I was lucky enough to grow up in a clean house. Momma always had a chore list for me and we always did a sweep through the house for clutter and dust and junk before company came over. Still, I remember clutter gathering in piles that I never noticed in other people’s homes when I was little.
As an adult, I find that I have a system of “let-it-get-so-bad-that-I-can’t-stand-it-then-clean-it”. I never let it get so bad that it seems like hobos live here, but I wonder what hobo homes really look like. I feel like no one else works this way and it makes me crazy. Steve and I have been watching Hoarders has helped me realize that I’m not off the deep end by any means, but I still wonder if everyone else’s homes are as model perfect as they seem. I swear, I think my grandparents and aunt and childhood bff’s homes of my youth have made me feel like I’m living like a slob.
I would love to post a picture of the nest that Rubydog and I have been living in while it has been so cold. It looks like this:
If zoomed out, it really looks like this:
That’s right, You can see makeup remover wipes, an empty plastic cup, stuff for doing my nails, a bra!, chips and dip, stuff from my GLAM display and more… it’s like a game of I Spy! (What you can’t see were the jeans I took off and left on the living room floor, 5 pairs of shoes, all the game controllers strewn about…) I figure it can’t be too bad… I was able to clean it up in 10 minutes, but I wonder if I’m the only one who lives like this.
Maybe my standards of what constitutes a clean house are just too high. Do I really need to clean my windowsills every week? Can’t I be pleased that I vacuumed up the majority of dog hair from the couches and floor? Isn’t it enough that my bathroom isn’t moldy and that I wash the rugs in there regularly?
I’ve been off my OCD medication for a year and 3 months now. I feel like I’m doing pretty well with handling messes without it. When I think back to my medicated years, I remember the house being cleaner, but maybe it wasn’t. We’ll probably never know!
Me and the kitties nest too! You can see the spot that I sit in and all the weird things around it such as bras, pants, shirts, bags of chips, books, and magazines. lol I also do a clean sweep just before people arrive. It takes like 5 minutes to get it up and out of the living room. I do things exactly like you. It is enough and it’s nothing you should let bother you:) xoxoxo
Comment by Margie — January 14, 2011 @ 6:16 am
Good to know! I’m starting to think that we all go over to our friends houses after their “5 minute sweeps”. I’m not sure how much it really bothers me now that I’ve shared it. I’m starting to be more curious than anything!
Comment by Kathleen — January 14, 2011 @ 10:04 am