What's your excuse???

Apologies to people who love housework ... But I don't I positively hate it... Especially now I find it harder to do....

So my excuse for the mess.... If I tidy it away I will never find it again due to fibro fog.....

Any one else agree or have a better excuse.. Or maybe you love housework and want to share some tips for making it easier...

[spidey]

I quite like it when I have the energy and right mood!! One great shortcut, especially if the house is a little musty with enormous piles of dirty washing and old newspapers, muddy rugs and doggy chair throws ( ehem, guilty as charged) and you have someone coming round or just want to freshen up , get some fabric consitioner, (the comfort-able one is good) put a glunk of it on some kitchen towel or a cloth and smear it on top of radiators and light switches. IF no readiators then just wipe a strip down door edges etc. As you go through each room you get a lovely waft of spring freshness!!!

As for newspapers and mags , books etc,just make piles of them and chuck a pretty cloth or two over the piles!!!!

IN AM DRAM TERMS, IF YOU CAN'T HIDE IT MAKE A FEATURE OUT OF IT!!!!

WARNING if you bin bag your dirty washing and leave it out ready for doing please label bags or else your sheets will end up down tip with rest of rubbish hub decides to chuck out.

Finally who says you have to hoover every day? or dust or tidy or , anything really. Give yourself permission to not give a sh88 and not feel guilty,

Hugs of the quiet kind

Spidey

[copdber in reply to spidey]

I love the tip for freshening up the house you can be sure I'm going to me using a lot more fabric conditioner.

[jillylin]

I enjoy housework when I am not feeling great but on bad days.....:-(.

Is there anything you can delegate to others?

I have a notice in my kitchen"

Come in, sit down

Relax, converse.

Ignore the mess, it's usually worse.

Hugs

[Hidden in reply to jillylin]

Hahaaa like it :O) x

[Fibrofoggiest in reply to jillylin]

That's a great notice. Love it. Foggy x

[copdber in reply to jillylin]

good one lol

[ladymoth]

I love that verse, Jillylin - i shall 'adopt' it forthwith!

I don't mind housework, but it takes me ages to do anything, and hoovering is almost beyond me. Fortunately my daughter gives my carpets a quick 'do' weekly, so I don't live in squalor.

One thing I can't manage without, tho' is nice clean bed linen - it's my treat, and I always manage it somehow. Washing up is my bugbear - there's always so much of it! I wish I had space for a dishwasher!

Moffy x

[Fibrofoggiest in reply to ladymoth]

Me too Moffy, would love just a small dishwasher, but my postage stamp kitchen won't allow either Foggy x

[copdber in reply to ladymoth]

I couldn't manage without mine I wonder would it be possible to have a cupboard taken out to make room for one. I'm guilty of putting absolutely everything in mine.

[Hidden]

I don't enjoy housework, but love the feeling of tidiness when its done. I turn into a crazy women if there's clutter, Its stresses me out. I'm very lucky my husband is OCD when it comes to having things in its place, I'm the opposite I can never find anything, "fibro fog" so he has bought me a large box that I keep all my personal things in, letters, driving licence, phone charger, pen and paper all the usual stuff you can never find when you need it. Now I have no trouble finding "my" stuff, I keep the box at the back of my settee in the living room. He's also got me a notice board in the kitchen for appointments, and a calendar to remind me what I'm doing on what days!! Life is much better since he's got me more organised.

My answer to the house work is a little bit each day, tidy as I go so it never gets too much to tackle. The big jobs, hovering the stairs, cleaning windows, he does all that. I know I

I'm very lucky to have a hubby who needs a tidy house and doesn't mind doing his share, I'm working on the 22 year old son to do his bit..... not having much luck with that one though!!!

[Hidden]

I promised my Doc's that I would do some house work as a pacing exercise... It's okay I guess but is painful when I'm feeling crappy (Hubby does the big stuff) As far as the fibro fog, I have post-it notes on the draws with important things in... Doesn't say what's inside the draw just if I see a yellow post-it I look there first LOL :O) cuts down on the searching time hehee.

[jillylin]

Now that's a handy tip and one I shall be using.

Hugs

[Fibrofoggiest]

I'm afraid I'm a bit of a cleaningaholic, when and if I have the energy. I have steam cleaner, a Bissell carpet cleaner and two vacuums. I make my own wax polish which the furniture seems to sap up happily, but it has to be done when I'm feeling better and I have be careful not to overdo it. That having been said, my bedroom at the moment my bedroom is a complete mess, having burnt my pinkies last week I haven't been on top if things. So everything is on hold until my hand is better, did a bit of vacuuming this morning with the upright one, don't like messy carpets. Foggy x

[Ginsing]

I know we all like to clean well my daughter doesn't so she sprinkles glitter stars all over the dust and ignores it --------- I could not do this I like it looking loved xgins

[weetam]

The other day i was asked if able to do the hoovering -

So as not to have to do the hoovering I have taken the fuse out and told her who likes to be obeyed it is broken : - )) and would you believe it i have forgot where i hid it! (probably with my marbles) Doh! Will at least delay it for a wee while......

