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House and home

Well at least that has made me tidy up!

(57 Posts)
MawtheMerrier Tue 13-Sept-22 11:59:08

I have a cleaner who comes every 4 weeks to “do”the house top to bottom (although with only me and the dog, there are rooms that need little more than a quick hoover or dust or tweaking)
And he (yes, a man) was due today .
Or so I thought.
(You know what’s coming!)
I was away last time he came and it seems at least a month since then, but no, having zoomed round to tidy the en suite, clear the papers and bills off the kitchen table, I realised by 11 o clock……yes, it’s next week.
So having cleared the decks I can sit back now and relax. He also moves heavy things into the garage or loft for me but its not the end of the world that the garden parasol stays out for another week or that the winter clothes bags stay in the loft a bit longer and actually the house is pretty clean as D3, SIL and the tinies popped in on Sunday
The other “event” that guarantees a good tidy up is people coming - and when they cancel, I may be disappointed but I can enjoy my disappointment in immaculate surroundings!
Obviously all you grans live in impeccable conditions -but if not, what galvanises you into action?

Maya1 Thu 15-Sept-22 13:18:24

My husband always says that Jaxjacky. They are here to see us not the house, don't worry. I don't now.
Congratulations Fleurpepper on your imminent new arrival. I hope it all goes well. Enjoy your holiday.

Jaxjacky Thu 15-Sept-22 13:12:37

I don’t Spring or Autumn clean. Kitchen and bathroom are cleaned after every use, the rest is given a dust and hoover once a week, there’s only two of us, no pets.
When we have visitors they’re here to see us I hope, not to inspect the house, they always come back, so it can’t be that bad ?

Casdon Thu 15-Sept-22 13:07:30

Holidays galvanise me into action, I can’t go away happily for even a few days unless all the washing is up to date, the beds are changed, and the house is up to scratch. I don’t know why, except I’m always sad to end a holiday so it’s nice to not have much to do when I get home.

Fleurpepper Thu 15-Sept-22 13:02:17

My lovely cleaner twisted her knee 3 weeks ago, just as I started doing some major outside painting/decorating as we have scafold up for a new roof! So apart from hoovering the kitchen and doing surfaces, not done any cleaning since...

Ah well, no visitors for now! She is starting again next Friday and roof and my hard work will finish week beginning 25th. Then a good week to tidy up and clean before a very well earned holiday to Croatia, and then sort of 'back to normal' until new rescue doggie arrives.

Witzend Thu 15-Sept-22 12:47:35

I’m certainly no slave to housework but I shall be having a bit of a blitz soon, because guests are coming to stay for a few days. For various historic reasons they aren’t people I particularly like or want to see - relatives I hardly know who’ve more or less invited themselves - but somehow that’s all the more reason for getting going with the vacuum and Mr Muscle.
(Must make sure I have my glasses on, to see the dust. ?)

Maya1 Thu 15-Sept-22 12:39:04

I'm the same if visitors are due. OH is very messy, large border collie is very hairy so he is messy too, so I'm on a losing battle re tidyness. I'm don't mind both OH and dog are poorly, l am grateful too have them so l ignore the mess they make.
I think it's more important to spend time with loved ones, including my precious Finn, than worry about cleaning.

Yammy Thu 15-Sept-22 12:31:01

When the Dd's were little and I didn't work my MIL visiting would motivate me ,out would come the Red cardinal for the steps. My neighbour used to ask if it was Kit inspection, it nearly was when she ran her hands along the top of the doors.
These days I try to tidy and dust once a week but would do a thorough clean if someone was visiting. The house is quite neat and tidy I'm not adding cobwebs to that or DH room he uses as a study that would take at least three days to tidy and then only if it was going to be used as a bedroom.

Treetops05 Thu 15-Sept-22 12:17:56

So many people who visit for the first time, try to take their shoes off. I beg them not to, 'we have dogs and aren't precious, please don't ' we have never been, never will be tidy freaks. I try to keep my OH's hoarding to a minimum, but stuff is so put away I can't find it. Presently looking for scarlet curtains for a patio window for FinL...one day they'll appear?!

Theoddbird Thu 15-Sept-22 12:00:31

I did have a really good clean everywhere after I had both my cataracts done last year. Seeing how grubby things were was quite a shock...hahaha. Now I would rather sit and read or so than tidy and clean. Just me and my cats here and nobody visits. If someone was going to visit I would make an effort...

