean uncluttered house looks, my goal is to make enoguh money I can hire a maid to do it. I'm not kidding on this.
3 people like this
• United States
23 Jul 08
Ditto! If I know someone is visiting my home, I turn into a cleaning monster! Maybe it was the way I was raised. Our house always looked cluttered growing up unless we were having company. And then the whole house looked pristine. As for the maid service, look into a home grown operation. You can get some pretty good deals if the maid service is unicorporated or a mom and pop type small business. The big name corporate style maid services always charge the same high prices for the same stuff a local person could do for half the price. Best of luck!
2 people like this
• Canada
23 Jul 08
I don't think my house will ever feel clean. My husband and I are both chronic slobs. LOL No fighting there, we're both pigs. haha
2 people like this
• United States
23 Jul 08
You're too funny!
@youless (112123)
• Guangzhou, China
23 Jul 08
My house doesn't feel clean if everything is in a mess. The toys and other stuff will be everywhere. And this is my home right now. I think it's hard to make a clean home as long as you have a little kid at home. I love China
@youless (112123)
• Guangzhou, China
23 Jul 08
This is why having a daughter is better
• United States
23 Jul 08
That's true! Children do make the cleaning job harder. But there is good news. Today my four year old daughter asked to help me vacuum the house. She insisted on it! And would not take no for an answer. That made me very proud. I guess she will grow up knowing how to keep a clean home. Or, at least clean her own room.
1 person likes this
@ayessa (1583)
• Philippines
23 Jul 08
My house was not clean almost daily because of my baby's toys and even I picked them up after just a few seconds my baby will start to play with them again. I also don't feel my house clean when I saw some clothes outside the closet. I don't want to see clutters too. Even just a piece of hair that fall on ground makes me feel that my house was a mess.
1 person likes this
• United States
23 Jul 08
I think new mothers are always the same way. At least it was that way for me. I was (and still am) so concerned about keeping up appearances of clean. Of course, I do sanitize the house a lot, but not too much.
@ayessa (1583)
• Philippines
24 Jul 08
Atleast now that she's almost nine months I can able to tell her what to do and the good thing is she knows now to listen even just a bit and I can even say to her to pick her toys and luckily she's doing it.
@dhangski (3194)
• Philippines
23 Jul 08
My house doesn't feel clean if my kids' toys are cluttered everywhere. Used clothes are not placed in the clothes hamper. Dishes weren't washed. etc. etc.LOL. I think it's normal if you have small kids. Happy postings! HUGZ!
@SViswan (12051)
• India
18 Sep 08
My house doesn't feel clean if there is clutter everywhere and the floor has not been mopped with a disinfectant. I can bear everything else and can even pretend I didn't see the cobwebs for a day as long as there is no clutter. I can't function till I de-clutter....and nothing else will get clean with clutter everywhere.
@Carrie26 (1587)
• United States
23 Jul 08
I would say my house is not clean if.....My floors are not mopped,dirty clothes(from my husband on the floor),cookies crumbs,other food ,etc from my kids that I find on the floor,Dust,Dirty dishes,Clutter everywhere,etc.I could go on and on LOL but I wont.I am kind of like a neat freak as you can call me .I am not as bad as I used to be but I still get into a cleaning streak and wear myself ragid doing it.YOu would think I was getting ready to have a baby.LOL.But I cant et everything done in one day so I get whats important done first and then go on to the next day and so on.I am alwasy trying to pick up toys but when I come back they are on the floor again.I usually have the kids to have me help pick them up (my son can be a little lazy when it comes to this)and I usually do all of it at the end of the day as that is when they are in bed.I do pick up some so no one falls.My husband found that out one day.He asked me why I go around picking up the kids toys when they are just going to do it again.Well one day he about fell.LOL.So now he knows why I do it.
@Carrie26 (1587)
• United States
23 Jul 08
Oh I forgot to add I try to at least clean the bathroom twice a week as it can get the germiest and dirtiest.
• United States
23 Jul 08
Yep! That sounds like me. Not that I always get around to my gigantic list of things to do all the time. But if it's not clean, I'll clean it! Especially kitchens and bathrooms where germs build up. I try to keep toys up off the floor too for that reason. My daughter loves to skip around inside the house and she usually ends up stepping on a doll or toy. We have stone tile floors. And they are super slippery with any kind of papers or books or kids toys. Usually she is the one who puts them out on the floor. I try to keep toys confined to non-walk way areas like her bedroom. I'm always picking up one thing or another. No complaints though! Today she helped me vacuum! Who knew kids like to vacuum? She insisted on it. Mama is very proud!
• United States
24 Jul 08
clutter everywhere.god,i hate that. newspapers,dishes,just plain junk.it would kill them to put something away for once.
