To think people are getting scruffier?

[HomeIsHardToFind]

I am currently house hunting, I have been in a lot of properties recently and to be honest I have been shocked by the state of them!
They look fine in the estate agents photos but when you get there it's a different story.....plates and bowls piled up in the sink, crumbs all over work surfaces, disgusting ovens and urine stains/smells in the loo!
My 'favourite' was the house that had holes punched in the doors of every room (double checked the agents pics and they definitely didn't exist at the time they were taken!).
I get it, I can clean if we bought the house etc, but if you are selling your biggest asset and you want the most amount of money possible surely you make it look the best it can for viewings? I feel like I've stepped into an alternative universe at the moment!
I have also noticed that many more people out and about stink. Not just a bit of a pong or like they have a manual job and haven't showered for 24 hours but full on makes me dry heave absolutely stink!!
I put some fuel in the car this morning and the 'gentleman' that came into the garage as I was leaving smelled rancid, it must have been days and days since he had washed🤢 I could smell him outside in the fresh air!
Maybe I'm getting on (I don't think so, only early 40's!!) but I seem to remember people having more pride in themselves, their home and their families (don't get me started on some of the poor kids I've seen with such greasy hair it looks like it's been stuck to their head with chip oil☹️).
Sometimes I wonder if its COL biting but then I think about people I've known that grew up in the 60's and 70's that were dirt poor taking pride in how clean their mothers managed to keep them with nothing but soap and hot water, so I think the only difference is that the pride has gone?
Has anyone else noticed this or am I just unluckily surrounded by scruffy buggers?!

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.

In some parts of the world people wash everything in cold water. Their clothes don't smell.

WHERE DO YOU LIVE??

I rarely meet people who smell all that, and all the many many many houses we looked round last year (pretty low priced from a south London perspective) were cleaned as you'd expect when someone wants to sell them. Most of the replies suggest this is unusual though! Where do you all come from?

People are demoralised. Soap may be cheap but hot water isn't. Two partners working is the norm now.

They also tend to use loads of washing soap and enzyme detergent. Eco, nonbio stuff is popular here, coupled with cold water you may as well swish your washing in a puddle.

I guess fashions and standards have changed a lot over the years. I've never owned a pair of grey tracky bottoms but see them being worn everywhere now. Yes I do agree the generic clothes have become more comfort biased so do look scruffier. Attire was definitely of a higher standard when I was younger, most people looked smarter, made an effort, absolutely no pjs in the street or anywhere!

Now clothes shops have a huge section for lounge wear, didn't exist when I was younger. I do believe this has been part of a transition from walking kids to school (no other alternative) to being able to drive them, park on double yellow lines while not having not changed from sleepwear. Just an observation and how society has gone. I drive my DC to school but have a shower and get dressed as I have to go ro work, guess if I could wfh it may be different lol 😆

Don’t get me started on halitosis on the tube… I’ve had to move carriages many a time to get away from the folk that can’t brush their teeth and tongues before heading to work. Floss your teeth, people too!

Less people working than in many years- many more on sick.

I think it is laziness.
Branded trainers are not cheap, neither is the latest phone. Yet I see men with these but in dirty, stained track suits.
Its gross. It would probably cost less to buy a smart pair of jeans or trousers and a shirt.
Also how many people drive huge, expensive fuel guzzling cars yet don’t look clean and smart. It’s a choice.
Having a litter strewn garden or drive is lazy. Put your rubbish in the bin.
No excuse.
People throw litter on the floor outside the building I work in. There us a bit a few feet away. Complete scrubbers.

Some of the smelliest people I know are successful / rich.

My boss smells of cigarettes and coffee breath.

My rich colleague looks clean but smells of rank musty clothes.

My other rich colleague only developed a weird cloying smell during pregnancy.

My manager rubbed a bogie all over his face.

These people all earn 6 figures.

Yes the wash at 30 doesn’t help.
I would never wash tea towels or bedding at 30, ever.

(Sorry).

It’s not either/or and I wouldn’t want to live in a shithole and am quite houseproud.

But I think if you have kids being anally tidy to the point you are always telling people off if a cup is left on a table or dusting all the time is not great.

It’s nothing to do with “making memories” I just it’s stressy being around people who are that uptight about it. It’s also hard to see how people get anything else done if they’re cleaning all the time.

😂

A gif doesn’t make spag pedantry any less annoying.

Yes I remember this as the norm. When I sweep my front garden and wipe the sills folk look at me like I'm a freak!

Working in mental health I think that it’s probably got a lot to do with the decline in mental health for so many people. Covid, wars, cost of living etc has really affected many people.

Poor mental health does not mean that you smell or are automatically untidy but can and does effect how well people look after themselves and their property although I’m sure someone will be delighted to berate me.

You’re right, poor mental health encompasses a huge amount of variance, and no it does not simply correlate to how well someone takes car3 of themselves.

In fact ocd is a mental illness and can result in someone being supremely and excessively clean and tidy. And yes for others it can result in a decline. As said, there is no straight line correlation there at a macro level.

it also can’t be ignored that this has always been an issue for some folks.

