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Living with filth

18 years ago

There doesn't seem to be any proper forum for me to post this and since almost everyone here seems to be quite insightful, I'd like to ask this:

Why does someone who is perfectly capable of cleaning choose to live with filth?

Could it be a symptom of on-going depression?

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Comments (11)

sniffles07
18 years ago
Fuzzy, you didn't give any details, but here's some reasons.
Yes, it could be depression.
It could be laziness.
Maybe the person doesn't notice it because they don't know any better.
If the person is obese, it could be because it's hard for them to get around.
Just some thoughts that popped up.
popi_gw
18 years ago
More information needed....how old is the person ?
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fuzzywuzzy
Original Author
18 years ago
To try to expand without being too explicit:

Over 55, employed full time, single, admits to "clutter" (an understatement to say the least) and dust, but doesn't see the filth, i.e., mold, mildew, rotting open bags of garbage (not trash) inside the house. Was raised with clutter but not filth.

I know this probably isn't sufficient information but it might give you an idea.
Jonesy
18 years ago
Some people just don't care. I was a landlord for many years and you wouldn't believe what I found in our property after they left. My own son and his wife live filthy, dogs, cats, reptiles, bugs even a goat in the house off and on. The DIL was raised this way, my son wasn't and he used to nag her to clean house, now he accepts it. I have a niece that lives that way to. They live in a camper with no plumbing, they stick a garden hose through the kitchen window for water. She had a home, got into a financial bind, was going to file bankruptcy, but she would lose her computer, so she chose to loose the house. None of her kids are married and she wonders why.
mom2emall
18 years ago
I have known a few people who live like that. I think that it is a gradual thing and their home gets cluttered over time. Then they get used to how the clutter looks and they clean around the clutter. Afte a while it seems like their whole home is cluttered to everyone but them. They feel that since they cleaned around the clutter their home is clean.

I am not sure if it is a depression or they have just gotton used to clutter.
popi_gw
18 years ago
I think the mess and clutter just takes over after a while and its too difficult to deal with it all.

I really think people don't see whats in front of them. I have been to horrible houses, which smell, stuff and muck all over the place.

Some people are tidy others are not..I like to visit the tidy ones !

I find it an increasing burden to be the manager of the clutter and mess in my house, rarely any help from others, so my solution is to move to a smaller place !

For the bare minimum, people should be taught to clean after their own mess, and to always put things back, that you get out. Otherwise they grow up being a real pain.

FW...its no wonder that your "friend" is single. Maybe that's the key, single, so doesn't have to make the effort to clean up.

P
Jonesy
18 years ago
I think there are cluttered homes with only a path through the rooms and that is not necessarily filthy. I don't think it laziness on their part, I think it is a mental thing. I know a woman like that. Her friend goes over every once in awhile to help her with it, but it's to much to do in 2 or 3 days that she is there.
mom2emall
18 years ago
And I do think the clutter and mess takes over after a while. Even if they realize it is a mess they do not even know how to tackle it so they just adjust to living with it.
fuzzywuzzy
Original Author
18 years ago
Yes, Jonesy, this situation goes beyond clutter. It's the filth and health issues, potential/actual physical and/or mental, that are of concern to us.
Jonesy
18 years ago
I collected dolls for over 20 years and got most of them through wanted ads in the newspapers, so I visited many homes. The homes I remember most were the senior women's homes with only paths down the middle of the rooms. Also a strong odor of mold, mildew and litter boxes. I swore mine would never be like that nor could I let my mom live like that. Her home is not cluttered, but it often smells musty. When any of us visit her we open the house up and tell her it smells bad. sometimes she is offended, but usually accepts it with grace.
amicus
18 years ago
Some people who live in extreme clutter/filth suffer from OCD, (obsessive compulsive disorder) which sometimes manifests in the compulsion to hoard things and the inability to throw things out, even garbage. It's as if they begin to experience the opposite of claustrophobia, in that they are only comfortable when surrounded by stuff, and get stuck in a rut like that. They simply can't take the steps to clean things, put them away or throw them out. Not all people who live in clutter and filth have OCD, but those who do can be helped by therap or medication.

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