Letters to the Editor

• Me too - Here are my strategies

  [Read the article: Our house is so messy my husband's threatening to leave]
  [Read more letters about this article: Here]

  LW, I have the same problem. I hate cleaning. I always have. I was one of six kids and my mother would force us all into cleaning every Saturday. We all had a particular room which we cleaned. She would go around supervising. "Be sure you wash the baseboards when you wash the floor." Believe me, I hated it.

  Children don't necessarily turn out like their parents. When I moved out on my own I became a slob.

  I married a man who was not a slob. He became at least a partial slob after being married to me.

  As we got older and had a child we both wanted a cleaner house. I would occasionally clean - say when my mother-in-law was coming to visit. I would have to rev my self up until I was a complete cleaning machine meticulously straightening every cupboard and drawer and just about taking a tooth brush to the corners. I would be happy that it was clean but I would still be aware of all the imperfections.

  My house is still not as clean as I would like it to be but over the years I've developed some strategies that help.

  My husband and I have divided up the running of the household so that he does what I have a hard time doing. He does the vacuuming, laundry, grocery shopping and dishes. I do all the cooking, bill-paying, investing, finances, and tax paying. I used to take care of the routine personal needs of my son - like bathing and dressing when he was younger.

  I also clean the two bathrooms. I do it continuously so it doesn't seem like a chore. I have a whole set of cleaning supplies in each bathroom. I have a container of Chlorox wipes and paper towels right on a shelf right above toilet. I wipe down the toilet seat just about everyday with a Chlorox wipe. While I am in the bathroom doing my thing if I see something that looks dirty I clean it right away. I don't wait until I can clean the whole bathroom to perfection. I have a wash cloth I use for just wiping down the sink if I see toothpaste on it. I spray the mirror in the bathroom with glass cleaner and wipe it down with a paper towel if I see smudges on it. As soon as I am out of the tub I take a few swipes around the bathtub with my wash cloth and spray it down.

  I am also getting pretty good at throwing things out. I have to use my imagination some to do it. I imagine that the space in my house is valuable and that I have to pay rent for an object to take up that space. If an object has no purpose than it has to go as I cannot afford to keep it around. Lucky for me I can just put things out in the alley behind my house and if it is of any value someone will take it so I don't feel like I am wasting things. So when we bought a flat screen TV even though the old TV was working fine and even though we only had one TV we really didn't have the space for it so we put it out in the alley. Of course, it was taken withing minutes. You would be surprised what gets taken. Old paint, shoes, toys, broken furniture. It is fun to imagine your things getting a new life somewhere else.

  I also have a rule for myself. Whenever I bring anything new into the house I must remove something from the house. So if I buy new clothes I put some old clothes in a GAEA bin in our neighborhood. It also keeps me from buying too many new things.

  In my living room, we have a large wicker basket. We throw all my son's things in it when they start to clutter the living room. Every once in awhile we go through it and either throw things out or put them away.

  I also do as someone else suggested - as soon as I come in the house I go through a routine. I take and hang up my coat, (I used to just throw my coat anywhere). I remove my shoes and put them in their spot and put my slippers on. I pick up the mail and very quickly throw most of it away except for the bills. I throw all the coupons and special offers away without even looking at them. I have a special magazine stands for my favorite catalogs which I do save for awhile.

  My house is still a bit of a mess - we still haven't incorporated all my sons Christmas presents and some of the boxes and toys are still sitting around our living room. But it is livable. You can sit in the chairs. I can cook in the kitchen without working around a mess. I am not embarrassed to have people over.

  So in conclusion,

  - Work with your husband. Maybe he can do the things that you truly can't face while you can do some things that he has a hard time with.

  - Don't look at the whole huge cleaning problem. Develop strategies so that you can clean easily what is bugging you at that moment.

  - Learn to throw things out. Use your imagination to make it easier.

  Permalink Thursday, January 17, 2008 05:28 AM

• I didn't like this at all

  [Read the article: The battle of the literary endorsements]
  [Read more letters about this article: Here]

  Wow, I usually enjoy reading Laura Miller but I didn't like this at all. It just seemed mean spirited.

  Permalink Thursday, January 31, 2008 05:57 AM

• I had to wait until menopause

  [Read the article: The end of menstruation]
  [Read more letters about this article: Here]

  I would have loved this drug. My period was a pain. Literally, I was doubled up puking one day per month for about 30 years.

  Permalink Monday, February 4, 2008 08:41 AM

• Indeed

  [Read the article: Quote of the night]
  [Read more letters about this article: Here]

  Lovely moment.

  Permalink Wednesday, February 6, 2008 08:24 AM