I agree, for some people absolutely it is laziness. I’d say quite a large proportion. People littering, not changing their bedding or towels. Not hoovering or cleaning their homes, not getting dressed all weekend.

It’s far from they are all mentally ill as some folks are making out, or living in abject poverty. Some people just don’t care and can’t be arsed.

however if you get to the stage you smell, and you know you smell. Then something is very wrong. And if you don’t wash yourself, at least every second day, and ideally daily, and regularly wash your hair, then you will smell,whether you can smell yourself or not, and you should realise that.

we get nose blind, if you spray perfume on we cease smelling it after a short period, with our own odour it builds up and we can’t smell it. Everyone else can. And when it gets to the stage you yourself can smell it, it’s very bad indeed.

Personal hygiene aside - I'm going to throw this into the mix - but feel free to correct me if I'm off the mark.
But is it possible in the countries where people look less scruffy/better put together - clothes are generally better quality? Clothes on the UK high street are crap at the moment. If you've got a high end budget you can still get decent quality, but low and mid range is just appalling. Items start looking bobbled, misshapen and fit for the bin within a few washes.
I think people are wearing what they can afford. Polyester is sweatier, smellier combined with poorer quality surely this contributes to people looking scruffier.

I sometimes think that people don't know how to keep clean as well any more, especially on a budget.

It's totally possible to be very clean even with rather poor facilities. (Not no facilities.) And lots of poor people used to do this, without indoor loos, or running water in flats, and so on.

But it does mean having some know how about how to manage it, and I find a lot of young people, who are the ones I talk to, have no idea. They will sleep in their clothes, if they can't get a bath or shower with hot water they won't wash. They don't know how to wash bedding or undergarments or clothes indoors without a machine. I tend to think the parents don't know either.

I also wonder if encouraging cold washing machine water isn't a factor.

I'm not sure if people are getting smellier. Possibly living longer and becoming less physically able to clean their houses and keep themselves clean.

I saw lots of elderly patients with pets; they could hardly look after themselves let alone care for pets like dogs and cats. Wounds which wouldn't heal because a large proportion of patient's lived in a dirty environment.

Leg ulcers which deteriorated because patients lacked understanding about allowing their pets to lick their legs.

I do know I had to give up district nursing because of some patients houses. Kneeling on floors for long periods of time to do leg dressings. The floors were filthy and I just felt dirty all the time. It was more hygienic to use hand gel to cleanse my hands than wash my hands in the sink.

Loved my district nursing days and miss my patients, but don't miss the filth.

Yes, it’s disgusting. People make no effort at all. I’d be so mortified to list my home if it were in such a state of disarray! When we came to see our now home, it was utter filth. Took me 2 months to clean this 6 room house. Absolute vile.

We are the same, our house desperately needs an upgrade but we can't afford the thousands of pounds to do it. The carpets are trashed, bathrooms and kitchen falling apart but right now it's unaffordable. We will do what we can when we can but this year we are prioritising an overseas holiday for the first time in 8 years.

We are all clean but we definitely don't look put together on a daily basis. My kids live in tracksuit bottoms and hoodies which is fine because we don't go anywhere fancy. Day to day I live in the same (unless I'm at work) or gym stuff if I'm on my way to the gym because it's comfy and I'm not dressing to impress. Make up gets done for work if I have time. If I'm going out for the day I'll make more effort and wear nice clothes, do my hair and look like I've put the effort in but what's the point when all I'm doing is the food shop or dashing into town for stuff.

I have noticed that people are choosing to wear comfier clothes now and some people don't make an effort but I haven't noticed an increase in smell and I work with the public every day including those that have just finished in the gym or just finished a round of golf.

There is no excuse to be living in utter filth but people have less time to be polishing their doorstep, we are tired and busy so there might be something living where it shouldn't (in our case travel suitcases in the lounge because we haven't got round to putting them in the loft)

My next door neighbour is absolutely minted, has a massive house and a really smart car. When she gets dressed up she’s absolutely stunning. 9 times out of ten she looks as rough as fuck. No idea why, but she is successful and seems happy. So before this thread I’d never really thought about it 🤷🏻‍♀️

Every time these threads come up I, ( as a non UK person) get flummoxed. Do you really not shower every day? Like get up , go to the loo, have a shower? I always thought the running theme about English people not washing was a joke, or at least from yesteryear. But it seems you really don't wash very often. Someone upthread was very proud that they washed "every other day"". How often are the rest of you washing? And what the hell is a stripwash? Is it standing in front of a sink and wiping yourself in places? WHY? Just jump in the shower.
I'm going to have to name change now aren't I ? Sorry. You do have a very pretty country though. And I am truly jealous of your lovely weather ( love the cold and rain). Are you really all so poor you can't heat your water for a few minutes? It's a wealthy country. Water can't be expensive - it rains all the time. Sorry, but to the rest of the world it seems a bit weird.
My apologies - do carry on. 😍Love the UK.