To think people are getting scruffier?

You forgot the massive televisions all with Sky. Go on, you know you want to.

Do you have any actual evidence for this though? I really don't think it's got any worse. I've been aware for decades of people who for a wide range of reasons don't take any care of their appearance or don't clean or tidy their homes.

I think there is evidence that people dress more casually for work these days (and COVID did have an impact on that) but that's a slightly different point.

This all just feels like a bit of a rant about standards which is fair enough but I've yet to see any real evidence that people are messier/scruffier than they were. It's just that the OP has noticed it because she is house-hunting.

I haven’t read the full thread, but I also think the mental health crisis (probably magnified by the cost of living crisis) is a big factor.

I just don’t think that people who are mentally well walk around stinking of BO in clothes they’ve worn for weeks without washing and living in filth.

When my MH has been low, washing my hair or doing laundry felt like climbing Mount Everest sometimes. Brushing my teeth or cleaning the kitchen felt like running a marathon. I still did it but it took so much more energy than it should have.

Thats my take anyway.

See, I disagree. I know what OP means about people being a lot scruffier. But I'll bet those same people have all got iPhone?

I think the hygiene of some people has dropped considerably since Covid. People got used to not leaving the house and therefore the pressure to wash (clothes and self) wasn't so much. Now lots of hybrid working happens and if you are just popping to the shops quick, some people don't always think they need a full shower and new clean clothes.

There is also the cost of heating, electric and food coming into play. People really are chosing between heating and eating. Running a washing machine and then trying to get clothes dry is expensive - especially over the winter. Lots of people are wearing washed but musty smelling clothes as they are struggling to dry them in damp cold houses. People are putting their heating on less and washing is sat about drying for days. There is also the wash at 20 movement, whilst it is good for the planet it doesn't kill all the bacteria in clothes (especially clothes people sweat in) and every so often they need a good hot wash to kill everything off. Many modern washing machines have 15 and 20 minute fast washes but can only really wash 2 or 3 kg of clothes to a decent standard. People are overloading their machines either through necessity or not been aware (so it's not washing properly) on too short a cycle.

There is also a lot of overwhelm I think, people are working long hours, managing their home life, managing tighter and tighter budgets. Some peoples MH is in decline making things more difficult to do.

The tenanted houses I can understand, it is horrid been a tennant at the moment. The rental market is very hot and very expensive. Feeling like you might lose your home if it sells must be awful. Better to make it a state so you can stay in longer.

You're right OP, I've noticed this with a couple of neighbours and family members in recent years letting their once lovely houses go to ruin and not seeming in the slightest bit bothered. It's sad but they have MH issues or other stressful things going on. Maybe this is getting more common, or people have less support.

I don't think it's COL. I grew up poor and lack of disposable income in itself isn't a reason for scruffiness or a dirty home. There will be bigger issues going on alongside/worsened by poverty that mean people have stopped caring or aren't coping.

I agree with you. We have seen houses like this on and off for nearly 3 decades. From the entry level ftb type home and onwards up the ladder. Some just really unhygienic ways of living.

look at any public or plane toilet, some people are completely minging. Some people don’t hoover or clean their homes, don’t groom themselves, and it’s nothing to do with money in many instances. It can be a variety of issues, from mental health to simple laziness. Time is seldom a factor, many of us work and have kids on here and we are able to give the house a clean round weekly or fortnightly. Quite simply this is nothing new.

@Thepeopleversuswork to some extent it’s true to say there’s always been some scruffy people but it is far more prevalent now.

i don’t understand how it can be so onerous to keep clean.

Yep I've noticed. It's my job to help people and I'd help absolutely anyone but it is sometimes really difficult to not gag. I'd always do my best to never make it obvious that they stink.

There was a post on a local Facebook page asking why so many people were going round the local shopping centre in their pjs and dressing gown. This is the town centre. I don't understand how any just leaves the house in their nightwear for an afternoon of shopping and thinks that is OK!

I don't think people are "getting" scruffier, I think there have always been wide variations in what people consider acceptable in their various types of presentation to the world.

