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Housekeeping

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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:
TerryChoc · 15/02/2022 01:20

Never heard of judgement against no books! We have mass amount but all ours in our bedrooms bar a few children's books in their toy area downstairs. This has baffled me as I would not expect general guest to go mooching about our bedrooms for no reason Confused.
Other than that I really wouldn’t judge a house unless it was potentially hazardous.

jytdtysrht · 15/02/2022 01:25

I don’t really judge ordinary homes. I don’t like things that are dangerous or excessively filthy to a biohazard type standard though.

StoppinBy · 15/02/2022 01:25

I would judge things that impacted me... for example, a strong 'litter tray' smell that I have to breathe in or hair all over the furniture where I am expected to sit.

KneadingKitty · 15/02/2022 01:25

Until very recently all of my books were in my bedroom. I don't particularly even like them being in the living room now because I think it looks messy.
If someone was pretentious enough not to feel comfortable without the presence of books they certainly wouldn't be a friend of mine.

LHReturns · 15/02/2022 01:26

@thefirstmrsrochester

Astroturf in the garden, these signs with gushy sentiments about family love, over abundance of scented things - candies, wax melts, infusers etc.
Hehehehhe - all this! plus enormous TV screens. Too many ‘storage solutions’. Carpet in bathroom. Loo mats (go around base of loo). Dust ruffles / bed skirt things. Rock hard towels. Andrex wet wipes in loo. Febreze. Overly complicated Sonos sound systems that never work. Photo frames cluttering every surface. Any kind of pleather wipe down sofa. Those push back armchairs with cup holders etc.
Silverswirl · 15/02/2022 01:30

Massive tv unless you have a cinema room.
No dining table
Clean mirrored furniture when the family has kids
No toys in the lounge / living space when the family has kids
So much stuff on the floor (not toys, more clothes, rubbish, other stuff) that you can walk across the floor easily.
Carpet that is so dirty that when you walk across you have to pick bits off your feet afterwards
Beds without a headboard
Duvets without covers esp in kids rooms

Nowayoutonlydown · 15/02/2022 01:31

I'm awful, I really avoid going into people's homes because I'm so judgemental!
I think its part of my OCD that means I judge myself like crazy, and my impossible standards mean that I in turn judge others the same way.

Dirty windows, dirty doors, dirty skirting boards.
Smells that don't come from cooking or cleaning products.
Dirty toilets.
Dirty carpets, dirty walls.
Mess, clutter.

And PILs bathroom. There's mould in the silicone.. its too much!

Maybe this is all a sign I have a lot of work to do on my MH still! But I don't understand how any of the above doesn't overwhelm people

Lifeismeh · 15/02/2022 01:45

Floors.
A clean hoovered/mopped floor does wonders for a home. Clutter doesn’t bother me but obvious dirt does 😂

ElEmEnOhPee · 15/02/2022 01:48

I think the only time I judge is if the person has several children and the house is immaculate all the time. I know some people can keep a tidy house with children but in my experience it's because the kids are being barked at 24/7, not allowed to bake or have messy play, no bath bombs, no slime, no glitter, no play doh etc and I find it quite sad.

Mamanyt · 15/02/2022 01:50

The only things I judge are obviously filthy kitchens and bathrooms. My own house is clean, but I do not dust. I don't care about dust.

MiracleBaby2022 · 15/02/2022 02:00

Just dirt really. I don't mind other peoples mess and different decor taste etc, but dirt and grime... no thank you!

TrickyToPickUsername4644 · 15/02/2022 02:03

Everyone mentioning cats on the work surfaces...... do you realise cats do what they want and as soon as you leave the room they jump back on them Confused nobody encourages their cats to climb the kitchen surfaces but there's not much you can do about it aside from clean the sides religiously

birdglasspen · 15/02/2022 02:07

Why would you judge toys dominating a living room?! My living room is small and could be more accurately described as a playroom 😂. All I need in there is a chair, the kids are welcome to use the space for playing and I don’t see the point of tidying their creations away each day when they are still in use. I’m sure the start of this post mentioned light hearted. Well as a mother of three under 5’s who struggles to keep on top of house I feel like utter crap, won’t be letting anyone in the house now! I do have books though....you might stand on some Lego on your way to view them though!

