There is a fine line between having an actual diagnosable disorder and being a clean freak. The majority of us don’t have a problem with the odd towel lying on the floor, or a plate or two in the kitchen sink. However there are people who are extremely clean in their habits and can get very upset if those around them mess up their karma.
If you are one of these people you can check off the obsessions you have, or if you don’t just look out for these behaviors in your loved ones. They might be an in the closet clean freak.
The Bathroom
There is nothing dirtier than the toilet bowl and for clean freaks this is a daily battle. If you are familiar with the constant struggle to keep the bathroom clean, then you will empathize with what I’m saying.
This obsession might evolve even more when you have a family. The amount of mud, dirt and other bodily fluids that will end up in your bathroom is phenomenal. For clean freaks it takes a whole lot of personal strength to get through a weekend with dirty children.
Another reason why this obsession emerges is when a clean freak starts sharing a house with someone. This can cause a lot of problems for relationships or friendships, depending on who you are sharing your space with. The best advice is to understand that everyone has a different level of cleanliness when it comes to the bathroom.
When you understand what your flat mate’s bathroom cleanness is like, you can give them instructions in pulling hair out of the plughole or cleaning the toothpaste stains off the sink.
Hand Washing
Most people would wash their hands before eating if they could. Though most people would also not mind eating a bag of chips without thinking about washing their hands. Clean freaks, on the other hand, would not even consider touching food without first making sure their hands were clean.
An obsession like this one is often related to severe OCD disorders, however you don’t have to be diagnosed to wash your hands a lot. It is common knowledge that your hands are the carriers of germs, and this isn’t helped with all of the food hygiene advertisements that we see around these days.
The worst thing for a clean freak to experience is public transport. The amount of dirty things you touch just by one bus journey is incredible and they would do anything to avoid it. To overcome this issue, many people now take hand sanitizers with them everywhere.
You might not know it, but your keyboard is the dirtiest item your house has. Trust me, its coming from a clean freak.
Emptying the Kitchen Sink
Apart from the bathroom, the kitchen is the second place you might find a clean freak. It is a huge nightmare to deal with all the food and drink that can be left all over the house, and the kitchen is where it all piles up.
Many hygiene obsessed people will make sure their kitchen is spotless before going to bed. Otherwise they could lay turning and tossing the whole night thinking about it. Does this sound familiar? Not to worry, this is something many people experience and is probably something we are genetically programmed with. Dirt plus food equals germs which equals illness.
The worst part of a dirt kitchen is the sink plug hole. The grim and leftovers that get stuck around that hole is a clean freaks worst nightmare. A lot of people hate the grimy texture of wet food and often have to put on rubber gloves to get it out.
What more, it leaves a terrible smell if you don’t get rid of it quickly.
Everything In Its Right Place
For most of us, the odd mug or newspaper lying around is ok for a day or two. But when you live with someone who is naturally obsessive and tidy, you will find that they will not let one thing be left out of place.You know immediately when you visit someone’s home if they are obsessive or not about cleanliness and tidiness.
If you do walk into this type of house I suggest playing by their rules, as to not upset them or give them anxiety. You want to be invited back. Obsessions such as having books line up all in the same way, or in alphabetical order are signs to look out for. I don’t know about you, but as a clean freak I throw out all newspapers that are less than 2 days old. For some people it might be as little as just one day.
If you are one of those people that can’t stand to have a fork in the knife section, you will know what I mean.
Showering Every Day
There is a level of cleanliness most of us like to maintain when it comes to our hygiene. Sometimes it doesn’t matter to us if we wash our hair in the morning or at night. There are people that prefer baths to showers. But most of all people like to maintain hygiene at their own level of acceptance.
Most clean obsessed people have a tendency to shower every day, without fail. The mere thought of going into bed without first showering is painful and they would rather lose half an hour of sleep than be dirty. If you are one of the more extreme types, you will have a shower routine, with particular soaps and creams you put on your body.
Also fresh towels are a must when it comes to shower time, super clean people do not like to reuse bath towels and often have a mountain of laundry to do.
Excessive Cleaning of Germ Prone Items
Along with handwashing, people that are obsessed with cleaning have a tendency to clean everything around them that is prone to germs. These items are things you have contact with everyday but probably will not think about as germ farms.
Take for example, the steering wheel. If you are a car owner you will probably be making a couple of trips in the car per day, even if its just to work and back. The steering wheel is covered in germs, and no matter if you wash your hands before you get in the car, they instantly become dirty once you touch it or the gear stick. That is what clean freaks think about, trust me I know.
Another item that gets a lot of cleaning is the mobile phone. Just think about it, you place your mobile down on restaurant tables, trains, planes, basically anywhere you sit your phone sits too. That means that all the germs your phone picks up get directly placed near your mouth when you take a call. If you see people with earphones with a mic, they have probably already thought about this germ infested item.
Door handles are the worst, just take a look at one under UV light and you will understand why you need to clean them often.
Dusting and Hoovering
One of the least favorite house cleaning chores is a clean freaks favorite. The vast population don’t really mind living with a bit of dust on the side board or corners of the house. That pile of dust under your bed will never be seen in an obsessive’s house.
The majority of people will not look for dust if it isn’t clearly in site. Also, most people will not look above their eye site for areas that need cleaning. If you have a cleaning obsession you will look everywhere, even underneath the kitchen sink, to find dust and eliminate it. The hoover, the object that makes the loudest noise in your house, might be the best sound you can hear when you are a clean freak.
Some extreme people even use different add on hoover heads to get right into a corner or when hovering the stairs.
Window Washing
This not so fun house chore is something that is done on a very regular basis by clean freaks. OK, I’m not sure if it’s done on a daily basis, but it certainly can be done once a week. Do you remember when the last time you washed your windows was?
The window washing habits is not just restricted to the house. This habit is also extended to the car windscreen, computer screen and even at work. For some extreme people they will not be able to sit in their office when it’s dirty and would rather pay for it themselves.
Most people when they wash their windows they spend very little time thinking about it. Take a bucket of water, some soap and a cloth. However, the art of window washing is much deeper than you think. There are polishes, and special soaps and brushes that are made specifically for windows that you would have never thought about.
And don’t get me started about car washing. Well, OK – read the next page for reasons why clean freaks have spotless cars.
Keeping a Spotless Car
If you were to check the back passenger seats of your car you might actually be surprised at how much mess there is there. Every day you put your shopping bags there, your kids, your camping equipment, your left over takeaways and much more. But I bet you haven’t cleaned the inside of your car for a while.
When it comes to being a clean freak, your whole persona is one. There is no distinction from your home to your car to your workspace. That means every environment you find yourself in will be spotless.For some extreme personalities they keep hand sanitizers in their car to make sure the steering wheel, handles and gear stick are kept clean. Also having an air freshener in your car is also a sign of a clean person, because a car smell just won’t do.
If you have read to the end and can check off more than 4 of these habits, you might want to start thinking of yourself as a clean freak. Its OK – there are more than you think.