I’m embarrassed and sorry about this

[Jferrand526]

So to begin, I am an owner of 6 birds. 2 sun conures named Tango and Talia, 1 pineapple sided conure named Comet, 1 yellow sided conure named Echo, an ARN named Martini, and a cockatiel named Arrow. All of these babies are tame except for Martini who was not handled as well as he should have been by his last owner which makes me angry. All of my birds love being out of their cage except for Martini, I’m giving him a lot of time to settle down and get used to me and I understand that can take as short as a few months to years. I have in no rush and Martini has a permanent home with me.

Now to begin with the embarrassing part, I currently live at home with my parents, I turn 20 in May and will be moving out next year to a house an hour away from this one that is currently occupied by my boyfriend’s uncle who will be moving himself and giving the house to us. I have had experience with many types of birds including a Macaw named Big Red, Red passed away at 65 years old peacefully. Red was owned by a friend of mine and I spent almost every day of 4 years with Red before he passed, when he passed I was upset and it was just heartbreaking. Now, I have the chance to adopt a macaw but I have some problems. I would not want to pass up this opportunity but my parents’s house is just cluttered because they have tried cleaning this house for the past 4 years and I was not able to help entirely because I was busy at work. They have also remodeled some of the house which made it even more cluttered. I am just so embarrassed if someone enters this house, it’s not that bad but it’s bad. All of my birds are in a room for themselves and I’m just trying to clean a little more. I am currently moving everything around and it’s just piling up because I can’t do it myself. I am a bird lover and I just want to clean for the sake of my family and my birds but also for the sake of proving myself to this family that might come out here and could potentially leave their baby with me.

My parents also have parakeets, a dove, quails, and cockatiels that are their own. Their cockatiels and other birds were saved from a man that used to live next door that had them all in a parakeet cage, now they are in a large cage and we are looking at getting an even bigger one, my problem is these birds live outside when it’s warm during the day and sometimes depending on how warm or cold it is stay outside during the night. I’m not comfortable with these birds being outside but the Vet we had visited for them said it might be better since they are so used to being outside. They are outside right next to the front door underneath the over hang. I just don’t know what to do.

I don’t know if I can clean the house entirely before the family with the bird might be coming and I wish there was some way I could clean the house entirely to prove that I am a good person basically. I’m sorry if any of this offends or concerns anyone, I just had to say a bunch of things to get it all off of my chest. Although when I do move all of my babies are coming with me, and all of us will get another start because the new house is huge and it’s perfect

 

[SailBoat]

Cleaning becomes easier when one greatly reduces the amount of stuff there is in each room.

After removing a huge amount of stuff out; start with surfaces at eye level and work down with the floors last.

Water devices ( ) If water is piped to it and /or from it, clean it!

The Washer /Dryer and Dishwasher are your friends - use them. They work while you are doing other things. Start with what they will use and keep moving from their.

Friends; have a cleaning party. If no one shows, hmmm, that's another Thread.

At the end of the day, you just need to Start!

 

[Jferrand526]

Thank you I needed someone to give me some confidence to do it. I just need some time. Maybe I’ll talk something out with the macaw owner and see what we can do

 

[LordTriggs]

I found doing one room at a time is the best way to go, shove some music one and just go. Throw away all the junk that you just don't bother with and suddenly the place will de-clutter. Heck when my mum was moving house they went through 10 skips with all the rubbish they found in the house that was just pointless

 

[Jferrand526]

I’ll start working on it tomorrow. Thank you for all of the wonderful advice.

 

[wrench13]

I feel for ya. My BiL's house is so bad, there is only a path between the piles of paper and garbage all thru the house. We helped them one clean everything out buy years later it was just as bad. My W has those tendencies too, but I dont stand for it, much as I have to nag and ***** to her about it. As I am sure you know, keeping parrots is all about cleanliness , without it, disease can breed and spread. Good luck on the Macaw.

