The endless chore.

[Ceasefire]

...of 'pick up other peoples crap'. Seriously. I feel like I never make headway in any of my huge 'organizing the house' projects because every day, without fail, I will be cleaning up behind the rest of the family who see the dining table as a dumping ground, the living room as a second closet and the bathroom floor as a laundry hamper.

 

Anyone else feel like they're stuck in a timeless loop of cleaning up after people?

[Jittersthe.Clown]

Yes.  And it was going to be part of my challenges this go around, but I realized it's not a battle I can win.  I did have a minor breakthrough with the kids this weekend.  I asked if they'd like to have a garage sale this fall.  My son is all about sales, so he was in.  I told him that he and his sister have to fill a box with stuff they don't play with anymore before we can have the sale.  I told my wife she needs to fill two and I would do two.  We're half way there.  Less stuff in the house = less to pick up.  Or you could try bribery.  I'm certainly not above that.  We did chore charts with rewards on it.  Worked for a while, then it's endless loop.  Good luck with the battle.

[AnnleaArtsy]

Not really. I am constantly asking them to do it. Doesn't mean I am not met with huffs and puffs or eye rolls but it works

[OwainTheBarbarian]

...of 'pick up other peoples crap'. Seriously. I feel like I never make headway in any of my huge 'organizing the house' projects because every day, without fail, I will be cleaning up behind the rest of the family who see the dining table as a dumping ground, the living room as a second closet and the bathroom floor as a laundry hamper.

 

Anyone else feel like they're stuck in a timeless loop of cleaning up after people?

I just try to accept that the mess is less important than the person who made it.

[AnnleaArtsy]

I just try to accept that the mess is less important than the person who made it.

ooh I love this..so very true.

[OwainTheBarbarian]

ooh I love this..so very true.

Easier said than done though, right?

 

Results in the outward twitchy-eye calm of the serial tidier. In my house, also the cereal tidier.

[Eleanorsbee]

ok ... firstly sorry for bumping an old thread ...... but I made a discovery today regarding clearing up other peoples crap.

 

Its makes a great workout

 

Headphones on

anything on the floor you have to squat to pick up

only carry one item at a time to increase the reps

run up the stairs,

when looking under the bed .. plank

 

do everthing at 3x speed .... I am freaking knackered now !!!

[RutgerS]

ok ... firstly sorry for bumping an old thread ...... but I made a discovery today regarding clearing up other peoples crap.

 

Its makes a great workout

 

Headphones on

anything on the floor you have to squat to pick up

only carry one item at a time to increase the reps

run up the stairs,

when looking under the bed .. plank

 

do everthing at 3x speed .... I am freaking knackered now !!!

If you like some more workouts, I have some stuff laying around that needs picking up!

[Eleanorsbee]

ha ha .. I see a business venture coming on ... domestic chores + keep fit at the same time

 

I dont know if there will be much uptake though to hire a man to run up and down stairs with one pair of underpants at a time between the washing machine and the bedroom grunting as he squats for the 7th sock

[RutgerS]

ha ha .. I see a business venture coming on ... domestic chores + keep fit at the same time

 

I dont know if there will be much uptake though to hire a man to run up and down stairs with one pair of underpants at a time between the washing machine and the bedroom grunting as he squats for the 7th sock

Just keep my socks in pair and you're hired! I will invest in noise-cancelling headphnoes.

[Gobnait]

Have you tried holding things for ransom?  The basic idea is that you take away anything that's their responsibility to put away and don't give it back unless they do a chore for it.  Maybe start with just the table and make them pick up the living room as the ransom, eventually move to everything that's out-of-place and make them do the dusting and laundry.  It makes things easier for them if you have designated spots for what's being dumped now, or at least give everyone a personal box to dump things in.

 

I trained my husband to put everything he takes from his pockets into his hat.  I think I started simply by putting the stuff from a pile on the table into the hat any time I needed to move it, and he picked up on the convenience of not loosing anything.

[Ceasefire]

I think my 3 year old wouldn't understand, but my 7 year old would. It's difficult trying to explain whenever he says 'I hate cleaning!' that I don't exactly like doing it either, and it's because they don't pick up behind themselves that I have so much work to do to begin with!

 

Training my husband, though...I think he needs a dumping box. Anything I find of his out of place goes in the box. Including all of the shirts he hangs in my living room after work instead of putting them in the washing basket...ew.

[LadyGrey]

I tried to hold my kiddo's stuff for ransom in a rubbermaid box if I found it on the floor after I have asked him to pick it up. The only way he could get it back is if he did something to earn it back, like an extra chore. It worked on his favorite toys but, needless to say, there are some toys that have been in that box for over a year. Donation or yard sale items now I suppose. 

