Is Being Too Clean Bad?

A fan of the show “F.R.I.E.N.D.S”, an old sitcom, will only have one person in mind if the subject of cleanliness and home organization is brought up; Monica Geller.

Monica appreciates putting things in order. She is also able to demonstrate the various aspects of “organizing”. This can either be getting rid of house clutter or being a hostess who plans parties and other engagements. She takes this up a notch by working as a chef, which, to no surprise, also requires a great degree of organization.

Organizing Your Home Overdone?

However, in the show, Monica’s friends see being an organized person in a different way. Most perceive her actions as actions taken too far. The show banked on this trait to incite comedy in certain episodes. Here are some:

• Cookie Crumbs trouble 

Monica tries to be warm and hospitable in order to win a friend as a roommate. She does this by offering home-made cookies; except that the cookies have to be eaten at the kitchen in fear of messy cookie crumbs.

• Unsolicited Help

Monica offers to clean the house of his brother’s ex-girlfriend’s apartment which was had a lot of clutter and was rodent-infested.

• Cleaning out of boredom

Monica’s boyfriend-turned-husband Chandler has her hiding in the bathroom to avoid revealing their formerly secret relationship. As Chandler checks back on her , he discovers that Monica cleaned the bathroom out of boredom. 

• Sleepless Nights

Monica tries to prove to her friends that she is not a “kook” and leaves her shoes in the living room (which she normally puts in her shoe rack). This has her staying up late just thinking about it.

Real-life Monica Geller

Some will understand that this is just a show, but the same people can wonder if a real-life Monica Geller exists.

It’s totally fine to arrive at a clean and organized home, but is obsessing with it wrong? Is it already a disorder when the slightest distortion on the furniture arrangement becomes very bothersome?

The National Institute of Mental Health defines obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) as

“ a common, chronic, and long-lasting disorder in which a person has uncontrollable, reoccurring thoughts (obsessions) and/or behaviors (compulsions) that he or she feels the urge to repeat over and over”. Some of the compulsions observed in Monica’s behavior are “ordering and arranging things in particular, or precise way” and “excessive cleaning and/or handwashing”.

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