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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think most houses aren't 'visitor ready'?

227 replies

Pandrawerschangedmylife · 18/11/2017 15:12

Got friends coming to stay this weekend. MIL just phoned to speak to DH, I explained he'd taken the kids out so that I can get the house sorted (change bedding, put the hoover round, clean the bathroom etc...) She sounded very surprised and made a comment along the lines of the house being pretty untidy if I need a few hours to clean it, as she just cleans hers as she goes (of course she does, there's only two of them living in the house!)

AIBU to think that most houses aren't tidy enough for overnight guests? There always seems to be things to sort and put away. Or am I actually living in squalor without knowing it?

OP posts:
Tazmum01 · 20/11/2017 11:21

Our house certainly isn't. I got a call from DH about a week ago to say someone was coming to view our house and I had an hour to get it 'viewer-worthy'. Absolutely went nutty trying to clean. The buggers didn't turn up, but I had a tidy house. I'm with you OP.

VivaLeBeaver · 20/11/2017 11:23

My sitting room is always visitor ready. Dining room/kitchen not so much!

SherbrookeFosterer · 20/11/2017 13:25

Don't bother too much about having a tidy house until your children are old enough to do the household chores.

Then delegate ruthlessly!

headinthecloud · 20/11/2017 13:45

I don't have overnight guests so no I wouldn't be visitor ready. Book a hotel if you want to descend on us at the last minute. For someone to pop round would be fine as long as they keep out of the children's bedrooms which quite often are a tip!

Her0utdoors · 20/11/2017 13:58

Trying hard to leave this mindset behind, it's not a 'thing' I want to aspire to. I have 2 children, 2 buissiness, a dog and a husband, I'm flat out. I bet it doesn't cross the husband's mind that the dirt and smell his ddog contributes to the state of the place detracts from it's acceptability. Even so, it was a massive relief that when DD had her birthday party it happened to be father's that came with their children, so I didn't feel I would be judged on the grot levels by women I didn't know.

caringcarer · 20/11/2017 15:25

It was mean of your mil to make that comment. We have spare guest room and bathroom but I would still need time to make up bed, dust and put towels out. I also like to bake when guest coming, trot hoover around and refresh flowers. Your mil needs to remember what is like when you go out to work, have kids to care for and drive around to hobbies and house takes third place. I find a warm cookie or home made cake much appreciated above spotlessly tidy house.

Flamingdinosaur · 20/11/2017 16:12

No way. I used to be pretty uptight about cleaning but since having my baby a month ago other things like sleep take priority. I'd love to be one of those people who can just clean as they go.

pixiehollow · 20/11/2017 16:16

Mine is never visitor ready. I need a few hours notice for someone popping over for a cuppa! (3 young children, 2 pets and a partner who does NOTHING) I can't keep up with the mess. I don't really do visitors anyway

Bumblina · 20/11/2017 16:25

God no. There's cat fur everywhere constantly. And washing, and other bits of mess.
I'd love a tidy house but we desperately need to decorate so I say to myself i'll keep it nice when we do that!

tiptopteepe · 20/11/2017 16:25

YANBU I cant even bring myself to open the door to the postman sometimes because of the state my house is in. If anyone is coming over I need a days notice. And that includes my closest friends.

I am a bit uptight about visitors tho, I get very stressed if the house isnt immaculate. I think it stems from childhood, I had a very judgemental nan who would constantly bang on about how shamefully untidy i was. I still actually dream about her saying things to me lol!!

Olivetappas · 20/11/2017 16:27

Well I'd say well my home is live in Grin

Olivetappas · 20/11/2017 16:28

Lived in

purpleweasel · 20/11/2017 16:39

Cleaning too much can be dangerous, you start to notice things like how grubby it is behind the radiator & how many dust bunnies behind the (large & immovable to me) TV stand. In a small house it doesn't take long to look like a tip when DD is in "emptying the toybox" mode. There again, it's fairly quick to tidy as well.

