Hate cleaning but have to do it.

[burningmine]

okay, i'm about to admit something so nerdy that it's shameful...

so, my bf and i are both messy... especially me. i'm a fucking slob, and i hate hate hate cleaning... we were starting to kind of argue over who did what and who was slacking off, blah blah.. so... we sat down and figured out what chores there are, and how shit each one is.. and we assigned a point value to each thing... so when we enter it in our excel spread sheet, we get points based on how long we worked on a chore, and how bad the chore is. so... basically we had to make it like a video game in order to get us into it. lol... WE ARE NERDS. but.. the points can be exchanged for stuff like.. if we want to waste money on something, like eating out, or buying a book or whatever... we have to have enough points or we can't do it. or we can use our points to make each other do favors for the other, like we always fight about who's driving when we go out, so we can use our points to make the other person drive if we're in the lead. lmfao... i mean, this sounds super lame, but it kind of makes it more fun, because there is an incentive to work on shit.. it's not just like "this is pointless because it will get messy again.." that's still true, but if i keep on top of it every day i get something out of it. but also because we're competing with each other... like, it really made my boy realize how much shit i actually do, because i'm the kind of person who will do chores in spurts, like i'll have a day where i do a LOT, then several days where i do nothing... and he just does a little every day.. but i'm still in the lead points wise. lol... that probably won't last long, though, because i'm going on a trip this weekend and will probably waste a lot of money on food or whatever...

... me and my boyfriend are lame, but, we have fun. :D

 

[thujone]

^ future contestants on a reality tv show

myself, well i have difficulty cleaning to. it encourages me more if i try and imagine my space as it would look clean, because doing anything in a messy environment sucks

 

[ocean]

okay, i'm about to admit something so nerdy that it's shameful...

so, my bf and i are both messy... especially me. i'm a fucking slob, and i hate hate hate cleaning... we were starting to kind of argue over who did what and who was slacking off, blah blah.. so... we sat down and figured out what chores there are, and how shit each one is.. and we assigned a point value to each thing... so when we enter it in our excel spread sheet, we get points based on how long we worked on a chore, and how bad the chore is. so... basically we had to make it like a video game in order to get us into it. lol... WE ARE NERDS. but.. the points can be exchanged for stuff like.. if we want to waste money on something, like eating out, or buying a book or whatever... we have to have enough points or we can't do it. or we can use our points to make each other do favors for the other, like we always fight about who's driving when we go out, so we can use our points to make the other person drive if we're in the lead. lmfao... i mean, this sounds super lame, but it kind of makes it more fun, because there is an incentive to work on shit.. it's not just like "this is pointless because it will get messy again.." that's still true, but if i keep on top of it every day i get something out of it. but also because we're competing with each other... like, it really made my boy realize how much shit i actually do, because i'm the kind of person who will do chores in spurts, like i'll have a day where i do a LOT, then several days where i do nothing... and he just does a little every day.. but i'm still in the lead points wise. lol... that probably won't last long, though, because i'm going on a trip this weekend and will probably waste a lot of money on food or whatever...

... me and my boyfriend are lame, but, we have fun. :D

I wonder if my husband would want to do this???
Sounds like it could work.....with the right incentives.

 

[axl blaze]

I clean more than person who used speed daily.

I live in a party house, so it's a constant fucking battle for me to clean, since my roommate doesn't do anything. I don't know... I don't like to clean but I find that I can't center myself or keep a clear head when everything is not at least halfway organized.

my only advice is... turn on some music real loud and do it. I don't know what else to say.

 

[Coolio]

InTherapy, I find that cleaning as you go is the only solution. Never let things pile up, and never go to sleep at night before you finish cleaning the dishes and counters. I like to do the dishes before I even eat what I was cooking. Do laundry one load at a time through the week instead of multiple loads at once. Etc. etc.

 

[n3ophy7e]

Hey guys, I'm unapproving the last 3 posts just cos they're all way off topic! :D

Let's keep it on the topic of cleaning please

 

[ocean]

Okay- I tried something new.....Yesterday I imagined the room the way I wanted it to look- Sparkling appliances and shiny floors-Then instead of thinking about how much work it would take or the germs (which is a BIG problem for me) I just kept this picture of how I wanted to see it and zoned out.....It worked.....Tomorrow I do another room.

