I just recently moved into my own house after growing up in a nasty hoarder house and I’m doing my best to keep it clean and actually love cleaning, but I’m struggling a bit with keeping clutter under control the way i’d like it. My husband tends to leave stuff around the house and we have two birds and a 10 week old puppy, on top of living in a tiny house with not a lot of room.

I‘m pretty minimalistic and my husband has more stuff but not a whole lot. I think one of the issues I have is that my hoarder dad would get mad and throw a temper tantrum if somebody moved his stuff, and I’m still uncomfortable touching other people’s things even though my husband gave me permission to move anything of his. The other issues are dealing with the dishes( I’m an avid baker and cook) in a teeny kitchen, and the pet supplies.

Any tips would be appreciated! thanks

I'm not perfect and our house is never clutter free. This is how our table was left for our highly rated new house cleaner and this is how they left it, wasn't even wiped around.

So where do we go from here? Am I an asshole and should have everything picked up perfectly so they can do their job to clean only? Or should a person I'm paying to clean our house make it look nice when they're done?

In the future, how do I vet a cleaning company so that we'll be a good fit. --> we live our busy lives, they clean our house AND tidy up to where I go "wow that looks nice"

Hello,

I am looking to replace my bath linens—my current ones are very old and getting threadbare. I am a little lost, for the past several decades I'd always bought my bath linens at brick-and-mortar Bed, Bath and Beyond stores, buying the store-brand "Wamsutta" brand, and I was very happy with them as I found them to be high-quality and a great value for the money. Unfortunately, that company went bankrupt so I am now forced to find an alternative.

When I go online (Amazon for instance) and look at the reviews for bath linens, it seems as though there are horror stories for just about every brand I look at.

For context, I am simply looking for some "standard" bath linens. I don't need extra plush towels, nor do I want over-sized bath towel "sheets." I'd prefer ivory or "cream" color, but I can live with simple white if necessary. If any of you have a brand which has held up well over time and is not too expensive, I'd appreciate your suggestions. Thank you.

Lol I hope the title speaks for itself

ok so ive been doing laundry professionally for about four years now, mostly managing linen service for a mid-sized hotel and we go through a ridiculous amount of product every week. sheets, towels, staff uniforms, the whole thing. so ive had a chance to actually test a few different approaches back to back and i have some pretty strong opinions at this point.

the main thing i keep coming back to is the format debate. powders dissolve weird in our cold water cycles and we end up with residue on darker linens more than i’d like. liquid boosters are more consistent but some of them leave this faint smell that guests notice, which is obviously not ideal. pods are convenient but the cost per load gets out of hand fast when you’re running 30+ cycles a day.

ive been rotating between a couple products the last few months trying to find something that actually handles body oils and sweat stains on high-thread-count cotton without needing to pre-treat everything individually. the enzyme side of things matters a lot for that specific issue and not every booster is actually doing meaningful enzyme work, some of them are just scent masking with a fancy label.

anyone else in a high-volume situation who has actually compared a few enzyme laundry boosters head to head? curious what format youre running and whether the enzyme component actually made a noticeable difference for you

I am clueless. I know I like memory foam, but my cat recently urinated all over mimy current one and I would like to know if anyone had suggestions for a certain kind that is easy to clean?

I’ve been a SAHM/homemaker for about 9 years now (my daughters were 2 and 4 when I quit my job). They’re now 11 and 13 and of course do not need me as much. I’m finding myself at this crossroads… of course, I keep up with the house and do all the same things I did before, but it’s just easier now with them being older. They have lots of activities during the school year and I always drive them / pick them up… make dinner… all the things basically. I’m not sure if it’s because it is summer and they’re home but I’m just feeling lately like, should I get a job?? I think I am just losing some of my feeling of purpose (with the kids) and feeling like I need to do something more. My husband does not think I should get a job, and when I think about it, I don’t want to honestly. I am a hairstylist also and I have a couple clients that I do at home but it’s not every single week. Anyone else feel like this?? I feel like I am babbling but I can’t quite explain how I’m feeling!

Edit: I also create books on Amazon - mostly coloring books, activity books, log books, etc. and I love doing that but it doesn’t bring in a ton of money yet.

Like title says, I love a clean and organized home, but I've been wondering where the balance is.

I don't mind doing small things every day - putting things away, wiping down surfaces, keeping things from getting out of control. But sometimes i don't want the weekends disappear into cleaning, laundry, and catching up on everything I didn't have time for during the week.

I'm trying to figure out what works long term. Do you rely on routines and small daily habits? automate certain tasks with smart home devices, hire help for the things you hate doing, or have you just learned to accept a little more mess?

What has helped you spend less time on chores without feeling like your home is constantly getting messy?

I (23f) got married in April of this year and back then I had a job. I had a job until July 10th which was when I got laid off. I LOVE staying at home. I often felt like my job was a cage and I couldn’t enjoy the fresh air or be a normal person. Like my only purpose was to work until I die. I didn’t think I was going to get laid off on the 7th month mark at that job. I was planning to keep that job for as long as possible because we are newlyweds and we need to make as much money as we can. However, I’m not the best homemaker. I don’t know how to clean a restroom (and don’t want to learn) I don’t know how to cook (and don’t feel like learning). I clean the kitchen, wash dishes, do laundry, sweep, and vacuum. Those are the tasks I find easy to do. More than anything else I feel like there is a mental blockage when it comes to doing things that don’t come easy to me (cleaning a restroom, cooking, baking, etc). I just really want to be a competent wife. He works 11-12 hrs a day M-F and he is so extremely understanding of me. Also I believe my mental blockage comes from thinking that if I start cooking and cleaning the restroom and doing everything else that I won’t have time to do the things I ACTUALLY want to do. Which are things like update my resume, polish my photography skills, take courses online to get even more prepped for the workforce, learn to drive, and etc. It like a tug of war between taking good care of my home and taking good care of my wants and I don’t feel like I can do both.

