Okay, so i'm officially addicted to your blog. So i'm going back and reading from the beginning. This one made me laugh because I do the same thing all the time, leave clothes in the wash until they start to smell. And it is REALLY hard to get that smell out!
Seeing as though I am quite talented at leaving laundry in the wash too long, I can tell you that Borax does the trick. Buy a box, add 1/2 -1 cup of Borax along with regular detergent to load.
One thing that helps with that smell is vinagar! Don't know if this is talked about in you later post but just started reading your blog! Not sure on how much but I would say maybe a cup or so and the smell of the smelly laundry goes away as well as the vinagar smell.(:
OK, I just started reading your blog and I can honestly say…I'm in the same boat! I have 2 toddlers and a 6 month old, and have always struggled with the housework. I love to cook, sew, and entertain, but have a SERIOUS problem with cleaning the house. I found your blog yesterday and am currently very sick so housework is out of the question, but as soon as I get over this crud I'm going to follow your blog and try to regain control. Thanks for being so honest. You are an inspiration to me.
Ever since my cat decided her favorite place to pee is the laundry hamper (and realized there’s nothing I can do to stop her if she does it while I’m sleeping), I’ve been going through a gallon of vinegar every other month or so. Just 1 cup in the washer not only gets rid of all the stank, it leaves the clothes feeling really soft. Kind of sucks to keep buying all that vinegar, but it’s relatively cheap and a LOT cheaper than washing clothes 2 or 3 times trying to get cat pee smell out (and then Febrezing on top of that because a little trace of it lingers). :-S But the vinegar has been miraculous for us (and has extended kitty’s lifespan significantly).
I found your blog through the blog swap, and I am so glad I did. I thought I was alone. I’m currently where you were when you wrote this. Wish me luck. Thank you for sharing your joy and pain.
Been there – done that. Keep on trucking. I did Flylady, I loved her work. Might even sign up again. But I thought I would give your blog a try. Recommended by a very nice lady who also has a house that looks like it was hit by a hurricane.
1) Made bed – Nope, cause I don’t care right now, but maybe later I will
2) Cleaned Kitchen – Check
3) Exercised – Not so much
4) one load of laundry – Check
5) Picked up living room – Check, you know its pretty bad when your kids ask if someone is coming over cause your cleaning.
Hi again Dana!!
You were right…..the 28 Days to Hope is the place to start when a ‘visitation’ AND an event are NOT about to occur. I bought 28 Days (Smiles to you knowing we would read it all the way through!) along with Drowning in Clutter bc I am serious about getting my home eventually to be not only clean top to bottom but purged of the excess junk in the attic, basement, etc. I love all three e-books and they are already my buddies!! Fun and easy to follow and you do just happen to be funny!!! Your humor makes this so much easier to swallow….the fact that there IS a group of us called “slobs”. The whole tunnel vision thing….OMG….I only realized that about myself in the last few years and wished I had learned to understand it and embrace it at a much younger age!!!
After studying what I bought and your link to the ‘messy house’ blog I have decided to do both at once. The 28 days and the messy house dig out together. It is already working…..I grabbed my husbands coffee cup out of his hand this morning before it hit the coffee table!!! I don’t think he was done……Speaking of Hubbies….I have a prince who actually enjoys doing dishes and will help with housework. He just went back to work after time off from a shoulder injury at the same time I started sub teaching. I am glad bc I need and want this to be MY thing and it is MY slobby ways that has caused(es) the chaos around here.
So here goes as I prioritize the rooms and do the ‘worksheet’
GO FIGHT WIN!!!!!!
Have a wonderful week Dana!!!
Dana
PS Okay after I go re-wash the stupid load from Saturday…..UGH.
Totally addicted to your blog. Its me. Its 100% me. I am so overwhelmed by my house and my inability to keep it up, not perfect, just not trashed. and I too am a stay at home mom. Thank you thank you thank you for your honesty.