 

[mrs_mia_wallace]

By the way, I'm more than willing to offer my services as a cleaning support buddy for whoever needs it :D

I need your services

I am definitely a messy person (always) but it has gotten out of control lately... I used to be able to keep the room clean for 4 days or so, now it's not even two (cleaned Wednesday and by last night my room was a mess). My roommate has also been getting worse... our apartment is a mess and we now have an ant problem.... (it's so bad my friend, who the definition of a messy early twenties guy living with his guy friends in a gross apartment, came to visit me and I made up a lie so he wouldn't see how bad we've gotten!)

The ant problem and fact that I'm ashamed to show my apartment to messy guys (and that my boyfriend is cleaner than me and a bit shocked by my messiness) has me wanting to find some way to buckle down on my cleaning habits (and my roommate does as well).... any tips for how we can be cleaner? I know cleaning as you go is best but it's difficult for me for some reason

I'll note also that our apartment is extremely small and cluttered, but we've gone through our shit many times and can't figure out a better way to organize or things we can throw out...

 

[QuestionEverything]

For me, the advice about doing cleaning in small doses rather than letting it be an overwhelming chore has had the most success. I'm not a lazy person, but with two children, full time school, and all of the studio work I have to do (which is super messy anyway), it's so easy to let things get out of control. Don't get me wrong, my living space definitely looks lived in, I wouldn't be comfortable if I was so anal everything had to be spotless, but dirty/messy/sloppy is a different bag altogether.

It became so much easier when I designated a certain amount of time or a specific room to be dealt with every single day rather than letting it pile up and trying to take it all on at once. I have a few rules that go for every single day though:

1 - The dishes are to be done every day. Period. I can't stand to wake up and see dirty dishes in the sink in the morning.
2 - At least one load of laundry is to be done every day. It's easy this way and keeps it from piling up.
3 - And the last would be that everyone in the house has to help out. Why should it be my responsibility to clean up after everyone else? It shouldn't. I expect my 9 year old to help out (room, taking out trash, putting his own laundry away, etc.) and my 3 year old can pick up his own toys and put them where they belong, put away his own shoes, etc.

If your partner is not willing to help, that would be the first issue I'd address if I were you.

The 'small doses' technique can also apply to how you begin implementing these changes (because that's what you're doing really, trying to change bad habits you've developed). Don't try to change your bad habits all in one day. It won't work, you'll get frustrated, and you'll feel defeated and give up. Change a few minor things, then once you've established those as habits and find yourself doing them without even really thinking about it anymore, it's time to make some more changes, and so on.

 

[n3ophy7e]

The ant problem and fact that I'm ashamed to show my apartment to messy guys (and that my boyfriend is cleaner than me and a bit shocked by my messiness) has me wanting to find some way to buckle down on my cleaning habits (and my roommate does as well).... any tips for how we can be cleaner? I know cleaning as you go is best but it's difficult for me for some reason

I'll note also that our apartment is extremely small and cluttered, but we've gone through our shit many times and can't figure out a better way to organize or things we can throw out...

Just a couple of suggestions:

*Have you got someone like a friend or relative with a garage that you could store some boxes of stuff you don't use, but don't want to get rid of? That might clear up a bit of space in your small apartment, without actually throwing out your belongings.

*Definitely get rid of the ant problem!! Make that a priority for now, because that means there's something dirty in your apartment e.g. food crumbs/scraps etc, rather than just mess. Track the ants until you find what they're eating, and you can also get some ant baits (which you may have already done?).

*This next one's a potentially large job...go through your cupboards and make sure everything's stored in there folded up and stacked neatly, so that you can actually fit more in there!

Are clothes a problem? E.g. are there dirty clothes always lying around on the floor and on furniture etc? Have you got a laundry basket/hamper? That really helps me keep our bedroom tidy (my partner is chronic with leaving his clothes ALL OVER THE ROOM! Drives me nuts hahaha :D)

 

[mrs_mia_wallace]

^The ant problem is more on her side.... my food is really carefully stored/I never leave plates of food out, but she does pretty frequently. She's been lazy about getting around to it so I gave her your suggestions

I'm the clothes one... I tend to just throw shit on the ground as I'm trying to decide what to wear. I don't have a clothes hamper, just sort of throw stuff in one corner and know it's dirty. Will give that a try

 

[euphoria]

God i love cleaning. I just love having things organized around me, it helps me relax and feel calm and collected.

