Discovering Dad - Latest Comments in Why I Am a Compulsive Cleaner

Re: Why I Am a Compulsive Cleaner

jnbammer — Wed, 07 May 2008 21:41:49 -0000

Yes - it is a stress reliever, and I find myself cleaning before bed almost every night so that I can sleep better. Time is a challenge.

Re: Why I Am a Compulsive Cleaner

jnbammer — Wed, 07 May 2008 21:40:23 -0000

I hear ya Sandy! Blogging is much harder than cleaning, so it's not surprising to clean then post!

Re: Why I Am a Compulsive Cleaner

jnbammer — Wed, 07 May 2008 21:38:39 -0000

Well, then I'm completely happy and totally sad for you Zoeyjane!

Re: Why I Am a Compulsive Cleaner

jnbammer — Wed, 07 May 2008 21:37:54 -0000

Me too. I know that they'll mess things up again, but I like to give them a fresh start at things. I think it sets a good example for them to follow.

Re: Why I Am a Compulsive Cleaner

Jared — Wed, 07 May 2008 13:19:34 -0000

I usually clean as a stress reliever. When the house is a mess I can not relax. I see a whole list of things that need to be done and this stresses me out even worse. Cleaning the house removes a lot of these things from the list and makes me feel better. I just can not sit down on the couch and relax when there are toys strung out everywhere, a full trash can, and dishes that need done. My house would always be sparkly clean if it was up to me, but time is the limiting factor. :D

Re: Why I Am a Compulsive Cleaner

Sandy (Momisodes) — Tue, 06 May 2008 23:38:41 -0000

I am a guilty stress cleaner/eater/do-anything-else-other-than-what-I-should-be-doing'er. In college I would procrastinate writing papers until the last night before. My roommate would always know when I had something to turn in because my side of the dorm was immaculate!
Now that I blog, I find myself cleaning up my daughter's toys before I publish a post. Too bad the toys stay tidied up for all of 10 seconds. No wonder it takes me forever to post!

Re: Why I Am a Compulsive Cleaner

Zoeyjane — Tue, 06 May 2008 22:49:35 -0000

I'm bipolar, so with me it depends on the cycle. I can have a completely immaculate house, with everything torn from the cupboards (to be re-papered), counters gleaming and off-season clothing packed into storage. the rest of the time, it's a losing battle to keep me and the kiddo in clean clothes, bathed and eating off of clean dishes.

Re: Why I Am a Compulsive Cleaner

Kim — Tue, 06 May 2008 22:24:25 -0000

Not a compulsive cleaner at all.. more like OCD with cleaning. I cannot leave the house with the entire house straighten up. I normally wait to the kids go down for bed and then go to town. I wish it was on ocassion but alas it is daily.

Re: Why I Am a Compulsive Cleaner

QuirkeeJames — Tue, 06 May 2008 21:55:47 -0000

I can clean the shit out of a house! It's therapeutic at the least. If things get too cluttered around here I start to get twitchy and on edge. As a former bartender/waiter, nothing beats a clean kitchen sink, counters, etc. - even if it is for only an hour a day.

Re: Why I Am a Compulsive Cleaner

jnbammer — Tue, 06 May 2008 17:56:20 -0000

How old is your daughter? I try to make cleaning fun for my kids, and they have always had toy vacuums and stuff like that to "help" me clean. Sometimes it works, others I have to "contain" them with the baby gates.

Re: Why I Am a Compulsive Cleaner

jnbammer — Tue, 06 May 2008 17:55:03 -0000

Sorry to hear that Tara. My mom would have kicked my ass or beat me with a wooden spoon (her discipline weapon of choice), if I messed up a clean house. I was taught to keep a clean room and house from an early age, and it was linked to my privileges - it definitely left a lasting impression on me.

Re: Why I Am a Compulsive Cleaner

jnbammer — Tue, 06 May 2008 17:53:17 -0000

We'd get along just fine! ;-)

Re: Why I Am a Compulsive Cleaner

jnbammer — Tue, 06 May 2008 17:52:24 -0000

Me too Jason! I'm lucky that my wife is the same way with this - we share this pet peeve, so we understand each other very well in this regard.

Re: Why I Am a Compulsive Cleaner

Matt — Tue, 06 May 2008 13:30:49 -0000

I feel the exact opposite. I feel that I can NOT control the outcome. At least not for more than five minutes, once my daughter gets into everything. I am definitely not a compulsive cleaner for that very reason...I guess I have kind of a "Whats the point?" kind of attitude.

Re: Why I Am a Compulsive Cleaner

Tara R. — Tue, 06 May 2008 13:23:07 -0000

I go on cleaning jags sometimes. Start at one end of the house and steamroll right on through. The bad thing is that by the time I've reached the other side, it looks like I've done nothing. Two teens will do that. While I'm in the midst of cleaning it's a good tension reliever, but the end results are almost always disappointing.

Re: Why I Am a Compulsive Cleaner

tmanettas — Tue, 06 May 2008 12:23:35 -0000

Your line:
"The other reason I clean is because I can control the outcome. I know that when I'm done the house will look nice, and I will be able to immediately see the fruits of my labor."

Is exactly why I am a compulsive cleaner. I know the focus could be diverted to something else, but nothing is quite as productive as cleaning. And at the end of the day, I don't mind that instead of relaxing on the sofa, I understand that relaxing for me is on the sofa AFTER I have an immaculate house.

Re: Why I Am a Compulsive Cleaner

jason — Tue, 06 May 2008 11:36:14 -0000

I wouldn't call myself a compulsive cleaner. Although, when I'm in a mad mood, I usually find myself cleaning. I think it's for the same reasons you mentioned. But when it comes to clutter and not having things in order, I can be a bit of a freak. Let's just say it's one of my "pet peeves."