The dishwasher is very useful as a last minute place to hide clutter by the way...just don't forget what's in there and turn it on/accept any offers to help with the washing up!

bonbonours · 20/11/2017 17:27

Cleaning a house with children in it is like brushing your teeth while eating oreos. Our house looks a mess even when I've done a tidy up for guests. I would like to hope that our friends are coming to visit us not judge our house.

LakieLady · 20/11/2017 17:29

The only time my house is visitor-ready is when visitors are about to arrive, and we'd require at least a week's notice. The rest of the time, it's a tip, except for the bathroom, which I clean daily (can't stand dirty lavs and basins). I feel the same about the worktops and the kitchen sink so they're generally ok.

As for overnight guests, the spare room would take a month to sort out. When DP moved in, he dumped loads of stuff in there and has never got round to sorting it out and finding somewhere to put it. He's since added to it.

That was 5 years ago.

GrumpyMummy123 · 20/11/2017 19:00

I'm fine with day visitors. The house is pretty messy, but not big so a quick vacuume, shove toys to edge of the room and wipe round the bathroom and it'll 'do'.

But overnighters are a different story. Our spare bedroom is the general dumping ground for 'stuff', where the laundry dries, my home office and the cat's bedroom... There's paper, clothes and cat fluff everywhere. Definitely take me a good couple of hours to make it decent for anyone other than a cat to sleep in!

Summerlovin24 · 20/11/2017 22:54

What a refreshing feed. I feel like my house is always a tip yet i never sit down. Had guests last weekend. Took am off work and took 3 hrs to sort beds (for 4) and make it visitor ready. I need a cleaner and gardener but can't afford it. Kitchen floor never seems clean. If my sis or sis in law or bessie or husbands bessie were coming i wouldnt worry.

zizza · 21/11/2017 00:21

My, now grown up, kids and dh refer to it as "emergency tidying protocols" before anyone visits (more than local good friends who can pop in anytime and just ignore the mess).

Louiselouie0890 · 21/11/2017 06:06

I have jobs I do as I'm going along. Hoovering bathroom dishes bins. Try to do a big clean.once a week. If I had guests I'd be doing the same as you.

I would hate a house that was show ready. My mum was the same and I remember as kids not being allowed to do anything. If we had guests I remember being told to sit on the carpet and not move till after they had been. I let my kids go nuts all day clean when they've gone bed.

maygirl27 · 21/11/2017 08:39

Hotels and guest houses are always visitor ready... And no my place certainly isn't.

dameglittersparkles · 21/11/2017 08:45

Fuck off OPs MIL 🙄

echt · 21/11/2017 08:58

My house is cleanly cluttered. The family bathroom is always OK, but I would do, and do, a quick recce of the pan for skid marks no matter what. I have a spare room permanently made up, but if someone turned up on spec, I'd still need to dust it. Buggered if I'm cleaning an empty room every week.

I had to get it ready for a homestay visit last week, and the sodding book club two days' later. Most of the time was spent making the front garden ready to walk through. FFS. I was knackered.

The garden looks fab.

coddiwomple · 21/11/2017 10:27

Hotels and guest houses are always visitor ready

no they are not, which is why they have check-in times, some guests houses don't let you in until 4pm!

It's not the same standard, my house is pretty much always visitors ready because I like it that way. It's not "paying guests ready", because the guests bathrooms don't get bleach clean everyday and bedings are not ironed.

TheViceOfReason · 21/11/2017 10:59

Someone could rock up at 6pm to stay and they'd have a clean bed to sleep in and reasonably clean bathroom to use.

But:
2 adults in the house.
It's a large house so spare room isn't used for anything else.
Cleaner.
I only have friends who wouldn't judge me on a messy house anyway.

endehors · 21/11/2017 11:24

no they are not, which is why they have check-in times, some guests houses don't let you in until 4pm!
This is true (we used to have a guest house). Even when you don't have somebody staying in the room beforehand (and depending on the season/busy periods), bedding and so on needs to be added, and all the other extras and room checks. They can rarely just walk straight in.