@ersmommy1 (12588)
• United States
31 Dec 08
Oh so many ways to finish that sentence. if I have dishes in the sink? If I have laundry to do. If I have been sick and unable to clean at all!
@chrislotz (8137)
• Canada
12 Sep 08
My house doesn't feel clean if there are any dirty dishes in the sink or on the counter. I have a dishwasher and so if and when my daughter leaves dirty dishes on the counter, it irratates me to no end. I mean she is a 25 year old adult, and the dishwasher is right there by the sink, built in the counter, so why not open it and put the dishes in it. I always make sure the clean ones are put away so it isn't because of that, it is just laziness. I keep on her about it and she is getting somewhat better but not totally. Oh well, maybe in time she will learn to do it.
• Singapore
26 Jul 08
My house doesn't feel clean if ... MY MOM KEEP NAGGING AT ME!!! she always ask me to clean the house when it's already cleaned. like wth. damn suck lah.
@walijo2008 (4644)
• United States
31 Dec 08
My house doesn't feel clean if my bathroom and kitchen aren't clean and my living room isn't dusted. I think its important to have a clean bathroom and a clean kitchen, I don't like having dishes sitting in the sink, and my floor not being swept. As long as I can keep that up, I'm alright about having company coming over. My house isn't spotless, but I feel good when its halfway there...lol.
• United States
31 Dec 08
My friends worry about me. I am constantly cleaning whether or not my house needs it or not. I have to have everything organized and I am always carrying around a spray bottle with bleach and water. I shampoo my carpets at least twcice to three times a week and I vacuum at least 5-6 times a day. I have no pets. I do, however, have an 11 year old daughter. She calls me a "Clean Freak"!!! I can't stand for there to be laundry in the hamper. I take down my curtains and wash them at least once a week and I change my linens everyday....I wear myself out but when I try to sit down, I look around and see something that doesn't look clean enough and then I am back up again cleaning.....I manage to get 3-4 hours of sleep at night and I am usually up organizing drawers and throwing things away... My doctors say that I have a bad case of OCD....
• United States
24 Jul 08
I had to learn not to be such a neat freak because it nearly sent me to the loony been for not sleeping. I had a three year old and a new baby that did not sleep he spent more time crying then anything else. I was trying to be all for my family and keeping a perfect home. I ended up having severe migraines. The doctor told me to find my priories. My children where my priorities so my house had to go. Now I keep a cleaner home then before but it is not clean by any standards. There are few dishes in the sink. Last night I went through a box that I had put in the garage for almost four years. It was items from my old desk when we moved here. My husband bought me a used desk when I went into the RN program in 1992 and it had sentimental value to me. So when we moved here to our new house I let my family get rid of my desk that was falling apart. I cleaned out my desk and put all the stuff in a box and have not dealt with it sense we moved. All the stuff from the box is on the front room floor and I do not know what to do with all the treasures I found. Today I have to find places for all the items from the desk
@bfarrier1 (2082)
• United States
24 Jul 08
I agree with you all the way it must be spotless and I am always cleaning to make sure it stays that way,it is only myself and my husband so no toys are laying around.My girls tell me that my house dont even looked lived in.I try to let something go(like maybe a few dishes in the sink)just to see if I can,well I cant I will get up in the middle of the night and put them in the dishwasher.I just cant stand it.You have a great night.
• United States
23 Jul 08
My home doesn't feel clean: If the kitchen floor isn't mopped at least once a week and even that two times seems necessary as I have two babies and Im constantly thinking I might have to mop daily which seems more like a job that being mommy lol Oh, the toilet seat has to be clean, not sticky and just CLEAN, mats on my bathroom floor have to be clean and not mushy feeling, yuck, a nice hour or two under the 90 degree sun usually does them well when I cant get them to the wash room down town
@ruby222 (4847)
24 Jul 08
My house doesnt feel clean unless I do my litle daily routine,its a routine that I have followed for years and although its not set ins tone,there are certain things that I love to do every day..wash the bathroom..and the floors ..they dont take long to do,then pop the vacuum around,and wash the kitchen workops over.The only thing is that once you get into the habit of doing these jobs,it gets to the point that you do miss doing them ...Im not too worried re thee clutter because we live in a very small house.
@walijo2008 (4644)
• United States
23 Jul 08
My house doesn't feel clean if the dishes are still in the sink, and I haven't swept the kitchen floor yet. I like to have a clean kitchen and if it isn't it bothers me. My idea of clean is when I've gone and picked everything up and theres no clutter, and I've gone thru the house with my sweeper and my floors are shiny, I have wood floors, and the bathrooms been cleaned too.
• United States
23 Jul 08
My house doesn't feel clean if there are any dishes in the sink.