What's the first 'dirty' thing you notice in someone else's house?

[Anonymous]

Clutter, hoarding and storing stuff in common areas that guests will see. I really don't care how cluttered the bedrooms are since I will never see those.

Pet-hair and dust bunnies on the floor and furniture. Pet food, feeding station, litter box and other pet paraphernalia in the kitchen or the powder-room. It is just gross for people who do not have pets. Pet smells and slobber. If you have a dog - bathe it regularly. Of you have a cat make sure it is not on kitchen counters. Make sure your windows are clean and not covered with pet snot and slobber.

Kitchen and powder-room should be clean and clutter free. Make sure trashcans are empty, area is clean and pleasant smelling. Fridge is clean.

[Anonymous]

Jesus. The first thing I notice is that we are all working our asses off in a high COL place trying to do the best we can with jobs, family, etc. my hous is messier than I would like in an ideal world, and I expect yours will be as well. Truly dirty or messy to the point of hoarding is different, but garden variety 'I didn't have time or energy to clean as I might like' after working all day and dealing with kids, just is a fact of life.

[Anonymous]

Bathrooms, kitchen sinks and kitchen counters.

[Anonymous]

1. dirt on the front door
2. unvaccumed floors
3. sticky kitchens

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Jesus. The first thing I notice is that we are all working our asses off in a high COL place trying to do the best we can with jobs, family, etc. my hous is messier than I would like in an ideal world, and I expect yours will be as well. Truly dirty or messy to the point of hoarding is different, but garden variety 'I didn't have time or energy to clean as I might like' after working all day and dealing with kids, just is a fact of life.

I think all this is fine for day-to-day. But if you can't clean up a bit for guests, then when DO you clean? Don't have guests over.

[Anonymous]

Dust anywhere. Pet hair or odor. Dishes in sink, counters that aren't wiped down, wood furniture that isn't polished. Bathrooms that aren't clean, glass with fingerprints. Clutter--which to me is anything on a horizontal surface that doesn't obviously belong there.
I notice. That's different than caring what you do in your home, though.

[Anonymous]

I think the number one thing would be dirty dishes in the sink that have obviously been there for a while and dirty dishes/cups laying on the countertops with open boxes of cereal and other food scattered around. Crumbs all over the countertops and on the tables and on the floors.

I don't really care that much about clutter. We usually have a certain amount of clutter in our house so I'm used to seeing it I guess. I am also going to work on paring that down this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Jesus. The first thing I notice is that we are all working our asses off in a high COL place trying to do the best we can with jobs, family, etc. my hous is messier than I would like in an ideal world, and I expect yours will be as well. Truly dirty or messy to the point of hoarding is different, but garden variety 'I didn't have time or energy to clean as I might like' after working all day and dealing with kids, just is a fact of life.

Perhaps you responded to the "how often do you vacuum" thread? I was appalled and disgusted by how dirty some people are. You sound like one of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jesus. The first thing I notice is that we are all working our asses off in a high COL place trying to do the best we can with jobs, family, etc. my hous is messier than I would like in an ideal world, and I expect yours will be as well. Truly dirty or messy to the point of hoarding is different, but garden variety 'I didn't have time or energy to clean as I might like' after working all day and dealing with kids, just is a fact of life.

I think all this is fine for day-to-day. But if you can't clean up a bit for guests, then when DO you clean? Don't have guests over.

Absolutely, I should definitely make sure to clean up before a play date with one and four year olds because they won't scatter the toys or mess up the kitchen. I have had plenty of people come over plenty of times so I feel just fine hosting, even if you prima donnas don't approve.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jesus. The first thing I notice is that we are all working our asses off in a high COL place trying to do the best we can with jobs, family, etc. my hous is messier than I would like in an ideal world, and I expect yours will be as well. Truly dirty or messy to the point of hoarding is different, but garden variety 'I didn't have time or energy to clean as I might like' after working all day and dealing with kids, just is a fact of life.

Perhaps you responded to the "how often do you vacuum" thread? I was appalled and disgusted by how dirty some people are. You sound like one of them.

Nope. I am just not a judgmental harpie.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jesus. The first thing I notice is that we are all working our asses off in a high COL place trying to do the best we can with jobs, family, etc. my hous is messier than I would like in an ideal world, and I expect yours will be as well. Truly dirty or messy to the point of hoarding is different, but garden variety 'I didn't have time or energy to clean as I might like' after working all day and dealing with kids, just is a fact of life.

I think all this is fine for day-to-day. But if you can't clean up a bit for guests, then when DO you clean? Don't have guests over.

Absolutely, I should definitely make sure to clean up before a play date with one and four year olds because they won't scatter the toys or mess up the kitchen. I have had plenty of people come over plenty of times so I feel just fine hosting, even if you prima donnas don't approve.

LOL. This sounds like the type of house where you come over for a play date and feel like you need to bathe yourself and your kid when you leave.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jesus. The first thing I notice is that we are all working our asses off in a high COL place trying to do the best we can with jobs, family, etc. my hous is messier than I would like in an ideal world, and I expect yours will be as well. Truly dirty or messy to the point of hoarding is different, but garden variety 'I didn't have time or energy to clean as I might like' after working all day and dealing with kids, just is a fact of life.

I think all this is fine for day-to-day. But if you can't clean up a bit for guests, then when DO you clean? Don't have guests over.

Absolutely, I should definitely make sure to clean up before a play date with one and four year olds because they won't scatter the toys or mess up the kitchen. I have had plenty of people come over plenty of times so I feel just fine hosting, even if you prima donnas don't approve.

NP. OK, calm down, Defensive Debbie. But it is an iteresting question...can you answer it? If you don't clean up A BIT for guests...when DO you clean?

[Anonymous]

I give people a pass when I know they do their own cleaning. If they hire cleaning, it's no accomplishment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jesus. The first thing I notice is that we are all working our asses off in a high COL place trying to do the best we can with jobs, family, etc. my hous is messier than I would like in an ideal world, and I expect yours will be as well. Truly dirty or messy to the point of hoarding is different, but garden variety 'I didn't have time or energy to clean as I might like' after working all day and dealing with kids, just is a fact of life.

I think all this is fine for day-to-day. But if you can't clean up a bit for guests, then when DO you clean? Don't have guests over.

Absolutely, I should definitely make sure to clean up before a play date with one and four year olds because they won't scatter the toys or mess up the kitchen. I have had plenty of people come over plenty of times so I feel just fine hosting, even if you prima donnas don't approve.

NP. OK, calm down, Defensive Debbie. But it is an iteresting question...can you answer it? If you don't clean up A BIT for guests...when DO you clean?

I will spruce it up before a visit from child protective services.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jesus. The first thing I notice is that we are all working our asses off in a high COL place trying to do the best we can with jobs, family, etc. my hous is messier than I would like in an ideal world, and I expect yours will be as well. Truly dirty or messy to the point of hoarding is different, but garden variety 'I didn't have time or energy to clean as I might like' after working all day and dealing with kids, just is a fact of life.

Perhaps you responded to the "how often do you vacuum" thread? I was appalled and disgusted by how dirty some people are. You sound like one of them.

Not this pp. But I vacuum every day in my own house because dust bunnies and fur balls floating around drive me nuts. But I barely notice (don't care) if someone else doesn't vacuum as often in their house.

If I had waited for my kids' friends homes to be immaculate (or my own home to be immaculate) my kids never would have had play dates. Pretty much everyone had a certain level of mess in their home....it is not that big a deal.