Help! My house is a MESS!
@nonersays (3344)
United States
September 1, 2015 12:46pm CST
How clean is your house? What are your house cleaning secrets?
Mine is a mess. I've never been very "clean." I mean, its not FILTHY disgusting like nobody would want to set foot in it, but as I was sweeping the floor today I noticed lots of little dirty spots. Dirty on the baseboard. Dog fur dust bunnies under furniture. Things like that.
Truth be told, I work full time outside of the home and I don't want to spend all day on my day off cleaning house. So I let things slide... a lot of things.
I've been to pinterest looking for tips to keep a house clean, and even house cleaning schedules.
Funny thing about those schedules... every single one of them I can find seem to be written with stay at home moms in mind. Since I'm out of my house far more hours a day than I am in it then those will not work for me.
Anyone got any house cleaning time management tips for someone who hardly gets to BE home?
7 people like this
8 responses
@yukimori (10192)
• United States
1 Sep 15
Right now, it's not as clean as I want it to be, but it's less of a disaster than it used to be.
I just finished reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo. Her method really resonates with me, so I've started a massive purge of all my belongings. Just this week I've gotten rid of three big bags and four boxes of things, and I have another batch ready to go to the thrift store. That's not counting the massive amount of paper clutter I've put out in the recycling can, either.
The basic principle that the method Marie Kondo uses focuses on is surrounding yourself with only things that you really, truly love. If it doesn't spark joy, it should go. I guess it could be considered a way of embracing a minimalist lifestyle... but what I'm really seeing is that cutting down on how many things I own will give me less to clean. Another big thing that she emphasizes is that everything should have its own place, because knowing exactly where something belongs makes picking things up and putting them away extremely simple.
For me, the real motivation is that I want to minimize the amount of energy I expend on keeping up the house. I have fibromyalgia, and I don't always have a lot of energy... the less I have to spend on things that need to be done, the more I might have for the things I want to do. 
5 people like this
@nonersays (3344)
• United States
1 Sep 15
I've read (most of) that book. I have it aorund here somewhere. Sadly her lessons seem best to apply to someone living alone. I share a house with my husband and 2 kids. Most of the "stuff" is his and would lead to divorce if I got rid of it.
3 people like this
@yukimori (10192)
• United States
1 Sep 15
@nonersays Ah, yeah. I guess I lucked out because a lot of the clutter is just old papers that we've been saving for... who knows what. My husband is completely on board with me scanning all of the important ones to PDF files and shredding the hard copies. And once I started going through my things, he decided to do the same with his. Even our kindergartner has been choosing things to put in the donation pile this week. 
@nonersays (3344)
• United States
1 Sep 15
@yukimori My husband has kept everything he ever owned. Including empty boxes of things. Then there are the kids toys and my craft supplies. There is not a clear spot anywhere in our home. It woudl be funny if it wasn't sad.
Funny thing is that paperwork is the ONLY thing that we have contained.
@owstalaga (4825)
• Philippines
1 Sep 15
Hahaha, same here. I am not a clean freak but sometimes it needs to be done. I just clean when I have to clean and that's that. Even if I don't have work, I clean when it's needed. If I have a problem with cleaning I just surf the net for some helpful tips.
Also, the thing about decluttering is I find myself not wanting to let go of some things that might be useful in the future. 
I've got too many things I have to get rid of! 
I've got too many things I have to get rid of! @nonersays (3344)
• United States
1 Sep 15
Right now I don't even want to THINK about decluttering. I just want a little basic dust-busting help.
1 person likes this
@bunnybon7 (50970)
• Holiday, Florida
4 Sep 15
maybe get a room mate? that has more time. or do it on weekends like i used to when i worked
@nonersays (3344)
• United States
7 Sep 15
Oh, no room for a room mate. I have a husband and 2 kids. The husband helps a little. The kids are not old enough to be helpful yet.
@nonersays (3344)
• United States
10 Oct 15
I've heard that about those little vacuum robots. I'm afraid our dog fur dust bunnies would gang up on one and murder it.
@nonersays (3344)
• United States
7 Sep 15
Yeah...kids and clean don't go good togather. But I'm okay with THAT kind of mess.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61463)
• United States
2 Oct 15
I gave up years ago. It is an endless battle and I am not really into it. Do enough to make yourself comfortable and enjoy your free time with your kids. The clutter and dirt will be there forever, the kids will grow up.
@crazyhorseladycx (39503)
• United States
10 Sep 15
it's diff'cult 'less ya assign folks schtuff. unfortunately once they become habits, its hard to get 'em turned 'round. i used to work 70+hrs a week with 3 young'uns 'n a hubs. i worked, came home 'n cleaned/did laundry/cooked/homework 'n all that schtuff. it takes dedication, that keepin' the place all nice 'n tidy..'n the lack 'f a life outside 'f such. big 