 

[LordTriggs]

I'm like you wrench. Can't deal with mess around, need to clean. Though I can put up with some minor mess. I go over friends houses and I have the biggest compulsion to start cleaning

 

[Kiwibird]

Greetings from an order obsessed person! The things I'd be super concerned about seeing in someones home would be unsanitary or unsafe living conditions such as a sink overflowing with dishes, filthy bathroom, excessive dirt, animal waste on the floors or furniture (like from dogs or cats or large amounts of parrot poo), literal garbage that hadn't been thrown out, noticeable signs of insect/rodent infestations or mold, so much stuff in multiple rooms it was difficult or impossible walk through.... If I saw anything like that in a home, no way I'd let them adopt any animal of mine.

Things I may not tolerate in my own home but wouldn't be concerning to see in other peoples home would be disorderly piles of paper/boxes/bins/clothes/other clutter and excessive amounts of knick knacks etc... That kind of disorder wouldn't necessarily make me think someone couldn't be a good bird owner just that they had a different take on housekeeping than I do. Some people just feel more comfortable in a home thats a little messier or don't have time to be super clean but so long as theres nothing unsanitary/unsafe about their home, that's just a personal preference at that point.

Theres a huge difference between having a messy/cluttered home thats still safe to live in and a filthy home full of safety hazards. I'm guessing your parents house is more of just generally messy, not somewhere it's so dirty and has so much clutter it's become unsafe to live in. For the visit, I'd focus on deep cleaning the kitchen, guest bathroom and bird areas, as those are the most important areas to keep really clean. Bonus if you can clean up the living room or whatever room you'd likely sit in with them to discuss the birds pending adoption. I would tidy the other rooms if possible in the time you have, but most importantly, close the doors to those rooms. If you show them a clean bird area, kitchen, they see a clean bathroom if they use it, sit in a clean living area they'll probably just assume the other rooms behind closed doors are clean too. Out of sight, out of mind It wouldn't hurt to bake some delicious smelling cookies shortly before they arrive so the house smells really yummy. It also wouldn't hurt to air it out the day before, weather permitting. I also wouldn't worry too much about clearing your parents clutter unless it's a safety hazard. It's their home and their choice how they'd like to keep it. When you leave home, you have the opportunity to start fresh and keep your own home clean, orderly and clutter free. And being first time on your own, you have the option to never let clutter accumulate in the first place in your home

 

[LordTriggs]

Jferrand, just imagine a big Mac hug as your prize for cleaning!

I agree Kiwi, a pile of clothes on the floor is no worry but like, a moldy plate is a different thing. Though I say I need clean I've had the box of christmas decorations sat on the floor for a week, need to work up the courage to get them in the attic. That may be tonight's task for me

 

[Kiwibird]

I feel for ya. My BiL's house is so bad, there is only a path between the piles of paper and garbage all thru the house. We helped them one clean everything out buy years later it was just as bad. My W has those tendencies too, but I dont stand for it, much as I have to nag and ***** to her about it. As I am sure you know, keeping parrots is all about cleanliness , without it, disease can breed and spread. Good luck on the Macaw.

I'm like you wrench. Can't deal with mess around, need to clean. Though I can put up with some minor mess. I go over friends houses and I have the biggest compulsion to start cleaning

Research increasingly points to some kind of genetic component to hoarding disorders and that it runs in families. The "packrat" gene is in my family, both sides from what I hear (lots of my family, I've never met). I seem to have developed on the opposite end of the spectrum somehow and it makes me an order obsessed neat freak (my mother too, but to a lesser degree than I seem to have it). The older I get, the worse it gets. My husband thinks it's turned into some form of OCD at this point

 

[Jferrand526]

All of you make very very good points. Although my mother has gotten to the point that she nags about the mess and then never cleans. So I have decided I will take it into my own hands. They have many many things that they have been wanting to get rid of and since I have about a month of free time on my hand I am willing to clean for them since I want them to be in a clean living space as well.

