There are many aspects and layers of a healthy lifestyle. Eating, exercising, thinking positive thoughts — all healthy, no? Don’t even make fun of me, but I think there is another part of living healthy lifestyle — and that is having a clean and tidy home space.
Charlie needs a lesson in how to sit politely.
I’m kind of a neat freak. Okay, let me take that back. I am really a neat freak. I think that everything has its place (read: put away) and that counter space is not meant for clutter. I hate that Charlie sheds and that my clothes are always full of dog hair. I’m the girl who doesn’t care if bed bugs are less likely to be in a bed that isn’t made every day because my bed is made every day — well, unless the Husband is in charge. In that case, the bed is only made if I threaten that if he doesn’t make it I might not make him lunch.
A lot of times when my weeks get busy, the first thing that gets put to the wayside is my housekeeping. Dishes will pile up, a film begins to form on everything, and I could write myself notes in the dust on my furniture. Which reminds me — someone please remind me the next time I buy furniture that all dark wood makes your home look very dusty. ::sigh::
My walls aren’t really that purple — it’s more of a deep blue. Silly camera.
Once the house starts to get untidy, it is a domino effect. There are already dishes in the sink? No problem — I’ll just add a few more. I only have four pairs of shoes sitting by the door? Might as well make it five. My dirty clothes haven’t made it to the laundry room in four days and I have a huge pile next to my bed where I get changed? Meh — I’ll do the laundry eventually. Suddenly it’s Saturday, and when I look around my house, I’m disgusted.
And you would probably laugh at me because my definition of “disgusting” is not even so. I know it’s bad though, when the Husband even rejoices a little bit when I tell him my day will be filled with cleaning the house. Not that he doesn’t enjoy a clean house — he just doesn’t enjoy being the one doing the cleaning.
There’s something about a dirty house that makes me feel cluttered, frazzled, and downright irritable. I can’t think, I can’t concentrate, but the last thing I want to do is actually spend a few hours scrubbing all the crevices of my home.
So yesterday I set out to clean and make myself feel human again. My house isn’t big, and it never takes really long to clean, but all I wanted to do was sit on my couch, read my book, and maybe take a little cat nap.
When it was all said and done, I felt so much better.
My house smells good. My floors are shiny and beautiful.
And the cushions on my couch are nice and fluffy again (what? you don’t vacuum and rotate yours every time you clean? that’s just weird).
But even better than that, my mind is clutter free as well. The hardest part about having a clean house?
Keeping it this way.
Question: Are you a neat freak or can you stand the clutter?
{ 81 comments… read them below or add one }
I am a neat freak!
Loving the living room!
Thank you!
I just posted about this the other day..
“Are you a neat freak or can you stand the clutter?”
And I am 100% neat freak and can’t even think straight amidst clutter. I can’t cook in a messy unorganized kitchen; can’t blog or do anything at my computer if my desk is messy…I’ve always been like this since I was a kid.
Your house looks great!
Thanks, Averie! I’m with you - I have to declutter my life before I can get anything accomplished!!
You Are SO right about the domino effect thing. That’s the Part of cleaning that stinks.
I am definitely a neat freak!!!
I usually do a “full clean” every other week, but I still clean on the weeks in between (vacuum, mop, etc.). haha It’s a little crazy!
Definetly a neat freak!
I’m a neat freak, for sure. What you said about the dog shedding totally resonates with me. I looove our dog, but his hair drives me crazy!! I treated myself to a better vacuum earlier this year and I often profess my love for it, as it helped with the hair situation so much. I feel the need to clean once a week and I start to get antsy when it’s getting messy!
We have a special “pet hair” attachment on ours!
I have a 2 cats in a 1 bedroom apartment, and if I go longer than a week without cleaning it, it than the clutter gets even worse! There’s always cat hair on my stuff, and I’ve learned to not sit on my couch with clothes that I’m going out in public later!
I can’t stand clutter either. I have found that it is much harder living in such a small apartment now because sometimes I feel like there isn’t anywhere to put anything! Clutter distracts me from everything else I need to get done. Especially studying! lol.
