Mess how much can you tolerate?

Grew up in a household where if you put down a book to go to the loo it was tidied away. That's probably the reason I became a slob until I had children then cleanliness became important but not tidiness. You can't watch children build a town from lego and then ask them to clear it all away before bedtime.
Once they all left I began to enjoy a tidy adult home but not so tidy that no-one can relax. We enjoyed making a mess with grandchildren and then reclaiming the adult home at the end of their stay.
Now after six months of tidy adult home I would love to have them all here safely making as much mess as makes them happy.

My mother was so houseproud we lived in the kitchen. We had a large, airy lounge in my parent's last house but I was never allowed to sit in it and eg read a book.

I like a clean house but I do have a lot of clutter.

I think that attitude to mess is one of the factors which determine how compatible housemates or partners might be.

I hate mess. Most of the time it's mine as I live alone, however Mondays and Tuesdays my house is a complete shambles because of my 18 months old grandson and I don't care as I can tidy it when he goes home. I'd rather have him creating mess.

I used to be very houseproud...always cleaning and tidying.

But since MS hit 22 years ago, it frustrates the heck out of me when I can see dusty/mucky corners and cobwebs where they shouldn't be.

I tell hubby and carers and they say `don't look at them`...until they have the time to remove them.

If I try to sort them myself, I drop things, knock things over or hurt myself.

Being in a wheelchair sucks!

I remember that Q.Crisp quote.

My years of travelling alone and spending 1-2 nights in an hotel before moving on, turned me into a v. tidy person and then later when I had a child with all that lego etc. which needed to be put away before bed, reinforced it. So the adage "a place for everything and everything in its place" was born and still stays with me. I'm disabled now and it helps that I can 'instruct' (for want of a better phrase) where everything goes to my helpers really helps.

I like things to be tidy but if there is a choice between doing the dusting or sitting in the garden in the sun (when we have some) then the garden wins. As Quentin Crisp said - after 4 years it doesn't get any worse

I’m once a week cleaner but I do tidy all day as I go, everything has a home!

When I'm aware that the place gets me down I do something about it but generally a run round with the hoover and a tidy up does the trick.
Not so willing when it comes to polishing as so many things have to be moved but I couldn't live in a mess it would drive me frantic.
Unwashed dishes, piles of dirty laundry etc, no way could I cope with that.

I tend to flit a bit from job to job including pruning in the garden so that I don't get bored doing the same thing.
I couldn't manage in a " showhouse " either---too stifling.

how much can you tolerate none.

I clean once a week when it’s just me. In my uk house (daughter and grandson live there) it has to be done daily because she’s untidy.

I’m not that tidy, but at least I know where my mess is. DH is very tidy, but his idea of tidying up is to collect everything in his way and stuff it into a cupboard or drawer. ? grr. But then, he leaves MY screwdrivers or scissors all over the place and wonders why I get annoyed!

My late mum was a very houseproud woman of the 50s.
In her last years she would say 'the dust will still be here when I'm gone'.
I like to keep the house tidy but prefer to be outside in garden.
I now stick to the motto I found in a charity shop "Housework can't kill you but why take the chance!"

I'd be overstating it if I said my house is pristine, but I do like clean and tidy. I maintain there is no one who would choose to live in a mess over living in clean tidy surrounding. You will get people who say 'life's too short to do cleaning' but what they are really saying is they are too lazy.