Going slowly round the bend

Mamsgirl

Registered User
Jun 2, 2013
635
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Melbourne, Australia
Monday mornings I drop Mum at Bingo by 9am and spend the morning cleaning her two bedroom unit. (Cleaner was too much of an imposition). Mum has so many ornaments and dried flower arrangements it takes me about three hours to clean the place if I do the kitchen and bathroom in alternating weeks. More dried flowers this week, grrr. I should leave it until Mum gets the cleaner back, but she left it for six weeks recently and it's taking a lot of getting back on top of it. I just hate the place looking and smelling like neglected old person, but sometimes I wonder who I'm doing it for.
 

zeeeb

Registered User
perhaps it's time for a little de-cluttering. Would she notice if you slowly removed a few bits and pieces? perhaps do a bit of a clean out, get rid of a few, box them up, and then if she demands them back, you haven't thrown them out, and she can have them back. If she forgets, then keep on de-cluttering until it's easier to clean.
 

Mamsgirl

Registered User
Jun 2, 2013
635
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Melbourne, Australia
Sistermillicent and Miss Merlot - the cleaners from the care agency have to be supervised so I might as well do it myself if I have to be there, and Mum frets both about people coming into the house and having the pressure of a regular commitment.
60's child - ticked the display cabinet box. We've got the mother of all cabinets in the living room :)
 

lilysmybabypup

Registered User
May 21, 2012
1,263
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Sydney, Australia
Oh my, I'm in the uncluttered camp, a bit Ab Fab, "I need surfaces, Darling." My mum is one who likes everything in plain sight, on the table and on the kitchen bench, I like mine clear.

I agree with quietly removing one, seeing if she notices, if not, do another one next time.

Stephanie, xxx
 

Mamsgirl

Registered User
Jun 2, 2013
635
0
Melbourne, Australia
Noooooo......the retirement village is aiding and abetting! This evening as I went ahead with the groceries at Mum's place she called in at the communal buliding. Strange, I thought but was busy putting away biscuits and broccoli when in walks Mum with a big wooden bowl. What??? She doesn't need shops now to go shopping? I carried all the bags myself and there was no wooden bowl, so what's happening, is mum a shopping-Ninja? No, the criminally inconsiderate retirement village manager's organised a spot for people to leave things they don't want any more, and residents can help themselves. If someone throws a Molotov cocktail into the clubrooms tonight...it wasn't me.

Stephanie I'm so clutter avoidant I heard my husband describe the cord tidies I use as "those cord things Toni buys at the OCD shop". :rolleyes: x
 

lilysmybabypup

Registered User
May 21, 2012
1,263
0
Sydney, Australia
Noooooo......the retirement village is aiding and abetting! This evening as I went ahead with the groceries at Mum's place she called in at the communal buliding. Strange, I thought but was busy putting away biscuits and broccoli when in walks Mum with a big wooden bowl. What??? She doesn't need shops now to go shopping? I carried all the bags myself and there was no wooden bowl, so what's happening, is mum a shopping-Ninja? No, the criminally inconsiderate retirement village manager's organised a spot for people to leave things they don't want any more, and residents can help themselves. If someone throws a Molotov cocktail into the clubrooms tonight...it wasn't me.

Stephanie I'm so clutter avoidant I heard my husband describe the cord tidies I use as "those cord things Toni buys at the OCD shop". :rolleyes: x

Sounds like when my son would clean out his room and offer all the useless junk to his sister, The Hoarder.

Your husband is funny, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with OCD. Blue garment, blue peg, I always say.

xxx
 

LYN T

Registered User
Aug 30, 2012
6,958
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Brixham Devon
I'm in the de-cluttered camp:) Nik-naks annoy me beyond words. The only thing I am guilty of having too much of are books and cds/cassettes and vinyl-and even those are in alphabetical order:D:

Getting a bit difficult to give you suggestions Mamsgirl so here goes! Could you suggest that you like the bits and pieces so much you would like some of them in your own home?:rolleyes:She may be pleased that you have the same taste? You could just put them in a box somewhere and if necessary get a few out when she visits?

Sorry can't think of anything else

Take care Lyn T
 

cobden28

Registered User
Jan 31, 2012
442
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I collect china dog ornaments but hate dusting, so a couple of years ago my husband bought me a china cabinet to put them all in and thus reduce the amount of dusting i have to do!

With people of my Mum's generation (Mum is 82) I think the tendency to have ornaments and knick-nacks on every available horizontal surface harks back to what they must have been brought up with. Unfortunately when Mum had a home help in for a while a few years back she found the woman wan't allowed to lift and move ornaments & would only dust around everything so Mum ended up having to sack the home help and do the job properly herself !
 

60's child

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Apr 23, 2013
588
0
suffolk
Stephanie I'm so clutter avoidant I heard my husband describe the cord tidies I use as "those cord things Toni buys at the OCD shop". :rolleyes: x[/QUOTE]

I am also a bit of a "neat freak" I even have my herbs and spices rack in alphabetical order...........:eek: My husband finds it very amusing..

The OCD shop. Where is it and what are the opening times..?!
 
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Pottypeg

Registered User
Aug 4, 2013
908
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67
Ashbourne, Derbyshire
I am a bit OCD when it comes to pegging out the washing, no two pegs of sames colour next to each other, all socks must have heels facing same way, and pegs must follow a pattern ( I have four different colours of pegs, pink,blue, red, purple and that is the order they go in.:eek:
 

garnuft

Registered User
Sep 7, 2012
6,585
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Herbs and spices mixed up....:eek:

No, no, no.....
Own space.
Then alphabetically.....

I'm twitching thinking about it. :D