Can you teach yourself how to be a 'neat freak'?

[Lulu]

No good news here - all I can offer is to be living with one

I shared a house with a neat-freak and she trained me really well. It helped that her eye would twitch if I left any mess around. She was constantly moving and it's hard to sit on your bum with someone like that in the house.

Same with exH, he was amazing so lots of it rubbed off (not THAT much though). Now I'm on my own I've gone straight back to my crap ways.

HOWEVER, I will say if you can go MENTAL and do everything one day - it is so much easier to maintain it.

I also have little competitions with myself ie - if I boil the kettle I do as much in the kitchen as I can till it boils and the tea steeps.
When kids in the bath, I tidy the bathroom.

I fold the washing in front of the telly , and race to put it away in the ads.

ETA - and Angel Punks does 'the waitress' thing, which I highly advise. She doesn't walk anywhere in the house without picking something up along the way.

And if all else fails invite someone over for lunch so you a FORCED to tidy.

[Rainbow_Mumma]

i need to know too ive become so lazy latetly!

[Cupcake]

*subscribing* Lol.

My mum is a neat freak so im waiting for that gene to kick in!

[Stevie]

Lulu, thats some really great advice, ive never thought of doing things like that lol.

The only thing i do really is say 'whenn DD is sleeping THEN ill do the HW.." she goes to sleep and then im like "nahh.. should be RESTING while she's sleeping" lol
im shocking


wish my DH was a neat freak...well he kinda is but expects ME to do it LOL

[Tinks]

*subscribing* Lol.

My mum is a neat freak so im waiting for that gene to kick in!

That's why I think I'm not a neat freak! My mum was/is one. Housework day was Saturdays when I was growing up and it ALWAYS resulted in hours of tears for my siblings and myself. As soon as the vacuum came out she transformed into a 'cleaning monster' red eyes and all!! We all had particular jobs to do (rostered) and she'd watch over us yelling and screaming that we weren't doing it properly. She'd deliberately mess things up, tip out our toy boxes etc if we hadn't cleaned to her satisfaction and make us start again. She scarred me for life

Now her housework day is Sunday and we ALL stay away! Even my kids won't go there on Sundays. She hasn't changed

Sorry to take over your thread Stevie

[sneakysparkle]

I saw in another thread some ladies talking about Flylady - so I checked out her website and am trying her methods - sounds awesome, and I'm going ok now!
Check it out - might help you

[STARRYSKY]

Im not a neat freak, BUT, I joined up to flylady when I was pregnant hoping to be transformed into a clean, tidy loving person. didnt work the way I thought it would but it has changed me immensely, I now have a morning and night routine, my sink isnt full of dishes and I can easily do a quick clean if people rock up suddenly.
Flylady isnt for everyone, it wasnt really for me, but the routine thing really works.
theres nothing I like better then waking up to a clean kitchen (at the very least!)

[skybie]

my mum never has one little thing out fo place inher house!
DF's mum vaccums her double story EVERY day!
DF and I are the laziest sods ever! pmsl, so not sure if being a neat freak is a genetic thing!
I try to do a min of 15 mins a day of solid housework(you'll be suprised how much u can get done!)somethings i do everyday that arent included in that 15mins
i make the bed every morning when i get up and pick up the clothes off the floor and in the ensuite
i aim for atleast one load of washing everyday and to pack the dishwasher everyday so theres no dishes on the bench (yes im one of those who puts literally anything that will fit into the dishwasher in!) and i have 3 rabbit hutches to tackle every 2 days

once the kids are in bed then i hit the lounge up and clean up all their toys and things.
on saturdays DF and i tackle it together and do the big things, cleaning showers,toilets, mopping ect

you;ll be suprised how good u feel even just having a tidy house as apposed to a clean one, it all depends on what ur happy to leave!

i'd much rather be playing with my kids than doing something im just going to need to do again tomorrow anyway!(plus we dont often get visitors so its not essential for me to keep a tidy house!)

[Astrid]

I agree with getting stuff done whilst in the middle of something. So if I am cooking, between stirring I will either unload or load the dishwasher, wipes down the rangehood, wipe around the taps, check the fridge for manky food etc. I like to rush around as much as possible whilst DH is dealing with getting the night time bath.

I also go by the theory, something is better than nothing. So a quick wipe over of cupboard doors, even if done half arsed, is still better than it not being done, as the next time I do it they will get a little bit cleaner again.

I do like Speedcleaning for how to clean a room from top to bottom. I don't fully follow it, but when I am in the mood at least 1 room will get a full clean.

I do really struggle though, I am a complete procrastinator and can get really down when it is all a mess 5 minutes later. Also I swear that my kids hassle me more than other kids do to their parents. There are only so many interruptions I can take before giving up.

[~Kim~]

Ummm, well I'm not sure it is DNA, so I think there's hope for you . I Grew up with a neat freak - did nothing but make me believe I never wanted to be like that lol.
I was a serious slob, but over the last couple of years I have been fine tuning, and I'm fairly certain I'd fall under the 'neat freak' category to some.

