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Post by clearwaterush on Oct 22, 2008 21:57:18 GMT -5
 I go buy the bathroom that I totaly got sparkly clean 2 to 3 times a day. It's been a four days now and I still haven't done anything to it. I was supost to clean the stool, tub, sink and mirrors-BUT it all looks great to me. I FEEL GUILTY BECAUSE I THINK I SHOULD BE DOING SOMETHING TO THE BATHROOM!
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Post by lilith on Oct 22, 2008 22:31:22 GMT -5
I have this exact same thing when I am caught up on the dishes. Normally I wait until everything we have is dirty and then do a marathon session. Usually after that I will keep up on them for awhile washing right after a meal or meal prep. It just feels weird and wrong. I have even timed it when it is just one meals worth. I can have them all done in five minutes. Intellectrually, I can see that that makes a lot more sense: Do five minutes three or four times a day or three horrible hours once a week. I think that is the problem in my thinking.
If no one is using the bath it may not be getting dirty. I know from living with cleanies that they do things that look dumb to me like wipe down things when they look clean. I have lived with people who squegee the shower door and walls EVERY shower. They wipe down the surfaces of the bathroom EVERY day when they are done. My mother-in-law vacums her house everyday even when no one has been in the room! Seems psycho to me but her whole house is always clean and when the doorbell rings she just answers it. Something I can't do. The main reason I am here is to try to figure out my wrong thinking and posts like yours give me insight so thank you and good luck.
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Blackswan
Banned
Joined: October 2008
Posts: 6,388
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Post by Blackswan on Oct 23, 2008 0:24:49 GMT -5
That is so true! You may just have to make a decision: I will only clean when I can see a little something that needs to be done. Maybe we are so afraid of the mess returning and we are not used to a clean room for more than a few days and it makes us feel like surely it must take more work than this? I think it is all about learning/relearning what normal is, sort of like a drug user getting sober. We have to learn what it is to be squalor free, because we either have never been that way, or it has been quite some time.
I personally am satisfied if things look nice when I walk through the room. I am highly resistant to making some sort of cleaning schedule/daily routine, anything that needs to be adhered too, and I have been preferring just a nightly walk through to make sure all potential squalor is taken care of. By potential squalor I mean anything that is out of place, even a nickel on the floor. Because next thing you know, you have sticky pennies all over the hardwood floor. I have been trying to live the way I am in my classroom. In my classroom (which is super neat and organized) I have a place for everything, and when I am done with everything I return it to its place. You won't see old drink cups leaking all over the floor, or a bra hanging off of a chair! So I am trying to bring those good habits home with me.
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Post by limegreen on Oct 23, 2008 6:29:46 GMT -5
I have this exact same thing when I am caught up on the dishes. Normally I wait until everything we have is dirty and then do a marathon session. Usually after that I will keep up on them for awhile washing right after a meal or meal prep. It just feels weird and wrong. I have even timed it when it is just one meals worth. I can have them all done in five minutes. Intellectrually, I can see that that makes a lot more sense: Do five minutes three or four times a day or three horrible hours once a week. I think that is the problem in my thinking. Oh me too! Are you me? It takes a full hour and more to do the dishes when they are all mounted up, and about five minutes to do one meal's worth, but I feel like that is a terrible waste of hot water, just for half a bowl's worth of washing up. And when all the dishes are there, I know exactly how to balance my dish jenga on the drying rack. But I do squeedgee the shower door and walls each time I shower. OMG, I have a good cleaning habit, who knew?  |
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Post by messymimi on Oct 23, 2008 6:38:12 GMT -5
If it is already clean, just swish out the toilet (stool) daily with a brush to keep anything from building up. Then wipe the mirror, counter and toilet seat with a bit of paper towel or old cleaning cloth and water or spritz of cleaner.
Wipe down the tub with a squeegee or wash cloth each time you get out, and tend the floor only when you see it needs it. This means it only takes about a minute a day and the bathroom will stay clean all of the time!
messymimi
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Post by notsomessyshell on Oct 23, 2008 12:17:40 GMT -5
Why is maintenance such an issue with me? I have the dishes thing, too. I KNOW it is easier to keep them up, but it seems like I am wasting water and time to do just a few.....
