Spinoff: how clean is your house? (normally)

novella1186

The thread about people just popping in (and a few comments that the house isn't always totally clean) made me wonder. 

FSIL's house is always perfect. Like, it looks like it was set up to be photographed for a magazine. Everything is always super clean and organized. I've been led to beleive it's ALWAYS like this.

Our house is almost always in some state of mess. I do a lot of projects so there's a pretty good chance that the coffee table is cluttered with paints, brushes, scissors, whatever. There's almost always dirty laundry in our bedroom. There's usually a dirty pan or pot or something in the kitchen. Stuff like that. I feel like a gross lazy loser who sucks at being an adult, cuz it seems like other people do a way better job of keeping their house constantly clean. 

And honestly, I spend a little bit of time every day cleaning, and I will crawl behind the toilet to clean the baseboards by hand and things like that so I get very detailed and very meticulous when I do clean. I care about the house being clean. I just don't always have the time or the energy to have it looking perfect on a 24-7 basis. 

So at any given moment, how clean is your house? 

levioosa

Pretty clean. Maybe a few dishes in the sink, but in the last 5 years I've become a little neurotic about keeping the space clean and organized.  I'd say for the most part guests could come over and I wouldn't be ashamed, but when I know someone is coming over I completely clean, dust, vacuum, the works. 

mikenberger

I have a cleaning service that cleans the house every other Wednesday. So on any given day, average about a 7 on a scale to 10. But on that clean Wednesday.... you could eat off the floor.

southernbelle0915

Pretty damn clean. 

My standard of what makes a house "clean" = clean right down to washed slip covers on pillows, clean windows, washed walls, wiped down baseboards, furniture moved to vacuum, etc.

Admittedly, I was (am to DH) an annoying roommate because "wiping down the counters" is not "clean" to me. 

On the flip side though, I can be messy. And there's a difference. I lack a system for shoes so my shoes are scattered all over the place. Likewise with purses, mail, shopping bags, etc. 

novella1186

southernbelle0915 said:

Pretty damn clean. 

My standard of what makes a house "clean" = clean right down to washed slip covers on pillows, clean windows, washed walls, wiped down baseboards, furniture moved to vacuum, etc.

Admittedly, I was (am to DH) an annoying roommate because "wiping down the counters" is not "clean" to me. 

On the flip side though, I can be messy. And there's a difference. I lack a system for shoes so my shoes are scattered all over the place. Likewise with purses, mail, shopping bags, etc. 

Lol I drive FI crazy sometimes with how meticulous I get. He seriously thinks cleaning the bathroom is wiping off the counter and scrubbing the inside of the toilet. So he'll say, "I cleaned the bathroom!" And I'll say, "Did you do the floors? Wash the bath mat? The mirrors? Scrub out the inside of the tub? Wipe down the walls? Do the baseboards? The toilet seat (both sides)?" And he just rolls his eyes at me. 

l9i

Ironically, mine is usually presentable, not perfect, unless it's cleaning day.  During the week there will be some clutter on the counters, maybe dishes in the sink, and laundry in the bedroom (although no one would really be going in our bedroom so I don't care as much day to day).  Usually on Sundays we like to clean so it can get a little more chaotic as we are moving stuff to sweep and mop, etc, along with doing laundry which is located off a main living area.

Overall, I wouldn't be embarrassed if someone stopped by on an average day.... although I would prefer to spend 10 minutes or so picking up before if possible.

cupcait927

Our house is relatively clean most of the time. There will be a little clutter, and empty water glasses all over the house, but nothing we couldn't scoop up and take care of in 5-10 minutes. I'lll admit, there are weeks when I'll get super lazy and let stuff like the laundry and dishes sit out, but usually H will swoop in and pick up the slack. Our house is never dirty, however. I do my very best to stop on top of things like wiping down counters, having a clean bathroom, vacuuming the floors, etc.

