What sort of things make you go 'bleurgh' in other people's houses?

[inbuiltcolourtv]

My house is a bit messy but also desperately short of style. It's going to take years for it to be how I want it to be. In the meantime I'm trying to work out what to focus on first in the way of just making it seem a bit... nicer. I've just been wondering about the sorts of things people might notice in a house that I might not. What would you just not notice, notice but not care about, notice but go 'bleurgh' to, or dislike so much it puts you off the person?

E.g... do you notice dust on skirting boards and pictures or only on obvious surfaces? Is it naff to have a hoover in a corner of the hall where people can see it? How much does having mismatched furniture matter if it looks like you could afford to have it matching? Is it a bit crap not to have any kind of 'design' to any room? Does a downstairs toilet full of smelly teenage trainers matter?

What sort of thing in a house most puts you off someone, even though they may not realize it's offputting? I just feel like my whole house is embarrassing and I can't work out what to fix first - what's most urgent and what doesn't really matter?

dirty toilet. that has obv been dirty for some time.

I wouldn't be fussed about the style or design of a room as long as its clean. And I do unfortunately notice skirtings etc etc. I wish I could be more relaxed in my own home but I can't!

My house puts me off houses full stop! It is a disgrace. But in answer to your question: Cat litter tray in the kitchen! Cat food near the dinner table (even if on floor). Unclean worksurfaces in kitchen. Dirty microwave plate or door. Tin opener that hasnt been washed and all gungy around the blade. I do not mind any mess or clutter if clean. I do not notice dust. A hoovered floor is always more impressive to me than a dusted shelf. Dirty washing up around the sink is offputting.

those awful air fresheners that squirt out choking chemicals at random intervals - they make me think bleugh!

I'd rather have stinky trainers that that

I've been in very stylish, coordinated houses that have no soul, I've been in very cluttered houses that were much more comfortable and welcoming.

I don't care about matching furniture / decor. I'm more interested to see if they have books on display. I'm always suspicious of houses with no books

Yes, agree to dirty for some time loos. Very horrible indeed. Especially if they are also smelly like really, really old wee

agree with mayor, dirty toilet is big turn off. Actually so is a dirty bathroom, I mean where the sink is caked in grime, can't see in the mirror properly, funny smell etc...
I wouldn't even notice mismatched furniture etc tbh!

Clutter. Squiffy smell.

Declutter (easier said than done I know) and add a few nice plants - it will make a huge difference.

Well, nothing puts me off a house in terms of style. In fact I'd think rather more of a person whose house was a bit scruffy.

What does put me off is dirt. Bil and sil's house's downstairs loo has clearly not seen a decent clean in months - such that I can't bear to sit on it, let alone use the hand towel (v damp and well-used looking).

Oh yes, air fresheners are truly horrible. DH has to have one in his company car so I refuse to go in it now.

I like looking at people's photos and books!

I often don't even remember that i have skirting boards so clean them would be a miracle.

I notice dirty toilets and sinks and clutter too obv but i don't mind that
f someone is coming over i will have a quick whizz round and check the loo (DS2 has POOR toilet habits), hall (because its the first room people see) and make a neat pile of some of the clutter (because it looks neater until it all falls down )

This sort of thread on MN is why I never invite adults around to mine -- by the time everyone has finished listing their pet hates, there won't be any spaces in my house that wouldn't offend somebody!
...
And personally for me I'm put off by horrendous untidiness and filthy floors; carpets that are thick with dust, or lots and lots (and LOTS) of stuff everywhere that looks like it ought to be thrown away/recycled/put away, etc.

Most of friends have pristine houses (mush to my embarressment as mine isn't) But from your list, no it wouldn't bother me about a hoover or ironing board etc being somewhere you can see it.

I would probably notice the skirting boards if they were close to where I was sitting but wouldn't notice them generally through the house.

I tend to notice under people's sofa's if they are the type that have legs so they aren't flat on the floor.

Mismatched furniture wouldn't matter as long as it was clean and not stained or dirty.

