I love a clean house.

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

I like the smell of a clean house when you walk in.

I like to see clear, open spaces.

I like my kitchen floor to be shiny.

I like clear counters, cleaned and scrubbed.

Seeing my house clean and in order is very peaceful to me.

I've finally decided that this is just important for my peace of mind, so I'm going to devote time to cleaning my house every day.

Even though...it gets dirty again right away because I have three small children and no one seems to notice when I've cleaned it. ~I~ notice.

Another comment I sometimes get is that I don't spend enough time with my children...that I'm spending time I could be playing with them cleaning the house.

I spend HOURS everyday playing with my children. If I take an hour or two out of the day everyday to clean the house, I'm still spending the other 10 hours in the day with them. It is not an all-or-nothing thing. You can still have a clean house and happy kids.

And my friends think I'm a clean-freak and make comments about how my house looks like a museum and they could NEVER "waste" all that time cleaning the house...it is my house and I LIKE it that way. I enjoy clean.

I enjoy working puzzles too -- I think it is the same principle...taking chaos and turning it into something orderly.

I swear I can smell DUST. It definitely has an odor. I don't want to smell that in my home.

This is not a judgement about how YOU keep your home. People always get so defensive when they feel like you are judging their cleanliness. I could care less if a friend's house is dirty or not. I don't live there.

But I do care about my own little world and I like it clean clean clean.

Any other clean house lovers out there?

[youngwife]

Oh, how I thoroughly love a clean house, too. :

However, I have not yet mastered the skills necessary to accomplish what you have. : Hats off to you!

Enjoy your clean home.

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

Oh I haven't mastered those skills either

I'm just stating that I want to!

I'm giving myself permission to spend time trying to get things right.

[Hopefulmama]

I know what you mean. However I'm still working on getting there. Once you declutter, it seems easier as long as you stay on top of things. Then a kid gets sick or you have to take care of a parent and it seems like it all goes down the drain! Good for you!

[youngwife]

Originally Posted by Crunchy*VT*Mom

Oh I haven't mastered those skills either

I'm just stating that I want to!

I'm giving myself permission to spend time trying to get things right.

Well, still...Way-to-go! I am glad you've taken this first step.

[youngwife]

Originally Posted by Hopefulmama

I know what you mean. However I'm still working on getting there. Once you declutter, it seems easier as long as you stay on top of things. Then a kid gets sick or you have to take care of a parent and it seems like it all goes down the drain! Good for you!

This is part of my struggles, too. I'll *think* I am making headway, and then, Wham!! I hit a set back that turns into a road block, and it takes me another week or so to get back on track.

Also, I have two daughters (my oldest two) that have medical issues. So, when they feel well (rarely) we can accomplish amazing things. But usually, they have issues, and/or dr appointments to get to. So, things seem to stay in an upheaval.

The condition/state that my house is in is NOT the way I desire it. And, I daily have to struggle with pressing on toward the goal of a clean house. Sometimes, it just seems too overwhelming.

[Purple Sage]

I love a clean house, too. You said it very well!

My house is not as clean as I'd like, but it feels good to work on it.

My mother was just here for a almost two weeks, and she (good-naturedly) joked about how clean my closets are and how I'm always doing something around the house. It made me feel good.

And I really don't care how other people keep their houses, either.

[Alyantavid]

You sound just like me. I like my little world nice and neat and organized.

[es1967]

I love a clean house too. I can relate to all the things you have said. The one thing I notice is that whenever I feel like I'm on top of things something happens. Like right after I wash the floor my son goes in the fridge and pulls out a glass plate that shatters everywhere. This happened last week so I had to move the fridge etc. Or I have all the laundry done and then my sons diaper leaks in the bed. This would not be a problem at all if my washer was in my condo. I love washing but I have to slug everything downstairs while my 2.5 yr old tries to escape.
This morning I was going to have a nice quiet breakfast and I spilled oatmeal all over the couch! I feel its just the universe's way of saying-stop being so picky!

