I’m glad some of it helped. I definitely spend my fair share of time in (not) cleaning hell. Trying to catch up now myself.
I can’t stand for too long but sometimes it helped to put my phone on a mini easel I got from ebay and watch/listen to something while I washed in short chunks. Strongly advise putting it somewhere it can’t fall into the sink tho. I put it on the kitchen windowsill but well to the side
Agreed, I just prioritise rubbish, ~~litter trays~~, dishes, anything that will smell or attract bugs. Those need quicker action than folding or ironing
Yeah, like I said, no boundaries. Picking a piece of thread off my jacket with their fingers while I was wearing it.
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I feel you.
Unsolicited advice on emergency/exhaustion cleaning
When I get like this it can help to dump everything in the big tub just to be able to vacuum… but then you have to sort out the tub or it just sits there. But it gets it out of the way so you can do it later.
Another way to gradually and easily declutter is to hang a plastic or paper bag on a doorknob and throw in a single unwanted item anytime you happen to find one. (I kept one on the wardrobe handle to immediately take anything I tried to put on and then decided not to keep.) Then when the bag is full donate. You can have multiple through the house.
Clean laundry I just pile into the ‘clean’ basket to pull from as needed or shove handfuls of the appropriate clothing into each drawer. I don’t always have the ability to put things away but I can shove them in the ‘general correct area’ or ‘contained’ and move on to more urgent tasks. I can always put them away properly later if I have the opportunity.
Disinfectant wipes or baby wipes are good to wipe up something sticky before sweeping or quickly go over a dusty or dirty surface as a stopgap.
I still hate the countertop dishwasher I invested in because it doesn’t clean to my standards but that is currently being used as the alternative to having a pile of rotting depression dishes.
Before I’d fill the sink with boiling soapy water and everything dirty, let it soak until it was just tolerably hot to wash… but if not done that runs the risk of a sink full of swamp water.
Stick vacs are not always great compared to full sized vacs, especially cordless ones. Cordless battery ones can run down fast and be weak. But they also are a lot easier to just grab for a quick pass when you have 5 seconds worth of motivation. You can use them on hard floors too, just swipe over the whole area.
When I empty the bin and have to replace the bag, I often put on multiple bags at once while I’m already doing it. It sucks but that way the next time I lift out the rubbish it’s already lined again ready to go. If I don’t do that I procrastinate and rubbish starts piling up on the counter…
Buying roach baits or making them from a 50/50 mix of sugar and borax in tinfoil ‘bowls’ helps if you’re living in an area where they tend to invade.
Pottering around semi-aimlessly cleaning in one area can help. Doing it drunk or high may help (though I unfortunately can’t have substances).
You don’t have to get it all done at once either. You can do 10 minutes or UFYH has mini challenges. (Watch out for the ads on the site tho, yeesh. I need to update my adblocker.) https://www.unfuckyourhabitat.com/
Also while high in sodium I always used to use tinned chunky soup as an emergency meal. Microwave in a bowl and serve with buttered bread, or even eat out of the tin if it’s that bad. Meat and veg with minimal cooking or cleanup
I don’t know, I kind of just asked if there was an owner or anyone looking after him and then kinda scrammed because the neighbour was offering to bring cat food to my house and picking lint off my clothes 😬
He has other people looking out for him at least. Even if his owners might not be :(
Edit: Oh! Yes he has water available here (the wildlife water) but I haven’t named him. I just found out he has owners too
It’s ok. You’re trying to comfort your girl 🫂
The black cat is coming back in my backyard again. He’s trilling, giving me tail hugs, caught a mouse and brought it over to show me (before eating it) and is trying to come inside 😬 He also ate grass and vomited, has a really snuffly nose, and I see little bald spots still.
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Crying over Melbcat while patting this one. The poses are similar but so different. I can almost hear the old lady groan she would make as he flops down. He’s a distraction from losing her but the pain is still there.
There’s an update though. He has owners! I was going to ask the one neighbour I don’t avoid but they were with one I do… finally I just put my big enby pants on and approached both. He lives around the corner and belongs to a couple who has another cat. One neighbour feeds him also sometimes.
I feel relief that I’m not solely responsible for him and he doesn’t need to be trapped. Unfortunately now I can’t really sort out his fungal jungle and will have to run the mushroom gauntlet every time I go out. And he still seems really neglected.
And I’ve broken the ice with a zero boundaries neighbour who I was trying to dodge 😬
No, for Melbcat.
Woke up thinking I needed to wash and refill the water bowl
Melbcat loved the garden and the sun. Unfortunately it was limited due to safety while she was alive but maybe a little hair could go outside.
I'm so sorry about Punkin and Misha
That's a good idea. She was such a beautiful cat.
I do fret. It's a really awkward position to be in and I have my fingers crossed he doesn't get sick, hit, or attacked by another animal.
It is! I was so worried what would happen if I moved away or got too sick to look out for him.
Still I don’t think he’s getting proper care 💔 I hate it when people get pets and ignore them.