For the bathroom I keep those Clorox wipes in there. I go in and wipe the sink and counter with one. Swish some stuff in the toilet. Use another one to wipe down the outside of the toilet and done. Why can I keep this room clean and the rest of the house goes to heck?
I aspire to the day I can answer my doorbell without a minor heart attack.
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Post by puppybox on Oct 23, 2008 12:50:08 GMT -5
Clearwaterrush, you post made me think of Julie Morgenstern's book, Organising from the Inside out.
In the beginning she notes there are several pyschological reasons for letting major disorganisation occur -one type she gives the cool name "Conquistador of Chaos".
A person thinking like a conquistador of chaos enjoys the feeling of accomplishment and the rush from accomplishing a huge task just in the nick of time. Julie morgenstern advises people like this to think about how they should really use their skills talents and time to accompish more meaningful goals.
I'm probably not explaining it well, but when I read it, it really hit home. Maybe when you pass the bath room you don't feel guilty (or not only guilty) but feel a pang that you should be crazy working hard in ordere to accomplish something. What do you want to do in your life? Maybe you can rededicate your energy to something you have always wanted to do but couldn't because you had to stay home and scrub the batheroom. Like, writing a book, volunteering, having a dinenr party, anything.
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Post by razy on Oct 23, 2008 16:07:44 GMT -5
Just feel proud and enjoy the clean!!!
At my place the bathroom is our cleanest room and I only clean in there once a week at the most.
There is only 2 of us using it and we have an erase the evidence policy with the toliet. I can't see the point of cleaning when things are not dirty and I like the feeling of accomplishment when things look like they have been cleaned eg no more toothpaste dribbles. One week isn't long enough for things to get so ucky that I wouldn't want someone else using the bathroom.
I am sure that haven't posotive feeling about the bathroom, rather than guilt means that I clean it more - so go enjoy your beautiful sparkly bathroom!
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Post by Alexandra on Oct 24, 2008 22:22:36 GMT -5
I have the same feeling about my kitchen...it's near maintenance level, has been for the past two weeks. All I have to do is get the clutter off the table and do a wee bit of catching up on dishes--my son's been sick for the past day.
I guess it's because I'm so used to having things unfinished, that having to do virtually nothing is a strange feeling. Maybe that's what you're feeling...?
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Post by clearwaterush on Oct 25, 2008 9:42:50 GMT -5
Yes, you hit the nail on the head. HAVING TO DO VIRTUALLY NOTHING IS A STRANGE FEELING! And it seems a little scarey too. It is something NEW. I look at the clean place and think "NOW WHAT AM I GONNA DO?"
***However, I know now, that I can go declutter something or there are other things to do!
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OnTiptoe
New Member
Joined: September 2008
Posts: 13
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Post by OnTiptoe on Oct 27, 2008 1:26:32 GMT -5
Yes, you hit the nail on the head. HAVING TO DO VIRTUALLY NOTHING IS A STRANGE FEELING! And it seems a little scarey too. It is something NEW. I look at the clean place and think "NOW WHAT AM I GONNA DO?" ***However, I know now, that I can go declutter something or there are other things to do! Why not join a knitting group and learn a new craft? Me, I would rather knit than do housework any day! My problem is NOT doing all those things that appeal to me before I do the housework. It is especially hard for me to stay focused. Flylady has the bathroom on a routine list of daily activities: you swish and brush the bowl daily and wipe out and shine the sink with each use. Keep a rag towell near the sink for this purpose. Don't feel guilty! From your earlier post, I sense a HUGE amount of "ought to" or "should" in your writings. Give yourself a break, hon! Sometimes it's just fine to have a rest and not keep working all the time. Take breaks while working in the house every hour or two for a nice, tall glass of water and sit down. And give yourself some credit for all you have accomplished instead of focusing on what you "should" be doing now. Take care, R |
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Post by clearwaterush on Oct 27, 2008 18:31:51 GMT -5
Duly Noted!
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