 

Now for my husband, he likes to leave his shoes right in the doorway and I am always stumbling over them. I told him if he didn't push them to the side or put them on the shoe rack, I would hide his shoes. And i did the next day (guess he didn't take me seriously).  He had to find them, I wouldn't help. Guess I need to get on that again because they are back in the doorway these days. 

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

Sounds to me like the box serves a secondary purpose of decluttering the house by getting rid of unwanted items. I like it.

 

I like the second idea too, wifey does that sometimes, but its because her closet is right next to the doorway into the bedroom.

[TMedina]

...of 'pick up other peoples crap'. Seriously. I feel like I never make headway in any of my huge 'organizing the house' projects because every day, without fail, I will be cleaning up behind the rest of the family who see the dining table as a dumping ground, the living room as a second closet and the bathroom floor as a laundry hamper.

 

Anyone else feel like they're stuck in a timeless loop of cleaning up after people?

 

Every time I go to the gym.

[TMedina]

Have you tried holding things for ransom?  The basic idea is that you take away anything that's their responsibility to put away and don't give it back unless they do a chore for it.  Maybe start with just the table and make them pick up the living room as the ransom, eventually move to everything that's out-of-place and make them do the dusting and laundry.  It makes things easier for them if you have designated spots for what's being dumped now, or at least give everyone a personal box to dump things in.

 

I trained my husband to put everything he takes from his pockets into his hat.  I think I started simply by putting the stuff from a pile on the table into the hat any time I needed to move it, and he picked up on the convenience of not loosing anything.

 

Apologies for quoting an old post, but this is the only way I stay sane.  I have a plastic little box I empty my pockets into when I get home - my wallet, handkerchief, keys, and everything else.  Keeps it all together and out of the way.  And it helps guarantee I've grabbed everything I need before I run out the door.

[MissoulaSquatch]

This thread resonates with my day today..finally had enough of the clutter..all the things my brother bought, used once and then forgot about..out comes the trash can.  I've picked up a few more square feet of counter space in my kitchen, tons of room in my closet (he moved out of the other closet and I moved all of my fitness stuff in)..and almost every single table and flat surface is spotless..compared to where I started my day this is awesome.

My secret: 90's dance party..put on all of the songs I used to play basketball to as a kid, and literally danced as I cleaned..burned off some calories and managed to keep my spirits up while I did the one chore I hate: cleaning.  You heard that right, I hate clutter..and I hate cleaning..damnit, lol

*praying nobody died when I dropped that heavy trash bag down the chute*

[Thrillho]

A significant portion of my life at home is either preparing stuff FOR other people (I make everyone's meals and get everyone ready for school, work or bed) or cleaning up AFTER people (not one person seems to know where the closet is, or how those strange extra-thick open-front shirts go on the bendy metal things, which in turn go into the closet). Every flat surface in my home is covered in 'stuff'. Argh.

[LadyGrey]

Every flat surface in my home is covered in 'stuff'. Argh.

That is an everyday,neverending battle for me. Can I not just keep my dining room table neat and pretty and clean? Nope. gotta have paper scraps, mail, toys, random condiments from restaurants that we will never use, usb and phone cords....it's like the grand central station for crap. I even set up baskets for each family member in that room to keep their stuff in but the table still ends up being cluttered. Along with every other surface in the house.

 

[Thrillho]

I made "Inboxes" for everyone.  By day 3 they were FULL, and the mess just started appearing everywhere else again.  So I explained I was going to throw out everything in the inboxes if they didn't sort them out.  They told me they understood.  Three days later, I threw everything out after giving them one final warning.

 

Cue the predictable "HOW DARE YOU THROW OUT THE STUFF! YOU ONLY GAVE ME 72 HOURS OF WARNING!"

[Machete]

Have you ever stood by a trash receptacle at work, waited for people to leave the immediate vicinity, and proceeded to "dumpster-dive" so you can take out the multiple empty cans and plastic bottles and toss them in the recycling bin?

 

Dip spit is disgusting.

[LadyGrey]

I made "Inboxes" for everyone.  By day 3 they were FULL, and the mess just started appearing everywhere else again.  So I explained I was going to throw out everything in the inboxes if they didn't sort them out.  They told me they understood.  Three days later, I threw everything out after giving them one final warning.

 

Cue the predictable "HOW DARE YOU THROW OUT THE STUFF! YOU ONLY GAVE ME 72 HOURS OF WARNING!"

Yeah I've been there too