To think people are getting scruffier?

I'm so sorry you had to go through this and I hope you're ok. I can't imagine viewing a home with dishes in the sink, let alone an overflowing laundry basket for goodness sake!

Are you sure your nose isn't just too far up your arse?

I wonder if it's linked to poor mental health, possibly brought on by COL?
I've noticed a huge difference in the way people look locally and lots of the places that did tan or lashes have had to close and the beauticians are now working mobile or from home.
Women seem to be less glamorous, (except me who in my new mum uniform of messy bun, sweat pants and hoodie, I'm so glam kris jenner wants to manage me) and being Merseyside there is a huge love of tan, lashes and brows etc, but it's not as prevalent on school runs anymore. Not saying anyone is smelly etc or unclean houses but people, self included, No longer have luxury money.
I think that impacts MH and folks just stop caring. Maybe I'm completely off the mark here, but I think I can see a link.

You are spot on! This isn't the myth people like to think it is.

Pretty sure a decent 12mth contract for the latest model starts at £30 per month.

I'm in no way prudish about my home being spotless but a little self pride in keeping it at least clean & tidy when I'm showing people around to view it. My partner & I are in the process of moving to a new home & in the photos we've seen in the property section have looked gorgeous & clean yet on arriving for a viewing it's the complete opposite. Dishes in the sink, clothes pouring from the laundry basket, animal fur everywhere, the grass overgrown blah blah blah. I can see past that but it's the damage done & seeing damp & mould that's harder to vision staying long-term in the property even though it's just rented accomodation. Then the ones showing us round are in their pj's, hair uncombed & their pets jumping up on us which my daughter's afraid of dogs so it's unsettling to her especially with her autism. Maybe in this day & age it's more acceptable to not worry on these things but it's just not for me!

That may also indeed be the case. It's the age-old thing of 'keeping up with the Joneses' - these days people are happy to let the basics slide as long as they can have the latest gadgets, trainers, Netflix.
Growing up, I knew several people who you'd think were skint looking in their kitchen cupboards - no food in whatsoever. But their houses were always kitted out with all the latest tech. I dare say little has changed. It's just about what people choose to spend their time, money and energy on.

Yanbu.
Tidiness is free.
Washing liquid and hot water are pence.
A cloth, dustpan and brush a couple of pounds. There is no excuse.
People buy too much cheap rubbish they don’t have space for.

It seems quite surreal to me as well - when I was a child, the UK was a kind of dream for me. Than I got there a few times and now I read MN and I can't stop wondering how they got to this state.

How I understand it, the biggest issue is heating and damp. Big part of the UK housing stock is quite old and not well insulated and people don't use wood/coal burners at homes much (yes, it has other disadvantages), which makes them very dependent on consumer prices of energies.

Energy prices has grown everywhere across Europe, but the UK seems to be coping worse than average.

I assume they mean dog poo.

A lot of houses have excrement stains on the floor..? What do you do?

Perhaps I’m totally naive but this seems utterly barbaric in a country / these people clearly need a lot more help than they are getting..?

Yep, why so jealous?

Lol.
At least two of her neighbours admire her clean recycling and told her and she told you about it.

I heard it all now.

What a patronising load of waffle

I wonder if some of it is due to more single men living alone, post divorce or never married. In years gone by women would have been trapped in relationships with less than ideal men and been doing all their washing and keeping their houses clean for them. Now that they're having to do it all themselves they do it poorly or not at all, either as they haven't been taught or are as lazy as they would have been prior to their poor wives getting rid of them.

Why would you need to name change? Kind of baffled by that. I'm guessing you're Australian.

Yep, my sister rents from a private landlord and she pays rent with housing benefit.

Her house is immaculate save where the rich landlord won’t fix issues.

Her recycling is so clean her neighbours admire it. Her bin is so clean it always look brand new inside, she washes it out with bleach.

I've often thought it would be a good thing for public bathhouses to make a come back, where you could have a wash, maybe a sauna and massage for a low cost.

I travel around Europe a lot and have noticed more people smelling than pre-Covid - it's definitiely not just the UK.

Good for you, @IloveAslan . Unfortunately I didn't grow up in a financial situation where we could afford to heat water for baths every day - putting the immersion on was something of an occasion.

Energy bills here in the UK are currently double to triple what they were a few years ago, and they weren't cheap then. Most people's income, incredibly, hasn't doubled or tripled to match it (or the increases in food prices, rent, travel and so on).

That is so depressing.

I haven’t noticed this at all where I live in the south west.

And that, I believe, is the crux of it. Some people just don’t care anymore as there is always a reason (excuse) why, and if they aren’t making the excuses, then someone else is on their behalf.

There are many threads on here with people defensively justifying not washing regularly. They must be nose blind.

Many people definitely do look scruffier and smell ‘off’. I think it’s partly COL, but mainly post COVID standards.

Many people WFH more and have become lax with their clothes and hygiene. This has spilled over into their ‘outdoor’ lives. You can see it it at work. Most people used to take pride in their appearance in the office. Now some look like they just rolled out of bed and put back on the clothes on the floor from the day before.

Many people’s drinking got out of control during lockdown also, which is why they’ve become lazy with their appearance and stink even if they try and cover it up.

@SocksAndTheCity I was a bit perturbed about that too- we rent lovely family homes at a good level and my home looks way way better than many of my friends owned' houses. Less of the cliche please that we are all some kind of transient scum because we rent.