I totally agree about small spaces and clutter! Our house is the size of my 3 bedroom apartment I rented with two friends in college.. not big enough for all of our stuff!
I’m suchhhhh a neat freak. Living with roommates is tough in that regard. I hate looking at their toothpaste stains and dishes, so I always end up cleaning it all while they aren’t home on weekends. I could ask them to do it, but it gets done faster when I just do it myself. And I always make my bed first thing! When my house is clean and my bed is made I just feel less stressed and more grounded.
I hear ya! Don’t worry - one day it will all be over and then you’re going to get married and live with your husband’s toothpaste stains and dishes.
I felt like you read my mind when you were writing this. WEIRD. I am totally the same way. My dog hair is now under control thanks to my dyson Animal.. it’s awesome! Its weird we have that domino effect.. and then one day it’s a mass cleaning frenzy! I love cleaning and organizing stuff so it’s not that bad
) great blog, love this post, keep em’ comin’
What I would give for a Dyson!!!
Definitely a neat freak! I love having a clean apartment…everything feels so much better and I feel more organized too!
Great post!
I am the exact same way! I am such a neat freak!!! I have to have everything put away and in its spot, clutter makes me nuts and frazzled! Along with an uncluttered home I need a clean home, I clean every crevice when I get the chance! Being a college student makes that hard, because well all my roommates are typical messy college kids…. My fiance knows he is in for it when we get married, but he also likes a clean house, as long as he doesn’t have to do the cleaning.
haha - yes, my Husband likes to tell me when the top of the fridge needs to be cleaned… since he’s the only one who can see it!
I’m totally a neat freak too. Our house isn’t very big either so when I start whining to myself that our house isn’t big enough, I remind myself that I should be thankful it doesn’t take very long to clean. Your house is super cute by the way!
I like things to be clean and tidy, but I’m not really a neat freak. I’m just like you though - when things get busy, housekeeping is the first thing to fall by the wayside. But not my bed. My bed is made every day. An unmade bed just can’t happen.
Okay, wait. Maybe I take back the “I’m not really a neat freak” statement. *sigh*
haha!
We are two peas in a pod! I can not concentrate at all if there are papers on my desk, clothes that need to be folded and put away, or dishes in the sink. I also can not sleep in an unmade bed-because all of the covers are always falling off and I can’t get situated haha.
Also, cleaning is a huge stress reliever for me-when I’m super overwhelmed, I clean like crazy and always feel better afterwards-plus I have a clean house when I’m done!
Glad to hear that I’m not alone. You’ve got an adorable house, by the way!
Unmade bed + sleeping = no bueno!!!
Confession: Sometimes I make the Husband make the bed RIGHT before I get into it at night because he didn’t do it in the morning.
I’m an a-type neat freak! However…..we’re in the midst of moving and our place looks like a war zone! Driving me nuts!
Love your place btw - I can’t wait to have a house & feel settled!
Thanks Jayme!
Omg this is perfect timing because we’ve been gone all weekend and haven’t had time to clean. I’m so irritated today, hehe. I need a clean, clutter free home at all times!
I live in a small apartment and my boyfriend works from home so I’ve had to learn to live with a certain amount of clutter! My drawers and kitchen are spotless and super organised
I’ve got you beat!!!
I think it’s kinda tacky to leave links to your blog, but this really sums up my cleaning neuroses - http://lindsayslist.co/2011/09/neuroses-exposed/
So now I’m crazy AND tacky!
haha I love that - I don’t vacuum THAT much!
I completely agree with you. Come Saturday, I’m usually in panic mode with the accumulated dog hair, the clutter on the counter (<-that one KILLS me!) and the dusty furniture. We have dark furniture in our bedroom too, love the look but the dust is insane!
I spent 3 hours yesterday cleaning. I feel much more relaxed today
Your home looks beautiful. I’m internally a neat freak, but sometime I get too busy/lazy/tired and things just start getting dirty and cluttered.
Thanks, Ashley!
I’m a neat freak, but I’m also kind of lazy. This makes for a lot of messes out of being “too tired to put them away” but a lot of stress over things not being tidied up!