The dishes don’t really pile up. I do them before they can get really bad although there is a problem with the bathroom. The bathroom sink is out of order right now, we are waiting for a plumber to come out and fix it. Old house comes with some problems such as terrible plumbing. I always scrub my birds’s cages every day, and I try to keep the place sanitaty. Although there is one problem and that is a macaw cage will not fit in the bird room no matter what i do. I was thinking that if I cleaned the living room it would be perfect for the Macaw but I will need to arrange and sort everything. Get rid of clothes not needed and just a whole bunch of other stuff. The packrat gene runs in my mother’s side and she wants a clean house but she doesnt know how to clean. Instead she buys bins, after bin, after bin, and it just gets difficult to move around till I move the bins. The good thing is thatbwe have a storage in the backyard. I could start by arranging the storage then start on the house but that would take me a long time alone. Or I was thinking of starting with the extended part of the house that was called the playroom when I was younger and take apart the hokey table out there, put it away, and move some stuff out there.

There is a lot of ways I could possibly start.

 

[dhraiden]

I must be getting brain-tired in my old age, but I had bit of difficulty understanding what you were asking Jferrand.

Is it that you're wondering how the tackle the job of cleaning the whole of your parents place by yourself before the guest arrives?

If so, do as thus:

A. Identity the rooms the guest will visit.

1. Divide those rooms into quadrants or sectors.

a. Prioritize the most cluttered/messy sections first.
​

i. Start with the largest items - clothes go in hampers, bulky items relocated to closets, attics, basements, garage - wherever you have space.
​

B. Now that you've opened up floor-space, vacuum, mop, and dust, in that order.

C. Crack your windows slightly to let in fresh air. Pull back your curtains and raise your blinds to let in light. This goes a long way towards creating the "look" of a fresh, clean place, and is something many people forget...especially in the winter.

I grew up in and still work in my parents' old home in Brooklyn. My dad is something of a hoarder and the only thing that keeps piles of stuff from accumulating in the house itself is the fact that he hasn't filled four garages and other available spaces yet. The house also contains a lot of paperwork for our business, which never seems to completely leave the dining table downstairs - it is nearly completely covered with files and folders and pill bottles. Mom does the same - she stocks her pantry and a backroom full of supplies, then goes out and gets more without using up what's on hand first. Versus a more modern building (it's got to be nearing one-hundred years, at least), the rooms are comparatively dark and narrow.

So I learned from an early age to keep things as tidy and organized as possible. A place for each thing and each thing in its place. Learn to live by this rule!

As a young spry nearly-20 year old person, I have no doubt you are possessed of the requisite energy and strength to adequately complete the tasks above; really, if experience has taught me anything, the challenge will be in preventing your parents from hindering your efforts, halting your progress, or sabotaging your success (since I am sure you will want to clean/dispose/remove many things they will object to). You seem to have the right motivation and will, which is more than half the battle.

It's nice to read that you're coming into a new place. Treat it well, maintain it properly, and don't embody your parents' bad habits! (No bins!)

 

[Kiwibird]

All of you make very very good points. Although my mother has gotten to the point that she nags about the mess and then never cleans. So I have decided I will take it into my own hands. They have many many things that they have been wanting to get rid of and since I have about a month of free time on my hand I am willing to clean for them since I want them to be in a clean living space as well.

The dishes don’t really pile up. I do them before they can get really bad although there is a problem with the bathroom. The bathroom sink is out of order right now, we are waiting for a plumber to come out and fix it. Old house comes with some problems such as terrible plumbing. I always scrub my birds’s cages every day, and I try to keep the place sanitaty. Although there is one problem and that is a macaw cage will not fit in the bird room no matter what i do. I was thinking that if I cleaned the living room it would be perfect for the Macaw but I will need to arrange and sort everything. Get rid of clothes not needed and just a whole bunch of other stuff. The packrat gene runs in my mother’s side and she wants a clean house but she doesnt know how to clean. Instead she buys bins, after bin, after bin, and it just gets difficult to move around till I move the bins. The good thing is thatbwe have a storage in the backyard. I could start by arranging the storage then start on the house but that would take me a long time alone. Or I was thinking of starting with the extended part of the house that was called the playroom when I was younger and take apart the hokey table out there, put it away, and move some stuff out there.