 

I aspire to be my MIL. She's meticulous about cleaning and her house is always spotless. She is always apologizing for "the mess" but it's seriously never anything less than perfect. She cleans houses for a living and has this insane amount of energy left when she gets home. She pretty much never sits down and always has to be doing something, whether it's cleaning or yard work or working out.

flutteringinfl

FI and I both don't really care if there's a bit of clutter, but it can build up pretty quick. I try to keep the kitchen clean because we attract bugs easily, but if there's some clothes or other objects lying around I don't think too much of it.

I do an intense clean whenever we're about to have company.

NowIAmSyp

I try to always keep a clean house...  I tell FI all the time that I just strive to have the house in a state where we wouldn't be embarrassed by an unexpected visitor...

But about those unexpected visitors?  Ugh, no.  

knottie9c5ed33df4bbd226

My house is honestly ALWAYS clean. I like to clean though. Blankets are always folded, pillows propped up, bed made, nothing out on the counters, etc. If it was up to FI, it wouldn't be like that. We have a cleaning lady that comes 2X a month and during the week I do the kitchen counters, vacuum, empty garbage, etc. I am crazy about crumbs and dirty dishes. I know everyone always tells me once I have kids I won't be able to keep up with it so I am trying to enjoy my clean house now

princessofgenovia

Clean? My place is pretty clean. Dishes are put in the dishwasher, there's no ring in the toilet, trash is taken out, and no odd smells.

But there are piles of papers around, laundry that hasn't been put away, ect. Lets just say no one from Home and Garden is showing up and going "Oh we just MUST photograph this home". 

And if that bothers anyone who doesn't pay the bills here they are welcome to leave. Or start cleaning. Whatever.

NowIamMrsKlein

Our house is, for the most part, always CLEAN. However it can get cluttered/messy at times.

Now and then I'll get lazy with the dishes, especially if we've ate dinner late and I'll leave them to the next day. FI is home alot right now with work being slow, so they always get done the next morning.

FI is allergic to life so we have to keep up on the sweeping, dusting, vaccuuming, general cleanliness because otherwise he is miserable.

I'm terrible at putting things away, hence the 'mess or clutter' but its always few enough things that if someone gave me a 10 minutes heads up they were on their way I could get it all organized.

Right now with wedding crafting our living room is a bit of a jumbly mess because FI and I like to watch movies while doing wedding things and it seems silly to me to clean it up each night when we know we will be working on things the next night.

ShesSoCold

My house is pretty clean at most given times. Sometimes we let it go to shit, but not often. We deep clean every weekend and then keep it up pretty well throughout the week. If someone is coming over, I can usually have it spotless (put away last night's dishes, hang up coats, stuff like that) in about ten minutes. 

kvruns

I look at clean and clutter to be different.  It would usually pass the uncluttered test (other than the bedroom) but notsomuch the clean part for some parts of the house. not unsightly dirty or anything like that but I wouldn't eat off the floor lol.

LadyMillil

There is usually a dish or two in the sink and sometimes dirty dishes on the counter because the dishwasher is running. Other than that, just a little clutter on the table. It doesn't take a lot of work to keep a tiny condo clean.

plainjane0415

Right now, I've been bouncing between staying with my parents and staying with FI until the wedding.

My parents house is always immaculate.  Super organized, super clean, perfect.

FI's (and soon to be my) house is different, we like you @novella1186 are usually doing some sort of DIY project so sometimes it seems like stuff is everywhere.  Also right now we are doing a major renovation to add a bathroom upstairs in our house from scratch.  So we currently have a bathroom vanity in our living room with a bunch of random tools stacked on it.

I'm hoping that once the bathroom is done the house will have a little more order to it.  I'm not too worried about keeping it looking perfect because I know that's just unattainable.  FI is the messy one in our relationship, and I don't see him changing (nor would I want him to) his ways.  He's very "I need to be able to see my stuff" if that makes sense haha.  He likes organized chaos pretty much because he feels like he knows where stuff is better as opposed to having it super organized.. I know that's weird..

southernbelle0915

And dirty dishes in the sink is my biggest pet peeve. Why? We have a dish washer and it's empty. It takes about 5 extra seconds to put them in the dishwasher. It's not even one step away from the sink. 

