Meh. When I was six I said I did not want to visit my relative because there was so much garbage lying around. And I was right. And my mom never breathed a word or was judgey. O, it's a little child's comment, let it slide off you if you know it's not true or see whether there is some truth init

Anonymous wrote:Older homes will look dirty regardless just because of the accumulation of age and dirt in areas such as corners. Visit any of the little townhome restaurants in Georgetown for instance. They are clean but still the corners will look dirty or dingy.

Oh shut up. My house was built in the 1930’s and it doesn’t look dirty. IL’s house is from the 20’s and it never looks dirty. You don’t know WTF you’re talking about.

Fine, she doesn't have to come back Don't worry OP!

OP- one day a friend of DS (age 7)came over and said my house was too small to play in and that DS should play at his house next time because he lives in a mansion. Two days later a new neighbor came over, also 7, and said we have then nicest house he’s ever visited—- that’s it’s so clean, open and fun. That it smells so good.

Don’t worry about it one bit.

“ So when in homes that are generally”

My guess is that it looks old. But just in case, do you wipe down walls, doors, around light switches, up the stairs? Keep kitchen counters clear as possible?

I’m very clean and have high standards for myself and so when in are generally clean and tidy, I do see how much nicer they could be with just a small thing - like wiping down the walls near doors and up the stairs, etc.

So, houses don’t have tha “sparkle” but they are not dirty. On the other hand, we remodeled an old beach cottage with brad new floors and new kitchen/ baths but just painted the wallls and ceilings in the other rooms. I swear it never felt clean! We were rarely there or if we were we were out side on the great porch, yard, river. So maybe that is it — just an old feel.

Well...my honest thought is that it must be really freaking dirty if a 5 year old noticed.

Usually they're pretty oblivious to those kinds of things. Do you have dirty toilets and dust bunnies/hair all over the place? Those are the most obvious signs of uncleanliness to guests.

Older homes will look dirty regardless just because of the accumulation of age and dirt in areas such as corners. Visit any of the little townhome restaurants in Georgetown for instance. They are clean but still the corners will look dirty or dingy.

Anonymous wrote:Sometimes we get wake-up calls. If a 5yo thinks your house is dirty, either it really is dirty, or she has weird ideas about dirt. Take a hard long look at your place, and consider maybe a monthly service to keep things under control. If you can't afford that, then maybe a one-time deep cleaning to get things to a good starting place that's easier to maintain.

I'll be honest, I only work part-time, and I have a hard time keeping up with everything. I often think I'd lose it if I worked full-time.

I DID loose it when I started working full time. Six months into me working full time again, we hired a every other week cleaning service. My sanity is worth the $240/month.

Anonymous wrote:Sometimes we get wake-up calls. If a 5yo thinks your house is dirty, either it really is dirty, or she has weird ideas about dirt. Take a hard long look at your place, and consider maybe a monthly service to keep things under control. If you can't afford that, then maybe a one-time deep cleaning to get things to a good starting place that's easier to maintain.

I'll be honest, I only work part-time, and I have a hard time keeping up with everything. I often think I'd lose it if I worked full-time.

I DID loose it when I started working full time. Six months into me working full time again, we hired a every other week cleaning service. My sanity is worth the $240/month.

omg I wanted to add that my 5 YO DD was at a playdate not too long ago, and she left saying she didn't want to go back because she thought the house was too dirty, and I was horrified!! I don't think I know the OP because the details don't match... But let me just say that, in my case, it was just a matter of my DD being grumpy and saying something that wasn't very nice, and I told her as much. Also, I know that I am really, exceptionally, crazy clean - I am *not* judgmental of other people who are not as clean as I am, and I really don't want my children to be either.

Anyway, don't take it personally. If you think your house is clean enough, I'm sure it is. She's 5. Five year olds say things they shouldn't. I'm sure your house is less clean than hers; that doesn't mean it's dirty, and certainly doesn't mean it's "too dirty" for a playdate!

Anonymous wrote:Regardless of whether it's true, age 5 is old enough to realize that's rude. She may have been in a temporary snit with your DC and wanted to say something mean.

Good point.