My grandpa would never go to bed unless all the dishes were done and I seem to have inherited that trait. Doesn't matter if I finish work at 2:00 am, if there are dishes in the sink, I have to wash them before I go to bed.

I have two full time jobs so I'm often too busy to have much in the way of company and with door to door people, I don't care what my house looks like for them. My friends know my crazy/busy schedule and know I'm not the best housekeeper. I do the basics but that's about it.

I'd much rather spend what little free time I have spending time with my dog or going out for lunch/dinner with people that are important to me.

You are not alone with the cleaning spazzes!

I have decided the best thing in my case is to literally keep nothing that isn't completely necessary.
This means very min furniture.
No TVs for me. No fancy couches. No plants for me.
In fact my old couch was a futon from ikea that was made for children.
What i DO buy is hard surface items. Stainless steel bleachable things rock.
Bleach bleach bleach. I even bleach my floor.

I love the minimalist style living!

My spring cleaning/cleanup is the yard, garage and wood working shop.
I suppose most women are like this but if someone calls and says they are going to drop by, my wife runs through the house in a panic trying to straighten everything. Not a knock on the wimmins here, just an observation.
I'm not a very organized person myself but I can reach into a pile of tools that have sat for a year and grab exactly what I need.
My wife had gone out there and "straightened up" when I've been gone and I'm completely confused for a month or more.

My bride is wonderful but she can't seem to put a tool back where she found it. I know where my tools are, and it is mildly frustrating to search for a tool in the midst of a project, only to have my bride flippantly mention as I search in vain, 'oh, I needed to use your drill, or hammer, or trim bar, or and the list goes on.'

So, I organized a workshop for my bride. Her own work shop. Benches, shelving, drawers, cabinets. I'm talking air system, drill press, chop saw, portable table saw, drills, tools, tools, tools, and still my workshop, the garage, gets raided because it is more 'convenient' every now and then. Now, 41 years is a long time to try to 'suggest' stuff, so I just plaster a smile on my face and mutter 'yes dear.' And I buy an extra tape measure, drill, bits, whatever I can't find, and get on with it. I believe I have personally contributed to the stock price of a few stores. I got a lotta tools.

On the other hand, I don't have to do anything in the gardens, other than use the wheelbarrow to move debris.

Ah, not such a big deal, I guess. I am reminded that if I were to complain, three daughters would circle the wagons and my complaint would be summarily dismissed, and I would find myself in a lecture. Yup, it is easier to just smile and mutter 'yes dear.'

Mike said
" Yup, it is easier to just smile and mutter 'yes dear.'


The wisdom behind a successful marriage!

 Quote: Bob Scott

Mike said
" Yup, it is easier to just smile and mutter 'yes dear.'


The wisdom behind a successful marriage!

True! And from my viewpoint as a wife of almost thirty years, part of my happy marriage recipe is to never, ever get the idea in my head to try to clean or straighten up the garage or the pole barn/storage building. Those are 90 percent my husband's domain, so for me it's usually a lot easier to ask him to find something I need rather than risk moving something and not getting it back in the exact same spot.

47 yrs come September.

 Quote: Bob Scott

47 yrs come September.

How does she do it Bob? That is quite an accomplishment congratulations.

I'm a young whippersnapper with 26 years married but I don't ever touch the tools....... isn't that what the honey do list is for?
I'm useless when the husband is around but when he works out of town, I can change my oil, replace break pads, shovel 20 feet of snow, rake. mow the lawn, change fuses....etc

It must be my complete joy upon his return that wipes my memory clean of all those skills. Hmmmmmm maybe that explains the lack of consistent housekeeping too.

LOL! I wish I could give an answer to how but the simple answer is we're still best friends, pals, etc. etc.
Both my daughters are better at home repair and car maintenance then my two sons-in law.
My son is a teacher at Ranken Tech College. The problem with that is he's always jumps my butt when I work on electricity. I rarely pull fuses and I "test" the hot wire by touching it with my wet index finger and my thumb.
I know, I know! It's stupid. But I'm getting better cause he gave me a test meter for that sort of stuff.....I just have to find it when I do electrical work.
The wife's 3 brothers call her for home repair advice.

 Quote: Duane Hull

How important the visitor is determines how much effort goes into the cleaning. Anyone familiar enough to have an unscheduled visit gets the "lived in" version, and that includes solicitors and evangelists.

LOL that's exactly how I do it...the yard included.