[Hidden]

Thanks for all the tips and excuses ... Loving the fuse....

Many thanks

VG xx

[Amanda]

Oh that is so me VG ! I've been saying similar for years but nobody except my Mum seems to agree,especially when I say "well it isn't going anywhere it can be done another time"! I am soooooo lucky,my Mum pays for a lady to do my housework once a week so I "just" have to cope between visits!

[phlebo123]

I limit myself to 30 minutes housework each day --- just choose what seems the most important and leave the rest for another day -- it will still be there tomorrow!! I keep my own things tidy and organized -- the rest of the mess belongs to someone else. I get fed up of my family expecting me to know where their things are -- my husband is the worst -- he moans if people leave a mess but he leaves his things lying around for months -- some of his Christmas presents are still lying on the living room floor!! ( how long ago was Christmas? -- maybe if he leaves them there long enough I won't need to buy him any new presents next Christmas !!) My motto -- life is too short to spend it doing housework xx

[Hidden]

I do it, but don't enjoy it. I guess it's something that has to be done. If someone rings and wants to meet up then I think s-d!! it and go meet my friend. I am like Phlebo and think life is short enough without spending all day cleaning. I do have a handy hubby who will run a hoover round, so guess I am lucky.

[mistymeana]

Uuuuurrrgghhhh!!! Broken out in a cold sweat just thinking of housework. Life is definitely too short. My excuse is that dusting/hoovering disturbs the dust and sets off my dust allergy so is best done when I'm not there Obviously doesn't work when on my own but sometimes does the trick when a child is in residence. Just have to pit up with a deeper layer of fluff than I'd ideally like to look at. Find it very difficult and painful to hold the hoover but have been known to voluntarily waft a duster about if the sun shows up the evidence of neglect to much. First thing I'm treating myself to when I win the lottery is a cleaner. x

[wildwoman]

I do hate housework, but i hate the mess even more! My husband is very good, but some dirt he just doesn`t see, or his attempts at some things just make it worse, his best one is to dust and in so doing spread it everywhere! I think maybe he`s trying to help, but if i start something he`ll say - does that really need doing?, or oh i`ll do that, but that usually means a week later! I`m getting really good at biting my tongue! My best excuse is that i`m an artist and therefore have more important things to do - if i walk about with a paintbrush in my hand looking distracted it works! My studio is sacrosanct and a glorious mess!

[sue32]

I now just do the housework once a week! Just a quick vacuum - there's only me and me cat here - and dust of a fashion!! I do like the look when it's all done though even though I'm cream crackered!! It looks so lovely, for once, then it all goes downhill till the next week. But I don't care, I can only do what I can do!! My bedding has to wait till someone can help me too. I bought myself a Dy**n vacuum, the one that's cordless and, although expensive, it was soooo worth the money!! It's light, picks up well and is soooo easy to empty! I've also got a steam mop, which is really good for my wetroom floor. I don't iron anymore, out of the tumble dryer and fold - that's me!!!!! XXXX And there's always tomorrow!!!

[Hidden]

I used to be very anal when it came to having my house spick and span.

You know the dead giveaways like seeing your face in a polished table etc.

But now I have become a member of the fibro club as it were it is very different.

Don't get me wrong my house is still very clean.

But now I am no longer the white tornado in the housework department.

I set my self a goal each day and I am realistic about what I am feeling like and capable

Of on any given day.

This method seems to work for me.If I go beyond that goal I pay for it dearly.

[moo196]

re dusting - my motto has always been ( pre and post fibro) " one shade of grey is much the same as another " .... if its a bit dusty who is to know if its a few days' or a few months worth ..... ? Life is too short to worry about too much housework ... Do the bare minimum you can feel comfortable with is what I say !

[justlilme]

i wish i could do it i have to have my sister do my houseowrk as my fibro and fatigue are too much right now. but there is more to life than housework tho good excuse but when i could do it i didnt mind it tbh xxx

[Lunafair]

I am not a fan of housework however I do enjoy the satisfaction afterwards of feeling as though I achieved something productive and made my living space more inhabitable and therefore it all improves my mood.

A tip I would suggest is if you have a bit of an OCD side and get fulfilment out of ordering/categorising neat and pretty things would be to find a good filing system: by that I mean find a cupboard of some kind and corresponding boxes that fit inside, you can then label or colour categorise the boxes so they are easy to identify and then clear away your things.

The reason I favour boxes is if you are having a low energy day you can just chuck stuff into the boxes and they still look neat when you put them back away... you can always go back and neaten it up when you feel more up to it.

Ikea do lots of reasonable priced boxes that fit inside their cabinets, and if money is an issue charity shops are a good place to pick up original and unique containers and boxes of all shapes and sizes - if you feel up to being fairly mobile - and if you arnt there are places like Amazon and Ebay where you will be easily able to find cheap plastic boxes, or more elaborate/sophisticated designs if they take your fancy.