Terrible housekeepers support group - Page 2

[Juvysen]

Originally Posted by pookel

Oh, I don't have a problem with her, it's just that her standard routine, the one you're supposed to do if you join the site, doesn't work for me. It sounds nice in theory, but it doesn't work for my personality or schedule. She has some good ideas, for sure. (And I know the daily stuff works for a lot of people, too. Just not me.)

Me neither :

[phatchristy]

Originally Posted by pookel

Oh, I don't have a problem with her, it's just that her standard routine, the one you're supposed to do if you join the site, doesn't work for me. It sounds nice in theory, but it doesn't work for my personality or schedule. She has some good ideas, for sure. (And I know the daily stuff works for a lot of people, too. Just not me.)

I do think though I need to set up some sort of routine here. I've noticed that our tile floors get dirty so quickly. I'm thinking I need to set up a mopping routine.

[meowee]

Bump!

Terrible housekeepers (or Housekeepers with issues!) unite!

Yeah... that flylady... not only who wears shoes in the house, but who wears HEELS in the house????'

And WHO polishes their sink? I don't even know what that means!

[gillibean]

I can admit it. I'm a messy, disorganized packrat. I've realized that I inhertited it from my mom. Now I cringe when I hear DD1 say, "Can I keep them?" or, "I'll start a collection." On one occasion she was talking about used staples. I know that I should be a better example but it's just so hard. Thankfully I married someone much more organized than I.

[Pepperdove]

Oh my am I disorganized (and messy and cluttered and and and...)! So is DH, and it's a really awful combo. I fight mainly to keep the kitchen clean. Then I'm never really too far over my head.

My biggest problem is that I can't focus. At all. Ever. I want drugs (Adderal or something)! But DH says no. I don;t think he really understands that all my focus is used up on keping the kids clean, fed, and diapered. He's just different.

Amd I will gladly admit that I am a TERRIBLE housekeeper... but I am eons better than I was to start. Since nobody ever taught me how. I have to remember that I've come a pretty long way.

[cycle]

I'm in. I can't seem to get and keep a handle on keeping home clean and clutter free. Its just DS & I and a big part of the problem is toys! Of course. I have purged so many toys and I need to go through them again. Another problem I have is ds walking around with food and drinks. We eat meals at the table together, but its really hard when he is snacking and I have to do other things, to keep him in the kitchen with food or drinks. Inevitably there are crumbs, grapes turned into raisins, sticky or water on the floor....ugh. I have gotten much better but I need to figure out a better system and a better way to not accumulate clutter....

[Chinese Pistache]

Overwhelmed here, too.

The clutter gets to me to the point that I don't want to tackle anything. It's like I figure the job is too big even before starting. And then, I waste a lot of time playing on the computer while I avoid what I should really be doing.

I'm not a bad cleaner or organizer actually. I can get things sparkling clean, but I seem to get a big burst of energy only ever once in a while, so most of the time, I'm wading through clutter.

I know I need some systems in place, with time management and storage.

[pookel]

Originally Posted by Chinese Pistache

Overwhelmed here, too.

The clutter gets to me to the point that I don't want to tackle anything. It's like I figure the job is too big even before starting. And then, I waste a lot of time playing on the computer while I avoid what I should really be doing.

I'm not a bad cleaner or organizer actually. I can get things sparkling clean, but I seem to get a big burst of energy only ever once in a while, so most of the time, I'm wading through clutter.

I know I need some systems in place, with time management and storage.

Yes, yes, yes. This is exactly me. In fact, I am on the computer right now instead of cleaning.

[kamilla626]

Originally Posted by Chinese Pistache

I'm not a bad cleaner or organizer actually. I can get things sparkling clean, but I seem to get a big burst of energy only ever once in a while, so most of the time, I'm wading through clutter.

Same here.

I also like the idea of buying various cleaning products, gadgets or storage systems; thinking it will motivate me more. But all it does is add to the junk.

Our house right now is worse than it's been in years. YEARS.

I make excuses, I feel overwhelmed and tired, I don't know where to start... etc.

