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Original poster

Be honest! What things do you judge in other people’s houses?

623 replies

Teaandsleep · 14/02/2022 21:07

Just a fun post.

Recently doing a huge renovation in our own home and am absolutely mortified at the dust everywhere, I keep having visions of visitors coming to the door and seeing all the dust everywhere, it is thick!

I also currently have a spatula sticking out my down pipe drain as we have just unblocked it and it’s to catch any old leaves/moss until it’s replaced 🤣

OP posts:
MoanyMo · 16/02/2022 22:32

@Bouledeneige

Smell of animals or smoke. Poor cooking hygiene (yes I'm talking about you DSis using the same cutting board for cutting up salad as you did for raw chicken).
🤢🤢🤢
Violinist64 · 16/02/2022 22:36

@FoggySpecs

Cats smell lovely.
They really don’t.
Cheekypeach · 16/02/2022 22:55

You’re wrong there @Violinist64 it’s just the owners go nose blind

They reek

MummyMayo1988 · 16/02/2022 23:48

The toilet! If I go in there and theres a skiddy - 🤮
The loo in my own home is the last thing i check! Clean/wipe the seat and bowl and chuck some bleach down there for good measure. Also light a candle. My eldest DS (12) is notorious for leaving skids in the loo; despite showing him repeatedly how to clean it.

Harmonypuss · 16/02/2022 23:59

I wouldn't dream of being judgemental of other people's homes because I'd hate to think of them doing it with mine.

AnAverageMum · 17/02/2022 00:26

Bathroom smelling of pee 🤮

Dog hair on everything

Excessive dirt, like a bath/toilet/microwave that hasn’t been cleaned in months.

Cigarette/dog smell

I can respect mess, we all live in our houses… but dirt & filth makes me want to run out the door!

Franticbutterfly · 17/02/2022 00:29

@Workinghardeveryday

Why would you judge someone for not having books? I don’t get it!! Maybe the books are out of sight so the house doesn’t look like a library.....

We have books, lots. None are ‘on show’. That’s just messy

Same, all my physical books are in a cupboard. The rest are in my phone/iPad.
me109f · 17/02/2022 01:23

Smells.. offensive ones.
Fish, cigarette smoke, poo and urine smells, mould and damp.
Unfortunately people adjust to their own smelly environment and don't notice.
Dirtyness is also a turn off. I don't judge untidyness or bad taste decors, but I like to see attention to hygeine, food spillages and a sink full of dirty dishes is disappointing.

Susu49 · 17/02/2022 01:59

Oh boy, wearing my hard hat here...

I'd love a library. Really, really love one.

But I would judge you if I went to your very ordinary, suburban house where you had turned your spare room into a 'library'.

I know, I know! What else are you supposed to call it? But a house needs to be of a certain size to get away with it!

RachaelN · 17/02/2022 04:47

@crackofdoom

Houses with massive TVs but no books.
We have a big TV, and no books on show. Yet we all read and the majority of the time the telly is off. This is why we don't invite people into our home 😂 cos people are judgy for no reason.
ItsCanardBruv · 17/02/2022 06:23

@me109f

Smells.. offensive ones. Fish, cigarette smoke, poo and urine smells, mould and damp. Unfortunately people adjust to their own smelly environment and don't notice. Dirtyness is also a turn off. I don't judge untidyness or bad taste decors, but I like to see attention to hygeine, food spillages and a sink full of dirty dishes is disappointing.
You what? You JUDGE people for eating fish? 😂
pictish · 17/02/2022 08:01

@me109f

Smells.. offensive ones. Fish, cigarette smoke, poo and urine smells, mould and damp. Unfortunately people adjust to their own smelly environment and don't notice. Dirtyness is also a turn off. I don't judge untidyness or bad taste decors, but I like to see attention to hygeine, food spillages and a sink full of dirty dishes is disappointing.
Gosh…please don’t ever visit me. We eat fish on the regular and I’d hate to disappoint your high standards. We sometimes have dirty dishes in the sink as well. I don’t think we could be friends.
AlwaysLatte · 17/02/2022 08:08

Top ones are probably astroturf and cigarettes in the house.

DrSbaitso · 17/02/2022 08:09

@Cheekypeach

You’re wrong there *@Violinist64* it’s just the owners go nose blind

They reek

They shouldn't, if they're fit, healthy and go outside. Cat wee/poo does smell terrible (no animal produces Chanel No 5-scented urine or faeces), but if they don't wee or poo indoors, there's no reason that should be a problem. Cats are extremely fastidious creatures by nature, and if they smell, it's usually a sign of illness or being unable to clean themselves. They do not want to leave scent behind that could be used to trace them.

Clean fur does have a pleasant smell, like clean hair, but you have to be quite close to get it.

The anti-flea stuff smells a bit, but while it's not exactly perfume, it's not unpleasant - just a bit medicinal - and fades after a day or so.

pictish · 17/02/2022 08:09

Seriously, all the posts claiming they judge someone if they don’t have books. How childish, small and full of yourself can you be? And yes…unimaginative. They might have a kindle, they might have difficulty reading books, they might simply prefer to use the space for something else like me. A wall of dusty novels is NO indication of worth or value…and if you don’t understand that, I suggest you do some reading.
Pompous fools.

Perfectlystill · 17/02/2022 08:15

Cats on surfaces
The smell of cats
No windows open
The headachey smell of air freshener

DrSbaitso · 17/02/2022 08:18

Usually, when someone is intelligent, you don't need to check the size of their television or bookshelves to work it out if you're reasonably sharp yourself.

