Why, oh, why do I love cleaning so? Does anyone else find cleaning cathartic?

Could you come over to my house?

You might suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (seriously). When the symptom is washing one’s hands over and over, people look at that as a negative. When the symptom is that the person cleans (like my mother did and SHE had OCD) people don’t even THINK it might be psychological thing.

Can you hit my place after AstroChuck’s? We could make you feel really good.

I don’t mind cleaning, either. It makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something. Has anyone else seen the British show “How Clean is my House?” OMG! That makes you WANT to clean bad! I think I have a slight form of OCD. I can’t stand for things to be out of place & messed up. Cleaning is good. Much better than not cleaning.

Nah, I wouldn’t say that I have OCD. For the most part, I just like things neat, clean and love that fresh smell. There are days when my place looks like shit and I couldn’t be bothered to clean it. I do find that when I’m really stressed, though, I either go for a run or give my place a good clean.

Haha, it’s all about cleaning my own space. (:

Of course it is very relieving to clean thoroughly, but you have to keep in mind that it can also be a way of processing a traumatic experience in your past; most recent example for this: In the movie ‘The Reader’, Hanna is always cleaning or washing the young boy or herself in order to wash away the guilt of her past…think about it! :)

@James17555 Interesting. And, that makes sense. That’s probably why I do it. Thanks…

@jmah: I’m with you here.

Let me toss some verbal foreplay your way: Swiffer, Bissell, Clear Windex with Vinegar.

Oh, baby

I don’t know about HER, but I need a cold shower!

@cprevite lmao. HOT!

i subscribe to the thinking that a clean house is a sign of a wasted life
lol. not really. i just don’t find cleaning to be that enjoyable. i do get in bouts of intense cleaning and i’ll do five loads of laundry, scrub the bathroom and kitchen…and i do feel accomplished. i still don’t like it.

Cleaning also gives the illusion of having control over some part of one’s life.

And I would second the suggestion, given by James^^, of seeing The Reader, if you haven’t. Kate Winslet will astonish you.

@James17555: Well if that’s the case, it would explain why I spent the better part of a day (during my vacation) steam cleaning my hardwood floors. ;^)

I’ll have to see the movie. I still figure it’s at least a productive way of dealing with stress. Or am I justifying?

Except for haveing a Obsessive Compulsive gene in your geome, are there any crazy genes? My Mother had a prefect answer to house cleaning (later in life): the dust bunnies were under the bed when she got here and would damn well still be there after she died”. This line of thinking runs in the family, apparently.

I wish I loved cleaning so much. I guess my house is such a mess that it seems pointless to even try to clean it.

But now that you mention it… Yeah… Catharsis. I could go for some of that right about now. I’m gonna go clean!

I do love to clean. I love how things are in their place, things are dusted, swept, mopped, swiffered (though I do have a wonderful new steam mop…great on my hardwood floors!), vacuumed, washed, laundered…whatever. It bothers me when things are out of place, but I have gained some level of acceptance over things getting somewhat messed up. I used to completely freak out, but I don’t, anymore. My son is breaking me of that…slowly, but surely.

To me, a clean house is just easier to live in. I don’t do well in cluttered – disorder. Nope…not my cup of tea.

I agree that a clean house is easier to live in, but then so is a house without children in it. I have children, therefore I have mess. Since they outnumber me (and are assisted by cats, dogs and husband) I am way behind in cleaning, but once they leave for college I’ll have to fill those empty hours somehow.

I used to freak out but they have broken me. One can only tolerate so much before the mind just snaps and pretends it isn’t there any more.

Of course, it would be nice to know where a pair of scissors is sometimes. Or tape. (wanders off aimlessly looking for a pen, a clean drinking container, and other vanishing domestic species)

I hate cleaning, I wish I liked it, but I don’t, I HATE it, but I do love hanging out the wash and mowing the lawn so at least the yard looks good and we smell nice even if the house is a pig pen.

@rooeytoo: We’re the exact opposite. I’m not a big fan of laundry and I wish my yard could be paved.

You would think I love doing laundry with the amount that I do. But if I ever win the lottery I would wear new clothes every time, and give the lightly worn ones away to charity.

And we took out the lawn and put in all bushes and trees.

I always thought I would design my own house, would have concrete floors and walls with a big drain in the middle. And all the furniture would be suspended from the ceiling with pulleys. When it was time to clean, I would hoist the furniture up and get out the high pressure hose. One of these days…............

@rooeytoo – That is kind of what we did with our truck – all vinyl seats, and vinyl flooring. First we use a leaf blower on it, and then we use a hose with a spray nozzle. Works a treat!