I tried Flylady many years ago, but I didn't 'get it', and SpeedCleaning by Shannon Lush, but that just didn't work for me. I use her techniques but not her principles.

Routine is the key. Once you make something a habit it becomes very easy and natural.
For example;
Every time i finish cleaning my teeth in the morning I use my face washer to wash the basin/bench and give it a dry. Then I get a clean washer for the next day.
I make my bed as soon as I'm out of it.
I make sure the sink is clean and dry before I sit down to scrapbook/watch telly/surf the net or whatever for the evening. Then I don't have to drag myself to it later and it's so nice to get up to in the morning.

I found once I started with the little things, I was more encouraged to keep going.

Takes me 15ish minutes to dust everything, 45 to vaccuum and anther 45 to mop, so I just do it in different sessions.


I'm also a fan of multi tasking. Amazing how much you can get done in 2,3,10 15 minutes.

[turtleschell]

omg TINKS pmsl!!!

I am not a neat freak, but I often invite people over and my house suddenly gleams before they arrive.

[Stevie]

i guess i must have exaggerated when i said i want to be a "neat freak" lol, i dont mind mess and being generally untidy sometimes, just certain things that NEED to be done i always find im too lazy to do (sweep/mop floors, clean bathroom, dusting) and its more on the hygeine side of things that i worry not so much that i want it to be clean for someone else.
I will be having a look at the flylady (?) thing that you ladies have mentioned, i will also ne taking some of all your suggestions and try to work it into my day

I dont think that im a 'housewife' and thats what i SHOULD be doing, cozx for one im not a housewife, i work too so i cant be expected to do eveything lol, but if i didnt work id be more worried about spending quality time with DD and with DH when he's home.

[Lisa]

That's why I think I'm not a neat freak! My mum was/is one. Housework day was Saturdays when I was growing up and it ALWAYS resulted in hours of tears for my siblings and myself. As soon as the vacuum came out she transformed into a 'cleaning monster' red eyes and all!! We all had particular jobs to do (rostered) and she'd watch over us yelling and screaming that we weren't doing it properly. She'd deliberately mess things up, tip out our toy boxes etc if we hadn't cleaned to her satisfaction and make us start again. She scarred me for life

Now her housework day is Sunday and we ALL stay away! Even my kids won't go there on Sundays. She hasn't changed

Sorry to take over your thread Stevie

OMG Tinks, I think we share a mother!

My mum was IDENTICAL to your's when I was growing up. My sister became a neat freak... me, not so much.

I set myself goals throughout the day. Eg - I will go to the shops after I have vaccumed the house & put on a load of washing. I also have a to do list written up over breakfast every day which I love to cross off as I do things. I find having it in writing, sitting there staring me in the face is incentive for me. I also try to do lots of small things each day and the bigger things on weekends when DH & the older kids are here to help out.

[littlebear]

Well what worked for me was being pregnant. While I was nesting I cleaned the whole house. I mean the WHOLE house, you name it, it was cleaned. But I found after having everything clean, it was much easier to just clean the things that got dirty like the bathrooms, kitchen, floors etc. because it felt like it was only a little thing to do.

My main motivator is my state of mind. I start feeling stressed and overwhelmed if the house starts getting messy! Tidying when I'm upset helps me feel better, it sort of feels like i'm "cleaning my mind"

I clean when DS is sleeping, and I sort of do it in a routine, start with dishes and then pick one other thing per day, so dishes & floors, or dishes & washing etc. That way I have time to get everything done because it's spread throughout the week.

Just do little bits at a time and work out what suits you!

[~Kim~]

I have to say Rory put it perfectly

My main motivator is my state of mind. I start feeling stressed and overwhelmed if the house starts getting messy! Tidying when I'm upset helps me feel better, it sort of feels like i'm "cleaning my mind"

and that's exactly me.

Like at night when I do a quick tidy and the kitchen's clean.....feels nicer to relax IYKWIM? It's then my time - a time when there is nothing else that needs to be done.

[tattoo_mama]

i know the answer....
i was the messiest person EVER and when my grandma passed i lived in her villa until my folks sold it....my grandma was the cleaest person ever and mum and dad think i got possessed by her cause since living there im a clean freak too!
PMSL that probably didnt help but if anyone wants to spend a night at my grandmas and see if it works?

[Pinny-mum]

My main motivator is my state of mind. I start feeling stressed and overwhelmed if the house starts getting messy! Tidying when I'm upset helps me feel better, it sort of feels like i'm "cleaning my mind"!

Me too! I feel realy frazzled when the house is messy!

My MIL is a neat freak and after 12 years I have strated to get some good tips from her, the only thing that I can not get into a good routine is ironing, I do all our clothes the night before, I just can't think of anything worse than doing 3 or 4 days worth.. Anyone have any tips???

[tattoo_mama]

oh and Stevie....best investment if you have a pet and wooden floors/lino....
Sabco super swish wet/dry mop with the orange removable pads...iut has a fluffy pad for dry floors and a towel type one for wet, washable etc, when me and DD lived with a guy who had a fluffy german shepard it was a lifesaver! i got mine at kmart or big w was about $40 HTH