why is so difficult to keep my appartment clean???

Question

its the first year i live away from my parents alone and i am so messy! even when i decide to clean it and i do it, it gets messed again so easy...

Answer 1

If you are having to adjust to a new living space, it can be hard. We moved to AZ recently and sold our 2,700 sq ft home in NM. It's hard going from that to 900 sq ft. (Lucky us, the market is cooling off and we should be buying soon.)
* Anyway, I've ended up having to re-evaluate what's important and what isn't. I've thrown out or given away tons of stuff and realize that we didn't need it in the first place. There is still some clutter but not as bad as it was at first. It can be pretty overwhelming but even making a little progress is a victory for me. If there is stuff that you don't need, ask your parents if you can store it in their garage.
* I make sure the dishwasher gets loaded as soon as we finish dinner; we only run it after it is full, usually the next day. When I was single, I bought one of those scrubber thingys with the handle that holds liquid dish soap. Since it was just me, I could just wash and rinse right after I ate. I noticed that I would end up using the same dishes over and over so I never had a big pile unless I had people over for dinner.
* When I do laundry, I only do one load at a time. Generally every couple of days or so. Before, I would just designate Saturday as laundry day and would end up having to do two or more loads and feel overwhelmed. (Linens and towels, darks, whites...) Now, I use one of those hampers with the three hanging bags (Target) and as soon as there is enough for a small load, I run it at night before I go to bed, stick it in the dryer in the a.m. and fold when I get home.
* As far as my bathroom is concerned, I love the Clorox wipes and keep them under the sink. (Take a few in the shower with you once a week and wipe it down. Anything to save time!)
Housework is tedious and having ADD has made it difficult at best. I would get into a big project, i.e. cleaning out closets, and would end up with disaster. If that is what's happening to you, get an egg timer or use the one on your microwave. Set it for 10 minutes and do something, anything to clean, for those 10. Reset for another 20 and do something you like. Then go another 10 and repeat. Even as a schoolteacher, I find it very difficult to do a specific task for more than 10 minutes. (Grading papers is like pulling teeth but I use the same method. 10 minutes, take a break.)
Also, with ADD, our way of "organizing" isn't as precise as other people's. If you are trying to maintain things the way your parents did when you lived at home, guess what? You're on your own and don't have to do it that way. Find what works for you. Every little victory is still progress in the right direction. Best of luck to you! Congrats on your new independence!

Answer 2

I just recently moved from a big house to an apartment, and have found that it is HARDER to keep a small home clean!!!
Here are a few tricks that keep my apartment "company ready" at all times!!!

DON'T EVER, just leave stuff for later. If a dish is dirty, put it in the dishwasher. Put your clothes in the hamper. If you spill something, clean it up, whether it's a drop of food, or crumbs, or anything. Have a designated spot for mail/keys/change/whatever... the dollar store has many inexpensive plastic containers that are excellent for keeping things organized and avoiding clutter. Pick up the bathroom once you've showered (wipe the sink/mirror/toilet), then once a week scrub it down completely. Same goes for the kitchen... wipe the stove/microwave/counters/sink once a day, then scrub once a week. Invest in over the door hangers for towels, clothes that aren't dirty yet, and even jackets. Take FULL advantage of closet space to keep things hidden. Dust everything about twice a week, and vaccum twice a week. Your actual CLEAN day will be cut down by HOURS if you keep up with things on a daily basis, and it only takes about 20 minutes a day to keep up with everything. Put some music on or talk on the phone while you pick up daily... it'll be done before you know it!

Answer 3

It may take some time to figure out your own system. Basically you need a place for everything and everything in its place. Make sure you have plenty of shelves or wardrobes and come up with a filing system if you have papers all over the place. Avoid bringing jink mail into the house. Take stock of which stuff you ctually use and enjoy and which you could live without. Splurge on cleaning supplies/ equipment you enjoy using. Have people take their shoes off at the door.

Answer 4

because when you make food you leave everything out, or don't clean up your mess. and when dishes pile up you dont give a **** and you get out more. When you change clothes you just drop it where you took em off, instead of putting them in the hamper. When you crawl out of bed you leave it like that. and your floor /carpet's soo dirty becasue you can't run a vacuum becasuse there's so much crap on the floor. Key to keeping **** clean is PICK UP AFTER YOURLSELF. pretend your working, like fast food, everything you do you gotta clean up. of course i don't follow that rule cuz **** i'm not getting paid at home and theres more ppl living here and they dont do their part so why should i lol. And my rooms messy too, and i dont give a ****!

Answer 5

buddy, let me introduce you to my friend Flylady. I think it's great that you want to keep your apartment clean, and now, just think of how much more you should appreciate your mother!

a very basic, easy change to make is just to not let go of anything until it is in it's correct place...keys in a certain spot, dirty clothes always in a certain place, mail in it's own place. you'll be amazed at just how this little change changes your apartment. your life will be much less stressed too.

you can learn to do this and make keeping things clean a habit, and it isn't really that hard, if you will just follow along with Flylady. she'll take you through things a little at a time and trust me, in three months you will be amazed!

Answer 6

keeping everything organized is a big thing. you should work out a way and a place for everything, also keep in mind to place things up and out of the way. and set out time to keep your place clean. and change your habits.

Answer 7

Here's a thought---YOU'RE A SLOB !!!!!!