The Housework Lovers Thread

Red_Doe

Not that I expect it to be added to or to last very long!
I noticed another thread where the ladies are rejoicing in the fact that they haven`t done housework lately nor intend to.
Have to emphasise, I have no problem with that btw! Whatever floats your boat, so long as it isn`t harming others, is fine dandy by me!
I`m one of those unapologetic, love-housework and do it regularly, types. Simply because I like tidy surroundings..when things get cluttered, I get edgy and because I`m one of life`s forgetful clumsies, bruised by tripping over things etc.
I get a great deal of satisfaction from sitting down in the evening and having a clean and tidy home. I`d like to sound all feministic about it and say "I only do it to please myself" but the truth is there`s me, my daughter and my fiance and I do it for them as much as me.
It doesn`t rule my life, but is part of my weekly routine, yet when I`m under the weather I think nothing of letting it have `the day off` and recovering or if I want to go out anywhere, it`ll keep til I can get to it, and I don`t feel guilty at that.
I would, though, if I didn`t do it when I could, or if my routine that takes care of pretty much the whole house, slid by til things became so unruly I wouldn`t know where to start again.
Since this is the Old Style board, can I add too, that I use a lot of OS methods in cleaning, tidying, etc? Lemon juice and vinegar get used a lot as natural cleaners, as does Bicarb. Waxes and essential oils get used to polish and freshen the air. One thing I insist on that isn`t OS isbleach for the loo, and nothing makes me budge from that.
And I follow my granny`s method of housework, having set days for set tasks, like Mondays for laundry, Tuesday for ironing etc.
I`m far from perfect, dust settles in places and I wouldn`t suggest eating your dinner off the floor, but my home`s clean, tidy and comfy, and that matters to me.
So are there any other houseproud fillies out there? Do folks try and make you feel ashamed if you are? (I`ve had that, from a woman with a sign in her home saying "only boring women have clean houses" and where I didn`t dare accept a coffee out a cup that may have walked off by itself in the dark.....)
and are you full of OS housekeeping tips to share?
Speaking for myself, I`m of an age where I`m past giving a d*mn what others think of me and more than happy to admit to being a happy housewifey.
I also work full time, so it isn`t like I spend all day every day on it. But it does make up a large part of my life and I like it like that.

Softstuff

Well, I'm hoping I can join you. It isn't that I love housework, because I don't, but I do love a clean and tidy house. It was my grandad in his garage that taught me "everything has a place and everything belongs in its place" and I find that keeping everything immaculately tidy, with no clutter is the key to being able to clean well.

I make sure each day to spend about 5 minutes just putting away anything we didn't automatically put away after use. Monday is my cleaning day, I do the laundry then and clean everywhere including a really good hoover. Each day otherwise I clean as I go, so if anything is done or spilled it's cleaned right away, and I sweep daily too.

We had visitors today and I only spent 5 minutes before they arrived wiping a surface down and sweeping a bit of the floor, but when you keep clean it's easy to maintain it.

If I get sick or get busy some things don't get done, but it still looks good overall because we're not messy people. It surprises my neighbour no end, and she's even more amazed that I'm not hiding any clutter in cupboards or drawers either!

bexster1975

Hello red Doe

I also enjoy a tidy house. I do not consider it boring and I think you might find a lot of old stylers who are very house proud (the Shabby Chic crew for example). I work full time although have the advantage of living alone so the house is as tidy when I get home as it was when I left it. I don't spend a large part of my life doing it, but cannot stand dirty or messy rooms where I can't find anything!

I also have friends who have a different outlook on cleaning (and yes, I have politely declined coffee in their places too!) I don't know anyone who has openly judged me for being clean and wouldn't care if they did. I enjoy taking care of my home and keeping it clean and tidy makes me happy (and avoids someone calling in How Clean is Your House). My mum has always kept a clean and tidy house so I guess I "inherited" it from her.

Hope you get some other like-minded posters!:)

bexster

Alison_Funnell

I wish I was one of your breed, it would make life easier. I am not so shall be sneakily reading this from the sidelines.

girlybags

Ooooh, I love a nice clean, tidy house! There's just me and my 5yo son so I have a pretty easy time of keeping on top of things, it makes me uncomfortable when the house is a mess. I tend to have a tidy round every night when my son's gone to bed and do the more serious cleaning jobs while he's at school. I'm not really a housework lover either but I do enjoy the results I come from a very untidy family, my mums and younger sisters houses would probably merit a visit from Kim and Aggie so I think I must have rebelled!

