What's the small detail in somebody's home which makes you think, "wow these people are very clean!"

[igotbills]

For me it's the bathroom mirrors being spotless or dust-free skirting boards

And tomatoes, just remembered I keep them out as well, dont like them in the fridge

Well, neither can I explain a correlation between social class and a preference for bare kitchen surfaces, but it was my observation in 26 years living in various parts of England that it was overwhelmingly a LMC thing.

Though I wouldn’t see it as ‘organised’, necessarily. In some cases, yes, but in others it was certainly an extra faff, as people were getting kettles and toasters etc out of drawers for each use.

Brilliant!

Only dangerous weirdos refrigerate their tomatoes.

I agree, we drink so much tea and eat so much toast we'd be getting the kettle and toaster out every 5 mins,

I absolutely wouldn't notice any little details of cleanliness. Certainly not dust-free skirting boards!
What would impress me would be walking into a home that just felt comfortable relaxing, a place where you could breathe out and be. An absence of clutter would probably be the only housework-related contribution to that feeling of comfort.
EDIT: Of course, full-on dirtiness would undermine the comfort, but so long as there was a very basic cleanness, I would notice any wow! details of supercleanness

@Seedpods Im Scottish in Scotland, maybe that’s the difference 😉

As I said, no kettle, as we have a boiling tap, and the toaster is used once a day at most, by one person, it must take about 0.9 seconds to use it from the cupboard, why would I leave it out? The clear worktops also mean it’s dead easy to clean and keep clean as I don’t have to lift things to clean under them, so the time it takes to get the toaster out once a day is well balanced with the ease of keeping things clean…and believe me, I do NOT spend my time cleaning😂

As someone who grew up in a very neglected, dirty, cluttered home, I was never properly taught how to house keep. I clean my house religiously and I enjoy doing it, I cant relax in a mess. But I always stare in wonder at peoples immaculate houses, it seems no matter how much cleaning I do mine never compares! When are you supposed to wash down walls, clean skirting boards, clean behind the washing machine!?!?

Very interesting! I remember about 30 years ago my then boss said something about having visited a friends house and being shocked at how dirty the skirting boards were, that there was "no need for it" (!) and ever since then I've been paranoid about skirting. We're now trying to sell our house and I often hope/think that people won't notice stuff at skirting board level - I never do - but this thread just goes to show that my boss was right all along!!

@MyPurpleHeart , I think that we notice the cleanliness in other people's homes more than we do in our own. Especially if we grew up in a dirty, cluttered home (I did too) and have residual feelings of shame, anxiety, 'otherness', poor self-esteem as a result of that (and any associated family dysfunction).
I bet if I walked into your house I would think 'OMG, lovely and clean. Why can't I be like that?', and perhaps you would think the same if you walked into my house

I agree. I was going to say no washing up in excess on the draining board. My tidy friends I notice are constantly tidying up as they go along. So after each meal they wash up and before they have washed up the previous washing up is all put away too.

Nothing ever takes five minutes to do as they are on top of everything.

I'm not this person at all.

Fresh flowers. Clean windows.

Getting the basics right is a good start and we're fortunate to have a large home with lots of storage, so everything has its place. If everything is already tidy then it takes minimum effort to keep on keeping it tidy IYSWIM. Our cleaner comes once a week for five hours so I only need to do a very quick spritz in-between for everything to look and feel fresh. Mess and clutter makes me feel stressed and I can't enjoy being surrounded by it. Living in a tidy, organised home is so much more peaceful and relaxing.

A dirt and dust free front door. I have been to many homes where it is all Villeroy& Boch Crystal and Jo Malone candles but the front door is manky.

I never think that because 1) I don't look that closely and 2) I don't value people on such a triviality. Frankly, I'm just not interested. But, I will slightly contradict myself by saying that if a house has no "stuff" and an owner who says they like things to be "spotless", I would feel quite sorry for that person.

Her husband is a bit of a clean freak though and last time I was around he came downstairs with a cleaner's bucket full of supplies as he'd just scrubbed one of the bathrooms

Where can one find a husband like this? Asking for a friend 😜

Probably if everything is spotlessly tidy! Which is completely not like my place (my place is clean but cluttered).

Mines got a lot tidier since the kids left home and we moved to a house where we have a LOT of storage. I would not judge anyone who has kids or dogs
I don't look at other peoples skirting boards but i would probably clean mine if we were having a "do" and i used to hate having stuff out in my modern kitchen but now we have a house that kind of suits a bit of clutter (think larder cupboards instead of fitted and utensils on hooks)
Would love a quooker tap
I made a bedroom into a dressing room so i don't have coats and shoes all over the show.
My friend who is a cleaner, helped me clan when we rented a flat for a short time and i realized i was not as clean as i thought !!

Steradent tablets are your friend. They work absolute wonders. Boots do an own brand version that is cheaper. Half a tablet per cup once a month or so is all you need.

You can buy stuff that is sold specifically for cup stain removal. It does the same thing less effectively but costs about 5 times the price.

Smell

I always thought my SIL's home looked really clean because they have no clutter.

Then one day I went on a day they weren't really expecting visitors and felt very much better about my home!

She clearly hides the clutter when people visit, whereas I just actually can't be arsed!

DFIL turned up on Sunday and one of the first things he said was "ooh, you've got a big cobweb there".

I told him I was saving it for Halloween! 😂

I was very impressed once at another mums house when I spotted how clean her recycling bins were!
(I don't get out much... 😭)

Ah, I know that people tidy their houses for viewing. And this couple certainly had full wardrobes & cabinets filled to the brim. But, their overall lifestyle aesthetic was minimalist. Everything in their home was a perfect fit. Even the art on their walls was just one beautiful painting (and their Chartered Accountant certificates). Might change if they have kids!

This thread is giving me cleaning motivation 😂

My house is clean and very tidy.

However I went to a friend's house recently and noticed that the door on her washing machine was so shiny (must have been the sunlight shining on it)!

Mine isn't!