How much mess....

Be strong and resist! Will be a good point to prove, I hope it doesn't start an argument though but makes them realise what you are trying to show them!

To be honest though that would be easy for me, I'm happy to just sit in the middle of chaos and read a magazine!

Gosh-subtle?! I would have piled it all up in a corner I think- couldn't cope with it being scattered around!

We end up with a couple of jackets on the dining room chairs and post / paper work on the table (dining room is first room from the hall) and I try to clear it every night.

Boyo is pretty good too- the laptops either get put away or slid under the sofa and remotes in the coffee table.

Last week their was a pair of his socks on the living room floor and I caved on day three and picked them up.

With you on that Jojo- I put things on the stairs when I get back from shopping like the bathroom stuff and boyo happily steps over them!!

Nooooooooo!!! ? Feel that smilie is appropriate here!!!

I'd be having palpitations if that was all laying around our house. I'm useless with mess. I'm constantly tidying up toys as E pulls more out. I drive my husband mad.

This drives me demented OH: 'Oh I didnt see them' ME: Stop making excuses you lazy bugger! We are living in a tip at the mo with redecoating & Im trying really hard not to have a melt down. Im taking friday off work to clean up - how many men would do that ?! He is off on Fridays anyway so he will be helping.

Last night he left his dirty work t-shirt & boxers ON the washing basket rather than IN it - I went mental. I know its a typical male thing but the rows it causes the extra 10 seconds on his part would really make me happier.

Good Luck JoJo85 - I really couldnt stick that experiment out!

Loads, I am not the most tidiest of people

Our wash basket is in the bedroom- boyo strips off and leaves his clothes on the floor OR throws them in the general direction of the basket- so idle!!

I most often cave and tidy up the clutter in the bedroom- can't sleep knowing something hasn't been put away or if he leaves a draw/wardrobe open!

Right now I am in the lounge with books, remote, cup and bowl the post but it will take me a matter of minutes to clear up- I couldn't leave the house without tidying it up tho but I am happy to sit in it for a while!

My Mum used to collect up anything thing that my sister and I left lying around and put it on our beds. That used to pee us right off but it got us into the habit of tidying things up when we'd finished with them. I now do this with H. He's starting to get fed up of having to move things off of the bed/not being able to find things.

OMG I'd have to tidy that away. Experiment or not, men don't see things like we do. For my sanity and marriage and possible risk of life imprisonment for murder I'd tidy up.

Interesting experiment Jo, although wouldn't be surprised if it didn't work!

I try this with H, except it backfires as I'm normally the one first into bed *sigh* Although sometimes I do push the stuff to his side and get in anyway, but it normally results in him sweeping everything onto the floor... He does tidy things up himself, but only if I direct him to exactly what he should put away, otherwise nothing happens.

This. Although its not right that they dont help, I just cant cope with mess or anything out of place at all. I would be getting WSparkles palpitations if I had to look at all that untidiness. Just tell them to bloody clean it up! Although my H left for work this morning with the iron left plugged in and on the dining table and shoes on the living room floor so I've had to pick up after him today too! They just aren't wired right!

I don't think it is that they don't see it but that it doesn't bother tham maybe?

Actually there are laods of things that I just don't notice!

I have to ahve things put away in an exacting way so I can let it get really messy so that I can put things away in the 'proper' way?

I get to a point where I put everything ina box and dump it in his office (it's all IT crap and leads etc anyway) his office is a BIG mess, but its his responsibility. He hates it when I dump a box in there, but its his fault for leaving it lying around!

This is exactly what my fella does grr

This my OH too. He has a proper floor-drobe going on at his side of the bed! I've given up and just keep my side tidy. Also, he's another that aims his clothes at the washing basket, rather than putting them inside it. Is it really so difficult?!

I think me and H are as bad as each other. We both wait until it's really quite bad then have a massive blitz. We do often remark how much nicer it is to have such a tidy place but it doesn't last and then we wait until the next blitz. We are messy but clean. No dirty plates, clothes etc are left lying around at least, it's just junk. I think I was lulled into a false sense of security as when we met his room was the tidiest thing I had ever seen and he did put all of his clothes and crap away. Turns out it was just because his mum would wash anything that had been on the floor longer than 5 seconds and he used to get annoyed if he couldn't find things. I would use this tactic but I am pretty lazy. We do tidy if people are coming round though. We don't subject other people to our chaos.

My step mum has OCD and I hated growing up in that house, I once got thrown out for leaving a sock on the floor.

I now clean up once a week or if I loose sight of the coffee table under the junk.

H cleans up after me, he is currently away so the house is a tip.

I tried this JoJo - it worked. When H asked, after a week, why there was a huge pile of dishes on top of the dishwasher rather than in it, I gently pointed out that they were his. He hasn't let it get so bad since. Still leaves them on top sometimes but not for more than a day or so! This weekend I didn't do any housework except for one dishwasher load. The housework fairy did the rest!

I live in a terrible mess most of the time. It’s never dirty though, only untidy.

I can cope with a lot more now I have 2 young children. I hope your experiment works, my H wouldn't notice or even if he did he probably wouldn't bother.

Oh no matter how many times I tell H he will forever more take his clothes off and leave them on the floor. By ignoring the offending items I guarantee the only one it will annoy is you ? men have a different level of cleanliness than us I'm afraid.

My head would be swivelling by now Jo with stuff lying around like that. I tend to nag as I tidy but it gives the impression it's okay so I should take a leaf out of your book and see what happens. If OH leaves letters, clothes etc.. lying around I dump them on his desk in his office. That is the only room in our house I don't care about as he has to work in it not me!

As my son leaves a trail of crumbs everywhere I have to hoover quite frequently.

It makes me feel SOOOO much better knowing that I'm not the only one whose OH is like this. So much of the things that have been described could be my life! It is very true that most men don't care about the mess, so unfortunately leaving it will probably only annoy you, I've tried this many times and it has always failed.

Wehey!

Thought you were posting to say you had caved in, this is a small miracle!

Hmmm we should run a book on this...times and items!

I tested Mr HT last night. He'd slept on the sofa the past 2 nights as he has had a bad cough and kept waking me up so I cleared the duvet and pillows off the sofa and left them in a heap on the stairs. Bear in mind that the actually covered the whole of the bottom of the stairs. What did he do? Climbed right over them, which must have taken some effort! Much more effort than simply carrying them upstairs.

I think he passes the Man test! haha

I must be one of the lucky ones I think, my H manages to get stuff in the washing basket and will tidy up after himself too. In fact it's probably me that is the worst ?

Sorry but that made me laugh. Sounds like Mr C...and now I'm newly upduffed and the hormones are kicking in....I'd want to smother him in them