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I love a clean house.

5K views 89 replies 43 participants last post by  crunchy_mama 
#1 ·
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?
 
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#27 ·
re: orderly vs. clean

I think orderly is necessary in order to have clean.

Whenever people say that their house is disorganized "but it is clean" I wonder to myself how that is possible.

When things are all in disarray, I can't even find the floor, much less mop it.

So yes, I'm into decluttering too. My house is definitely on the minimalist side.

Although -- truth be told -- with three children under five my house is mostly one big toy box, with some furniture thrown in there so we can sit and read stories together.

 
#29 ·
I love a clean house, too, but I haven't figured out how to keep it that way. As soon as it gets all clean, a disaster happens and I feel like I'm right back where I started. I have figured out that if I invite people over (for playgroups or lunch or whatever) that I will get motivated to clean. So, I try to invite over company every two weeks.
 
#30 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by Crunchy*VT*Mom View Post
Whenever people say that their house is disorganized "but it is clean" I wonder to myself how that is possible.
In my case, it meant everything was on a shelf or in a drawer, but not the right shelf/drawer. I'd have a clear floor and a laundry basket (or 2) of junk to sort. Tons of stuff that doesn't have a set "place" to go so it's just shoved in where ever it'd fit.
 
#31 ·
also I am raising all boys. I don't want them to have it in their heads if they marry someday its the spouses job. I make them clean right along with me. I think for some reason that still isn't the norm, to make boys pitch in equally with girls on household work. I am not raising children, I am raising future adults who need to be be self sufficent. I am their momma now but their future partner, roommante, child whatever isn't.
 
#32 ·
Melissa --

The future spouses of your boys will thank you.

I know I have thanked my mother-in-law MANY times.

She was a single Mom and she didn't have time for a son who couldn't clean -- he had a list of chores a mile long


So now, since that is what he is used to, my husband pitches in every single day (he does all the dishes, he does laundry, he changes diapers, he vacuums...whatever needs doing he'll do. And I'm very grateful for this) and I attribute all of this to how his mother raised him.

 
#34 ·
well, i would love to have a clean and organized home too. and i'm getting there. but it's taken me many many years. my husband is absolutely critical to this process. he's an awesome cleaner, he prefers it to be clean and neat, and over our 10 year marriage has done FAR more of it than me.
: i'm comin' around. slowly.

i haven't found the balance yet between cleaning/decluttering/organizing and having fun with my kids. i tend to do entire days of one thing. not great. but i imagine that once my house is fully decluttered (well, i know it's a process but you kwim) i will be able to find that balance more easily.

until then, my house needs some major help.
:
 
#35 ·
I am usually a typical Virgo clean freak. I have been soooo out of my groove lately, though. We are in a tiny house and things are just out of hand. So I need to get back with it after we are able to move out of these boxes!

Does anyone have any recommendations for a quick mop thing? Squirt and mop? I have a regular mop (not sponge) and it is an enormous amount of work and seems to make the floor dirtier somehow. We will have hardwoods throughout most of the house when we move again and I need to find a good mop for that, too. I think Target has a good one, so I need to find a Target next time we travel.

What about the robot vacuums like roomba? I got good recommendations to get one on another thread, but is there a less expensive one out there?
 
#36 ·
I love that there's a thread for moms who love to clean. Cooking interests me a little but CLEANING really gets my mama heart to fluttering.

I'm even one of the last hand-moppers out there. I don't do it everyday - but I usally do get to it weekly. And I handmop because that enables me to see every speck and then my baseboards are clean too. My only problem are that I have a gigantic kitchen floor and we live on the beach. The sand keeps my kids busy most days but it's well, SAND. And it travels throughout the entire house when they come back in. I swear it ends up in rooms they don't even go into and makes tiny piles. In corners. It finds the cat hair and makes nests.

I'll shut up now. My sand rant makes me look insane.

And I'd LOVE to get a Roomba vacuum and Scooba. The idea that robots would be cleaning my house while I sleep cracks me up. I'd like to program them to work at like 2:00 a.m. and then get up to spy on them.
 
#37 ·
My floors need a good washing right now too. I usually wash the floors once a week. The entire condo is tile so it still quite a job. I have just been so lazy this past week and everytime I step on the floor I think about it. Luckily my little dog cleans up most of the 2.5 yr olds mess and the roomba takes care of the rest. The roomba is awesome. It really picks up alot of stuff but you need to have things picked up which I always do. I would love to get down on my hands and knees and scrub the heck out of these floors. I really need to do the grout w magic erasers. Its the only thing that really cleans the grout.
 
#38 ·
oo, really? i'm off to try magic erasers on my grout today


we just have a hand-vac, i love not having to pull anything behind me.

however, jennifer, please explain more about how you hand-mop. what do you use? a spray bottle and a cloth? something thick? textured? a sponge? scrub brush? bucket of water? i need help!

i can never seem to get my bathroom (around the toilet) to smell good, it is really frustrating. any (environmentally sound
) tips for me?

ahh, i am a double virgo. clean + tidy gives me tremendous peace and energy


*
 
#39 ·
The magic erasers work well for my tile because I have had the grout sealed w a special sealant. Its a light beige tile w light grout so its a real PITA. I love having tile everywhere but next time I'd try for smaller grout lines. I have heard others have had success w it too so give it a try. I clean floors and bathroom floor w some hot water, vinegar-drops of lavender,a few peppermint and lemongrass. Even alone I find the lemongrass and the peppermint have a lingering fresh smell.
 
#40 ·
Oh, I desperately need to scrub my kitchen floors today I am going to try the magic eraser as well! I like to hand mop as well, but don't always do it. When I just had a kitchen and bathrooms to do it was no biggie, but now it is close to 2000 sq ft and it is just too much at one time.
 