And even then they can surprise you. I have a "mum friend" who is very slim, blonde and pretty, with big blue eyes and a rather slow way of speaking. She also tends to let you lead fthe conversation, so you won't find out much about her unless you ask. People assume she's thick all the time. I absolutely love it when she's chatting to someone who doesn't know her very well, and they discover she's a microbiologist, head of a lab and has carried out research on Covid.

Her house is quite small. She has a few books but they're all upstairs. She doesn't really read fiction, just journals and textbooks related to her field, and she can generally get access to those at work.

Perfectlystill · 17/02/2022 08:20

@Headabovetheparakeet

I love staying with friends. But it's no good if you have to bring your own books every time. One of the joys of staying with friends is having unfamiliar bookcases to rifle through on a wet day or a long dark evening.

You're not a heroine in a gothic novel, love.

🤣🤣🤣
pictish · 17/02/2022 08:26

Here’s what I think about other people’s houses. Do I feel welcome? Can I be myself in that person’s company? Is there a kettle on?

I don’t give a fuck about dust or a toilet that needs a good clean. I couldn’t care less if they had fish last night or if the bin is overflowing. If you have a dog I’ll expect your place to smell doggy and I won’t care a jot. Dog hair on the rug…so what? You like a fly fag out the window - up to you. Stuff everywhere? It can be hard to keep on top of it when you’re busy. Cat on the worktop - hello puss. Just an unenthusiastic housekeeper? Ya me too.

Do they serve coffee and make me laugh? Cool then.

Nietzschethehiker · 17/02/2022 09:07

Like other PP I'm somewhat being entertained by those who are outing themselves as judgemental and not actually as a voracious reader as they think they are. If you came into the rooms in my home that visitors are welcomed into you may see the kindles and the library books . That's it.

In the private areas upstairs you see rows upon rows of bookcases (but noone ever sees that because its our sleeping private areas. Noone is going to be invited into that area). You would see the stacked bookcases lining the walls of my study, the piles of books by the side of our beds. You would see the three bookcases in dc bedroom (you still wouldn't see the rotated books in the attic because we physically do not have the room for the amount of books we have to be on display).

You wouldn't see the 5 books ds1 thinks I don't know are stashed under his pillow for reading , nor the quietly hidden pile that ds1 needs to know is there because they are currently the special books. Or the three cupboards filled with books in the dc room.

I assure you if you came into the area that visitors do (and with respect the only place people are allowed) you wouldn't see barely any books and you would be remarkably stupid to assume. The books are where they are because we read them and dont feel the need to display them as a wierd token of intellectualism. I don't care if you see them.

Most readers keep books handy where they physically read. But shockingly visitors are bot ever invited into dc rooms, my bedroom or my study.

TakeSomeMoreTea · 17/02/2022 09:08

@Kanaloa

You never go to your mates' houses in summer?

Summer doesn’t really fit the literary academic aesthetic dear. It’s about wearing wool sweaters and drinking tea and reading books while the rain beats the windows of the old mansion. It’s not really a summer kind of thing.

Although surely visiting a friend to stay you could either bring your own book or (rather than wandering the hallways searching for books) talk to the friends you’re staying with?

Your posts really make me laugh. Thank you.

The book thing is hilarious. My Brother watches documentaries all the time but doesn't read. I read when I have time but I do not think I'm better than him.

Woahthehorsey · 17/02/2022 09:22

@DrSbaitso

Usually, when someone is intelligent, you don't need to check the size of their television or bookshelves to work it out if you're reasonably sharp yourself.

And even then they can surprise you. I have a "mum friend" who is very slim, blonde and pretty, with big blue eyes and a rather slow way of speaking. She also tends to let you lead fthe conversation, so you won't find out much about her unless you ask. People assume she's thick all the time. I absolutely love it when she's chatting to someone who doesn't know her very well, and they discover she's a microbiologist, head of a lab and has carried out research on Covid.

Her house is quite small. She has a few books but they're all upstairs. She doesn't really read fiction, just journals and textbooks related to her field, and she can generally get access to those at work.

Rooms guests would visit in such as living room and kitchen diner only have kids books in (and a huge TV), so I suspect most people don't think we have books. The truth is that our 4th bedroom/ office is actually more like a library - book shelves full of books on 2 out of 4 walls but as it's on the 2nd floor it's not a room people even pop their head in.
FortVictoria · 17/02/2022 09:31

@pictish

Here’s what I think about other people’s houses. Do I feel welcome? Can I be myself in that person’s company? Is there a kettle on?

I don’t give a fuck about dust or a toilet that needs a good clean. I couldn’t care less if they had fish last night or if the bin is overflowing. If you have a dog I’ll expect your place to smell doggy and I won’t care a jot. Dog hair on the rug…so what? You like a fly fag out the window - up to you. Stuff everywhere? It can be hard to keep on top of it when you’re busy. Cat on the worktop - hello puss. Just an unenthusiastic housekeeper? Ya me too.

Do they serve coffee and make me laugh? Cool then.

Love this!
Justploddingon · 17/02/2022 09:33

Hee, hee that is so me! I have a fake Banksy on my lounge wall and I love it 😀

22Newnames · 17/02/2022 10:44

@caranations

I was just going to say a house with no books, but somebody beat me to it.
This amuses me. So you’d judge me as you see no books downstairs I assume. What you don’t know is that our landing is full of bookshelves all the way down one side. But because I don’t display them to you downstairs I am judged. How ridiculous.