What is your greatest challenge in caring for your home?

[monkeywrangler71]

For me, it is being so focussed on obtaining some impossible state of perfection that I can't maintain what's good enough. Like not picking up the everyday messes because I'm too busy labelling things inside a closet.

Where do you struggle?

[dcompton]

Uh, let me count the ways....

Often not feeling well enough or having energy enough to tackle it

Feeling like I have so little time after all the hours I have to work that I want that time just for ME

Procrastination

Just sick of it after so many years. At my age, the world ought to owe me a housekeeper! Which comes down to a stinky attitude towards it.

That's enough to start with, I suppose.

[Pemberleyan]

Hmmm. I'd just say that I didn't start out with good, routine habits of house-keeping. Even at my age I am amazed at how quickly my cleaning up is "ruined." Procrastination is a huge problem for me, too. I just don't enjoy cleaning. I always feel great when I've done it, though.

[frugalwarrior2]

Pets-fur,cats knocking things down and muddy feet VS. my energy level and time. Guess what wins. Plus I like stuff too much.

[bumplett]

ditto to what frugalwarrior said - pets create the biggest messes -

my struggles are with the outside major upkeep - like pressure washing the house, cleaning the gutters, the dogs digging holes in the yard, weeds taking over, etc. It's the BIG stuff that gets me the most though - because it takes MONEY to clean what you can't do on your own - like the gutters.

[mamamia]

In truth right now it's physical pain. But on an ordinary everyday basis, it's dishes always piling up. This is not really a complaint, but in addition to feeding all of my own, there's always the kid's friends who are over here alot. We have a reputation for having lots of "good food" in our house, thanks to my coupons!
So of course this means more dishes. The only problem is that this lady feels "haunted" by a sink that's full of dishes. Perfectionism syndrome? Yup! I believe so!

Theresa

BTW, I have a DW, and the kids pitch in, but none-the-less, it makes me anxious.

[pollypurebred39]

Hmmm....I'd say DH (Now I adore this man, but it's the truth) right off the top. He sees little reason to maintain something that's getting replaced down the road.

Example: We have 3 doors, 2 of those doors have old wooden screen doors. They are in really good condition but really need to be removed, the windows repointed, the hardware replaced and the wood painted. They could be beautiful, but they are just an eyesore. His stance is, I'm eventually, down the road, at some point going to replace them so why put the effort it takes to refurbish them? We've been here over ten years, I still have yet to see replacement doors.

Other then that I'd say that I struggle with my energy, my pain level, and cash flow to replace and repair is at an all time low.

[Russ]

Right now, not spending the money to repair or replace stuff. Our house is 20 years old and it's starting to look it's age.

It's outdated, settling and starting to get drafty. We have dogs and as said before, they are messy and when they are pups, destructive. So, we need to repair and replace molding, paint AGAIN and basically refresh the house. We have the original screens in, but they are starting to sun rot, we have one window that has lost it's seal...etc etc etc.

[McD]

Time---I work 8 hours Monday-Friday. When I get home, hubby is at work and I am single parenting all the time to a very very inquisitive, ornery 4 year old, and a very high maintenance 5 month old. So by the time, I make dinner, do dishes and laundry, it's bath and bedtime already and I'm exhausted.
Weekends are no better because husband is either sleeping or working and I am just trying to recoup my energy from the week. So my house looks like a trainwreck most of the time and I feel weak. Awesome.

[beks37]

My challenges are time and pets! Now that I am not working 2 jobs, the time thing is better....but the dogs....they shed a lot and track dirt in. I have to vacuum our hard wood floors every 3 days and still there are large pet hair dust bunnies that somehow come out of nowhere! I love my dogs though, so they are worth it.

[Liane]

Time is a big issue. We are always running and if we aren't then we are catching our breath. The one thing that I struggle with is trying to clean the floor around the toilet and base of the toilet. Our bathroom is very awkward and I dislocated both knees and can no longer kneel. That is the one thing that bothers me. I clean it the best I can and that will have to do but I wish sometimes that I could wiggle my nose ala Bewitched and have it clean

[Michelle]

I have 2...depression and my kids. Some days I get a TON done, and others only the basic necessities. And with my kids, cleaning is like shoveling during a blizzard. LOL

[pat in east texas]

Having to dust and do the floors every day during pollen season. The weather is so nice that I want the windows open, but everything turns yellow from the pollen.

[gapeach]

My biggest challenge is our 2 dogs and my husband's procrastination. The dogs shed so I'm dusting and vacuuming all the time. DH always says he's going to do something then starts playing on the computer or watching tv. He gets mad when I try to do "his" projects and is always telling me that "I'll do it when I'm ready". Our storage building needed painting oh about 4 years ago and he just did it last summer after I started it!

[AmyBoz]

Like Mrs. McDowell, time is my greatest enemy.

I work full-time, plus teach piano and tutor after school and on Saturdays. I have 3 kids, ages 9, 6, and 4 and really want to spend time with them and dh when I'm home. Laundry is the furthest thing from my mind. Yet, there are 5 of us with laundry!

I get a routine going and I am doing great for awhile, then it all falls apart again. Add to that the fact that I am trying to sell my home, and have to shove stuff in drawers and washers and dryers at any given moment when someone wants to view the home.

Laundry is definitely a challenge.