Some people have to be perfectly turned out whenever they leave home, some don't put a brush through their hair for days on end and never change their clothes. Some people live in show-homes and can't live with a speck of dust on the living room table, others life surrounded by piles of rubbish with empty pizza boxes everywhere and dishes piled in the sink.

The factors behind this are wide-ranging and include money, time available, perception of what is important in life, happiness, class and demographics, physical health etc etc.

But I don't believe it's changed really. There have always been scruffy people and people who don't really give a shit, you're just coming into contact with more of it than you might have chosen to ordinarily.

Only one of my neighbours cleans windows and sweeps front. It's nothing to with cost of living or time. The neighbours are clueless about being neat and tidy.

Thanks and yes I’d expect to see this. But it’s still close to 90 percent not in this boat, and some posters are writing like everyone in the uk can’t afford warm water to wash, or to afford to launder their clothes, and living in sub par housing. There is absolutely no doubt a small percentage of the population is in this situation sadly, but it’s far from the majority.

I do think it's more likely to be depression with a lot of people. When I was depressed my self care was non-existent.

Many people are working long hours, trying to make ends meet. It's a grind and I can see why they would feel low. Soap may only be 10p but you need the motivation to use it!

Likewise keeping on top of dishes or whatever. Maybe after a long day they just can't face it. Then the job becomes bigger and more unmanageable. I just feel bad for anyone in that situation. Very few people actively choose to live in such a way.

For what i read on MN people cant clean up and keep their homes clean because they have kids.
I will never understand it.
Open a window get rid of the clutter you dont use thats a big start.
Having less in more.

I think Covid staying indoors so much and social distancing with masks made people feel more at ease with slobby and unhygienic everything. Ironically.
I guess some people with job loss and working from home started skipping a day then more and nobody said anything because it's impolite.
Laundry and energy bills cost a fortune. Soap is cheap but hotter water and laundry costs.
Maybe people are depressed and we all know how neglecting self care is depression 101.

Yes, the minority, but still a lot higher than pre-pandemic (16% v 10%).

www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/mentalhealth/articles/costoflivinganddepressioninadultsgreatbritain/latest

I don't think the majority of people are walking around stinky and going home to filthy houses though are they?
My house is generally clean, but scruffy as anything because we can't afford to do the work. I don't think that's unusual at all.

People used to know their neighbours. And then you'd get those who would gossip and it would get around the community. People tended to not travel so far for work, so gossip could stop your husband from getting a promotion. Bank managers would interview you before you'd get a mortgage and it would be based partly on his opinion.

My grandma lived through this and really cared what her neighbours would think. The front garden was always neat, she wouldn't leave the house without hair styled and a little makeup, the curtains and windows had to be washed and opened early enough that people wouldn't think she had slept in.

But now why would we care. My neighbour see me taking out the bins in my PJs all the time. There aren't the same consequences. And the only reason I keep myself and my house clean, tidy and presentable is because I take responsibility for my own health/mental health and those in my family.

That sounds really tough.

I think that’s some people. I don’t believe for one moment this is the general condition of the population, this doomsday Orwellian view of the British population all walking about minging, in sub par houses , depressed is a minority, not the majority.

I agree with this and it has been raining endlessly where I live! Usually I’d get washing out on cool dry days but it’s currently impossible - it’s warmer in the daytime now, so we don’t have heating on as much and you can’t dry clothes on cold radiators in a house that’s 16 degrees.

I went to the shops today and I noticed the exact same thing. Sooooo many people smelled musty. I think it must be cost of living with the price of heating and tumble drier. Some people also smelled of old BO.

I mean I didn’t look amazing, just normal. Jeans, converse and a jacket. But all washed and dried well (ie no musty smell). I had a shower and done my hair in the previous 24 hours. Deodorant and teeth brushed.

Cleaning and maintenance require time and money which people often don't have. I think to some extent people have given up - everyone working all hours, still broke, can't rely on anything they're paying taxes for, shelling out a fortune for poor quality housing - they just can't be bothered any more.