How can I make myself more houseproud?

Question

I hate tidying but I also hate living in a mess, HELP!
P.S I cant afford a cleaner

Answer 1

I'm the same as you, and i think our only answer is to stop sitting on the computer all day. I would always try to get my housework done but why bother when you can sit on here and answer questions!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 2

Cleanliness is next to godliness, or so they say, whats required of you is a complete change of attitude.

One does not require an obsessive compulsive personality disorder to obtain perfection but a revision of attitude and an attentive disposition.

By keeping your house in order you will find it easier to keep all your general affairs in order and therefore can sit back and benefit from your life without the frustration, you will therefore feel better within yourself as a person because of your new environment and will be more content, houseproud and able to relax.

Keep on top of all those chores by pretending you have important visitors arriving, why not dress especially for the occasion as well?

Then watch for the reaction of others. Its all about impression management.

How you behave in this world is a reflection upon what you are thinking and ultimately has its impacts upon the emotions, or how you feel!

So, from me to you, some wise words once said to an old friend of mine....

Get of the sofa, man!!!

Answer 3

Do different "sweeps" through the house - first collect all rubbish, then have a little break! Then collect all washing up, and rest again! Then collect all laundry, and have a rest again! Then do the washing up and put on a load of washing... and time for another rest! Next do a quick dust/polish in the living room or wherever, and rest again. Finally sweep and mop the floors or do the vacuuming, and you're pretty much done!
Divide less immediate things into daily chores - ie, polish glass one day, clear out the airing cupboard the next etc... it'll all get done eventually.
The Golden Rule is to then CLEAN AS YOU GO so that you don't have to start all over again!

Answer 4

take it slowly! i had this problem once.cleaning the entire house at once is overwhelming.put music on that u enjoy,and do one room at a time.rainy days are gr8 days to get started.devote one-half hour each evening to tidying,once the entire house is in good order,that will prevent things from degenerating again.toss old papers and magazines as soon as u've read them,or recycle them to a friend.every 3 months,re-evaluate ur wardrobe till ur down to favorites and essentials,and things from 5 years ago that u "might" wear "someday" ,are gone.u can give to charity,that way u'll feel good,not bad about getting rid of an item thats nice,but u dont really use.whenever something spills in the fridge or on the floor,clean it before it gets crusty.once a week,go thru the fridge,toss old food b4 it gets green and fuzzy.believe me,i was Horrible !!!but now my house is lovely,its a matter of slowly training urself to neater habits.it will make a huge difference,when its all tidy and u can find everything u need instantly,life is much less stressful.put important papers in a file,and keep it in the same place.always put ur keys,glasses,etc. in the same place when done using them,that way,never are lost.good luck-and have fun-the music helps a lot !!!!!

Answer 5

Don't try to tackle everything at once. It took longer than a day to become a mess, so will take more than a day to clean it up. Start in one room, clean out old unused/unwanted stuff (toss out junk, donate or yard sale useable items)...then clean thoroughly and organize. Move to the next room, and do the same thing. Repeat this pattern until you have it cleaned and organized...then KEEP IT THAT WAY by maintaining a system. I'm not a slave to my house anymore, yet it's always neat and clean because I "de-cluttered". There are programs on TLC and HGTV called "Mission Organization" and "Clean Sweep"...they can teach you a lot. I've found using plastic storage containers and various sized plastic baskets (very cheap at Dollar General or Walmart) help with organizing everything from make-up to bills/letters. Also drawer organizers help keep drawers neat. Good Luck to you! Start 2007 out with a house to be proud of without being a slave to it!

Answer 6

Survey the neighborhood kids. Some of them are neatnicks. Offer them cake, icecream, help with their school work, whatever. They'll clean house for you. Be specific about their responsibilities and their reward. Explain that if they don't measure up (do a good job), they won't be given another opportunity.

PS: Tip from Maxine: Always keep Get Well cards on the mantle. People will think you've been ill and couldn't clean house. They might even offer to tidy up a bit for you.

Answer 7

I have been in the same boat. What helped me the most was FlyLady (http://www.flylady.net/) There are tips here on how to get yourself more organized and the house cleaner.... Start in the kitchen, at your sink, and go from there. It is really hard to get to a point of tidy if you work outside the house, but a little bit every evening is better than nothing.

Answer 8

get everbody involved and make a list .
When people call to visit ask them to follow you and chat while you are doing the house work . Once you have gone through you house from top to bottom it should stay tidy if everyone helps but you need to have one of those heads on where you have to throw all the junk out and not ord stuff it does work am a full time mum and have a fell time job it hard work but am house proud but was never this proud good luck

Answer 9

OK.... Heres whatcha do: Get yourself a timer. Set it for 15 minutes. Play on your computer. When the timer goes off, take your hands off that keyboard, set the timer for another 15 minutes, and clean like a mad dog. When the timer goes off..STOP. Reset the timer and play some more. After 15 minutes, get up and start cleaning again. Lather Rinse Repeat. Do this all day every day for a week and pretty soon your have it licked! ( PS: this is in the only way I can personally get things done.)

Answer 10

Join the club of reluctant cleaners sister! I can only cope by doing a couple of cleaning tasks per day and then making sure I give myself a reward afterwards. Alternatives...
You could try to find a man who likes tidying?
Pay someone else to do it?
Swap your cleaning with someone for something you hate less eg. do their ironing.
Move regularly?

Answer 11

Phone up the BBC and get Kim and Aggy(soz about spelling) from "How clean is your house" around, they'll tidy up and you might even make some cash as well!