Aarons_mummy

I don't think I'm really an OSer but I do try and from reading this board in particular I have changed and adapted my habits quite a lot recently so I'm going to join in .

I'm one of those everything has a place and everything belongs in its place types, even my shed is all storaged and shelved, the drawers and cupboards are always tidy aswell although having a toddler can ruin that lol!

I have cut down on the amount of products I buy and have been using more boiling water for things with just a splash of bleach in the loo or disinfectant to clean the floors with my microfibre cloth .

I do mine every day even when I'm ill I can't stand mess and clutter but I love sitting down in the evening when the wee one is in bed and I can relax.

:T for us cleanies too!

mummyroysof3

I dont love housework but i do like my house fairly clean and tidy though, with 3 young children and a hubby that doesnt help ive come to accept it will never be perfect but im happy with the way it is. It isnt spotless by any means but most of the time the only places you will find dust is in hidden places lol

p-pincher

Oh can i join,

I have to say i dont like actually doing housework but i like my house to be clean and tidy. I was the scruffiest kid ever, if you ask any of my friends what i was like as i teenager i was a slob. My mum was terribly houseproud when we were kids, to the point where we were scared to actually relax in the house so i think me, my sis and dad all rebelled.

But when i started to live wih DH and bought our own place I started to change my own ways, it did help that Dh is the very very tidy. And it has definately rubbed off on me. Im lucky that i work three days a week and have tues and weds off every week and i also have weekends off. So i try to do the bulk of it on weekdays so i dont do much(hardly anything apart from washing up) on the weekends.

Dh also does his share, I do my ironing, change and wash bedding, clean fridge, hoover upstairs and bits like that once a week and cos i do it every week it takes no time. The bathroom gets a quick wash down everyday after the kids have finished when i'm brushing my teeth and the toilet gets a squirt of toilet duck, takes only a minute and the bathroom always keeps clean.

Im not by any means a clean freak and the kids are allowed to make a mess when playing but they have to clean up what mess theyve made afterwards. I have one friend who comes rond once a week who just sits there and says 'why is your house so clean , its not fair', she doesnt work, her kids are at school and nursery and her oh pays for her ironing to be done but she just cannot be bothered. But thats how she chooses to live its up to her, as long as my house is looking ok and is clean im fine.

Happy cleaning everyone xx

DUKE

Me an all :j I actually love ironing too if in the mood. Although these days I do have the sense to wait until I'm in the mood before I clean .... I'm a regular once a week person who would lose sleep or become very mithered about an untidy or dirty home. It's bad enough not being able to remember stuff at my age so I always put stuff away then I know exactly where to find it next time.

When we were young me & my sister shared a room & I couldn't bear for her to put all her clothes in a pile on the chair. I couldn't wait for her to leave home so I could have the room to myself. When she finally went I used to clean my own room every Thursday without fail after school.

I clean my Mom's as well. She goes mad at me sometimes as she likes clutter & has bits of paper all over her bungalow with notes on. I can't understand why she don't write names & adresses ... in her address book. I even gave her a nice little box to put her bits & pieces in but to no avail. Also I've got her a folder to store all her bills .... in but she just pops them in the front & never ever files them. When she moved house I was shredding stuff from 1969 :eek:

Thanks for the thread I always thought I was sick in the head or something. Ok maybe I'm a bit obsessive.

OrkneyStar

I like my house 'liveable' clean and tidy. I used to be obsessive about it (when I lived alone) but then I realised that the more you do it the more you feel you need to do it, imho. I do Flylady (see the thread on this board if interested) to help me keep on top of things but I do adapt the lists and often don't do the extras. I also have a bad back so if struggling I try to do little bits but frequently. If I do a massive clean my back will be sore for a few days afterwards. I also have to be careful with ironing (don't iron stuff for the sake of it!) and hoovering (DH does do this sometimes). I am also fairly organised and most places have their place and are returned there after us, also DS is being encouraged to keep his room tidy and put things back where they came from! I also like the smell of bleach and the like, so enjoy having a washed floor or a scrubbed loo!

Penelope_Penguin

You don;t need to love housework to love a clean and tidy house

I begrudge the time I spend on housework, but have to do it to keep the place habitable.