Is His Wife a “Clean Freak” or Is He “Lazy and Dirty”? Stay-at-Home Dad Cannot Keep Up With “Basic” Cleaning Standards

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A stay-at-home dad (SAHD) of two shared on Reddit, wanting to know whether his wife is a “clean freak” or if he is just being lazy and dirty.

Cleaning Maniac, or Just a SAHD That Won’t Keep Up With Normal Cleaning Standards?

The original poster (OP) came to Reddit’s popular “Am I The ***hole” forum to ask if he was in the wrong.

The OP had been in a relationship with his wife for three years before marriage. They only moved in together after getting married. Now, the OP claims he knew his then-girlfriend was super-clean but not a maniac, as he came to find out when they moved in after marriage.

And when we say a maniac, you would certainly think of people that get worked up when they spot fingerprints on surfaces.

Now, two children later, three years in marriage,  these two cannot stand each other’s cleanliness standards. The wife works 40-80 hours weekly and still comes home to dirty kids, dishes, and floors.

It turns out the OP’s wife was not asking for too much …

Too Much Cleanliness or Just Regular Cleaning Standards?

For starters, the OP says his wife hates dishes in the sink, which is regular for any clean person. However, he says he is comfortable letting greasy dishes full of food debris stay in the sink or countertop for DAYS!

Related: Is He Wrong for Telling His Wife To Live a Healthier Lifestyle After She Was Laid Off?

He further complains that the wife cleans the bathrooms weekly and doesn’t let him soil the house with his “outside shoes.”

Now, what is even more worrying is the SAHD’s hygiene standards for his two kids, who are 1 and 2 years old. The house will always get messy with children this age, and the floors will need constant cleaning.

He does not understand why his wife wants him to keep the children’s toys away at the end of the day. Even worse, he claims it is reasonable to mop the floor every two weeks. We all know that is unreasonable with all the playing in that house. The wife suggests mopping the floor every 3-4 days and vacuuming once a week, but apparently, this is too much for him.

Related: Is He Wrong for Not Letting His Wife Go to Medical School? 

Besides, he does not see the need to bathe his children daily or even change the sheets weekly.

Many people consider these to be usual hygiene standards, but apparently, they are too much for this SAHD to maintain.

What Redditors Have To Say

As expected, a massive percentage of the responders told him off and asked him to do better.

Yes, many of the comments were in unison that the things the OP thought were too much were actually what any normal SAHD or SAHM should do.

Related: Was He Wrong for Giving His Wife’s Pet to Their Daughter for Her Birthday? 

Besides, it is evident that the wife was overwhelmed at work and still came home to a filthy house. The wife did not expect a spotless house, but the original poster couldn’t just keep up with the bare minimum.

With some of the most upvotes on the post, one responder said, “YTA. Her cleaning habits are pretty average. You are just a slob.”

Another commenter said, “I am an absolute slob, but for a house with kids in it, that schedule is reasonable.”

Related: Is He Wrong for Offering To Help His Wife With the Dishes? 

Another comment caught my attention: “Your cleanliness bar is so low it may very well be subterranean. Greasy dishes in the sink for days? Food stains all over the kitchen, and cleaning floors every two weeks? You will soon be entertaining little creatures in your house. And I do not mean your children. You are the ***hole.”

You Know What’s Funnier?

This SAHD won’t go back to work and let the wife hire a nanny and a weekly housekeeper to get things back in order. And he was infuriated when the wife packed a bag and left with the babies for her mother’s house.

Also, after receiving many comments pointing out his low hygiene standards, the OP updated his post, saying: “So I am the ***hole. The common belief is I need to help more around the house. I will see what I can do and apologize to my wife.”

One commenter went after him for this edit and said, “Don’t help! Do!” 

This comment certainly hits differently.

Should the wife compromise basic hygiene standards to accommodate her husband, or should the husband step his game up?

Read the original story here.

This article was produced and syndicated by A Dime Saved.

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Originally posted 2023-03-22 12:38:40.