I saw at one of my friend's apartments (who hates cleaning) they had a dry erase calendar on their wall, with a specific chore written on each day. One day was "take out trash" another day was "clean toilet" another day was "vaccuum" then you can just check things off as you do them and you're not spending more than 15 minutes a day cleaning. It might not be so overwhelming that way.

 

[Dark Ambience]

InTherapy, I find that cleaning as you go is the only solution. Never let things pile up, and never go to sleep at night before you finish cleaning the dishes and counters. I like to do the dishes before I even eat what I was cooking. Do laundry one load at a time through the week instead of multiple loads at once. Etc. etc.

Best advice on here! Especially when you have guests or parties... nothing worse than waking up to stacks of empty bottles, cigarette buts everywhere and piles of dishes.


I also delegate jobs to my friends.. most will pitch in if you start cleaning.. or just ask them nicely if they can take the trash out/dry up.. of course you arent going to be able to get them to clean the bathroom, but every bit helps.

Also - regulary do 'touch up' cleans... wipe down the bench, clean up wrappers/clothes... when you finally do clean, at least it is not as big of a nightmare.

 

[xxkcxx]

-look at what has motivated you in the past. for me, i tend to turbo-clean when i'm expecting company. if there's a lot on the calendar as far as visitors go, the chances are that i'll keep up with stuff better. if you're the same, then start having more company over!

This is how I am too--when I have people over my place becomes spotless and I am cleaning up until the moment they ring the doorbell.

 

[maloxx]

get started early in the day, it seems to help me, use music and I've always found that a good toke helps me keep my mind on cleaning and make it a little interesting too

 

[Artificial Emotion]

Cleaning is something that does not require much concentration at all, which means you can play loud music to motivate you without causing a distraction. This creates the body's natural stimulant, adrenaline.

 

[Jabberwocky]

The hardest part for me is getting started. I read somewhere that you set an egg timer or the timer on your microwave and tell yourself your going to go at if full bore for 10 minutes. I often find I keep at it past the ten minutes. Another thing I have done is blocked Bluelight in my router sometimes so that I won't tell myself I'm just going to check something on BL for a second which always turns into a couple hours.

 

[mrs_mia_wallace]

^Same here. Once I start I really get into it, but getting myself to begin is the difficult part.

 

[mrs_mia_wallace]

I have turned over a new leaf.

I have no idea why, but I decided last week that cleaning and organizing my apartment was the first step to changing my life for the better.

I cleaned and organzied for three days like I have never cleaned and organzied before.

Even though it has only been a couple of days I have actually been MAINTAINING the cleanliness and organization, something I have never done, and feel confident I have broken my 21 year long pattern of cleaning the room completely, then completely destroying it, and cleaning it all over again. If I was still living at my home my mother would be so proud. :D And most surprisingly, I feel extremely motivated to KEEP this apartment clean and organized.

This may just be a sleep deprived me ranting at four AM, but this is the first actually productive and healthy thing I've done in I don't know how long that has actually made me feel better about myself and like I am a more capable human being. Not in a huge way (I'm not that crazy) but in some small way. And in general, I can feel my mood being uplifted somewhat just by being in a well organzied and clean enviroment.

I've been thinking about this for the past half hour, but I think if I tell anyone besides those of you who love to clean I will come off as completely insane. SO I'm putting it here.

 

[masonyoung]

It's like gardening, sort of. If you look at all the weeds you need to pull, you overwhelm yourself. If you just look at one weed at a time, in one section of the garden, before you know it, it's done,,,I take my house one room, one area at a time. Unfortunately, when I clean a table (actually it's 'finding' the table) off-it just signals everyone else to see a 'flat spot', and they start dumping stuff there immediately.
I have the 'solution', for cleaning...Ammonia. We just moved into an old house (new home for us), that was inhabited by older, stubborn (wouldn't clean or get a housekeeper-as rich as they were), and the filth ..OMG...I would spray straight ammonia on the cabinets, and lay towels to catch the drips. IT dripped off almost black, and they didn't smoke. But ammonia does the job, diluted for most uses, but a dynamo full strength. I use gloves, (it can eat your skin), and ventilate the room well-and/or wear a mask. I don't mind the smell that much-but alot of people have a strong reaction. It leaves a clean smell afterward.
I love the mundane tho. I really enjoy housework and laundry, yardwork and gardening, cooking-especially the prep work (OCD about cutting my veggies uniform and bite-sized). It's one area I have to say I live up to the 'Virgo' reputation.