There is a lot of ways I could possibly start.

So long as no one is to the point of needing professional help, there are SO many resources online about methods of decluttering and whole books about the subject for the average person who just has a little too much stuff on their plate. Things become easier to clean when there is less stuff and sometimes it's helpful to have an outside perspective (like from a book or blog) about what is actually necessary or worth keeping. You might want to start with watching some decluttering videos on youtube and reading some blogs. If you're liking the advice, then invest in buying a couple books on the subject.

With storage bins, I like to limit myself to X amount for any particular category of items being stored. For instance, I allow myself 2 bins for holiday decor (not including our tree or wreath) since we have a small home. That forces me to not hang onto holiday items we don't use or like or are broken, but still allows us to have a reasonable amount of decorations for the space we have. Don't buy (or utilize) unlimited bins/boxes for storing necessary, non-functional or unwanted items and limit how many bins you feel is sensible per category of items to be stored. For everyday items, only keep what you need and keep it very accessible so it's easy to find and easy to put away. For example, I only have one set of measuring cups and spoons, hung on the inside of the cabinet door on command hooks so it is easy to find the size I need and simple to put them back where they go after I use wash them. It takes no more time to hang on a hook that to toss in a drawer, but they're much easier to find on hooks. Kitchens seem to be magnets for "repeats" that cause mega clutter and difficulty finding things. If you have 7 serving spoons, pick one or 2 and get rid of the rest. It becomes easier the more you stick to it! To me, organization is about limiting yourself to a sensible amount of useful and enjoyable belongings, stored so you can find and access them easily. If you're committed to doing it and your mom is on board, go through the house room by room. It'll likely take a couple "cycles" of going through each room to get a permanent, functional organization system going, but will be SO worth it in the long run because it'll be easier to keep clean and everything will have a permanent home

But for the visit itself, just focus on tidying up the living room so a cage would fit in it. Vacuum, dust, tidy pillows/throw blankets, arrange knick knacks on the coffee table nicely... Little things can make a big difference. If there is too much stuff, move it to another room or garage or attic or wherever to be sorted later (though be sure to actually sort it later!) If the sink is broken in the bathroom, that's ok, things break. Let the person know if they need to use the bathroom that the sink is broken and the plumber hasn't come by to fix it yet. Just try to have the bathroom be clean, so wipe down mirrors and hard surfaces, arrange anything on the counters neatly, clean the toilet and shower/tub really well, mop the floor, put out your nicest looking towels and hang them neatly...

 

[Jferrand526]

I must be getting brain-tired in my old age, but I had bit of difficulty understanding what you were asking Jferrand.

Is it that you're wondering how the tackle the job of cleaning the whole of your parents place by yourself before the guest arrives?

If so, do as thus:

A. Identity the rooms the guest will visit.

1. Divide those rooms into quadrants or sectors.

a. Prioritize the most cluttered/messy sections first.
​

i. Start with the largest items - clothes go in hampers, bulky items relocated to closets, attics, basements, garage - wherever you have space.
​

B. Now that you've opened up floor-space, vacuum, mop, and dust, in that order.

C. Crack your windows slightly to let in fresh air. Pull back your curtains and raise your blinds to let in light. This goes a long way towards creating the "look" of a fresh, clean place, and is something many people forget...especially in the winter.

I’m sorry. When I type fast I sometimes don’t make sense at all. Thats my bad. I don’t really know what rooms the guests will be visiting as they have said they will contact me at the end of next week to ask for a date they can come out here. We haven’t spoke to each other since, I know for a fact they are probably very busy considering that they will be moving to a new place themselves. I don’t know if they will want to see the entire house or just the main living area for the birds,kitchen, living room, and bathroom. The main living room is a mess, it is cluttered with clothes piled onto clothes that are all folded and clean, then there are bins that some of the clothes are placed in but after living here for quite some time considering this is my parents’s house I have noticed that half of the clothes in the bins are never touched and never used.

