ladeeda
New Member
Joined: October 2017
Posts: 2 
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Post by ladeeda on Oct 28, 2017 5:22:20 GMT -5
Hi all,
I'm so glad I found this forum! Here's a bit about me....
I live by myself in a small one bedroom apartment, so should be easy to keep it clean right? Wrong!
For the past couple of years that I've lived by myself I've lived in what I would call squalor. Dirty dishes everywhere in the kitchen, pizza boxes and other take away containers littering the apartment, dirty clothes everywhere, disgusting mouldy bathroom...the list goes on.
I do 2 really big cleans a year when I have landlord inspections or if I know a friend or family is coming over. But I avoid people coming over at all costs. If anyone suggests visiting me I always suggest we meet somewhere or I go to their place....so absolutely nobody knew about my dirty little secret (pardon the pun).
That was until recently....
I became ill and had to go into hospital for a while. Which meant my family had to go to my apartment to collect some of my belongings. Well I was absolutely ashamed, mortified and embarrassed that they saw what they had to see. I can't even look them in the eye anymore.
Well while I was in hospital sick, my family went in and cleaned my apartment from top to bottom and it's never looked better. So the hard part is done. But my question is, how do I not let it get to the state it was in? I don't want to live like that anymore and would appreciate any tips and hints you would have for me to keep my apartment clean and tidy!
Thank you!
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Post by dustylady on Oct 28, 2017 16:04:36 GMT -5
Invite family over frequently. 😊
More seriously, there are 2 approaches to maintaining a clean house:
1). Work on it a scheduled period of time every day, e.g 1 hour, or do certain scheduled tasks every day, e.g. laundry Monday, mopping Tuesday, etc.
2). Work on it constantly. With this method you never enter or leave a room empty-handed (there's always something out of place). You dust when things are dusty, mop when the floor's dirty, and so on. At first, note down when you mopped, or whatever, because if you are here with us, you probably have Dirt and Disorder Blindness and you may very well not notice when the floor's dirty again. If it's Tuesday, and you mopped last Tuesday, you can safely assume you need to mop again. As time goes on it'll become easier to see when cleaning needs to happen, although I do not know if we ever do learn to perceive our surroundings in a completely normal fashion. So keep the notes as long as you need to.
Try both approaches and see which works best for you.
Good luck and get well soon!
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Post by Nael_C on Oct 28, 2017 16:37:21 GMT -5
Hello and welcome! Establish some easy first routines. Like, every morning I will do the dishes. Then, when this is established and you find yourself you have kept it for a time, add another thing to it, like "In the morning, after I do the dishes, I will clean the bathroom". Then, when this has sunk in and you find yourself to have got used to do those two, you add another little one. Eg. I wash the dishes, clean the bathroom and make my bed. And slowly you will find yourself doing the necessary everyday housework and you will become confident and feeling braver completing your tasks! Good luck with your new, fresh start to a cleaner house!  |
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Post by joyinvirginia on Oct 29, 2017 15:41:10 GMT -5
I agree, invite your family over, and friends too! They have helped you, show them you appreciate it!
Things that help me:
Trash cans, one in each room, and empty the trash BEFORE its full!
Figure out when you feel most energy to tackle cleaning, and do a little every day before you get distracted with something else.
Sleep on clean sheets! Change your sheets every one or two weeks, it will help you feel better. Keep your bed cleaned off as much as possible.
Best wishes in your recovery!
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Post by def6 on Oct 29, 2017 18:58:23 GMT -5
Hello ladeedaThat was an act of pure love from your family to you to get everything cleaned up while you were sick. Bless them! We call "not letting things get messed back up" here: "Maintenance." For myself , I call it: "Habits" For me, cleaning day never gets here nor does laundry day. I have to incorporate cleaning every step of the way with the habits I have learned over time and have been ingrained. With habits, One can turn themselves from very haphazard into almost a neat freak. I have heard it takes 21 days for a habit to become second nature , probably longer for me. My morning routine is the cornerstone of my existence: *When I wake up in the morning ,I roll out the side of my bed pull the comforter and the sheet up straighten the pillows and call it made. 2 minutes *I go to the bathroom and do the swish and swipe 2 minutes *I put away the dishes in the dishwasher so that the empty dishwasher gets the dirty dishes... not the counters and the sink 2 minutes *I run a load of laundry daily so that Mt Washmore will remain defeated. 2-5 minutes *This one is magic...I tidy up including getting recycling and trash out ...at least 5 minutes Everybody's morning routine is different. I have a big family so dishes, laundry and trash could be considered a full time job. Disclaimer: Everything with an asterisk* may take some prep-work to get those times down. Results may vary. The most important thing is to be able to open your home up to your loved ones and friends. So ...Throw back those curtains, shutters and shades. The way you can thank your family for what they have done for you is to thrive!!! |
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ladeeda
New Member
Joined: October 2017
Posts: 2
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Post by ladeeda on Oct 30, 2017 20:08:54 GMT -5
Thank you all for your tips! I'm working real hard at sticking to a routine and creating new habits. So far so good 😊
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Post by aquamarine on Oct 31, 2017 1:37:29 GMT -5
It can take a while before habits become automatic. There is a huge difference between doing occasional major cleanups because someone is coming and performing regular maintenance tasks. You change from doing it for others to doing it for yourself.
One advantage of being in the maintenance phase is that a few minutes or even seconds here and there can be used to complete a small task. Swishing and swiping can keep everything in a passable state.
If you have a suitable place for everything, it is good to get into the habit of always putting things away.Get the rubbish out as soon as a bag is full. Wipe up spills and straighten as you go along.
Lists work very well for some people.
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Post by hedy on Oct 31, 2017 10:51:54 GMT -5
Hello, Ladeeda! I don't know if this would work for you, but you may want to take a few pictures of the apartment as it is now (presumably still clean and orderly) and then a new set of pictures every week. It may help you to gauge the difference - one can get used to clutter to the point of not seeing it anymore - and see more objectively where your "hotspots" are. Good luck! |
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