Unclutterer

1. Posted by Meghan - 06/26/2008

   “Clean House” and “Clean Sweep” are two different shows on two different networks. I believe you are referring to the “Clean House” show, but what you said was a tad confusing.

2. Posted by Jon Fox - 06/26/2008

   Niecy Nash is on “Clean House,” not “Clean Sweep”…

3. Posted by PJ Doland - 06/26/2008

   Sorry about the error, and thanks for the heads up. It’s been corrected in the text of the post.

4. Posted by Kathy - 06/26/2008

   I love this show — they’ve done “messiest house in america” contests before (and even profiled the second messiest house). Last years, it was the family that ended up trying to steal stuff back from the yard sale as they went.

   The only challenge with it is that these people end up being chronic hoarders, if they’re at “messiest house in america” status, and i think last year, they even admited on the show “i’m not sure we can help you…” acknowledging the psychological issues. People in a stage like this often need the psychological work and support to get them to deal with the hoarding tendency, not just the mess created.

5. Posted by Benjamin M. Strozykowski - 06/26/2008

   The only reason I watch this show is because we had our cable tv canceled, and it’s on one of three networks that still come in at a viewable fuzz.

   That being said, I saw last years messiest house show, and I have to say that it makes me feel 100% better about my house. Not that my house doesn’t need help, but at least I’m putting a dent into the clutter, rather than having moldy cheese on the washing machine.

6. Posted by Emma - 06/26/2008

   think you need to change the image too!

   Is she really called Niecy (pronounced Nicey??).

   I don’t think we get this show in the UK. I’d love to watch shows like this though – anything to make me feel better about my own home (and hopefully pick up tips). Any UK readers know any good shows I could watch?

7. Posted by Nancy - 06/26/2008

   Looking forward to Clean House. Emma, I always enjoy “How Clean is Your House?” on the BBC America channel… I’m assuming that if we get it here, you get it there.

   Kim and Aggie get some folks that definitely make me feel better than my own place, and they give some great, natural (chemical-free) cleaning tips that I like.

   I haven’t been watching much TV for the last 6 months or so, but I assume it’s still around. A Google search will help you find it in your area, I think.

8. Posted by John Trosko - 06/26/2008

   Hi Erin!

   Thank you for the mention. I’ll be watching… if not next Wednesday, then in re-runs.

   John

9. Posted by Matt - 06/26/2008

   I would like to see a follow-up show next year to see quickly the newly-organized home returns to its previous state as the “messiest home in the country.”

10. Posted by Emma - 06/26/2008

    @Nancy – ooh yes I’d forgotten about that, thanks. I don’t think they have a series at the moment. But I’ll keep a look out! I always used to avoid shows like that but now I’m trying to keep clean and tidy and neat I’ll take a look.

11. Posted by Lisa - 06/26/2008

    I love Clean House! And yes, her name is Niecy, pronounced knee-cee, you can catch her on Reno 911, which I don’t like, but she is on it! She’s fun to watch and I too feel better about my house after watching it!!!

12. Posted by courtney - 06/26/2008

    On many of the “Clean House” shows, when they do the “unveiling” at the end, the family is delighted at the change. They genuinely were used to living like that, or didn’t know how to clean it up, and you know they appreciated the nice clear space and made an effort to keep it up after the show.

    On last year’s “Messiest House” contest, you could see the mom’s psychological attachment to the stuff. When they did the unveiling, the mom looked like she wanted to cry. You could almost read her mind by the panicked look on her face – “where’s all my carefully-gathered stuff? What will I DO without all my stuff??” She tried to manage a thank you or polite banter, but she looked absolutely tortured. I believe her daughters had called in the show.

    They should bring along a psychologist for some of these families. I don’t think hoarding can be solved that quickly, but it doesn’t surprise me that she would fill the rooms right back up and even go out to the trash to get her precious items.

13. Posted by Rae - 06/26/2008

    I watch “How Clean is Your House” on BBC, and it’s downright amazing the homes that are shown on there. I haven’t seen any of the “messiest house” episodes of Clean House, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen any truly vile houses, like I’ve seen on BBC. I think we have our fair share of them, but the BBC is really in your face (in a hilarious way, I might add), about these seriously gross homes. And the way they swab all the different areas, and then tell you what is growing in parts of your house! Oh my gosh! It’s horrifying. I have to watch that show between my fingers sometimes, but I keep on watching. hehehe.. Thanks for the heads-up, Erin!

14. Posted by Beverly - 06/26/2008

    It is amazing what a little comparison can do for you. My DH thought I was the world’s worst clutterer–and I think I’m not–until he went to a co-worker’s home and got an education! He has promised never to complain about my things again.

15. Posted by Mike - 06/26/2008

    You think they’ll tell these people to stop watching TV and stop buying useless stuff?

    And then cut to commercials selling useless stuff and more TV programming….

16. Posted by Odette - 06/26/2008

    I watch Clean House, but I have two problems with it:
    First, they browbeat people to sell their things, it seems, just so they can make money at the yard sale.
    Secondly, sometimes you get a quick peek at other rooms in the house and they aren’t messy. It makes me wonder if some of the messes aren’t staged.

    I preferred Clean Sweep where they actually helped people understand why their houses looked like they did.

17. Posted by Larisa - 06/26/2008

    “Is she really called Niecy (pronounced Nicey??).”

    It’s pronounced Neecy. I think that, on one of the outtakes shows, I heard someone calling her Rayniecia (no clue how to spell that — pronounced ray-NEE-sha.) Until then, I’d assumed it was a nickname for Denise, since I grew up with a girl named Denise who went by Niecy.

    I usually like Clean House, but there was one episode that I just felt uncomfortable watching. This woman clearly had some psychological issues with her clutter — like, when they were selling her ratty old couch, she grabbed a pillow and hugged it to her and was crying that she couldn’t get rid of it, because she loved it. After the makeover (which really wasn’t much her style — she liked old-fashioned English garden type pieces, and they gave her modern), she was in tears. The designer asked what he could do to make it right (this has happened on a few episodes before, and usually something like a new paint color makes all the difference), and she said she wanted everything back. Even small changes, like moving the TV to a different corner so that there would be more floor space, were just wrong for her.

18. Posted by rnkoneil - 06/26/2008

    Welcome to Daylight Saving Time

19. Posted by Cecelia - 06/26/2008

    Clean House is my favorite show on TV, period. I *thought* I had clutter until I started watching the show. I became a regular fan–I DVR the episodes and play them back. I’ve got a husband and two small children and they know not to mess with Mommy when she’s watching her show! The thing that resonates with me is when Neicy Nash talks about the essence of living is to LIVE WELL, rather than merely the acquisition of more stuff.

    Since I started watching the show; I’ve become more cognizant of my own tendencies; and realistically moved toward eliminating unecessary stuff. It is amazing how liberating it can be to have a clean room!

20. Posted by lukeb3000 - 06/26/2008

    Hello,

    I have been reading this blog for a year or so and this is my 1st comment

    I live in the UK so I wont be able to watch this TV show

    I just wanted to ask if anyone DVRs the show, will it be possible for them to get it onto their computer? If so would it be possible to send or make a copy available to me please?

    I would love to pick up some tips on uncluttering and organizational skillsand would hate to think I am missing out just because I live in the UK

21. Posted by Shoregeek - 06/28/2008

    I love these shows, although I cannot imagine living in the messes that these people show off on television.

    What I want to see for a “Clean House” TV show, is to go back to these people in 6 months, or even a year, and see if they have kept up with neat and organized.

    I bet a good number of them fail — if they weren’t into it before, a TV show is not going to change their habits.

    Just my two cents.

    This blog rocks!

