Are the homes of most Americans untidy or clean? Why?
Answers:
I'd say that most American homes are about average...Clean with some clutter. In our economy it is almost mandatory for both parents in a house or young couples to work which makes it extremely difficult to find time and energy to clean.
There are three things that effect the cleanliness of people's houses from my own personal observations, here in the US...
1. Enviroment and circumstance - Poverty level circumstances and environment, upbringing of persons responsible for cleaning the home, time constraints, "laziness" of parties involved, etc. all effect how a person clean or how clean they keep their home.
2. Space - Space is a major factor in the dirtiness of some homes...especially in poverty areas where people are crammed together. When several people share a house that is too small then items and objects make cleaning difficult and thus undesirable...
3. Time constraints and children - Working long hours and have children especially small ones (or teenagers LOL) often reduce the desire or the time to clean properly.
My parents for example are WAY below poverty level and when I lived at home we were in a house that was WAY too small for us and the place looked like a pigsty. Now I have moved out and they have gotten money from a lawsuit and have bought a bigger home and it is extremely clean (which shocks me)...Saying what? That bad cleaning habbits can be remedied by changing environment, allowing for more space and storage thus making cleaning easier, and the desire to change one's circumstances...
Honestly, I don't know what a "liberal market economy" means but I've been cleaning house professionally for years (since I was 13) and I've noticed that the trend is if you have more money then your house is usually cleaner...It's just the way it works...You can afford more space, better equipment, and sometimes housekeepers to clean your house for you regularily.
Please keep two things in mind...
1. That those shows choose to show the worst houses and aren't a reflection of America at all (that goes for all tv).
2. That many people in this country are very poor...I see so many people that don't live here that think that we are made of money but that's not true. 79% of the people that live in my county are below poverty level (Ours has the highest poverty level and unemployment rate in the state with the average of 62% of people on the average for the rest of the state...), most don't have medical care or jobs, and times are difficult for us here where I live. I can't stress how bad it really is here which is something they DON'T show on TV...
I know that television shows us as being rich, lazy, fat people here in the US that don't do anything for ourselves but that simpily isn't true of the majority of us. The average American works 14 hours a day to put food on the table and keep our kids in clothes. While some people are just lazy most of us do what we can with what we have and we make the best out of it.
I hope this clears some things up for you and helps you understand...
Other answers:
My house isn't untidy or clean. I guess those shows just tend to show the homes in need.
My house isn't untidy or clean. I guess those shows just tend to show the homes in need.
they also look for the most extreme cases as well. no i don't think everyone is untidy. i personally make sure my house is clean, no clothes, dishes, dust or dirt laying around as much as possible. everyone else's house i go to is nice as well.
don't look at these shows and think all americans are like that, that is a really bad representation of the people who actually take pride in where they live
There's a big difference between untidy and unclean. I think you can have a very clean house, but it may be untidy (read that as lived-in).
I don't think any house is really dirty, maybe lived in, unless your a huge slob.......I don't belive there is a perfect house either unless you have a live in maid.....Which is not the norm......
Our house is untidy, but clean. The clutter builds up fast. Mainly because we both work outside the home, usually far more than 40 hours a week. By the time we finally all get home, homework done, fed, etc., it's either bedtime or everybody is too tired to clean for an hour or two. We pay someone to come in once a week to clean and that's helped tremendously. But it's still more cluttered and untidy than it would be if one of us was able to stay home part or full time.