Wouldn't be too keen on the smelly trainers in downstairs toilet but wouldn't put me off visiting just a bit yuck.

Also i find at my house we never close the bathroom door but obviously visitors do so I have to check there hasn't been a load of dust build up behind there as I just tend to forget about the corner that is behind the door.

Pet smells. Perhaps because I grew up in a house full of animals and it was always a bit whiffy.

Dirty loo would bother me. If it was a house with lots of small children like mine though I would probably think that it was a small child who had left skid marks/toothpaste all over sink etc and it wouldn't really bother me.

Washing up doesn't bother me - I would always stack mine up neatly though. Skirting boards don't bother me

I always notice nice paint colours. Nice photos and pictures up, even if they're dusty. I think decluttering is a really good start.

What exactly do you think is wrong with your house? Is it more that it's messy or that it doesn't match or what exactly?

having said dirty loo ds has a nasty habit of dropping a lingering load before he goes to school which i invariably only notice after visitors have left

"I'm always suspicious of houses with no books "

Ditto.

Don't much care about anything else, other than a clean loo with a clean(ish) hand towel.

if it's too clean and tidy
if there isn't enough stuff to make it feel lived in, loved in and like a home

None of what you mention matters to me.

I think it would be the smell that I'd find most bleugh. Any whiff of dog, trainers, urine, smoke, damp etc.

A bit of mess wouldn't bother me as long as it wasn't plates of half-eaten mouldy food, or dirty underwear.

Dust is fine, but I don't want to see everything caked in animal fur/hairs. Then I'll just be picturing them scratching their fleas and licking their genitals. I don't want to sit on a sofa covered in animal juices.

I don't like seeing dry, parched plants with limp leaves - just makes me want to water them.

And if you're cooking for me I like the kitchen to be reasonably clean.

Mismatched furniture can look pretty cool. But if a house has magnolia walls (esp with woodchip paper underneath) and white woodwork, along with an old people style sofa, it does look like a student house.

Piles of gubbins and clothes lying about. I am always in hand to hand combat myself with this so I shouldn't criticise anyone else, but I hate it.

Other than that smells are what I notice. Especially doggy ones or stale cooking like yesterdays frying.

I have no feelings about hoovers or ironing boards on show.

Dirty bathroom.

Dust on the skirting boards I wouldn't notice but dirt in the corners/skirting boards of rooms (ie they haven't cleaned to the sides of the room for months/years) always makes the room look uncared for no matter how clean everything else is.

I hate dirty dishes in the sink, especially if they're sitting in a couple of inches of cold, greasy water. Dh does this all the time grrrrrr.

I'd admire a room with nice furniture/decor but wouldn't be bothered about old furniture unless it's a chair/sofa with that greasy feel of 5 years of sticky fingers and loads of crumbs [boak]

Brown stuff under water line in loo

Filthy tea towels

Flat ancient pillows

yellow pee spots on rim of loo

carpet in bathroom

dirty kitchen floor

cracked gray bar of unloved soap by sink

Dirty mugs. The sort that have allegedly been washed but are so encased in tea stains that you might as well not have bothered.

Thanks for the interesting replies. The problem in our house is clutter, really, and the dust it attracts, and people's stuff everywhere! But under all the clutter, the furniture is also a bit of a mixed bag and I wonder if more organized, stylish people who like decorating houses look down on me rather. I suspect without the clutter it may look studentish .

I've got a horrible feeling that cantsupinate is right and everything will turn out to be someone's pet hate! But it looks as though dirt in any form is one big one - we're not too bad there but not perfect, either.

I should put in my main pet hate in other people's houses I suppose - that's no soap or a dirty toilet. So soap, clean toilet, clean hand towel are top here, but my skirting boards are utterly shameful .

Lots of books here though

Houses cannot be cluttered AND clean IMHO

Dirty bins

Soap with hairs on

Semi circular mats around toilets

Knitted things over loo rolls.

Dirty dish clothes

Yellow net curtains

I have to carry out landlord inspections on houses and I have to really reign myself in sometimes not to report style
issues of mine rather than proper issues.