Are you house proud?

I think there is a happy medium - and I thought I had managed it until that remarks.

We have two medium-haired cats. I couldn’t be house proud if I wanted to be!

It's a bit cluttered. The lidded boxes of Lego etc. For when the grandchildren come are stacked in the hall. There is a cricket bag there too. We used to have three cricket bags so that's an improvement. Most of the downstairs is ok or could be with a few minutes notice.

I like the kitchen and bathrooms to be clean and tidy. I outed most kitchen gadgets so the work surfaces are clear.

Upstairs would take more than a few minutes if I'm honest. I am gradually decluttering the unused bedrooms. We are still storing guitars, trumpets and boxes of stuff that I wish the boys would take. The idea is that one room will become a sewing and craft room.

No I’m not house proud. Yes the ‘bottom a room’ is a northern expression. When I was about 25 and home with a baby, I went to the mother n baby group at our health centre - once. Being asked which day I bottomed my stairs and cleaned the skirtings had me running for a book to read
I love my home, it’s where our children grew up and where they love to visit/stay. It’s tidier than when our family was here and when mr i’s endless projects would clutter tables and work tops.

I can’t enjoy being in a dirty house, untidy Ok. I try to keep my house tidy but I always make a nest around me so it’s usualy becomes a bit untidy. It’s a home after all not a show house. I wouldn’t take house proud as a compliment as it implies not welcoming and being more interested in the house than the people.

I’m not house proud, but there are certain priorities like clean sinks and bathrooms. The downstairs is tidy and generally vacuumed daily, as we have Dylan the dog. I keep up to date with the laundry & ironing. However, in the ‘summer’ once indoors is ok, I focus on the gardening. Anyone is welcome, I wouldn’t be embarrassed. Our home is cosy and welcoming, with smells of bread and cakes baking. 🤗

My house is cluttered rather than untidy, but I am working on it. Mr Cabbie liked to fill every space available so I am decluttering and have piles everywhere waiting to go to various places eg charity shops.
It is clean enough in the essential areas. I would like to get to the point where everywhere has been cleared and redecorated, then I will know it is clean and tidy, but no, I am not house proud in the sense it is used.

Philippa111

Excessive cleaning and organising is a waste of time. My mother used to say that dust would still be there long after her. and 'You're a long time in your box!'.

But if you home is clean and organised you then have so much more time to spend doing other things

I’d never heard of bottoming a house , obviously my mother never did it .
I like a tidy house with everything in its place and I don’t have clutter or stuff . My mother is a hoarder and doesn’t throw anything out , in case it’s useful but I’m the opposite and have regular decluttering sessions and chuck stuff out.
I have a large Labrador so my house is never spotless, the robot hoover does his job once s day. But my house is clean and tidy and we have an open plan kitchen , diner , living area which encourages me to be tidy and put things away .

No, I have never heard of bottoming a house either.

I love a clean tidy home, to that end I hoover after white shedding dog(s) daily, put everything in it's place, have weekly cleaner helpers. However, many small children often call our home their playhouse -- Not proud.

House proud can also mean stylish?? No, decidedly not stylish.

Hiring a cleaning lady makes a house immaculate, not a dull woman. I can afford neither.

I have one close relative who never starts cleaning, and one who never stops. The contrast in their homes is remarkable - but I do feel welcome and comfortable in both. I fall in the middle - no routine, but if I see something needs cleaning, I do it, and the kitchen and bathrooms are kept clean.

We are still storing guitars, trumpets and boxes of stuff that I wish the boys would take

I think many parents do this, I have a friend who is cluttered with her adult daughter’s ‘stuff’. The daughter has her own home now. If I were her mum, I would say, “Please come and sort through your ‘stuff’, and either take it to your home, or get rid of it”.

Surprising how quickly this clarifies if they really need this ‘stuff’. I think often it’s the parents who can’t bear to out these reminders of the past actually.

