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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree with the above, that "non-obvious dirt" is fine, but clutter everywhere is very noticable. I know many people who moved in YEARS ago and still have entire rooms that are unpacked/not organized. "Guest rooms" where they just keep STUFF.

Here's a hint...if you have boxes and boxes of items you haven't unpacked in years, you don't need that stuff. Throw it away or donate.

1/2 of our guest room is like that. I wish we had the time to go through it. But we tend to prioritize fun weekend activities and vacations over staying home to sort through old stuff. Maybe we will pick a long weekend this year.

[Anonymous]

Dirty baseboards

nasty bathrooms (clean up your pubic hair people! for god's sake, that is so gross)

clutter everywhere especially kid's stuff, toys etc. - looks horrible

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with the above, that "non-obvious dirt" is fine, but clutter everywhere is very noticable. I know many people who moved in YEARS ago and still have entire rooms that are unpacked/not organized. "Guest rooms" where they just keep STUFF.

Here's a hint...if you have boxes and boxes of items you haven't unpacked in years, you don't need that stuff. Throw it away or donate.

1/2 of our guest room is like that. I wish we had the time to go through it. But we tend to prioritize fun weekend activities and vacations over staying home to sort through old stuff. Maybe we will pick a long weekend this year.

well just know that your guests think you are lazy and dirty, lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

In the time it took you to comment all over this thread this morning, you could have given your kitchen a once-over, or folded a load of laundry, or de-cluttered a drawer.

And it is her time, her day and her house. She chose to sip a cup of coffee and surf the internet instead of tidying and cleaning.

[Anonymous]

no soap near a sick. Creeps me out every single time.

[Anonymous]

Sink! it's worse if there is sick, of course.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The smell. Open some windows. I can't stand homes with hermetically sealed windows. Get some fresh air in there. Jesus Christ.

The bathroom. It's gross to have to "go" in a nasty bathroom. I don't care about your tub (just close the curtain), but at least run a Clorox wipe over the sink and swish out the bowl. Come on, it takes five minutes.

Your kitchen if it's really, really gross. My god.

I don't really care about recent clutter or dust on furniture, but if there's no place to sit down that's not covered in pet hair, you've got a problem.

I always clean before guests are coming. The bathroom is always scrupulous and the kitchen counters are wiped down at least. Dishes are washed; there may be a few water glasses in the sink. NBD. There are places to sit down. We don't have pets and that makes it a hell of a lot easier to keep homes clean. Just don't look behind the closed doors, please. That's where I've thrown the clutter.

Definitely. Don't give me that b.s about "allergies" when the rest of your home is filthy and encrusted with dust.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with the above, that "non-obvious dirt" is fine, but clutter everywhere is very noticable. I know many people who moved in YEARS ago and still have entire rooms that are unpacked/not organized. "Guest rooms" where they just keep STUFF.

Here's a hint...if you have boxes and boxes of items you haven't unpacked in years, you don't need that stuff. Throw it away or donate.

1/2 of our guest room is like that. I wish we had the time to go through it. But we tend to prioritize fun weekend activities and vacations over staying home to sort through old stuff. Maybe we will pick a long weekend this year.

well just know that your guests think you are lazy and dirty, lol

My guest room is set up very nicely for guests when they are here and I don't go into the room when a guest is using it. But when we don't have anyone staying in that room it is our gift wrap room, the place where I put items that I intend to sell or donate. A place where I might keep a craft project that I'm working on.

There is no need to keep it museum like all year round. It does clean up nicely though when we need it to.

[Anonymous]

Their husband.

[Anonymous]

Fresh flowers, or lack thereof.

What's on the TV, e.g. sports, Fox News, cooking channel.

Books, or lack thereof.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fresh flowers, or lack thereof.

What's on the TV, e.g. sports, Fox News, cooking channel.

Books, or lack thereof.

Not all libraries are on the first floor - do you go through people's houses? Also, many people purged their books with their Kindles. I don't know that they have too many books still remaining. If they do, their professional books are at their office, or downloaded.

Some people never have the television on.

Some people have allergies to fresh plants and flowers.

What about actual "dirt"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fresh flowers, or lack thereof.

What's on the TV, e.g. sports, Fox News, cooking channel.

Books, or lack thereof.

Not all libraries are on the first floor - do you go through people's houses? Also, many people purged their books with their Kindles. I don't know that they have too many books still remaining. If they do, their professional books are at their office, or downloaded.

Some people never have the television on.

Some people have allergies to fresh plants and flowers.

What about actual "dirt"?

Ugh, I'm a dinosaur I know but I really do not care for Kindles. Give me a real book that I can hold and flip the pages. My house is full of books, fresh flowers and, yes, we always have some sort of sports on. I, myself, am more of a cooking channel person but I get overruled on that. No biggie, I use the internet and my cookbooks for recipes and inspiration.

[Anonymous]

Why would you notice in the first place? I model my house after the Weasely's and Miss Frizzle, not the Dursely's.

[Anonymous]

I only have to see one thing that tells me the whole house is dirty.

refrigerator full of magnets and other things like drawings, photos, cards ...

That alone tells me I need to limit my visit or risk getting sick.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I only have to see one thing that tells me the whole house is dirty.

refrigerator full of magnets and other things like drawings, photos, cards ...

That alone tells me I need to limit my visit or risk getting sick.

That's bizarre.