Can Neat Freaks and Slobs get along?

[Poppy]

A friend and I exchanged dog care this weekend - she let my dogs out on Saturday and I returned the favor on Sunday. On Saturday she left me a note that ended with"PS - Some of us are really good housekeepers and some of us aren't. Your house was perfect. Don't judge me. "

I felt a little funny she was worried about what I thought about her house - which was, in fact, incredibly cluttered.

So, yeah, I'm pretty neat. I don't like clutter, I don't like dirt, I don't like smelly trash and I like my shoes in the closet. I like to feel that anyone can come over at any time, and there won't be anything embarrassing sitting around. But I felt a little judged myself by the comment "don't judge" as though she thought I would expect her house to look like mine.

So what do my my fellow anal retentive, neat freaks think about the organizationally-challenged, less-than-tidy people in their lives, and vice versa. Can we be friends? Can we live together? Should I leave my shoes in a heap and have an empty glass on the coffee table the next time I expect to see this particular friend, or should I stick to my own comfort zone and keep things neat and orderly?

 

[MadamSarcastra]

Get along, why not? Be friends, absolutely! Co-exist in the same place? Ehhhh....

I'll admit I'm kind of a slob.... I was always used to harmless clutter, with both folks being teachers, there were always books and papers everywhere. LOL

Jerry's sloppier than I am, but only a few things really irk me.... But I'm still way more comfortable knowing I'm not going to upset some sort of delicate balance if I so much as breathe on something wrong. LMAO

@Poppy Just shoes & a glass?? Jeepers, where's your sense of adventure? C'mon, you can do better! Leave a sink full of dirty dishes, make drink rings on the tables, throw away a napkin & intentionally miss the trash, get crazy!!

 

[Poppy]

This is my art studio - I even paint neatly! LOL!

 

[MadamSarcastra]

View attachment 9196

This is my art studio - I even paint neatly! LOL!

Now that just ain't right.... A clean art studio??!! LMAO, I'm just teasin' ya, hon....

 

[Poppy]

DH is pretty neat, although he tends to be a bit of a hoarder when it comes to stuff in the the garage. Both of my kids ended up neatniks, and my son's wife is mostly tidy too - although I think she cleans up quite a bit when we come to visit.

 

[MadamSarcastra]

Hey, here's a wacky idea... might just help ya break out of that pristine shell, temporarily. And any "damage" is easily remedied. (Like it's any wonder I'm such a slob... I'm nothin' but a goofy scatter-brain. LMAO )

The day before your friend comes over, hang some plastic sheeting on the walls & ceiling of your studio, put a big tarp on the floor, get some killer tunes goin', and just paint like a mad-woman.... make that place look like you were channeling Jackson Pollock!!

 

[Mischief]

Friends, yes. Cohabitate? No.

I was a neat freak in my youth. That ended decades ago.

 

[Moll Flanders]

I am a neat freak (to put it mildly!) and I actually get really stressed from seeing visual clutter or having things out of place. My husband is far more laid back, but he has learned to be more tidy over the years that we have lived together.

I think his brother and his mother have hoarder tendencies and he lived with them for years, so I think that is why he doesn't seem to notice mess or clutter.

I think the thing that bugs me about mess and clutter is that it is so inefficient. If I want to find something in my home I want to know exactly where it is located and not waste time looking for it.

 

[Andy_T]

I would not read too much into her "Don't judge" comment ... clearly she is a bit embarrassed about her own flat and wanted to mention it to you before.

I am also more on the not-so-neat side. Within limits.

 

[Poppy]

@Moll Flanders I'm a visual person, too, and I agree that clutter is very stressful! But it's funny, I don't really mind clutter in someone else's place, just mine. When I visit someone who is my opposite, I'm more fascinated than bothered. The friend I mentioned above has a lot of beautiful things - artwork, furniture, dogs - and I enjoyed the time I spent there, but the stacks of magazines, junk mail, pictures not hung and bags of purchases just set down wherever were distracting.

 

[AeryFairy]

Cohabitation is totally possible, as long as one person isn't annoyed by the other. Husband is a fair bit tidier than I am (although not a full-blown neat freak ), so he just tidies away anything that isn't to his standards. I do my fair share of the chores (usually the ones that are less neatness-orientated, like cooking and DIY), so it's not a problem

 

[shyvas]

In an ideal world, I would like to be somewhere in between. I must say that it is easier to have a nice, tidy home when you have the space and time to make it look so.

 

[Moll Flanders]

I have to add that I live in a very small, open plan home (under 650 sq ft) for both of us and our 5 cats and 2 dogs so any mess is very noticeable!

If I had a bigger house I would probably not mind clutter as much if I could shut it away behind a door.

 

[KLS52]

I have gotten messier over the years. When my kids were small and I was a SAHM, my house was pretty spotless. There was no fear of unexpected company.

I love clean and tidy but have a hard time keeping up. I don't mind a few things out of place but I do get nervous when things start to get out of control. My biggest issue is I have a hard time throwing stuff away so I have a few bins/boxes filled with "stuff". Every few months I go through them and pare down a bit but it just means I'm making more room to save something else. I do hate that it sometimes takes longer than I'd like to find something. My house is small...four rooms and less than 900 square feet of living space. I do have an attic that is pretty full and a basement, but son has taken over that.

All in all, you would not be grossed out if you dropped by unexpectedly (unless one of the cats,literally, just pooped and I was about to scoop, hahaha), but you would find a "home" well lived in.

Bottom line, I could not live with someone who was messier than myself. As it is, I get annoyed because husband and son will leave dishes in the sink or small spills on the counter. That makes me mad.

I think I'm pretty much middle of the road.


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[Moll Flanders]

All in all, you would not be grossed out if you dropped by unexpectedly (unless one of the cats,literally, just pooped and I was about to scoop, hahaha)

Yes, the same, most of the mess is caused by my pets. My house was much nicer when I only had one cat.

When I used to work 5 days a week my house was really tidy, because I was never there! I used to go out a few times a week in the evenings, and if I stayed in I would often order takeaway instead of cooking so the kitchen was always tidy. I had a cleaner come in once a week too, damn, I miss the good old days.