[annekevdbroek]

Love love love a clean and orderly house. I just do not feel *right* when there is clutter and mess.

We just hired a cleaning lady - So much easier because she comes and the entire house is completely clean 1x a week and then all I have to do is maintain it between visits. *BLISS*

[Just My Opinion]

I love a clean house too. I too, hate those comments regarding playing with children. I typically get passive/aggressive statements like, "they are only young once and I don't want to waste my precious time on cleaning!" and things of that nature. As if it has to be an all or nothing thing.

Now don't get me wrong, I totally honor dd's desire to spread out and enjoy her home with her toys and such -- we also do crafts and things that can get messy -- but generally speaking, I love a clean, orderly, organized home with little clutter.

I think it does a service to dd, as she will be keeping her own home someday (whether partnered or single) and I want her to take pride in her home -- to value what she has been blessed with (even if she doesn't have a lot of money, we sure don't lol), to feel a sense of accomplishment and peace when her space is tidy and organized.

My house doesn't look like a museum, mind you, but I do love a tidy, uncluttered space.

[lamairs81]

I would just about die for a tidy, uncluttered space. LOL I'm having to take itty-bitty baby steps atm, though. My SIL & her 2 kids moved in with us recently, plus we have 3 of our own. And all our critters. So, yeah, mass chaos is kinda the rule at our house now. But I vow I'll get stuff under control somehow. :-)

[hillymum]

It's so much easier for me to relax in a tidy room. I find I can't cook in a kitchen with stuff on the counters so i guess you could say I am far happier in a clean tidy house. My husband is just begining to understand this. (After almost 12 years of marrige!)

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

Originally Posted by youngwife

This is part of my struggles, too. I'll *think* I am making headway, and then, Wham!! I hit a set back that turns into a road block, and it takes me another week or so to get back on track.

It has taken me a YEAR to get back on track since the birth of our last baby. But now that she is crawling around, I have new motivation to get those dust bunnies up.

Originally Posted by lemongrass

she (good-naturedly) joked about how clean my closets are and how I'm always doing something around the house.

That is one of my goals, actually. To be like you and "always be doing something around the house." Because I don't have any big chunks of time to work on it, I need to get in the habit of cleaning in snippets, here and there.

Originally Posted by Just My Opinion

I too, hate those comments regarding playing with children. I typically get passive/aggressive statements like, "they are only young once and I don't want to waste my precious time on cleaning!" and things of that nature. As if it has to be an all or nothing thing.

Clearly those statements bother me (I've gotten that one too) or I wouldn't be mentioning them here...but my thing is -- where do you draw the line? Is it more important to play with them, or cook food for them? Play with them or clean their dishes so they don't get sick? Do their laundry?

People seem to universally agree that you should do those basic upkeep things for your children.

It is a spectrum and people randomly decide where the cutoff is...for some people you are spending too much time on the house if you vacuum the floors once every two weeks. For others, it is important to dust the ceiling fans.

I'm trying to find a place on that spectrum that is right for me (and I KNOW that it is further on the clean side than most people) and just ignore those comments.

I think it does a service to dd, as she will be keeping her own home someday (whether partnered or single) and I want her to take pride in her home -- to value what she has been blessed with (even if she doesn't have a lot of money, we sure don't lol), to feel a sense of accomplishment and peace when her space is tidy and organized.

Me too. My Dad was a clean freak and I always appreciated how our home was in order when I was a child. I can remember that to this day! And one of my favorite times of the week was Saturday morning when we had "family clean" time and we all were pitching in together to get the house in order. Dad would play bluegrass music and we would dance around cleaning...then we would have a treat for breakfast like french toast. I want my daughters to have a positive association with a clean house.

Originally Posted by lamairs81

So, yeah, mass chaos is kinda the rule at our house now. But I vow I'll get stuff under control somehow. :-)

Wow! yes, you do have a lot going on!

Originally Posted by hillymum

I find I can't cook in a kitchen with stuff on the counters so i guess you could say I am far happier in a clean tidy house. My husband is just begining to understand this. (After almost 12 years of marrige!)

