I wear my garden clogs in the house because of PF. No “no shoes inside” rule. The dogs bring so much dirt/grit into the house it doesn’t matter.
My vacuum has a swiffer like attachment which I use on the hardwoods. It sucks up the grit like regular vacuum and catches the fine dirt particles on the microfiber cloth that attaches to the bottom. Love it to death.
On making the bed: when DS was diagnosed with dust allergies one of the things we were told to do was make the bed daily. I’ve always liked the look of a made bed though hate when people pile 10 pillows on top - looks passive aggressive to me, if you’re going that route don’t bother to make the bed.
Former co-worker who lives in the projects told a story about going into her bedroom one night and noticing a mouse crawling under the bedspread. Had she not made her bed, she wouldn’t have discovered the intruder until she was in the bed with it.
There’s really nothing more to be said, but I’ll add this anyway - there was an episode of Mary Tyler Moore show where Mary goes to Lou’s apartment to help him get ready for a party he’s hosting. She chastises him for not having hangers or space in the front closet for coats, and he tells her he’s been to plenty of elegant parties where the guests are told to put their coats on the bed. “But the bed was MADE!” Mary says in exasperation.
One more thing: there is nothing more luxurious than sleeping on sheets that were hung on a clothesline to dry. They are crisp, cool and smell of sunshine.
well, if I have guests I make the bed, especially if I was planning to put people’s coats on it. But, I do have room and hangers in my front closet so wouldn’t need to do that.
Don’t confuse not making beds with being untidy or slobbish in general. My house is quite uncluttered and neat.
Curious as to how pillows are passive aggressive??
Funny, but I also have an issue with all those pillows you see in decorator pix. All I can think of is, where do they go when you slip into bed? On the floor? Oops.
Agree with doschicos. My mother is EXTREMELY neat. Bordering, but not quite, on a “neat freak.”
She doesn’t see any point in making the bed. If she does, the dog just messes it up anyway by nesting.
Yeah, not a big fan of that because life is too short to put pillows on and off the bed (says the person who doesn’t want to make the bed :D). I think it’s less of a design thing than it used to be probably because cleaner lines and less clutter is more in style now.
My mom was HUGE on having lots of throw pillows and pillows with shams on the bed. I always dump 'em on the floor – no place else to put them when at her house. It adds more work to making the bed to have them – I don’t have any extras on my bed except the two that are there for sleeping with.
Apparently, one is supposed to have one of those storage ottomans by the foot of the bed where all of the bed tchotchkes go. I don’t bother with having decor pillows. I prefer eurosimplicity. 
I have no issues with putting pillows on the floor (not that I’m one for decorative pillows) because of the no shoes thing.
For me, the no shoes thing isn’t some cultural thing I grew up with but I can’t fathom bringing all that dirt and who know’s what else into the house. Ick.
Bed tchotchkes - I like that.
Maybe it brings out the passive aggressor in me as I hurl them onto the floor, wondering why I have to take the time to do it when I just want to get some sleep. I don’t think a bed - made or unmade - tells you much about a person’s tidiness. I look to cars and purses for those insights. JK.
Phew! I pass the purse and car test! 
Some people’s cars are pretty gross. When you pick me up and have to brush chicken nuggets off the seat for me to sit down and move stacks of paperwork and mail, it’s time to clean out your car.
I don’t carry a purse. It seems an odd attachment to me. I do have upscale totes, but more for travel. When working full time, I had a nice lady style briefcase (looked like a giant purse.)
Anyway, for those of us with pets, they can’t take their shoes off at the door.
Put dirty dishes in the dishwasher, wipe off the stove if it needs it, clean the litter box, make the bed (not always in the morning), give the cats their soft food, and “remind” (nag) the kids to do their one job of the day (for two, put away clean dishes; for one, clean litter box once per day), put away their stuff, and clean up after themselves. The last (“reminding” the kids) is the hardest and most annoying!
I make my bed every day but my car is a disgusting mess. I’m truly ashamed of that, but that’s the way it is.
I often leave stuff in my car if I can’t think of a place to put it in my house. A cluttered house depresses me more than a cluttered car does.
An amusing story line in last week’s episode of “Black-ish” concerned the twins’ “doing” their chores by having their mom and older brother instruct them in the correct methods.
My Mom’s day to clean the house was on Saturday. She worked by choice and not need in our family. But because she worked, there was a schedule. Saturdays was cleaning.
My mom was an amazing lady in so many ways. Yet she was quick to anger if you got in her way on Saturday!! Dad would go out and “play” in his small garden when weather permitted. Haha, we all hid.
It seems to be about equal on do vs don’t make bed every day. Next question. How often do you change your sheets? For me, not enough!
I had wood floors that scratched easily in my old house. Lovely red birch – but high maintenance. That is how we got in the habit of taking our shoes off. Now putting my slippers on when I get home is part of my unwinding ritual. After a hard day, I greet them out loud.
Having allergies, as well as cats, I always make the bed to some extent so there is no cat hair on the sheets. Often the covers are randomly thrown up over the bed. But I do like a nicely made bed, and even better, crawling into one. I sweep the kitchen floors most days, and all dishes are taken care of by bedtime. Counters are always wiped. Bathroom sink as well. I have two cats and don’t wear shoes in the house, aside from Birkenstocks for PF. I change if going outside. So there is little dirt, though the cat hair gets a good weekly vacuum. Any spots on the wood floor get wiped up immediately.
Funny part of downsizing is that I notice the cat hair far more with less square footage. My current litter box in the basement is a pain, as it does not get done daily.
@morrismm, I change my sheets once a week. H would probably be fine with less often, which is why it falls to me. I still remember parents weekend when S1 went to college. I don’t think he changed his sheets from drop-off to parents weekend.