Just came across your blog tonight on YNAB’s facebook page. The title intrigued me and I clicked the link. I’m so glad I did. I have been feeling so alone because of this very reason my entire 10 years of marriage. I’ve never been able to talk to ANYONE about this. I just keep crying over your posts and the comments. I have 5 kids, 8 and younger and we live in a single wide trailer. The clutter and chaos has completely overwhelmed me. Theres not even room to breathe and I just want to hide in my bed most days. I have an OCD personality, severe anxiety, and depression. Its frustrating because I desperately feel I need the perfectly organized house with the sanitized surfaces to feel happy and ease my stress level, (thats the OCD), but its too much for me and I shut down. I give up. I grew up the oldest of 9 kids, in a messy home, sometimes better, sometimes worse, and my mom has gotten things together over the years. Now she comes over and acts like this isn’t normal and theres something wrong with me (not helpful). She honestly has selective memory about how bad it was. I know its because she was ashamed of it and has tried to forget it. I understand because I feel the same pain and shame and try to hide it as much as possible. I know everyone thinks of me as less of a person because of my home. I feel like a 2nd class citizen in my family and church (the entirety of my little bubble I live in). This is what I need. A place where I can find support, not judgement. This isn’t something I’ve been able to do on my own. I try to get my husband and kids involved so I don’t feel so alone and it’s like pulling teeth. Like they’re comfortable with the status quo. I know change is just hard. I need to be the leader in this but what I want is a partner, a friend, some support. I think the tears came because I finally found a “partner”. I’m not alone. To Nony and all the other wonderful women who have commented, THANK YOU for your courage and strength. Thank you for the motivation and hope!
Wow! I am so glad to find this blog! Your honesty is so refreshing! I come from a pack rat mom who come from a borderline hoarder mom. After cleaning out my grandmother’s house for her move to an apartment, and then spending a few more months cleaning our her apartment when she left there after only a few years, I know I have to get this under control. I have four kids (7, 4, 2 and 7 months) and feel bad that they live in such a messy house. No one ever comes over because they aren’t invited in and I never entertain. Thanks for your website. I look forward to reading more!
I am so glad I found this blog! I am always having to rewash my clothes. I am sick of being a slob. I am looking forward to learning from you. I am sick of my family having to live in a messy house. Thank you so much for deciding to blog about being a slob 🙂
Found your podcast in my new resolution to be more tech savvy. Cannot believe how alike we are, so I know that I can do this clean up thing. Got Day one and Day two done today. I have Bible study on Tues and I am the teacher, so I have to double up on at least one day due to my studying on that. I especially love the time estimation disorder that you have identified, I have it both ways. I also underestimate how long it will take me to get myself and everyone else to go somewhere, so we are late sometimes (forgot to walk dogs! forgot to take meat out of freezer! hide the vacuum!). Looking forward to your recipes, mine are getting old for two teen boys and a husband who lives for dinners each night. Note to everyone, listening to podcasts while cleaning really makes the time go by, thinking of trying an audio book…
Ugh. I just realized that there’s a bottle of vinegar next to my washing machine strictly for the purpose of de-stinking neglected washloads! Like so many things, leaving it there wasn’t even a conscious decision on my part. So sick of clutter and mess ruling my life… and mind.
Awww… seeing your Day 2 Checklist warms my heart and makes me giggle, as not only have I had to rewash stinky loads forgotten in the washer, but I seem to forever miss a pocket with a tissue left in it… grrrr!
{{{ facepalm }}}
I am a FlyLady dropout looking for some answers. Thank you so far for your transparency! I will read on…
OMG I am laughing like crazy and no one in my family knows why! In fact I keep getting those crazy confused stares. Honestly I am reading about myself. Note: when clothes smell, I add white vinegar to the load. It takes the smell out and makes the clothes ultra soft.
“Rewashed the load of laundry that I left in there yesterday and had started to smell. (Honesty)”
I started to cry when I read this. Girl, this is me. I try, I really do. I try so hard and I just can’t get on top of everything. I can’t wait to read this blog. (I have ordered your book.) God bless ya, honey. I am YOU.
Oh you ladies sound so much like myself. I am a S.H.E, Flylady, & The Art of Housecleaning, dropout, not to mention tons of tips and tricks articles and books. and I am so tired of trying. My next stop may be a grocery cart. BUT I cannot find your printable lists.
Ive been following you for awhile and i just love your honesty. I catch myself laughing out loud..like u said rewash laundry from leavin it in washer..THATS ME TOO! Your blogs are interesting abt 3 yrs ago i started reading to see if i cld get tips on cleaning my clients houses. I hvnt been dedicated on my house at all but im gonna start again n put to use what im learning.
Okay, so i'm officially addicted to your blog. So i'm going back and reading from the beginning. This one made me laugh because I do the same thing all the time, leave clothes in the wash until they start to smell. And it is REALLY hard to get that smell out!
Seeing as though I am quite talented at leaving laundry in the wash too long, I can tell you that Borax does the trick. Buy a box, add 1/2 -1 cup of Borax along with regular detergent to load.
