15+ Stories That Show What It’s Really Like to Clean Your Home

It’s unlikely that anyone likes to live in filth, but it’s a different story when it comes to cleaning. Some of us feel at peace while they wash floors or do the dishes, while others can’t even look at sponges and mops without flinching. The heroes of our article are not always happy about cleaning either, and some of them experienced such stories that you don’t know whether to laugh at them or just hug them.

• I went to my mum’s for the weekend and my husband stayed at home. I came back and found our apartment tidied up, although my husband is a messy person. And when we went to bed, I felt a strong smell of female perfume on the bed. All night I questioned him and screamed.
  Eventually, I threw a pillow and a bag fell out of it. I picked it up and immediately felt ashamed. I’d put lavender sachets in the pillow for better sleep, and forgot about it. My husband called me hysterical and didn’t speak to me for a day. © Overheard / Ideer
• My wife and I are real neat freaks and wash dishes properly. But when we bought a dishwasher, we realized that we overestimated our cleaning skills. Pots, lids, plates — everything was sparkling clean. And the cutlery? It was like new!
  In general, the best gift for any family is a dishwasher. And the sooner, the better. © Hottabov / Pikabu
• My habit of cleaning the bathroom while brushing my teeth led to a funny story. I went to wash my hands in a restaurant, and there I got a phone call. So, while I was talking, I took a small hand towel and started wiping the mirror, sink, nightstand and soap dish with it. The look on the face of the cleaning lady who entered the bathroom at that moment was priceless. And I, most importantly, didn’t even realize what I was doing. © Lika Mad / ADME

• Usually when I sweep the floor, I don’t look into corners or behind doors — the spots where dirt is not that conspicuous. And even though I sweep every day, my negligence results in the accumulation of dust and hair. After that, I feel like Cinderella — I start cleaning everywhere and become terribly embarrassed at the sight of the mess under the sofa. © Leila / ADME
• My mum was really pleased when she found some calendar or table mat that said “A clean house is a sign of a wasted life” and displayed it smugly when I visited as a young adult (knowing I struggled with her messy and chaotic habits).
  No, mother dearest: your wasted life as a “stay-at- home mum” only without the mum-ing, lack of progress in your short work life, lack of other meaningful achievements, failure to maintain any healthy or loving relationships even with your own children, and your abysmal parenting are the proof of your wasted life. The filthy house is just the icing on the cake. © Hot-Ant-5526 / Reddit
• I always thought that my ex-wife was too strict with our daughter. 3 months ago, my daughter called me in tears and asked if she could move to my place. I immediately came to them and said that I was going to take the child, otherwise I’d sue my ex. Despite my fears, my ex looked calm. She said that she was even glad because now she could take a 6-month secondment in another country, and sent our daughter to pack her things.
  At first, everything was normal, but then it turned out that the daughter was really messy. It was unpleasant to even enter her room. When I tried to persuade her that she needed to clean there, she snapped at me, and when I insisted, she shouted at me that she would complain to social services. It’s still 3 months before my ex returns home, and I don’t know what to do. © Overheard / Ideer
• My husband, who insists on doing his own laundry, left a pen that then exploded, and I’ve got 6 more loads to do today. I’ve used rubbing alcohol which is turning the paper towel blue at least, but the stains remain on the dryer, plus I have doubts of running this thing with all that alcohol on there, it’ll explode. I attempted a small bit of oven cleaner that did nothing. I guess I’ll be going to a laundromat until then. © Glopez1223 / Reddit

• The sink with dirty dishes makes me cringe. I hate it when everything is piled in there, plates and mugs get even dirtier. After that, you’ll sweat trying to scrub them clean. I’d rather eat and do the dishes straight away. Clean and tidy. © Bzdun / Pikabu
• In childhood, I was taught to wipe the dust every morning after making the bed. The habit has remained to this day. My mother-in-law always wonders why there is no dust in our house. When I said that I dust every day, she got offended because she couldn’t believe anyone would clean every day. © Lika Mad / ADME
• I used to live in absolute filth as a child. My clothes smelled bad all the time. Couches and rugs full of stains, dirty dishes, windows mopped maybe once a year. I never brought friends home. Ever.
  I loathed that place, and any place my parents lived in after that. I never had a home. Now as a parent myself, I try my hardest to keep my house clean and decluttered (as much as possible with a baby). I want her to have a home she will always want to come back to. © AlexHammouri / Reddit
• Don’t be like me, wear rubber gloves when cleaning. I work at school and decided to clean our classroom today. I wanted to make the desks and chairs look decent, and I was foolish enough to use a stain remover. Then I looked at my hands, and they were white.
  I went to the bathroom to wash them, but this white thing wouldn’t come off. And my skin began to itch and peel. I went to our chemistry teacher to ask what it was, and it turned out to be a chemical burn. On the bright side, I got cuticles removed on some of my fingers. The funny thing was that I hadn’t been able to remove some kids’ drawings from the chairs anyway. © Anonymous / Pikabu
• I taught my boyfriend to keep our house clean. He’s a terrible slob of that type who never puts a thing back in its place. I decided not to waste time on arguments, after which I still have to clean anyway, but just tidy up every day without saying a word. Every day he came back to a perfectly clean apartment and got so used to it that he imperceptibly began to maintain this cleanliness himself. Everyone loves when it’s clean. © Overheard / Ideer

“I took my boyfriend’s hat and washed it. It’s horrible how much dirt was in there!”

• The greatest cleaning tip I’ve ever discovered — make that lazy boyfriend a lazy ex-boyfriend. I
  lived with this man for over a year, our house was always messy, and he blamed me for it. He’s been gone since December now, and I clean daily and find it so much more joyful when I’m tidying my own messes instead of a grown man who once claimed that he didn’t ever want to clean because “it just gets messy again.” © alieneileen / Reddit
• I have a classic mother-in-law: she doesn’t like everything I do. Once, I freaked out and told my husband to do all the chores himself. He enthusiastically cleaned and cooked.
  When the mother-in-law came, she started looking for dust in the corners. Then she ate some food he cooked and finished by saying, “Your wife is a slob. The floor is dusty. The whole place is dirty. The food is disgusting. She can’t do anything properly!” I’ve never seen my husband so puzzled. © Overheard / Ideer
• Last night, I did the dishes and told my husband that this was the third time in a day that I did this. He was genuinely surprised and said that it’s nothing to do the dishes. And at that moment, I wanted to throw the pot I was washing into the trash bin, so I wouldn’t have to finish it. A few times I even sent dirty jars to the trash bin because I have a particular dislike for washing them.
  It’s gotten to the point that when I’m looking for a recipe to cook, I first think about how much dirty crockery I will get in the end. My husband laughs and says that the kitchen is chaos after me, because while he’s cooking, he’s doing the dishes at the same time, and I’m not capable of that. © elna96 / Pikabu
• It wasn’t until I was 30 that I plucked up the courage to tell my mother, “This is my home, where everything is organized in the way that I like it. I don’t come to your house and tell you how your place should look like.” And here’s another important thing of how to keep your peace of mind: never give your family the keys to your home.
  As for my partner, I just got lucky. He’s not a domestic invalid who you have to serve to. He’s a man who is capable of doing chores himself. We haven’t had a single conflict over cleaning for 5 years now. © Miranda Bush / ADME

And if you ever wanted your bathroom to look like a luxury hotel, here are a few useful tips.