Calendargirl you're right of course - but it is much harder when your adult children are living abroad.
My son took the best part of a day out of a 3 day trip not long ago. He was really intending to visit his sister.
I have spent a day sending photos of stuff (some of which I don't know what it is) for his decisions and info.
You can't remove anything if you don't know what you are offering and I don't want to just skip stuff.

Obviously I know what a guitar is - but had no idea what various electronic parts are - or the TRD Celica skirts (for Gen 7 99-05)!!

My s-i-l was extremely house proud. It was like walking into a museum.
She once gave my daughter a biscuit and made her stand over the bin to eat it..

rafichagran

I like a clean home and I do not have a cleaner.

My house is not a show home, and the two bedrooms need decorating, the rest is done. I use cleaning sprays and I steam clean the rooms once a week.

I have to admit to not like going to homes that are chaotic and dirty, where the person is proud that they are so 'busy' they do not have time to tidy and clean. They are also a bit superior and they sneer about people who they percieve to have a show home.

I cannot relax if the work tops need cleaning or if the cups I used are not put in the dish washer or cleaned straight away.

I think Kitty's cleaner meant the observation as a compliment, and I am sure her home us welcoming.

What does "steam clean" even mean!?

My mother-in-law was very houseproud and her homes, including a static caravan holiday home, were always lovely, clean and tidy and apparently welcoming. But they were kept like that at the expense of other people's possessions which were discarded ruthlessly even when kept in their bedrooms; paperwork, study material, books, work in progress,(husband, son and daughter), personal possessions and clothing if left behind, (mine and guests), and it was impossible to leave a newspaper or book open while briefly leaving the room without it being immediately tidied away or thrown in the bin. Likewise with cooking; everything was tidied away the minute your back was turned even if in the middle of creating a meal, and decorating was a nightmare as freshly painted rooms and cupboards were filled before the paint was dry. Rooms were frequently reorganised, including the bedroom you stayed in and your possessions rearranged.

Needless to say she never had a job, most of the meals came out of tins and packets and no-one was expected/allowed to bring any sort of work-related item into the house; she would never have coped with anyone working from home.

Winniewit

My s-i-l was extremely house proud. It was like walking into a museum.
She once gave my daughter a biscuit and made her stand over the bin to eat it..

But this, and eazybee’s MIL, is extreme? People with OCD surely? One of my daughter’s has an ex whose mother was like that and it was very unrelaxing to be around her.

To me being house proud just means you are particular about certain things. Not that your home is unwelcoming.

But some homes where the chatelaine is house proud are unwelcoming because keeping the house in perfect condition is the most important thing

I have been in houses where the vacuum cleaner is never put away and is used if only a crumb falls on the floor, carpet and decor are in very pale colours and the hostess hovers round you in case you do anything that might sully there pristine perfection

OK not all, but if you are a bit of a clumsy clot, like I am, such houses are terrifying.

I can never quite appreciate complete minimalism, I'm inclined to agree with a comment I read from India Knight who when faced with it in a friend's house had to suppress her inner thought "where's all your stuff?" Having said that I don't like unnecessary clutter either. My preference is for a house to look like a home and reflect it's owners to some extent. I'm not drawn to rooms that look sterile and devoid of character. We gave our house a makeover last year opting for bolder colours, my kitchen is aubergine which sets off the white units, the greys from the previous owner have been banished. I like colour in cushions and throws as well. Yes I'm houseproud I think, I couldn't live in a mucky messy house.

if you are a bit of a clumsy clot, like I am, such houses are terrifying.

Remember Mrs Bucket's neighbour?

NO! I'm definitely not house proud - though I'd love to be but with a scientist and young people in and out there's little chance and I have to admit I prefer the company than a gleaming home

My cleaner is due today and he can get on with the jobs I hate doing while I attend to my business and make money.

My rule is that if a thing doesnt bring me money or pleasure then I dont do it.