I find vinegar in the load also helps!
okay.. i at work.. and i just realized that i have a load of laundry in my washing machine right now that is probably starting to smell
*face palm*
One thing that helps with that smell is vinagar! Don't know if this is talked about in you later post but just started reading your blog! Not sure on how much but I would say maybe a cup or so and the smell of the smelly laundry goes away as well as the vinagar smell.(:
Teresa, I love using vinegar in the laundry! You're right, it removes the smell, and doesn't leave a vinegar smell.
OK, I just started reading your blog and I can honestly say…I'm in the same boat! I have 2 toddlers and a 6 month old, and have always struggled with the housework. I love to cook, sew, and entertain, but have a SERIOUS problem with cleaning the house. I found your blog yesterday and am currently very sick so housework is out of the question, but as soon as I get over this crud I'm going to follow your blog and try to regain control. Thanks for being so honest. You are an inspiration to me.
WHITE VINEGAR! Yes!! It really works.
Ever since my cat decided her favorite place to pee is the laundry hamper (and realized there’s nothing I can do to stop her if she does it while I’m sleeping), I’ve been going through a gallon of vinegar every other month or so. Just 1 cup in the washer not only gets rid of all the stank, it leaves the clothes feeling really soft. Kind of sucks to keep buying all that vinegar, but it’s relatively cheap and a LOT cheaper than washing clothes 2 or 3 times trying to get cat pee smell out (and then Febrezing on top of that because a little trace of it lingers). :-S But the vinegar has been miraculous for us (and has extended kitty’s lifespan significantly).
I found your blog through the blog swap, and I am so glad I did. I thought I was alone. I’m currently where you were when you wrote this. Wish me luck. Thank you for sharing your joy and pain.
LOL…thanks for the honesty..it makes me feel better about the laundry I left languishing in my washer three days ago! 🙂
Been there – done that. Keep on trucking. I did Flylady, I loved her work. Might even sign up again. But I thought I would give your blog a try. Recommended by a very nice lady who also has a house that looks like it was hit by a hurricane.
OMGosh, I do that to my laundry all the time!
Vinegar! Why didn’t I think of that? I have a bed wetter, and I am drowning in laundry!
Baking soda also takes out the smell. I love to find it was the bleach load, though, that will take DAYS to smell! Or, so I’ve heard.
1) Made bed – Nope, cause I don’t care right now, but maybe later I will
2) Cleaned Kitchen – Check
3) Exercised – Not so much
4) one load of laundry – Check
5) Picked up living room – Check, you know its pretty bad when your kids ask if someone is coming over cause your cleaning.
And its only 11:30, feeling pretty good today.
Just gotta say, even my husband came home from work today and asked if someone came by…..
Love it! And totally understand!
Hi again Dana!!
You were right…..the 28 Days to Hope is the place to start when a ‘visitation’ AND an event are NOT about to occur. I bought 28 Days (Smiles to you knowing we would read it all the way through!) along with Drowning in Clutter bc I am serious about getting my home eventually to be not only clean top to bottom but purged of the excess junk in the attic, basement, etc. I love all three e-books and they are already my buddies!! Fun and easy to follow and you do just happen to be funny!!! Your humor makes this so much easier to swallow….the fact that there IS a group of us called “slobs”. The whole tunnel vision thing….OMG….I only realized that about myself in the last few years and wished I had learned to understand it and embrace it at a much younger age!!!
After studying what I bought and your link to the ‘messy house’ blog I have decided to do both at once. The 28 days and the messy house dig out together. It is already working…..I grabbed my husbands coffee cup out of his hand this morning before it hit the coffee table!!! I don’t think he was done……Speaking of Hubbies….I have a prince who actually enjoys doing dishes and will help with housework. He just went back to work after time off from a shoulder injury at the same time I started sub teaching. I am glad bc I need and want this to be MY thing and it is MY slobby ways that has caused(es) the chaos around here.
So here goes as I prioritize the rooms and do the ‘worksheet’
GO FIGHT WIN!!!!!!
Have a wonderful week Dana!!!
Dana
PS Okay after I go re-wash the stupid load from Saturday…..UGH.
Totally addicted to your blog. Its me. Its 100% me. I am so overwhelmed by my house and my inability to keep it up, not perfect, just not trashed. and I too am a stay at home mom. Thank you thank you thank you for your honesty.
I do that all the time. Laundry is always backed up. BADLY.