I’m the same way - I love things clean, but once it starts to get messy, it’s a snowball effect and it takes a lot for me to want to put in any effort! I really need to clean my poor fish’s bowl…
I am definitely a clean freak! My roommates like to come in my room and rearrange stuff just because I will come back and know something has been moved and freak trying to put everything back together!
I definitely know what you mean about feeling crazy when your living space is crazy. But I think I have a medium tolerance for it.
I think an organized living space gives me peace of mind. And peace of mind is part of being “healthy.” I don’t think I’m a clean freak or a clutter-er, I’m somewhere in between, but since we moved, I’ve been trying to keep everything tidy.
I am an unfortunate slob. I hate living in clutter, but I’m terrible and picking up and cleaning after myself, and so it my boyfriend. I just moved into a brand new apartment, which is much nicer than my last, so I’m trying to be better about it, but it’s hard! Any secrets of the trade?
Nothing but hard work!
Haha I was afraid of that!
I’m actually cool with a little clutter - it’s my husband who’s the neat freak, and I do my best to not let the mess explode all over the house. Truth be told, I do feel more relaxed when the house is tidy, but I’d so much rather catnap than clean!
Oh I am such a neat freak! Glad I’m not alone! It drives me crazy when things are a mess at home or in my office at work!
I’m the exact same way! When my apartment is messy, I feel so frazzled and disorganized! I always need to clean my room before I can sit down and study or do work. But I’m really lazy when it comes to vacuuming and dusting and mopping. Usually as long as things appear neat from far away, I’m satisfied.
your home is beautiful!! i totally agree — i work from home and am absolutely unproductive if i attempt to work in a clutter and/or mess. often times i get up 30 minutes early just to have time to make breakfast, pick up, and clear my space (and mind) before i begin my work day. i also just wrote today about how much goes into a healthy life aside from diet and exercise. mental and emotional health is just as (if not more) important.
Ugh. I hate THAT domino effect! It happens over here too! But once I set out - I am a clean machine that cannot be stopped!
you want to come clean my place??? haha it is a mess, I guess you can say I like clutter
although I prefer things neat, the one place I have to clean before I can do anything is the kitchen
xoxo
Michelle
I’m kind of the same way…I’ll let things go, and then it will kind of snowball until I break down and HAVE to clean everything, immediately!! And once the house is clean, I feel such a sigh of relief- there’s nothing like a spotless house!!
I WISH I were a neat freak. But, we’ve accepted that it’s not going to happen. Luckily, the hubby and I are similar in this, and have similar ideas of when it’s just too gross. Then we call the cleaners!
I am so totally the same way as you Chelsey! And reading this just inspired me to get started on my own cleaning. Thanks.
We vacuum our couch cushions! We can’t flip because of zippers but we switch them! I love being in a clean house… although my cleaning desire has dwindled since the start of the school year. Good thing Justin been a major help!
I absolutely have to have my house clean AND organized. Everything needs to be put away and at least wiped down for me to function. This week was crazy for me and I left so much stuff out…so many clothes on the floor…and so many surfaces un-Clorox’ed. Yesterday was also my cleaning day and I feel a LOT better!
my house is clean like an apple store!
I love the sign above your bed. So cute. I am such a clean freak lately. It just bothers me when dishes are piled into a mountain in the sink.
LOVE the color of the bedroom walls! I am clean, except I always have one area that is a mess where I throw all my stuff. But it’s all in one place and that comforts me because I can move it quickly if we have guests!
I am a lazy neat freak… meaning that I find it hard to concentrate when there is a mess, but I also find it hard to get off my butt and clean.
I can’t stand clutter. Before I do any work or project, I have to make my bed…even if it’s an hour before I go to sleep. I loooove your blue walls!
“And they lived happily ever after”… adorable. Seriously.
I can easily relate to this. I am moving in a couple of days and my flat looks like there has been an explosion. I can´t stand it. So glad once its over!
(is this the bed you and your hubs are sleeping in?? It looks TINY!)
It’s actually a queen!
My classroom is still organized - thanks to you!
This feels just like a post I could have written myself! Your house is really pretty. I love the blue color on the walls in your bedroom and your dog is precious. He looks so funny in that picture!