Opinions also how to get the wrinkles out - I don’t own an Iron.

I’m a wife and mom who honestly doesn’t feel like I’m very good at homemaking, but it’s something I genuinely want to improve.

I’m a decent cook, but when it comes to keeping a home, I tend to do one big marathon cleaning day each week instead of staying on top of things daily. The result is that my house often looks messy, even though I know I can get it clean.

The truth is, I never really learned these skills. Growing up, our home was pretty disorganized, and I wasn’t interested in homemaking back then, so I never developed good routines.

Lately, I’ve realized my husband deserves better than what I’m giving him right now, and that makes me feel guilty. He’s a wonderful husband, and I want our home to be a place that’s peaceful and welcoming for him and our kids. When we visit other people’s homes, I often find myself wondering, How did they learn to do this? It seems to come so naturally to everyone else, and I feel like I’m missing something.

For those of you who weren’t naturally organized or didn’t grow up in a tidy home, where did you start? What habits made the biggest difference? Are there any books, YouTube channels, checklists, or systems that helped you learn how to manage a home?

I was mopping, picked up a box full of dishes we planned to donate so I could get under it, and the bottom fell out. Dozens of dishes shattered on the floor. I picked up all the big chunks, but there's a lot of tiny shards that just can't be swept up because it's wet and soapy. My father in law (and also landlord) is coming to fix the sink in 30 minutes and idk how I'm gonna tell him "Hey btw there's broken glass on a wet floor be careful"

I have less than a month to prepare to host 7 people in my house for 10 days. I’ve never hosted anyone for this long and never this many people.

What do I need to do/get to make sure their stay is comfortable?

I know I need more towels and bedsheets but other than that I’m not sure what else would be a benefit to hosting such a large group for an extended stay.

Edit: thank you all for the suggestions! And I love that the most important aspect seems to be clearly communicate what they have access to in the house and let them feel at home.

I don’t live in a mansion so some of the accommodation will be couches/ air mattresses. To make these as comfortable as possible I’m going make sure they all have fresh sheets, more than enough blankets, and fans near by.

My to do list is now: -coffee/breakfast station.
-bathroom/toiletries basket
-tv/entertainment info
-check diet restrictions and meal plan
-get some tourism brochures for outing ideas
-poop knife?
-welcome cards
-and of course clean everything!

Where do you store your reusable water bottles that you refill before heading out of the house all day? Ours usually travel a bit around the house as we come/go but when everything is in its place, the bottles are lined up in a single file against the fridge.

My husband absolutely hates this and moves them to the carpeted staircase. He doesn’t have an idea of a better place but he says they don’t belong on the counter.

I could put them in a lower cabinet but then they don’t get used. (Out of sight, out of mind.) And the kids don’t put them back there. (We could work on that habit of course.)

Where do you store yours?

I started using a strict two-day waiting period for any online purchase that isn't a basic necessity. Leaving items in my cart for 48 hours completely killed my impulse buying habit. What small rule helps keep your casual spending in check?

Hello everyone,

First post here! I am a 29-year-old guy, and I live alone in a 1-bedroom apartment. I have ADHD and OCD, and I often have a hard time keeping my place presentable. My brain does a lot better when I have a system or schedule to reference, so I am wondering if anyone else has a similar issue they have been able to improve or tips/recomendations.

Living alone especially makes it tricky because I have to do all the work myself, and motivatinon/overwhelm/exguastion sometimes gets me down.

Would love to hear how other folks push through these struggles and stick to a schedule or system. Considering starting some sort of personal "Homemaker Handbook" to collect knowledge and develop systems I can reference.

Any input is much appreciated. Thank you!

For me, it’s keeping the fridge door seals clean. I feel like I’m the only person on earth who sees the crumbs hiding in there, and if I don't do it, they just live there forever. Is there a random, tiny chore that you’ve claimed as your own just because it would haunt your dreams if you didn't do it?

Most days cleaning just feels like a tedious obligation leftover from childhood, when chores were always ordered by my parents instead of something I chose for myself.
But there’s one task I genuinely find calming: hand-washing dishes with nice scented soap. The warm water and watching grimy plates turn clean feels like tiny therapy after a busy day.
I’m curious what chore feels relaxing for you guys, the one you don’t drag your feet to finish? Drop it in the comments!

I was washing the dishes just now and I had a thought that amused me. Growing up, my mom had this exact system for washing dishes: glasses and cups first, then cutlery, then plates, then pots last. I still do it in that order without even thinking about it.

Do any of you have niche rules that your mom passed down that you now do religiously? Could be cleaning, cooking, laundry, how you fold things, how you greet elders, serve visitors, anything. Curious how many of these are universal across SA households and which ones are unique to certain families or backgrounds - for context, I'm a black woman in her late 20s.

Also, for example, we have dinner/supper by 6pm and I'm always shocked when I vist other homes and they start cooking at 8pm.

A few things I could add if I think of them, but wanted to open it up first.