Black People Have Nasty Houses! How to Get it Clean!

Black People Keep Dirty Homes?  I Doubt it! 

We obviously know that this stereotype is not true at all.  There are nasty, messy, sloppy people the nation over regardless of race.  In fact, most all the other black families I've ever known are very meticulous about keeping a clean house and being neat and presentable.

 However, I would not be a good example to refute the stereotype that black people are dirty.

Hol' up.  Before we get too far, I have to say that my house is not nasty.  I think there's a difference between being a slob and just being plain nasty.  Actually I think there are levels.


Click Below for the Six Slob Levels.

The Six Slob Levels

Level 1:   Disorganized.  Everything may not be in it's correct place but most of it is.  The space is always vacuumed, dishes washed, floors cleaned.  Visitors can show up unannounced most of the time.

Level 2:  Disorganized and Slightly Messy.  Papers on computer desk.  A bottle of ketchup may be still on the coffee table from the night before or jeans laying in the middle of the living room.   However, the bathroom and kitchen HAVE been cleaned in the past few days and the carpet looks like it's been vacuumed within that time too.  Visitors can show up at any time, but will have to give you a minute to pick up a little bit.

Id give this a Level 2 on the scale. Just takes some minimal rearranging to tidy it up.

Level 3:  Messy.  Same as LEVEL 2, except the bathroom and kitchen may need a little attention. There may be a few dirty dishes in the sink from a couple days before and the floor hasn't been vacuumed in days. Visitors have to call first and give at least 15 minutes notice for you to get it together.

Level 4: Messy and Slightly Nasty.  Same as LEVEL 3, except the home surfaces haven't seen a cleaner for longer.  There may be a couple empty soda cans and a couple used paper plates with crumbs or bread crusts in them. BUT they haven't been there for more than a day.  Visitors need to make an appointment because you need to spend some quality time with this situation.

Level 5: Nasty. All of the above.  You really get into nasty territory when old food enters the picture.  There may be week-old dirty plates hanging around the house and in the kitchen sink.  There may be hair and debris all over the floor. The toilets have dirty brown-streaked bowls.  There likely is an odor coming from somewhere at this point.  Only close family can come visit.

This would be a Level 6. Absolutely DISGUSTING!

Level 6: Hoarders. You really just don't care at all!  There are clothes, food, cat litter all over the place and at this point you don't even need a garbage can in your house because you can just toss trash onto the rest of the junk. The only visits at this point should come from professional cleaning people in Hazmat suits.







I think that most the time I fall at about a 3.5 Level.  There is a difference between being cluttered and gross.  I rarely have any visitors so I never really have a reason to stay on top of things all the time.

I am very messy in every area except when it comes to leaving old food out.  Otherwise, I don't really do a lot of regular cleaning.  I didn't grow up instilled with that urgency to keep a spotless house---and again, that's just me and that has nothing to do with my race.  What's weird is that I can tolerate my own mess for a while before it bothers me enough to do something about it, but I can't stand to be among someone ELSE's mess for long at all.  It makes me irritated.

How to keep the house clean

My problem is that I can never get motivated to do it!  I'm single, so I don't have to consider the comfort of a husband or roommate.  I rarely have visitors and I don't have kids I have to worry about catching a staph infection.  I think about everything that needs to be done, feel overwhelmed and don't do anything at all.

I'm the last person who should be giving advice on how to tackle a messy house, but here are a few things that work for me sometimes.


1.  Taking a "small bites" approach.  In other words doing a little bit at a time.  I may say to myself "Alright.  At 2 o'clock I'm going to get up and vacuum the floor before I sit back down at this computer."  And then after that I set another time and small assignment.

Or you can even do it by rooms.  Clean one room from top to bottom then do the same with another room hours later or the next day.

Or vow to do one TYPE of cleaning on a particular day or during an hour.  For example, say that you will scrub down the kitchen counters and every sink and vanity in the house today, or at a certain time.  Then let the assignment for the next day (or a few hours later) be to mop all the hard floors in the house.  And so on.

Sometimes it's easier to do things in pieces rather than chunks.  Either way, it gets done.

2. Focus and refuse to be distracted.  It is so easy to intend to clean but find yourself passing hours away behind the computer or on the couch watching TV.  When you wake up in the morning or come from work, decide that you will NOT do anything else until you do your cleaning assignment!

3.  Just do it!  Sometimes I find that when I start cleaning, I get into a groove, especially when I have some music turned loud.  Once I'm moving and doing it, it's easier to progress to the next thing without it feeling like such a chore.  It's kind of like when you first wake up--you don't want to wake up but once you get going you don't care that much about getting back to sleep.

So those are my little tips for people who don't naturally have the 'neat and tidy' gene.  And again, one's tidiness has nothing to do with race.  Again, most black people I know are very clean and would not be able to live with me.    

With all that said, I'm finna go sweep my kitchen before I get online again.