I love your hardwood floors! They’re gorgeous.
I’m a neat freak. With three kids it’s a little hard not to get frustrated cause you will clean come back 10 seconds later and there is a huge mess. I don’t mind if the bed isn’t made but my hubby hates it so he makes it every morning. I need to make the kids bed go figure lol. I find if the house is dirty then everything falls apart from the meal plan to getting out the door on time for preschool.
Oh goodness do I understand this post!!! ….Same goes for the classroom! -the only downside to each of those: we are remodeling/redoing our home so it’s a constant mess because we’re doing (read: I’m doing) it ourselves. The classroom I’m in is only my temporary classroom for a year or two. It makes it hard when I know in the back of my mind that it’s not going to stay there once I put it away….
Beautiful home, Chelsey! BEAUTIFUL!!!
Thanks, Julie! And I agree - my classroom is super tidy!
YAY more friends in the neat freak club! I will not leave my bedroom without making the bed, I wash each dish immediately after using, and I will not allow clothes to pile up in my room…whenever I’m tempted to get sloppy, I think to myself, “what if one of your friends/family surprise visited right now?” That actually happens all the time, so I must be prepared!
Your house is so cute - I love the sign above your bed!
I used to be the same way! My husband used to joke that our house was ready to be shown/sold at anytime. Now I have an almost 4 month old baby and cleaning happens so much less often. It’s been super hard bc a messy house makes me crazy but I have had to realize that it’s just not a priority when I work full time and want to see my son.
I am neat freak number one! I can’t even think straight when the house is cluttered. My classroom used to be the same way. I had those kiddos trained to keep things neat and tidy. We had ‘Desk Clean Out Friday” and I made sure they were orderly, too. It’s a curse - but I am having to learn to let go a bit now that the little one is here…I can’t even fathom what it will be like when there are toys everywhere! I’m already annoyed.
Oh yeah, I don’t even want to THINK about what I’m going to be like once we have kids.
I’m not a neat freak but I definitely like a clean house! I can’t stand dishes in the sink for even a night but I can leave my clean clothes in a basket all week long. I usually keep the kitchen super clean but the rest I wait it out. I’m strange.
even the word clutter makes me feel tense, I hate it! I was never told to make my bed growing up, but I always did and still do. I cannot stand a mess or things not organized. I have lightened up a little tho, I used to HAVE to have my clothes hug up and sorted by color and sleeve length… I was in middle school and my friends thought I was nuts. Your home looks beautiful from the pictures, very nice!
I completely agree with you regarding the importance of my living space. I have always been very effected by my atmosphere in many different ways, but as I have gotten older the importance has become more and more about the tidiness and organization aspect. I just moved and my living area is still very unfinished in terms of decorating and creating a beautiful space, which is difficult for me. I completely understand and relate to you!
affected, I mean. Not effected.
Love this! I’d love to say I’m a neat freak but I’m so lazy every single week is ‘let it all pile up them have a nervous breakdown on sunday night and go on a cleaning rampage’. Haha.
Clean house = clean mind
Ohhhh my, I am so with you here - neat freak ALL.THE.WAY. My bf and I recently moved in together, and it’s a miracle that we’ve been able to find some middle ground between his “everything belongs on the floor or some kind of counter space, especially trash” and my “every single thing, regardless of its frequency of use [think remote controls], needs to be in its assigned place AT ALL TIMES.” It stays interesting. Before I moved in, he had - ready? - a trash pile. In the corner of his room. Because the trash would overflow and he’d start throwing things in the trash can’s general direction. So yeah.
Anyway, I am totally unable to be zen and regroup in a place that is cluttered. My crazy about cleanliness refuses to be squelched.
Am I totally weird for noticing the art you have hanging over your bed that says, “And they lived happily ever after”? Because I LOVE it!!! So romantic!!
I am a bit of an OCD neat freak. Organization is my middle name and I love everything to have its place!
Such a neat freak, and totally hear you on the dark wood and dust. I have all dark wood in our house and the dust is just never ending!
I totally agree - having a clean living area is so so important to me being positive and calm. Clean room, clean mind and all that!