To ask if it’s petit bourgeois to clean the house before guests arrive?

[HomeostaticSetPoint]

Just that. We always clean the house thoroughly before guests, even play dates. Bathrooms, bins, everything. I’m wondering if this is because we’re lower middle class as my posher friends don’t really bother. What’s the norm?

Born and raised WC but now have a MC job/lifestyle.

We clean a bit on a daily/weekly basis so not totally minging but when people are expected we go mad to make sure it’s sparkling and clean.

If skids appear in the loo they are always dealt with asap. Can’t believe people just leave that.

As Quinten Crisp famously opined; the dust doesn't get any thicker after 2 years,
I draw the line at a mucky lavatory and mould, but don't care about the rest too much.
I've had a vax cleaner for 10 years and have yet to work out how to use it!

Sounds to me more likely their other friends aren't as judgemental?
If I invited someone over and they called me "posh" because I had "skids" in my loo I'd likely not feel happy having you over again. My friends don't notice if I've scrubbed for hours or none because they are here to see me or the kids.

I just try and do half an hour a day, some bits of the house are clean at a time, never really the whole thing... but friends and family are welcome any time, I'd never dream of cleaning especially. It must be really stressful cleaning for a guest I'm guessing?

Always clean and tidy, especially the bathroom, kitchen, lounge and making sure we've hoovered everywhere.
Just politeness really.

I don't clean before guests, other than maybe bleaching the loos. But then again we have a weekly cleaner and our daily help runs the hoover round a few times a week so it's never particularly grim. I should probably do more though because a very hairy dog.

Maybe that's why your posh friends don't clean? Because they've already paid someone else to do it?

We get up and open curtains, unload dishwasher, breakfast and tidy up and make beds before we leave for work. Then cook and tidy up after work. Before bed we load and switch on dishwasher or wash up, tidy lounge by plumping cushions etc. nobody should be leaving toilets or bathrooms dirty anyway.

Out of respect for my guests, I clean the house top to bottom before anyone arrives.

If anyone pops in unannounced and my house is a mess, I don't lose sleep over it.

I do exactly this and then when guests arrive I'll say 'sorry about the mess' as if to suggest that the house is normally even cleaner/tidier, when actually the exact opposite is true.

I don't know why I do this. Maybe because I'm common 😂

Doesn't everybody open their curtains in the morning?

I thought they did until Mumsnet.

How clean your house is has nothing to do with social class, there are a lot of myths around that.

Ermmm, if your house needs cleaning, then organise a clean whether it’s you or a cleaner is paid.

Unsure where social class comes into it.

Ours is pretty clean and tidy most of the time but I’ll always give it a good going over if visitors are due.

If you are very posh, you have staff; so do your friends. Therefore, you do not feel the state of the house reflects upon you personally.

(Note: if you are male, this may also feel true.)

If you are rather less posh, but well-to-do, you may have a regular cleaner; so may your friends. You may also feel the state of your house doesn't really reflect on you - but, depending upon your neuroses, you might clean.

If it is very obvious there is no way you can afford a cleaner, then, sorry, the buck stops with you. OMG, there is dust on the shelf/the carpet needs a vacuum/the sink is filthy - well, it must be your low standards, mustn't it?!

I think people clean before guests in exact proportion to the amount of personal responsibility they feel about the state of the house. If everyone knows this is a job you outsource - to the staff, to the cleaner, to your wife - then you don't feel awkward about mess/filth, because it's not your problem.

Too weird.

Our friends are all as chilled as we our. We wouldn’t clean especially for guests. They know how we live.

Bathrooms and/or loos - definitely, always, irrespective of who's coming.

The rest? Play it by ears, can I be bothered, "excuse the mess - red or white?"...

@Maireas you what?

Maybe it depends on how mucky your house is in the first place

I'm a slob quite frankly so I'd never clean though we do use infrequent entertaining as a reason to have a bit of a clean

I’m an aristocrat. Grew up with live in staff and never really learned to tidy up after myself terribly well. DH hates how messy and chaotic I am, but I have cleaners come twice a week so it’s never really disgusting.

If friends are coming over, I’ll pick things off the floor in rooms they might see, and make sure there’s space on sofas for them to sit down. I will also squish some bleach down the downstairs loo.

Aside from that, they have to accept us as we are.

That's about all I would do too! I might also clear some of the junk lying around eg old newspapers and cups if was feeling energetic.

😂

I don't understand this thread, isn't this why one has cleaners?