#41 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by crunchy_mama View Post
Oh, I desperately need to scrub my kitchen floors today I am going to try the magic eraser as well! I like to hand mop as well, but don't always do it. When I just had a kitchen and bathrooms to do it was no biggie, but now it is close to 2000 sq ft and it is just too much at one time.

Its amazing. I do the magic eraser after I have cleaned the floor. The magic eraser picks up so much more dirt. I dont even let anyone wear shoes in the house so I can never understand where the dirt comes from.
: I'm getting inspired to clean my floors too now. Going to the movies w DS this morning but hopefully I can do this in the afternoon.
 
#42 ·
i definitely need a new system, just using a cloth on the floor seems to spread lint around


the tiles are definitely not sealed. the ones on the walls look great, but on the floor in places the grout is very rough, as if someone tried to regrout and did it very badly! is it difficult to put in new grout? i get frustrated with floors that don't look good even when they are clean.

*
 
#45 ·
I like the Home Comforts book as well! I admit I am not the best at keeping a clean house but I try! Recently, I've been seeing the quotation, "A clean house is a wasted life," or something similar as if it is gaining popularity. I can't help but roll my eyes. I NEED order. I don't want to be embarrassed the next time friends or a maintenance person comes by. I remember being in the middle of a cleaning session when one of my husband's co-workers came to drop something off unexpectedly. I whispered, "DON'T LET HIM IN!" as my husband opened the door, lol. Its not a pig sty in here but I was definitely not proud about the state our house at the time.
 
#46 ·
Quote:
A clean house is a wasted life
Like having a clean house takes up your whole life! It just takes a little effort.

I haven't seen that quote yet, but you hear that sentiment frequently.

Which is just baffling to me.

What about Feng Shui? One of the biggest no-nos in Feng Shui is having dirt and clutter in your home -- stagnating the air and all that. Clearly people who follow the thinking of Feng Shui are doing some serious cleaning.

I read a quote in the introduction of Home Comforts where Cheryl says something along the lines of there not being a modern equivalent of "a housewife's work is never finished"...because the modern homekeeper's work never gets started.
 
#48 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by michelleklu View Post
Recently, I've been seeing the quotation, "A clean house is a wasted life," or something similar as if it is gaining popularity.
IME, a clean house means I can get on with & enjoy life. When I had a messier home, it wasn't like I never cleaned and had so much more time to live life; I spent a lot of time trying to catch up and clean around the mess. For me, having a routine and order makes things so much easier and freer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Purple Sage View Post
One of my 12 year old's friend's mother has a sign on her front door that says "Boring women keep clean houses."

The mom of a friend of mine had a similar sign at her door. My (now) dh's mom is a good friend of hers, and she keeps a clean and tidy home, and she also has lots of time for what would probably be considered hobbies (she gardens and sews) and volunteer work. I wondered if the woman with the sign ever thought about MIL and her clean home and busy life when she saw the sign. I mean, I can get maybe putting up a sign that says something to indicate that you're happy with your home and lifestyle the way it is, because people might jump to the conclusion that you're overwhelmed or struggling or just plain clueless if your home is always messy, when you don't have a problem with it. I can see how that would be annoying. But putting up a sign that puts others down to get your point across I really don't get.
 
#49 ·
i do find that a decluttered home is easier to keep, but i definitely struggle if the mess drops below a certain maintenance level. it is a certain amount of work that doesn't look overwhelming to me, still clean or tidy enough that i want to keep it that way...rather than feeling like it is just going to take ages...and sometimes does! i've been feeling a strong desire to do whatever needs doing right away (do it now), and when i can maintain that, keeping house is easy. otherwise it is more like what people say about litter...if there's a bunch of it there already, people will throw more of it, but if it is tidy, they're more likely not to start littering.
i can see myself mentally throw my hands in the air. as my children get older and i get more rest or more support, i find it easier. however when something throws my routine i can spend weeks playing that catch up someone mentioned. that's an exhausting way to live. i hope never to return to it, but i'm afraid life sometimes gets away from me!

*
 
#50 ·
I think everyone loves/enjoys a clean house. I don't know any that actually like to live in clutter or filth.

For me, it's not a matter of I'm going to play with my kids so I'm not going to clean.

It's a matter of:

Reading/researching/feeding an intellectual drive
Writing
Having passions that take up valuable real estate (craft supplies, sewing supplies, toy making supplies)

Coupled with a home with little closet space (built in the 70s), no spare room to put my craft supplies, and lots of discouragement because we outgrew this house one child ago.

Discouragement plays a HUGE role in whether or not one has the stamina to deal with one's storage limitations.

Cleaning is of course easier when things are decluttered. At the same time I'm not about to declutter things that are my passions. I am going to be work on how to make it better organized (or get a slightly bigger house with a real basement and a real linen closet and slightly larger bedrooms or a spare room/office/craft room - my room is a snug 10x12 - a few extra square feet would make a huge impact.).

That's just my .02.
 
#51 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by Purple Sage View Post
I'm a capricorn sun with virgo rising, and I feel the same way.
I am a Virgo with a Capricorn rising and Aries moon. And my oldest is a Capricorn with a Virgo rising. Perfect for each other or our own worst nightmares?


She is the hugest help, though. She is my "second mom" around here!
 
#52 ·
Another clean house lover here. Unfortunately it hasn't been that way lately but am slowly working on getting it back in shape. I get stressed out and anxious when it is messy and too messy and I fall into the 'i don't even know where to start' which leads to getting overwhelmed and doing nothing, which of course makes it worse. I try to remind myself how wondering it is to wake up to a clean kitchen, to not cringe when someone comes to the door etc and that helps to give me the kick I need
:
 
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