Another room that will be necessary to see is the bird room, which is not entirely messy but it has a few bins in there that I will be removing today once my boyfriend shows up to help me lift some of the things. I also need to do the regular routine which is vacuum and wipe all the surfaces down today as well.

The bathroom is small but it is clean for the most part. The only thing thag is wrong with it is the sink. The sink is currently plugged so the sink is not usuable as of this moment.

Basically my mom’s idea of cleaning is buying bins and piling them up in all of the rooms or the living room. I’m not blaming her since her entire family is this way and this is how she was brought up on how to clean. It just irritates me sometimes, I can tolerate the clutter but when she starts nagging that its messy and then continues to pile up bins instead of making a change it irritates me even more. I love my mom its just that something or someone needs to change in this house especially if she wants it to be sparkly clean like it used to be before the 4 years where everything started happening, new air conditioning and heater, water heater, roof, and a bunch of other things. I’m guessing at this moment in time I probably have two weeks before my guests come here so I’m planning on making everything as sparkly clean as I can before my guests come.

 

[Jferrand526]

All of you make very very good points. Although my mother has gotten to the point that she nags about the mess and then never cleans. So I have decided I will take it into my own hands. They have many many things that they have been wanting to get rid of and since I have about a month of free time on my hand I am willing to clean for them since I want them to be in a clean living space as well.

The dishes don’t really pile up. I do them before they can get really bad although there is a problem with the bathroom. The bathroom sink is out of order right now, we are waiting for a plumber to come out and fix it. Old house comes with some problems such as terrible plumbing. I always scrub my birds’s cages every day, and I try to keep the place sanitaty. Although there is one problem and that is a macaw cage will not fit in the bird room no matter what i do. I was thinking that if I cleaned the living room it would be perfect for the Macaw but I will need to arrange and sort everything. Get rid of clothes not needed and just a whole bunch of other stuff. The packrat gene runs in my mother’s side and she wants a clean house but she doesnt know how to clean. Instead she buys bins, after bin, after bin, and it just gets difficult to move around till I move the bins. The good thing is thatbwe have a storage in the backyard. I could start by arranging the storage then start on the house but that would take me a long time alone. Or I was thinking of starting with the extended part of the house that was called the playroom when I was younger and take apart the hokey table out there, put it away, and move some stuff out there.

There is a lot of ways I could possibly start.

So long as no one is to the point of needing professional help, there are SO many resources online about methods of decluttering and whole books about the subject for the average person who just has a little too much stuff on their plate. Things become easier to clean when there is less stuff and sometimes it's helpful to have an outside perspective (like from a book or blog) about what is actually necessary or worth keeping. You might want to start with watching some decluttering videos on youtube and reading some blogs. If you're liking the advice, then invest in buying a couple books on the subject.

With storage bins, I like to limit myself to X amount for any particular category of items being stored. For instance, I allow myself 2 bins for holiday decor (not including our tree or wreath) since we have a small home. That forces me to not hang onto holiday items we don't use or like or are broken, but still allows us to have a reasonable amount of decorations for the space we have. Don't buy (or utilize) unlimited bins/boxes for storing necessary, non-functional or unwanted items and limit how many bins you feel is sensible per category of items to be stored. For everyday items, only keep what you need and keep it very accessible so it's easy to find and easy to put away. For example, I only have one set of measuring cups and spoons, hung on the inside of the cabinet door on command hooks so it is easy to find the size I need and simple to put them back where they go after I use wash them. It takes no more time to hang on a hook that to toss in a drawer, but they're much easier to find on hooks. Kitchens seem to be magnets for "repeats" that cause mega clutter and difficulty finding things. If you have 7 serving spoons, pick one or 2 and get rid of the rest. It becomes easier the more you stick to it! To me, organization is about limiting yourself to a sensible amount of useful and enjoyable belongings, stored so you can find and access them easily. If you're committed to doing it and your mom is on board, go through the house room by room. It'll likely take a couple "cycles" of going through each room to get a permanent, functional organization system going, but will be SO worth it in the long run because it'll be easier to keep clean and everything will have a permanent home

