Are you concerned about getting too old to know yo... - Page 3

poppinfresh · ‎03-10-2010

I used to be obssive compulsive about having my house spotless. I even used a toothbrush to make sure all the corners were spotless and along the baseboards. I cleaned every room every day, sometimes the floors twice a day. Now at 68 I still keep a clean house, make my bed every day, but I am no longer obsessed about it. I think as we get older, we finally figure out that a house is a home, to be lived in...not a spotless shrine. It's the love, the laughter, the family and the friends and maybe a few crumbs on the counter that make it a home..

Nightowlz · ‎03-11-2010

I'm a clean freak so I don't think that will happen. LOL!!! When I think the house is dirty DH says you don't know what dirty is. I clean some every day & start all over on Mon.

Azcowgirl · ‎04-10-2012

I'm so happy that we've been able to scale down to one single story home that is pretty easy to keep up. However' I have these crazy Mexican tile and wood plank floors that are unique but a real challenge to wash. So, I've backed off from stressing about it and tell myself they are meant to have a distressed rustic appearance. As for dusting etc.....I'm not as fussy as I used to be. it's just DH and I so a little dust is ok (:

homedecor1 · ‎03-09-2010

I am a little OCD in the housekeeping dept. I know it drives my spouse insane & worse I have a "nose" that smells everything, i.e., I say to him go take care of the litter box (clean it everytime cat uses it) he will say "I'll get it later!" I say"no now I smell it!"

I just had company for the week - they weren't gone 1 hour - I had bed sheets in washer, guest bathroom & bedroom cleaned! I could have had guests that nite🙄

I dont know what the future brings healthwise but I had a housekeeper who I let go -- I cleaned before she got here.😲

Once a month my spouse does the "heavy" stuff.

@house_cat

I certainly understand about your situation with your parent. I often stay with a very close friend when I'm visiting home (she is 86) I immediately nicely tell her " I love to clean" and give her house esp bathroom (for reasons you can relate) a good deep cleaning. I honestly don't think she realizes her home "smells" because she lives alone, is used to smell & is not able to really take care of her home like she did many years ago. I tell her to get cleaning person but stubbornly she says "why? I take care of my own house!"

NycVixen · ‎10-15-2010

Growing up my mom used to terrorize us every week regarding our chores. If something was out of place or undone, she would wake us and make us finish it. We had to lift furniture to clean behind it. My sibling had to have a hernia operation at 7 years old.

It's no surprise that my sibling developed OCD and has become an impossible person. Her children grew up in fear of making a mess. I saw it when I would visit. There were a list of rules to follow and resentment and reproach when something was left noticeably out of place.

As a result, I've luckily developed a healthier outlook to cleaning. I keep my house clean but I'm not obsessive. To my sibling I'm a slob, but to her no house if ever clean. One time she visited, I spent two weeks cleaning and she told me afterwards it was still dirty. I realized that I'm not going to enslave myself and live an unsatisfying and unhappy life.

Interestingly, my mom lowered her standards significantly once she had to clean it herself. I will do what I can so my children have a healthy approach to cleaning and everything else.

~Live with Intention~

CelticCrafter · ‎03-09-2010

I used to spend a whole day, once a week, washing, dusting, waxing...

For some reason I had to skip a week and realized it didn't take any longer to do it every other week than it did to do it once a week.

We are in the process of painting the whole house, so it's pretty much a disaster right now but when it's done, I know it will be really clean.

I was mortified to see the crud behind and under the bedroom furniture. Not something that gets moved, even when I do a spring and fall cleaning.

ID2 · ‎06-25-2012

When my parents were getting up in years I would go over to clean their 2,000 ft. condo about every 6-8 weeks. It would only take me about 4 hours to thoroughly clean their place. How dirty is the house if it takes the OP 4 days to clean?! I miss those days, I loved going about their house with me and my mom talking away!

"Pure Michigan"

In-x-s · ‎03-09-2010

I wouldn't say I'm concerned about it. I do think I'm getting much more lax about cleaning than I use to just because you tend to not notice things when you see it everyday and because it just isn't the priority anymore like it use to be -- I'm okay with "good enough" now.

Krimpette · ‎03-09-2010

I'm much older than some of you here, and believe me, I have definitely lowerd my standards in recent years! I live in a townhouse and I clean it once a month. I do it over a 3-day stretch! Pathetic, I know! Anyway, beyond that, I try to keep it in the interim weeks and the bathrooms are always properly maintained. I decided a good while ago that life is too short to spend my time trying to maintain an immaculate household. And besides, it's only me here!!!! Enjoy life! The minute you finish cleaning, the dust starts to collect anyway!!!!!!

KentuckyWoman · ‎03-13-2010

I am a nut about a clean house. Always have been. However, the older I get the less I like to clean house. When I retired, I told my husband I wanted a cleaning service to come in once a month. We ended having them come in every two weeks. I do clean but they do the heavy duty stuff like moving furniture, dusting woodwork and art work on the walls. Twice a year they clean the windows. I just have other things I want to do but my house has to be clean.