Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners

[turbo500]

Hey folks,

Has anybody been watching series 2 of Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners on channel 4? It's definitely an eye-opener. I am a self confessed cleanfreak, but some of the people featured suffer so badly with OCD, that they have no friends and spend up to 8 hours a day cleaning.

One lady admitted to vacuuming up to 20 times a day as she couldn't bare any dust in her house. There was a gentleman who had to clean his whole bathroom everytime anybody used it, even if they had only washed their hands in the sink. Another lady stated she was happy not to have any friends as they would want to come in her house.

This program got me thinking about little OCD habits that people have. I think everyone has something that they're very particular about. I have a real thing about the cushion on my sofa not being correct, like if someone has sat on them and left a print or left them wonky. Drives me MAD. I also have a strange obsession with bleaching my kitchen sink, even though I don't do any washing up in it.

Anybody else have anything they're particularly fussy about?

Chris

 

[suckolux]

I really don't like anything out of place here.Seriously messes me up.

 

[caligula]

Suds in the kitchen sink.

Yes, that's right, I have to make sure the excess suds from the dishwashing liquid is washed down the drain.

 

[danemodsandy]

Cannot Stand:

A dirty sink, dishes in a sink or use of a sink as a catch-all when cooking.

I don't even like disposers, because food scraps dirty the sink and the rubber flange for the disposer tends to grow algae, making the sink an unsanitary place for its intended purpose - washing dishes. I have a firm policy in life - I don't throw refuse in the sink, and I don't wash dishes in the garbage pail.

Caligula - getting the suds down the drain is not OCD - that used to be standard decent housekeeping. I can't tell you how many young people I've taught to do it quickly and easily - use cold water. Hot water makes suds - cold water kills them. That used to be common knowledge. Not any more.

 

[mark40511]

I hate disorder

...It drives me crazy.....It's like I'm not happy and it's at the back of my mind.

When I used to be a telephone operator at Verizon. I had to clean and do everything BEFORE work making it look as if no one lived here.....Get in the car, back out, garage door shut.....sitting at work for 8 hours knowing everything at home we perfect! The few times I wasn't able to do that before work, it drove me CRAZY sitting there taking calls because my life was chaos in my mind if everything wasn't in place and perfect.....

That all being said. I'm not SUPER EXTREME where I have to vacuum 20 times per day or wash the entire bathroom simply because someone washes their hands. I think my chaos is more controlled.

Even when I was little, my Christmas toys had to be organized.

I'm a mess

 

[turbo500]

I'm a mess

Quite the opposite, by the sounds of it Mark .

I do know what you mean though. I hate leaving the house knowing it's a mess. I don't get anxious about it, but there's nothing worse than arriving home after a long day at work and finding it in a mess.

I'm not as extreme to blitz the house every morning before I leave and it doesn't have to be perfect, as long as it's clean, relatively tidy and everything is in order, I don't mind.

My friend leaves dirty breakfast dishes and such in the sink on a morning when she leaves the house, and does all her washing up in the evening after dinner. It would drive me MAD if there was anything like that left out when I wasn't at home.

 

[danemodsandy]

Another Morning Cleaner Here!

Before leaving for work, I have to tidy the bedroom and make the bed, do up the breakfast dishes and clean the sink and run the vacuum a bit.

Nothing worse than coming home after a lousy day at work (and you never know when you're going to have one these days), to an unmade bed, festering dishes and kitty litter tracked all over the place.

 

[caligula]

Hi danemodsandy

Caligula was my pet cat which is shown here, you can call me Alex.


 


I do use cold water, and the sprayer to get rid of all suds. I can't stand dishes in the sink and this includes while cooking. Let me say first, that I was taught how to cook and bake by my grandmother. She was Scottish, and told me to clean-up as you prepare food. She  would start with a sink of hot, soapy water, and wash each pot, pan, spoon, and so on after using it.  I still do that to this day.  Once the meal is in the oven, or on the stove cooking, I have every prep dish washed and put away. I can't stand facing a messy kitchen once the meal is over. It's a simple chore to wash the dinner dishes used at the meal.


 


I can't stand an unmade bed, used towel on the bathroom floor, or dust on the hardwood floor. Again, I clean up as I go along.

 

[kenkart]

And I have been to Alexes house!!

And he is telling the truth, It looks like everyone wishes their house looked, absolutely spotless!

 

[caligula]

Thanks Hans.

Way back in 96, or 97, He was e in my house in San Diego, It was my dream home. For the rest of the members this is what he saw.  

 

[caligula]

Pic 2.

 

[caligula]

Pic 3.

 

[caligula]

Pic 4.

 

[caligula]

Yes the carpeting WAS replaced.

These pictures were taken right after I moved in, and a few months later after I had the dark green carpeting installed.

 

[caligula]

Caligula.

 

[beko1987]

My step cousin who I have never met was the ocd bloke who was with the lady doing the community bits in s1

Never met him though, can't even recall his name!

 

[papasvacs]

Don't think I'm OCD.......

<span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif;">.... but I don't like clutter and want things clean and straightened before I leave the house.</span>


<span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif;"> </span>


<span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif;">My kitchen sink gets scoured just about every night, as I remember my Mom doing.  Farberware pots and pans get cleaned and shine with a "Brillo" pad when ever used.  Counter tops get wiped down every night.</span>


<span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif;"> </span>


<span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif;">Wood furniture gets polished every week.</span>


<span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif;"> </span>


<span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif;">This is my kitchen in Florida.  No clutter allowed.</span>

 

[papasvacs]

No clutter..........

<span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif;">allowed in the dining room:</span>

 

[papasvacs]

or the bedroom......

<span style="font-family: comic sans ms,sans-serif;">don't like "junk" sitting around or the bed unmade.</span>