[adtake]

Originally Posted by Chinese Pistache

Overwhelmed here, too.

The clutter gets to me to the point that I don't want to tackle anything. It's like I figure the job is too big even before starting. And then, I waste a lot of time playing on the computer while I avoid what I should really be doing.

I'm not a bad cleaner or organizer actually. I can get things sparkling clean, but I seem to get a big burst of energy only ever once in a while, so most of the time, I'm wading through clutter.

I know I need some systems in place, with time management and storage.

Thats me! When I worked my work space was amazing! but at home..i'm a mess...too much to start.

Originally Posted by pookel

Flylady does not work for me - who wears shoes in the house?! And I do not have 15 minutes to clean on my workdays. That said, her "crisis cleaning" method works pretty well for me. I do well with setting a timer.

By the time I get the 15 mintue job done the boys have made a 20 minute mess somewhere else....why bother!

[Chinese Pistache]

Originally Posted by kamilla626

I also like the idea of buying various cleaning products, gadgets or storage systems; thinking it will motivate me more. But all it does is add to the junk.


I make excuses, I feel overwhelmed and tired, I don't know where to start... etc.

Originally Posted by adtake

By the time I get the 15 mintue job done the boys have made a 20 minute mess somewhere else....why bother!

Yep.

[maisiedotes]

DH's solution to the house being messy is to invite people over. But instead of cleaning we frantically shove everything into the closets and then we can't find anything!

[Ellien C]

Fly lady is right out - from the moment she suggested SHINING the sink. In my house, it's a success if the dishes GET to the sink. If I wasn't supposed to put things IN the sink, for fear of dirtying it, the dishes would stack on the counter - which is somewhat of most our problems to begin with. Do you think "If I don't have time to put it away right, or clean it right, or do it right, I won't do it?"

I've found Sandra Feltons books - New Messies manual - very helpful. At least, they made good reading and gave me insight, but I still have a messy house!

There are a combination of things going on for me: Perfection is part of it, combined with poor habits, lack of systems, and focussed attention on other things. And getting depressed and overwhelmed, too. Felton has a book on motivation also. We are WORTHY of having clean beautiful organized houses. But now I have to pack for out of town weekend with 4 yo.

[smeisnotapirate]

I don't know if I'm terrible, but I let things go until I can't stand them any more (and I can't find my cats because they're hiding under crap) and then I go on a marathon clean.

DH is good about vacuuming whenever I get into one of my cleaning snits, though, so I appreciate that. Though I did have to abdicate the kitchen and basement from my house (DH does the cooking) because he lets them go until I can't walk into them anymore, and I told him it's SO not my responsibility any more.

[malibusunny]

ha, I'm a TERRIBLE housekeeper. That's not to say that my house is always in a state of disaster or anything, just that I despise cleaning, save everything, and let my kid play with stuff he enjoys (like big strips of cardboard) that other people would throw away because it looks bad.

I generally just keep water and food bearing surfaces clean and call it good.

[sophiekat]

i could quote just about every post and :

with a newborn who wants to nurse constantly, a 2 year old, and a husband who works all the time our house is constantly in a disaster state. i keep trying to implement systems (laundry monday, etc) but then the baby has a fussy day or something comes up and it never happens

[malibusunny]

Originally Posted by meowee

And WHO polishes their sink? I don't even know what that means!

Umm, I do. : I cannot stand it when my sink isn't clean. Not just clean, but CLEAN. I can wade through the mess of boxes on my kitchen floor, push aside a stack of papers on the dishwasher, kicking cheerios under the stove and shoving aside dustbunnies under the table, but my sink has to glow. I have a thing about waterbearing surfaces.

Is anyone else's house inexplicably dusty? I seriously do not get how other people keep their houses all dusted. I can dust with a vengence and two hours later, there is visible dust on every surface again. Pfft. Why bother?

[artemis33]

Oh yeah, I belong

My house is disorganized and pretty messy and I am a packrat. I don't desire a spartan lifestyle - I am ok with the fact that I have some collections that I love and that I have a lot of clothes. I'm not okay with the fact that the whole place is disorganized and I can't seem to get "like things" together to try to implement a system. I feel like if I could get that far, it would help me get rid of my excess.

