When most people think of contamination ocd they tend to think of people cleaning but I’m the opposite... with a mix of that and depression my room gets incredibly bad. I hate cleaning so much so instead my brain says if I don’t touch the dirtiness I’ll be fine, so instead of cleaning it I’ll avoid it. Especially dust. I have a lot of stuff and I’m a collector of things. (I do have hoarding tendencies but also I’m trying to find ways where my collections can be put in ways where it isn’t hoarding) and for example my window has an ac unit in it, even in the winter. It gets dusty but my books and bed and plushies are all under it on the floor and I’m scared of dusting it simply because I don’t want dust falling on those things... so it stays incredibly dusty more and more. I did just dust two of my toy shelves for the first time in a long time. I feel pretty good about it but my room is still a disgusti mess with trash everywhere and dirty clothes piling more and more where they won’t get clean unless I went to a laundromat and put them all in a GIANT washing machine. They just overflow and stay dirty and take up half of my room. And then my bathroom is also disgusting. I don’t take bubble baths anymore bc my bathtub is grimy and dirty and I haven’t had the motivation to clean it and I always feel dirty after cleaning even if I wash my hands. Also my mom has Alzheimer’s and she spits everywhere in the bathroom. On the floor, on the sink, on the toilet... i tend to just get scared and tired and not bother with it (except the toilet I wash that every time I use the bathroom now whether it approves my inspection or not) but with the sink... I tend to suck my stomach in to wash my hands so I don’t touch the sink... I feel like no matter how much I try cleaning anyways the dirtiness will never go away because I spent so long avoiding it instead. Think I’m gross I don’t care. I know I have serious issues with these. It sucks. I don’t wanna live like this either and I get so overwhelmed I shut down instead.

I agree with OCD Coloured Glasses :) Depending on where you live you could actually get a carer through a social work assessment for both you and your mum. I did this and have managed to get 3 free hours of cleaning / care per week through social work and my council, linked with a place that provides carers and cleaners. I've also spent a long time trying to work out the best way to keep my areas tidy, it's taken a lot of back and forth and I'm still not there just yet but I now have problem solved a lot of things that where tripping me up and preventing me moving forward and feeling comfortable in my own home. I actually just moved to my own flat separate from my boyfriend of 5 years in order to work on this as he has dyspraxia which creates a lot of mess and stress. I hope to move back in with him at some point when we're both doing better. As far as cleaning... I have found my Shark Lift away duo clean hoover to be fantastic! Portable and with a specific brush attachment for dusting :) I use it everywhere and it can be very easily emptied and cleaned :) as well as the suction being adjustable so you can use it on more fragile items like electronics or delicate furnishings and toys. I can reach all around the ceiling with it as well. Another thing that helps with dust is an air purifier such as pro breeze which I use and was at a good price considering. I've lived in a shared bathroom situation with my mum and her issues triggered my OCD as well. It's very hard not being able to relax in your own home. I used to let everything get messy and blitz through it about once a week before I got help. It was my only way of coping. I still do sometimes mess stuff up but I try to be strict with myself, but the preparation in so that I'm not creating more mess. Having the right kind of bin and laundry system is essential as well as storage. Try breaking down the tidying process into steps and see what is making it more complicated than it needs to be. I use trugg buckets for laundry as they wipe or wash clean easily and are easy to carry. For nine I need to order some stuff. I'm planning on putting a bin size suited to waste quantity in each room. There's some great bins at Ikea with simple flip lids that are easy clean. Have you got gloves for cleaning? Also if you feel like you need to shower after cleaning that's ok, don't be too hard on yourself. You have to pace it. So try stop the mess from getting past a certain point, get into a routine and as you build your confidence and do some exposure work all of this stuff will get less scary. I used to shower after washing the dishes in my clean kitchen :') now I don't always do that. Sometimes before I shower I do decide to tackle those things causing the most anxiety, get them out of the way and know I can freshen up after.

I have contamination ocd and my car can get so ridiculously dirty on the inside and my room will pile high with laundry because it takes so much energy to wash and fold and put away. I spend my time taking baths and eating to calm myself and my ocd is related to door handles, fear of tuberculosis, fear of blood, and fear of herpes and people spitting in my food. Contamination ocd is usually not a “super clean person” it’s just contamination based fear around certain things.

My dad used to think of myself and my mum that way, particularly my mum. But now he's come to realise the complexities behind things, particularly after hearing professionals discuss it. He's still learning though. Heck so am I !