I know! I can't cook if there are dirty dishes on the counter either. My DH doesn't understand this -- he always complains that I have to do a kitchen-clean up before cooking.

[crunchy_mama]

Me-me-me! Certainly not perfect here, but man life goes so much smoother when things are organized. My big thing is clutter. I just despise it. Little things everywhere. I could relate to so much to what was said! I am much more comfortable in a clean and decluttered home.

I can relate so much to what has been said. I do also feel like we are always recovering from a disaster. Just finally pulling things together after a rough first trimester. I figure I get 5 months to get everything in perfect order before the new baby comes and life is total chaos again. I am trying to work on things now to make sure the transition is smoother though. Establishing routines. Training the oldest especially on doing chores. I have about 40 meals in the freezer and canned and plan for about 20 more.

I have made friends w/ some other real neat freaks and it is so cool! I like the motivation.

Oh, and I had to laugh about cleaning the kitchen before cooking. Although w/ me often I have to pick up the great room, then pick up the kitchen and get everything ready. Lately though we are doing better about staying right on top of it so there is less to catch up. It takes so much less time if you stay on top of it versus letting it get crazy and then catching up, it really does, I don't think people get that. Plus, as pp's have stated it is my job to teach all of my children these skills- they need to be able to take care of themselves, their belongings, cook, laundry etc- basic stuff that seems to be lost somehow.

[lolar2]

I don't know if the comments are exactly passive-aggressive, per se. I mean, DS went through a stage I thought would never end, which I posted about several times, lasting from about 8 months to 24 months, where if he saw me cleaning he'd get hysterically upset. I mean panicky, sobbing, CIO-level upset. Either it got done by someone else, or while he was sleeping, or not at all, and our house looked pretty bad for a year. Or he'd try to "help" by throwing breakable things. Maybe the people who make those comments have children in the same stage, and they imagine that you are callously ignoring your children's screams of distress for hours while you clean around your poor, sobbing children.

p.s. I love a clean house too! And now that DS doesn't mind my cleaning any more and is even able to help a bit, it's much easier.

[sapphire_chan]

I totally agree. With the addition that in so far as it's possible, your kids should be helping you clean. The fact that you're doing the cleaning for your own sense of happiness in your home and not because it's what you're "supposed" to do will be an excellent thing for your kids to see.

Not saying you have to do everything with them, of course, it's also great for kids to have a chance to do a bit of independent playing.

[h@ppy mama]

I love waking up to a clean house. I made the commitment (to myself) that I will straighten up our living areas every night before going to bed so I can start the day of in a clean home. It's always worth it!

PS, my friends (and hubs!) call me a neat freak. I too spend all day doing stuff with my daughter. If I spend some of that time cleaning, so what?

[mommaof3boz]

Slightly off topic but yet on topic...On housewives of new jersey reunion the other night, theresa was talking about how other peoples dirty houses "skeeve" her out and she says "You know like people who don't mop their floors every day" LOL LOL. I would love to tell her most folks dont do that every day, sweep yes, mop no. However, I agree a normally clean and uncluttered home makes a huge differece in the general feeling of the home. I detest when people use their kids (except for the above posters who have valid reasons) for a crutch to have a filthy house. The whole "Ill clean in 20 yrs when they are grown up"....ummm no you won't.

I am somewhat of a germaphobe about handwashing, countertops, bathrooms. At the same time I don't care if my kids have a snack in the living room. Balance.

[Stone Fence]

I love a clean house too!

Once a week we pick up all the small parts from the toys and vacuum up all the dog hair and mop the kitchen floor, wash the sheets an remake the beds. I am happy until the next weekend when we start all over. In a perfect world, I also get to open all the windows and get lots of fresh air.

All this stuff happens on the weekend. On Monday morning I am ready to get back to work. I feel prepared.

In September I will become a SAHM. I'll have free time every morning when DS goes to pre-school to clean to my heart's content.: