My husband and kids are smart enough to avoid simply throwing their belongings anywhere.
They are all aware of the reaction this causes in me.
We all also want to avoid bringing up the cleanliness and organization of the house with me. I’m fortunate to reside in such a lovely area with such excellent heating and air quality and numerous conveniences. But ever since I was a little girl, I’ve been a complete clean freak. I believe that the cleaning exercise served as a coping mechanism. I grew up in a home that experienced more conflict and drama than was reasonable. That had a significant negative impact on my life. When things got tense and ugly at my mom’s house, I always felt a little out of control. I would then clean. This appeared to divert my attention from all the unfavorable things going on inside that house’s central air conditioning. I simply evolved into a person who demands a tidy, organized environment over the years. That holds true both inside my home’s air conditioning and my office. Therefore, the answer is no; the kids are aware that everything has a place, and we all help out with weekly cleaning tasks in addition to picking up after ourselves. The HVAC air duct caught my attention during a brief break in one of those weekly cleanings. It was dirty, as I could see. I was horrified to discover that the area behind that air duct vent was extremely filthy upon closer inspection. I learned about ductwork cleaning and ductwork resealing at that time. And let me tell you, cleaning the ducts is now done once a year.