Any fellow clean freaks out there?

[Dior'sMom]

Originally Posted by soneal

My dear Mother who is now passed, was a major clean freak(she got it from her mother who is still a clean freak at 87). She was always so stressed out over the house, and you know it is said that stress can cause a lot, I often think that is one of the causes of her Cancer. We lived in a huge house, my Mothers dream house, 3 levels and about 4,000 sq. ft. so it worked her to death to keep it to her standards. No walking on carpet after vacummed(which was everyday), wipe the sink after washing hands, do laundry at least 3-4 times a day, no food anywhere but kitchen, no laying in bed with bedspread I could go on and on. We loved her dearly, but it was very hard dealing with her addiction as we called it. To this day my brother, Dad and I remember her for that the most. We had a hard time bringing friends over because we didn't want to mess something up. I always swore I would not make it that way on my kids, and when we first built our house I could see myself becoming that, so I now make a huge effort to not be that way and life is so much more relaxed. Don't get me wrong I like a clean house and organized like no dirty dishes in sink or laundry on the floor and beds made, I just don't make it my main concern. Although I do sweep every day, I think it is relaxing, but I clean the rest once a week. Life is too short and my kids are only young once and I want to remember my time with them not driving myself or them crazy over cleanliness like my Mother did. This was a huge part of my growing up so sorry story is so long, it is a pretty emotional subject for me. I don't want anyone to take it the wrong way, this is just how I feel about it for me and my family. If you can be a clean freak without it stressing you or anyone in your house out, I am all for it.

I agree with this post. I stress about ALOT of things and cleaning is 1 of them. Cleaning with music relieves so much stress from my day. I am currently going to the gym to take my mind off the constant cleaning and so far it has helped (a little ).

[Charlene1963]

My feeling on the whole OCD subject is that if it begins to interfere with your day-to-day life, control all your actions and prevents you from feeling happy, then it is a problem and you should seek help.

Now, if you are a very clean person but keeping your house clean does not intefere with how you function (if you don't know if it does, ask a family member or friend), then be happy with who you are. The fact that you have pets is a good sign because their cleanliness is sometimes out of your control yet you welcome them as family members.

IMHO, more and more people are being given these diagnoses and it does not help them in their lives. Used to be that it was okay to be a bit quirky-that's what makes us interesting. It's when it controls your life and ruins your happiness that it becomes a problem. I am the mom of a teen with OCD so I am speaking from my own experiences.

Sorry to get off-topic but kudos to you for asking this great question. In time, perhaps the anxiety you feel over the pet mess may fade. The fact that you can own a pet with your need for cleanliness is a great thing.

[meglaulanmar]

I want to be a clean freak. I am a little ocd according to my doctors (manifests in other ways). Anyway, I get sick, literally, because I can't keep a clean house. I tend to let mine go and get cluttered because I can't seem to keep up the battle. I don't have the energy or time to clean all day. I do laundry every two days, clean the dishes anytime their dirty, I am neurotic about my floors, but the clutter is EVERYWHERE. I guess I could be like my "clean freak" best friend and not allow my kids to own more than 10 toys at any given time ( I would have a cleaner house and I would be richer...lol) but I just can't do that.

Where do you guys get the energy and time to clean all the time. I mean heck... giving the dogs a bath, brushing them out, blow drying, deoderizing is a good 3 hour process. The days are just too short for me! Help me! I want your clean freakness to rub off! I wish my husband could complain my house is tooo clean! lol

[Mom2Zachary]

I am a clean freak too. I sweep everyday and sometimes twice a day. I am always picking up the toys. As soon as there is a potty accident, I am down on my hands and knees scrubbing away. That is what us, perfectionist do and there's no changing me.

[KELLYLYNN]

im #1 clean freak i actually take vacation days at work and clean all day, i move the fridge, stove and clean behind them, i actually have all my walls scrubbed down for spring cleaning this year and its only February, i bath my dogs once a week, i run the sweeper almost everyday, i dust all the time, i mop my floors sometimes twice a day before work and when i get home, im crazy i need help.... i forgot about my curtains wash them all the time, pillow's once a month.. i hate bed bugs.. i told you i need help!!! bedsheets twice a week before i had the baby now im down to once a week.

[ARCHIE]

There's nothing better than coming home or going to sleep knowing everything
is clean and in place. To me anyhow. I am not over obsessed but my kids
would say I'm way to neat. I just love things in their rightfull place.
I am an orgainized nut. Even Buddy is neat. He dosen't like the dirt outside,
he will walk around it. That's one reason I chose a Yorkie, they do
not shed. I love looking around my home and seeing things clean and
tidy. I could never go to sleep knowing there was a dirty something or
other in the sink. Sick huh? They only things out of place are Buddy's
toy's and they get put away before bedtime. I even take off my shoes
before going in my home and I do that in anyone else's as well. I was
raised that way and it just stuck. I wash Buddy's feet after every walk
so he's always nice and clean.

[yoyo27]

Well I hope you clean ones have fun also sometime in that cleaning. I like to be clean but I like to live. My mom wouldn't even let me in the garden when I was small she thought you might step on something. When my kids come along they were # 1. Not dirty home but they could live in it. And my garden well I believe if it was to come up God took care of it. I let the kids in the garden and we had a blast. I did a row and threw the onions in, instead of planting each one in a hole. My kids were right there to help me. We had more garden than we could eat and shared with this small town at that time we lived in. But I always enjoyed my kids and they had fun in what we did. If you all get your house so clean you can come visit me and I'm sure I will be the one that puts you over the edge. Unless when we get done we can go and have some fun and forget the cleaning.....ha ha Enjoy your life!!!!! You can still be clean.

[magnolia]

If you come over to my house, here's my motto: "My house was clean yesterday, sorry you missed it." LOL!! To those of you who clean on a daily basis, please pm me for directions to my house and you can come clean mine too

Seriously, NOT a clean freak here but as Gina and others have said, life is too short to worry whether my house is spotless or not. I clean once a week, more often if something happens and I need to. Otherwise, I straighten and wipe counters down during the week, laundry about every 2 or 3 days, dishes washed daily but that's it.

Now, I AM, without a doubt, OCD about my teeth!! I brush them 3-5 times a day!! But that's another thread in itself!!!

[KELLYLYNN]

my mothers motto is "you come to see me not my house" i like that one too.

[flgurl69]

Originally Posted by Dior'sMom

I am very much a clean freak!.

clean my kitchen with bleach every night. bathroom gets cleaned every other day.

(currently training them to do so themselves).

and the list goes on.... . I am trying to cut back and calm down, because i do not want to end up "crazy" over a spoon in the sink. I get so frustarted when my other half doesn't put away clothing or wash a plate after using it

OMG! You must be my long lost twin! I do the same things!

I think I developed my OCD way back when I was 19 and used to work in the china and giftware department at the PX. I was always dusting, wiping, shining silver....now I'm nuts about dust. Lol!

Every night before bed I even put away the remotes in the a drawer under the coffee table, magazines too. Oh! And I can't stand it when no one is in the kitchen but a chair is left pulled out.....it's a good thing I chose not to have kids huh?

[Sookie]

I would say that my home is clean enough to be sanitary and dirty enough to be called "home". That pretty much sums it up. I don't obsess over it, nor do I let things get out of hand.

My husband does all the laundry, so that's a big help.

[KELLYLYNN]

i had to change my routine now that i have a 11 month old at home, i wait til he goes to bed to clean, i spend all my free time with him when im home and not at work, i clean when he goes to the sitters in the morning, i only got 1/2 hour, so i mop and throw a load of clothes in, or run the sweeper, then when he goes to bed i fold all the clothes dust and do the dishes before i go to bed. it's hard but when he is up, that is our time, i have this poem on my wall and it is so true

cleaning and scrubbing can wait til tomorrow for babies grow up we've learned to our sorrow so settle down cobwebs, dust go to sleep i'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep..

so true they grow so fast, and it bad enough i have to work, i'm away from him so when i get home it's play time for us.

[chachi]

My house is clean but I am not a clean freak. I have a 7 yr old Daughter and ours is the house all the neighborhood kids come over to. So I have kids in my house all the time. Theres usually dog toys on the floor and some kid toys also. My House is very lived in. Everyone feels very comfortable at our house and we have all the family get togethers at our house

[oopsmyhalofello]

Originally Posted by kl1977

Cleaning the ref. sound like a great idea to me lol. Im so bad about cleaning and washing hands, my hands bleed, and hurt so bad sometimes I cant sleep at night (great time to get up and clean lol). I have been on medication before for the OCD, I am much better now, but I do love a clean house.

My husband is like that with his hands, I only wish he was the same with the house Anyway, I just wanted to mention to you that Mink sheen makes a really good extreme hand lotion that your hands would love. Honest, i'm not a big product pusher but they sent me a sample with the dog shampoo and its wonderful