I have a hard time letting go of things. I will never be someone who just has 4 pair of pants or whatever, but I would like to at least get rid of all the ones i still have hanging around that I don't wear, don't fit me, don't even like.....Right now though my clothes are stored in 3 different places in the house and getting them all together to figure out what I have seems like so much work!

And then there are all of those magazines I can't recycle until I give them 'one more look' to make sure there isn't something in there I want to save THAT's the kind of stuff that I view as a real problem.

I also need routines. But I feel like routines are good for 'maintenance' cleaning - but I need to get to that point. There are many things that I pretty much never do (wash windows? ha!) and would like to get to a point where at least once in while I can do that.

*sigh* Yes, I am overwhelmed. Count me in.

[AlwaysByMySide]

Originally Posted by Chinese Pistache

Overwhelmed here, too.

The clutter gets to me to the point that I don't want to tackle anything. It's like I figure the job is too big even before starting. And then, I waste a lot of time playing on the computer while I avoid what I should really be doing.

I'm not a bad cleaner or organizer actually. I can get things sparkling clean, but I seem to get a big burst of energy only ever once in a while, so most of the time, I'm wading through clutter.

I know I need some systems in place, with time management and storage.

:

I have a hard time letting go of things. I will never be someone who just has 4 pair of pants or whatever, but I would like to at least get rid of all the ones i still have hanging around that I don't wear, don't fit me, don't even like.....

And a big : to this one too.

My house isn't dirty. It isn't unsafe. There's just a lot of STUFF. And it's stuff I don't have any desire to get rid of.

Also, in an effort to be frugal, I hang onto things for my daughter's little projects. Toilet paper tubes, milk bottle caps, paper grocery bags, etc. I vividly remember being a kid and having a blast with my little art projects, and I want to give that experience to my kids. It's just starting to take over, that's all.

I also buy things in advance for holidays, or clothes that my kids will grow into, things like that. It's just that there's only so much storage...

The good news is that it looks like we are moving soon, and that will give me a chance to wade through some things and finally get rid of some of the stuff (though probably not much!) And that whole nesting thing should set in in a couple of months! (The last time I went into major nesting mode, we put together a wall's worth of shelving and bought a bunch of Rubbermaid totes and went to TOWN in the garage.)

[BoringTales]

Originally Posted by maisiedotes

DH's solution to the house being messy is to invite people over. But instead of cleaning we frantically shove everything into the closets and then we can't find anything!

That's usually our solution too! Our house is never as clean as when we're having company come over.

I think I need to find a friend that would just 'drop by' now and then. That would motivate me to keep my house up daily if I though someone might be stopping by to visit!

I've gotten a LOT better in the last year or so. I used to be *really* terrible. Both Dh and I are RELLY messy, him way more than me now.

At least now I normally keep the kitchen relatively clean, don't let myself get over run with dishes and a nasty floor.

This week I took on a HUGE project...our 'junk' room. Its where I tossed all the misc crap that I didn't have any other place for. I also went through ALL of my baby clothes, got rid of the stuff I knew my youngest won't be wearing, washed it all, and seperated it into various sizes. That was a big job. I also cleaned out a TON of empty cardboard boxes that had ended up in there, empty things of cat litter...I could go on and on. I'm pretty proud of myself for getting that done! There's still more to do, but we're working on it. Well, I'm working on it anyway.

I have a long way to go to get rid of the mess and clutter, but I'm slowly getting there. "One room at a time" is my motto. Otherwise I pick up toys in the living room, bring them to the toys room, see the toy room is messy and start picking that up. I go to get the vacuum to vac out the toy room and see dirty clothes on the floor. I pick up the clothes and bring them to the laundry room, toss them in the washer, then the baby cries. I go nurse the baby and get sucked into 1/2 hour of computer time (or 1 hour, or 2 . By the end of the day NOTHING looks clean even though it feels like I've been cleaning all day long.

I can't wait until the day when I wouldn't be totally embarrassed if a friend just popped in to say hello. That'll be GREAT!