Just came across your blog tonight on YNAB’s facebook page. The title intrigued me and I clicked the link. I’m so glad I did. I have been feeling so alone because of this very reason my entire 10 years of marriage. I’ve never been able to talk to ANYONE about this. I just keep crying over your posts and the comments. I have 5 kids, 8 and younger and we live in a single wide trailer. The clutter and chaos has completely overwhelmed me. Theres not even room to breathe and I just want to hide in my bed most days. I have an OCD personality, severe anxiety, and depression. Its frustrating because I desperately feel I need the perfectly organized house with the sanitized surfaces to feel happy and ease my stress level, (thats the OCD), but its too much for me and I shut down. I give up. I grew up the oldest of 9 kids, in a messy home, sometimes better, sometimes worse, and my mom has gotten things together over the years. Now she comes over and acts like this isn’t normal and theres something wrong with me (not helpful). She honestly has selective memory about how bad it was. I know its because she was ashamed of it and has tried to forget it. I understand because I feel the same pain and shame and try to hide it as much as possible. I know everyone thinks of me as less of a person because of my home. I feel like a 2nd class citizen in my family and church (the entirety of my little bubble I live in). This is what I need. A place where I can find support, not judgement. This isn’t something I’ve been able to do on my own. I try to get my husband and kids involved so I don’t feel so alone and it’s like pulling teeth. Like they’re comfortable with the status quo. I know change is just hard. I need to be the leader in this but what I want is a partner, a friend, some support. I think the tears came because I finally found a “partner”. I’m not alone. To Nony and all the other wonderful women who have commented, THANK YOU for your courage and strength. Thank you for the motivation and hope!
welcome, Cindy! I’m so glad you found me/us! You’re most definitely not alone!
What is YNAB?
Wow! I am so glad to find this blog! Your honesty is so refreshing! I come from a pack rat mom who come from a borderline hoarder mom. After cleaning out my grandmother’s house for her move to an apartment, and then spending a few more months cleaning our her apartment when she left there after only a few years, I know I have to get this under control. I have four kids (7, 4, 2 and 7 months) and feel bad that they live in such a messy house. No one ever comes over because they aren’t invited in and I never entertain. Thanks for your website. I look forward to reading more!
Welcome, Melissa!
I am so glad I found this blog! I am always having to rewash my clothes. I am sick of being a slob. I am looking forward to learning from you. I am sick of my family having to live in a messy house. Thank you so much for deciding to blog about being a slob 🙂
Found your podcast in my new resolution to be more tech savvy. Cannot believe how alike we are, so I know that I can do this clean up thing. Got Day one and Day two done today. I have Bible study on Tues and I am the teacher, so I have to double up on at least one day due to my studying on that. I especially love the time estimation disorder that you have identified, I have it both ways. I also underestimate how long it will take me to get myself and everyone else to go somewhere, so we are late sometimes (forgot to walk dogs! forgot to take meat out of freezer! hide the vacuum!). Looking forward to your recipes, mine are getting old for two teen boys and a husband who lives for dinners each night. Note to everyone, listening to podcasts while cleaning really makes the time go by, thinking of trying an audio book…
Ugh. I just realized that there’s a bottle of vinegar next to my washing machine strictly for the purpose of de-stinking neglected washloads! Like so many things, leaving it there wasn’t even a conscious decision on my part. So sick of clutter and mess ruling my life… and mind.
I’m so glad I’ve found your Blog!!
I just read this and thought ‘oh $4!? Do I have something in the washer? Yes, yes I do. *sigh*
I am following your blog and have started my own!!! Thanks for the inspiration!
Awww… seeing your Day 2 Checklist warms my heart and makes me giggle, as not only have I had to rewash stinky loads forgotten in the washer, but I seem to forever miss a pocket with a tissue left in it… grrrr!
{{{ facepalm }}}
I am a FlyLady dropout looking for some answers. Thank you so far for your transparency! I will read on…
OMG I am laughing like crazy and no one in my family knows why! In fact I keep getting those crazy confused stares. Honestly I am reading about myself. Note: when clothes smell, I add white vinegar to the load. It takes the smell out and makes the clothes ultra soft.
“Rewashed the load of laundry that I left in there yesterday and had started to smell. (Honesty)”
I started to cry when I read this. Girl, this is me. I try, I really do. I try so hard and I just can’t get on top of everything. I can’t wait to read this blog. (I have ordered your book.) God bless ya, honey. I am YOU.
Oh you ladies sound so much like myself. I am a S.H.E, Flylady, & The Art of Housecleaning, dropout, not to mention tons of tips and tricks articles and books. and I am so tired of trying. My next stop may be a grocery cart. BUT I cannot find your printable lists.
Ive been following you for awhile and i just love your honesty. I catch myself laughing out loud..like u said rewash laundry from leavin it in washer..THATS ME TOO! Your blogs are interesting abt 3 yrs ago i started reading to see if i cld get tips on cleaning my clients houses. I hvnt been dedicated on my house at all but im gonna start again n put to use what im learning.