22. Posted by Arlene - 06/29/2008

    For those (that, alas, would include me) who do not have access to this particular cable network, here is a screamingly funny take on the making of this very “Clean House” episode from the Washington Post:

    http://tinyurl.com/4shxbx

23. Posted by Mer - 06/30/2008

    @Arlene: Thank you for sharing that article! It’s both amusing and sad.

24. Posted by Meg - 06/30/2008

    I’ve watched Clean House and Clean Sweep, and neither have impressed me all that much — in terms of genuinely helping people, that is. They really don’t discuss the difficult psychological issues behind these extreme cluttering habits; it’s all surface and made-for-TV drama.

    If you’re in the UK, there was a much better show called Life Laundry. It aired on BBC America several years ago, and I think it aired on BBC Two. A search of the BBC’s web site found an episode that appears to be viewable for free.

    It’s a much more serious show than these American rip-offs.

25. Posted by Mimi - 07/04/2008

    For those of you who can’t get Clean House (or many other TV shows) wherever you’re located, there’s a terrific website that has thousands and thousands of shows in its archives, Clean House included. Best of all – it’s free! Lots of vintage stuff that’s fun too.

    http://www.hulu.com/

    Just type ‘clean house’ in the Search field.

    Enjoy!

26. Posted by Leilani - 07/13/2008

    I disagree that Clean House browbeats people into giving up their stuff. The point is that people NEED to let go of their own things. And herein lies the problem with this show and with the general mentality of people who seek help. They are mostly in denial about the extent of their problem. The clutter is an outward sign of something much deeper. The fact is unless they are willing and able to give things up, clean out their junk – which is where the yard sale money comes in – then what on earth are they going to do with the old stuff in a brand new space?

    The wheeler couple who were the messiest home on that show – she wrote on her myspace blog that she couldn’t find anything after the clean house crew left because everything was jumbled up in the containers- the very same stuff that the Wheelers filled up. Since them, according to a Washington post article, they have actually been going to garage sales and thrift stores to replace things that they gave away!

    It’s like an overweight person complaining about how unhealthy they feel, and asking for a tummy tuck of liposuction, and then going back to gorging on fast food. The change has to come from within.

    I feel sad that the Clean House crew spent all that money on a couple who had deeper issues that they could solve. I doubt in six months time, that house will be clean.

    Also, she claims a 6 figure income on her blog, and he claims to make 70k on his myspace page. This is an indication of their self delusion.

27. Posted by Sharlet - 08/20/2008

    Just watched the Clean House reunion at the Loria house (1st messiest house) and was really surprised at the ingratitude (or was it just editing?) of Sue Loria. What I would give for Clean House to come and free me! Every week when the show ends with “if you live in the LA area”, I wish they would open it up to the rest of the clutter challenged residents of other states. I hope the show lasts long enough for me to send in video for the 3rd annual messiest home episode, but I have to find my video cam or buy a new one . . . (sigh)

28. Posted by momofthree - 08/28/2008

    What I would give to have a house that size!! I am the mom of three teenagers, two girls and a boy, and with my husband, live in a house that is less than 1,000 square feet. Yep, it’s a tight squeeze, and we store ALOT of stuff in the garage…BUT, every summer, we open all the storage bins and sort thru them all. My kids are now old enough to know what’s sentimental and what’s not. (my hubby works at a school, so his summers are free–i am a stay at home mom).
    We have given away boxes of outgrown clothes, toys, books, etc.
    It’s a real cleansing feeling AND it makes us ponder why people save so much.
    In watching shows like this, it’s the junk mail and dirty laundry all over that blows my mind….I do not want to hear how “POOR” they are, when there it a ton of money tied up in the clutter of unworn clothing on the floors, newspapers lying in the driveway or on the front stoop, sloppy paperwork practices–as in all over the house, and then to add a pet (or several) to the fray, and yikes….CALL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT to inspect the mess for the hazard that a house like that can be!!

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