Kartush Thu 15-Sept-22 11:26:55

I guess having people to stay would galvanize me, I thought my cousin was coming to stay this month, so I bestirred myself and cleaned the guest suite and the living room and hallway only to find she wasn't coming after all..... have to say it took me a week to get over the cleaning.

Georgesgran Wed 14-Sept-22 07:28:17

The furniture in my lounge is Old Charm - so when I can write my name in the dust, I take a cloth to it. Likewise, when the odd dust bunny turns into a dust badger.
I had a cleaner many years ago and would remind my girls that she was a cleaner, not a tidy upper and she wouldn’t ‘Hoover’ the carpet in their rooms, if she couldn’t see it!

Sandy73 Wed 14-Sept-22 06:46:03

Elspeth45

I haven't stopped cleaning since my cataract op 3 weeks ago. Am shocked at what I haven't seen before!

Oh, I experienced that last year!! The place suddenly looked shocking!

Ashcombe Wed 14-Sept-22 06:41:31

Nothing galvanises me, although I try to leave the place tidy when my cleaner visits, roughly fortnightly. Usually, I’m out so she can get on without stopping to gossip!

If visitors are due, I clean the bathroom and close doors on any messy areas!

Elspeth45 Wed 14-Sept-22 06:41:18

I haven't stopped cleaning since my cataract op 3 weeks ago. Am shocked at what I haven't seen before!

MrsKen33 Wed 14-Sept-22 06:21:05

Dust rats in the hall and under the sofa. They galvanise me……sometimes

karmalady Wed 14-Sept-22 06:07:23

I am well and fit for my age (8th decade) and regard cleaning as essential exercise, every bit of going up and down stairs, carrying things, bending and stretching is important to my health. I do empathise with those who need/want a cleaner, I had a cleaner at times when I was working. Out of four different cleaners, only one was very good so I decided to just bite the bullet

I cannot look at cleaning as loathesome, I flip it around as important, however I do save much of it for bad weather days

Germanshepherdsmum Tue 13-Sept-22 16:01:00

I’d love to have a cleaner as I loathe housework more with every passing year, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask someone else to do what I don’t like doing, even for money. Obviously it would be different if I were disabled. I have always felt this way, doubtless because Mum didn’t have a cleaner. I know it provides someone else with money, but …

Norah Tue 13-Sept-22 14:53:27

We tidy and clean daily, dogs are messy. The weekly cleaner does the things nobody wants to do, in our already tidy home.

Silly, really. Should stop the cleaner smile

Charleygirl5 Tue 13-Sept-22 13:28:57

I am the same as Maw- I clean up before my weekly cleaner and before visitors and only the rooms they are likely to visit.

I do not like unexpected visitors.

Lexisgranny Tue 13-Sept-22 13:28:01

My mother had the same “daily” for over 25 years. For the first half hour after her arrival they would sit down and chat. Then they split up and got about their business, She was an excellent cleaner and the house was immaculate.

BigBertha1 Tue 13-Sept-22 13:26:13

I'm a neat freak as I have said here before. I cannot rest if there is a job to be done and there is always a job to be done!

MiniMoon Tue 13-Sept-22 13:20:34

You've just about summed me up there Baggsgrin.
One day my children came home from school to find me giving my kitchen a good deep clean. This was usually finished by the time they got home. They asked "who's coming."
My house is tidy and fairly dust free most of the time.

Sara1954 Tue 13-Sept-22 13:19:14

Well the cleaner obviously, I’m exhausted when I get to work on cleaner days.

I consider myself to be reasonably clean and tidy, but when she’s been she always sends me a long email listing everything she’s had to do, and why it was so necessary.

She makes me feel filthy!

Baggs Tue 13-Sept-22 13:10:58

I aim for organised rather than tidy. We don't really do tidy – too busy doing interesting stuff. What needs to be actually clean is clean. The rest can go hang. DD2 calls my method organised chaos. She's wrong ?. Nothing chaotic about it.

Germanshepherdsmum Tue 13-Sept-22 12:55:47

Visitors always galvanise me. I just keep my fingers crossed that I don’t get unexpected ones!