But for the visit itself, just focus on tidying up the living room so a cage would fit in it. Vacuum, dust, tidy pillows/throw blankets, arrange knick knacks on the coffee table nicely... Little things can make a big difference. If there is too much stuff, move it to another room or garage or attic or wherever to be sorted later (though be sure to actually sort it later!) If the sink is broken in the bathroom, that's ok, things break. Let the person know if they need to use the bathroom that the sink is broken and the plumber hasn't come by to fix it yet. Just try to have the bathroom be clean, so wipe down mirrors and hard surfaces, arrange anything on the counters neatly, clean the toilet and shower/tub really well, mop the floor, put out your nicest looking towels and hang them neatly...

Thank you so much for the great advice. I’m planning on getting rid of some of the unwanted items today. Since we have a storage in the backyard, I am also planning on going back there and organizing the storage so I can move stuff around a little easier. I have a lot of work ahead of me but I have wanted a Macaw for so long, and I do not want to pass up this opportunity. No matter if I do get the Macaw or not I will be happy if she finds a home but I will also be happy that I had cleaned which will make everyone feel better in the long run.

 

[gracebowen]

My sink is plastic and got a hole. I put a large bowl in sink so I could use it. When it got full I dumped it down the toilet.

I finally taped the hole on both sides with duct tape.

As for the mess if you know you can't clean it all right the first time designate a mess room. Move bins clothes etc there. I struggle with the same thing.

My son's closet is full of stuff I need to figure out what to do with as is mine. I also have my hallway filled with stuff and just enough room to get by.

But yesterday I cleaned about half the hallway. I filled up a 30 gallon trash can.

I recently found out my trash comes not once but twice a week. That makes it easier because previously one of my problems was no room in the trash to toss things.
Straight honesty here. I donate nearly nothing. Why? I bag it to donate don't get around to it and end up keeping the stuff. Only special things get donated now like winter coats, school uniforms etc...

 

[gracebowen]

Oh and in a pinch I've put dirty dishes in the oven to hide mess and washed them later.

 

[Jferrand526]

My sink is plastic and got a hole. I put a large bowl in sink so I could use it. When it got full I dumped it down the toilet.

I finally taped the hole on both sides with duct tape.

As for the mess if you know you can't clean it all right the first time designate a mess room. Move bins clothes etc there. I struggle with the same thing.

My son's closet is full of stuff I need to figure out what to do with as is mine. I also have my hallway filled with stuff and just enough room to get by.

But yesterday I cleaned about half the hallway. I filled up a 30 gallon trash can.

I recently found out my trash comes not once but twice a week. That makes it easier because previously one of my problems was no room in the trash to toss things.
Straight honesty here. I donate nearly nothing. Why? I bag it to donate don't get around to it and end up keeping the stuff. Only special things get donated now like winter coats, school uniforms etc...

I was thinking of designating a mess room but if I did that it would be the bird room because it is the smallest place in the house. I was thinking of moving the birds out to the gigantic play room as we call it but the problem with that is there is no heater out there and it gets cold or warm in there but now that we have a very strong heater and air conditioning I could always just open the door and use that. Although I am still thinking about it. I still think the best place for a Macaw would be the living room but I’m trying my best. I was planning on going out to the storage and working on that in an hour.

 

[gracebowen]

Not the bird room. Maybe the play room. The outside storage is a good start too. Throw away condense consolidate etc. Then there might be room there too.

If it's available and you have time you can check the designated cardboard dumpsters at mc Donald's etc..

I've always found it easier if the boxes are the same size to make stacking easier. I like fry boxes. I used those for many a move.

 

[Mindy]

My brother is a 'hoarder' so I understand you can't just get rid of other people's things. I would prep the family by explaining the situation and maybe show pics of the house you'll be moving into. Keep in mind tho, when someone is ready to find a new home for their pet they are most likely at the end of their rope and will overlook a lot...you may be stressing for nothing : )