Bootothegoose · 15/02/2022 02:09

When people have hard wood floors and they’re so dirty it stains your socks black (looking at my sister)…

Also hate when people with pets refeed them out of dirty bowls with dried on food/water is thick with fur or when cats have cat litter that is so soiled it’s soggy. Really puts me off not just the house but the people. Look after your bloody pets. Wash the bowl once a day/put less litter in and change it every couple of days.

Bootothegoose · 15/02/2022 02:11

I also actively judge my own husband whenever he cleans because it’s never up to my ridiculous standard. I’ve been fake smiling for nearly twenty years and I’ve gotten rather good.

TeaAndBiscuitsAndWine · 15/02/2022 02:24

@KneadingKitty

Until very recently all of my books were in my bedroom. I don't particularly even like them being in the living room now because I think it looks messy. If someone was pretentious enough not to feel comfortable without the presence of books they certainly wouldn't be a friend of mine.
Why do you see it as pretentious when someone admits that certain things make them feel more comfortable?
BigPantsLittlePants · 15/02/2022 02:30

Dirty loos.
Nothing else really, I couldn't give a toss how someone's house is. In fact I'm more comfortable if someone's house is a bit messy than pristine.

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz this stuff is brilliant (take it from someone with several cats and a nose like a bloodhound - it's actually really annoying, I'm obsessed with smells!) cat odour removing spray

Snoozer11 · 15/02/2022 02:36

I can't stand this pretentiousness of judging people who don't have books on show in their house.

I remember reading once that Sue Perkins from Bake Off would enter your home and judge you based on your reading material - and would instantly decide whether or not you were worth her time based on that alone.

And yet her girlfriend was the host of Naked Attraction.

Kanaloa · 15/02/2022 02:36

Why do you see it as pretentious when someone admits that certain things make them feel more comfortable?

I think if someone was insistent that they couldn’t feel comfortable without being surrounded by paper books I’d presume they were either trying to show off how ‘literary’ they were (oh I just NEED to have paper books around me) or they were a bit odd and need to have their surroundings be familiar to them at all times.

Liking to see books I understand. I enjoy reading myself and read a lot for uni and for pleasure! Incapable of feeling ‘comfortable’ without them in the room I don’t understand. What are you sitting there unable to relax because you can’t see a stack of paperback books in the corner? It just sounds silly.

EveryFlightBeginsWithAFall · 15/02/2022 02:38

I have that and the stuff you shake on the cat litter

Have never managed to keep mine off the sides though

Iwannabewherethepeopleare · 15/02/2022 03:13

Animal smells, dirt. That’s all I care about is that I’m not sitting in dirt. The book thing is ridiculous. I’m not getting books out on display so I can impress guests a couple of times a year. There is no point. And any well read person should surely be clever enough to realise people can read without showing off about it. It’s like having cutlery out on a rack or in a drawer. Personal choice. It’s not particularly pretty, does it need a viewing space?

chiickenandchiips · 15/02/2022 03:34

I have a friend who is absolutely lovely, her kids are clean and smart, they eat well etc.

But her house is horrendous.

It smells like cat wee. There are slug trails all over the carpet. Mould/damp walls. It's very messy and dirty, mostly from cats but also from lack of motivation to sort it out.

She's constantly on a mission to sort her house out but she never does. Every time I go there's no change at all.

I do silently judge her for not making her home more clean and pleasant but i get that she is overwhelmed and doesn't know where to start and doesn't have any spare money.

I don't mind mess, toys out, shoes and coats around, paperwork needing filing, folded washing to put away etc. But my house has to be clean. I like it to smell nice and be a comfortable place to wind down at the end of the day.

SmorgasBorb · 15/02/2022 03:43

Big Lazyboy type sofas and armchairs
Massive tellies in children's bedrooms
Feature walls
Walls adorned with Massive posed framed photographs of the family that live there
'Live laugh love', 'eat', 'it's always gin o'clock in this house' etc
No grapefruit spoons

Marvellousmadness · 15/02/2022 04:19

Toilet with skit marks.
And animal feaces. Or dirty diapers

Anything else:nah

Pembertonrd · 15/02/2022 04:31

I’ve only ever judged one home.
It was immaculately clean.
But the dc had no toys, books or anything cosy in their bedrooms.
All of their possessions other than clothes were downstairs in the playroom. Their bedrooms had none of their own personality in there.
It was the most Victorian attitude.
I felt so sorry for those dc.

Give me dirt and chaos in a cosy home any day.

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