If it needs to soak, fine. Let it soak for 10 minutes and then put it in the dishwasher. But nothing should ever sit in the sink for the day. Like never ever. Ever. Never...

knottie9c5ed33df4bbd226

southernbelle0915 said:

Pretty damn clean. 

My standard of what makes a house "clean" = clean right down to washed slip covers on pillows, clean windows, washed walls, wiped down baseboards, furniture moved to vacuum, etc.

Admittedly, I was (am to DH) an annoying roommate because "wiping down the counters" is not "clean" to me. 

On the flip side though, I can be messy. And there's a difference. I lack a system for shoes so my shoes are scattered all over the place. Likewise with purses, mail, shopping bags, etc. 

I NEVER KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THE MAIL!! It drives me nuts.

[Deleted User]

ShesSoCold said:

My house is pretty clean at most given times. Sometimes we let it go to shit, but not often. We deep clean every weekend and then keep it up pretty well throughout the week. If someone is coming over, I can usually have it spotless (put away last night's dishes, hang up coats, stuff like that) in about ten minutes. 

This is pretty much us.  Keeping the house picked up is difficult with a toddler. DS has to at least help put away his toys, but there always seems to be a stray block or train hiding somewhere.  It's helped to develop a system of things each of us don't mind doing... ex: FI loads the dishwasher, while I put everything away. He sweeps/vacuums, and I'll do the bathrooms.

If we get behind on laundry that can definitely pile up (really just clean stuff that we need to put away which both of us hate doing).

labro

My house is clean enough that if I have a 20 minute warning I can usually do a run through to do a quick catch up or find a few spots that need an extra swipe or some attention. We keep our laundry in laundry baskets, make the bed every day, there aren't usually dishes in the sink unless I haven't unloaded the clean dishes from the dishwasher. We have a dog so I try to sweep and vacuum on a semi-regular basis to keep the dust-bunnies from breeding. I got a steam mop for Christmas so I find myself mopping more frequently. I feel like it does a much better job than my old swiffer mop or my even older regular mop.

I'd say our kitchen table is our one consistent problem area. It's the catch all for mail, the newspaper, packages, travel mugs, water bottles, the dog's leash, etc. I feel like I can't keep it consistently clear. Part of that problem is H's insistence on receiving paper statements, so we always have a ton of bills and account summaries that need to be filed away. It drives me bonkers, but I'm part of the problem too since I'm not always on top of (or interested in) taking care of it.

ShesSoCold

I bought a little metal mail holder from Old Navy like five years ago. I love it. It's where I put all the bullshit that doesn't have a home. 

ETA: Kind of like this - edited again because I can't post pictures at work. http://www.notonthehighstreet.com/goodwinandgoodwin/product/typographic-letter-rack-holder 

Blergbot

My mom just got us a twice monthly cleaning service. It was hard enough keeping things clean before the baby, but now I'm constantly doing laundry, prepping bottles, doing a feeding. Sometimes the dishes get done. Between cleanings I would say things get cluttered, and depending on the day, it can take anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes to bring things back to an acceptable level. On cleaning days things are, of course, crazy clean. Except the closets. Don't look in the closets.

kvruns

southernbelle0915 said:

And dirty dishes in the sink is my biggest pet peeve. Why? We have a dish washer and it's empty. It takes about 5 extra seconds to put them in the dishwasher. It's not even one step away from the sink. 

If it needs to soak, fine. Let it soak for 10 minutes and then put it in the dishwasher. But nothing should ever sit in the sink for the day. Like never ever. Ever. Never...

Yes!!!  FI does this all the time, I'm like dude the dishwasher has room for stuff, rinse it off and put it in there.  Otherwise 2 days later its sitting in gross food water, I don't even want to touch it and it just weirds me out.

amelisha

Pretty clean and tidy both. Never dishes in the sink, bathrooms get thoroughly cleaned weekly and touched up as needed, floors and baseboards done and stuff dusted every Saturday...but we live in a small apartment and FI isn't naturally neat and we have a roommate as well (who is a tidy man, thank god) so there will often be some clutter on the dining room table or Playstation controllers on the couch or a bunch of (my) shoes by the front door. We have a bit too much stuff to really keep it spotless all the time, to my eternal consternation.

My parents' house is cleaner than a hospital though, despite my mother's in-home daycare business. Like...she sprays and dusts all the houseplants a couple times a week so the leaves stay shiny, and when I moved out I was absolutely shocked that countertops and floors even got dirty because I'd never seen so much as a stray crumb at my mothers' before. It is unbelievably clean. I am sick with jealousy because I just can't keep up. And then she comes over to my house and will be like "You know, these window tracks are a little dusty," or "Do you clean inside that light fixture often enough?" and I pretty much want to shrivel up and die.

southernbelle0915

kvruns said:

southernbelle0915 said:

And dirty dishes in the sink is my biggest pet peeve. Why? We have a dish washer and it's empty. It takes about 5 extra seconds to put them in the dishwasher. It's not even one step away from the sink. 

If it needs to soak, fine. Let it soak for 10 minutes and then put it in the dishwasher. But nothing should ever sit in the sink for the day. Like never ever. Ever. Never...

Yes!!!  FI does this all the time, I'm like dude the dishwasher has room for stuff, rinse it off and put it in there.  Otherwise 2 days later its sitting in gross food water, I don't even want to touch it and it just weirds me out.

Exactly. 

And (to DH) I'm your wife, not your mom or your pledges who took care of this for you in college and do not live here. Pick. Up. Your. Shit. If you cannot handle it, you can buy your own paper plates and cups.

stefuhknee

I suck at being an adult and my apartment is often a disaster. When I know I am having guests I make sure I do a deep cleaning but it's so hard for me to maintain. My son has this fascination with throwing everything that's on some type of counter onto the floor, his toys are often all over the living room, he throws his blankets and pillow out of his crib, I spend most of the time picking up after him only to find a trail of things in the opposite direction. It's exhausting! I don't have a dishwasher and when I cook I manage to dirty everything and dread washing the dishes afterward. I've been spring cleaning for the past 3 weeks now.

climbingsingle

Our house is usually pretty clean. I clean and straighten up throughout the week. Every Saturday I vacuum, do laundry, dust, scrub the bathroom, etc. I would consider it presentable most of the time. 

JCbride2015

Our house is generally pretty clean, but often cluttered.  Like PPs, I definitely see the difference.  We never leave dishes out, keep the counters wiped off and toilets cleaned, have an automatic cat box, etc.  I always make the bed if I'm the last person up, but if Fi is the last one up he doesn't do it.  We keep dirty clothes in the hamper, not on the floor.  We do a deeper clean every weekend, then just touch up throughout the week.

But we have a lot of clutter right now.  My sister has a bunch of stuff in the living room that she needs to move to her storage unit, and just hasn't found the time, and now she's moving out in a month or two anyway so it's pretty much staying there.  We always have mail on the dining room table.  We online shop a lot so there's usually a box of something that needs to be returned or put away.  Lately we've added wedding stuff to the mix: invitations, TY cards, and now shower gifts.

I just signed up for a cleaning service every three weeks, so that will help with the deep cleaning and give us a kick in the pants to declutter.  I don't really want my sister to move out, but I'm fantasizing about taking over her room and the extra closet.

doeydo

Ehh.  I don't make my bed or clean that often.  My clean laundry piles up a bit sometimes (though it is folded).  So there is a bit of dust and stuff but definitely not anything gross.

KeptInStitches

It's been bad lately - dissertation has sucked away all my energy. We did a deep clean for the wedding, and I'm hoping we can maintain it afterwards.

Liatris2010

Not very clean, not very dirty. Having my house be magazine-clean does not make me happy, so I do not spend time getting and keeping it that way. As long as the kitchen counters and bathrooms are clean, clutter isn't taking over multiple surfaces, and there aren't tumbleweeds of dog hair drifting around, I am happy.