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?

i think that all matching stuff is anal and looks unfriendly. A house that IS clutteredish feels more homely and welcoming.
Well you can tell what my house is like.I agree about the loos though and the hand towels
dh likes a not too perfumed candle in the loo at least better than those stinky chemical things!

I am with bleen here, none of these bother me.
not only that, but i have never been to anyones house who HAS any of these.
what sorts of people do you lot all know ???

Do you mean you've never been to anyone's house who has dusty skirting boards etc., or you haven't been to anyone's house who hasn't?

I haven't cleaned my skirting boards since moving in here. TBH, if I saw someone with clean skirting boards (and I actually noticed), I would assume they had a cleaner

I shouldn't open these threads. Am sure I've committed all of these at one time or another It makes me never want to invite people to my house.

I don't notice the state of other people's houses unless it's particularly bad and then I assume they've been really busy. I don't like cigarette smells though...

Harsh overhead lighting. Shows ALL the above mentioned horrors off a treat. Get some nice lamps- saves you having to dust the skirting boards!

I also think the most dramatic difference you can make is to paint walls a nice colour- especially lovely when lit up by your nice new soft lamps.

Plastic toy clutter is unaesthetic and grim, but seeing as this is Mumsnet we're all pretty much doomed in that respect...

I can't be left for 5 minutes in a house without books. If you're not a reader or book owner, never invite me round and then have to answer the phone/deal with the kids or something- I'll have paced a groove in the carpet by the time you get back to the living room.

Toilets, I think it is because once you are sat there there is a moment to notice things like skirting boards and dusty pipes.

OOh ALSO if you are having guests to stay, lie in the bath (without water) when you think you have cleaned the bathroom. You will often see things that you hadn't noticed.

i've got dusty skirting boards. other peoples wouldn't bother me.
but do i normally go into someones house who has stinky cat, litter trays, dirty stuff all over, not cleaned toilets etc tec, all the things you name. nope. none of my friends have that, funnily enough.
none of our houses are spotless. but they are basically 'clean'.

My top tip is to have the hall looking good, first impression of your house will then be good.

I have a Billy shelf in the office with all the shoes in it, it made a huge difference having that out of the hall.

If you have guests coming around, make sure there is not a pile of post on a table on the hall along with odd gloves, batteries and a hair bobble. Even if you stuff it all in the nearest cupboard (as I do).

Your mismatched furniture is fine. Much nicer than straight out of a catalogue look.

Where should one put ones cat's litter tray?

I don't like houses that feel really unloved, my father's house isn't regularly cleaned and doesn't 'feel' nice, not fresh and really grubby around the edges. Was lovely when my mum lived there

Dirty towels in the loo is nasty, but no towel is a bit grim too, makes you wonder if the occupants clean thier hands?

I need some kind of huge cloakroom just for all the things that people drop as they charge through the door.

OK, so cleanliness is very very important.

Are there any style/furnishing things that make you go ouch? (I agree with carriehefferman about raising an eyebrow at loads of cushions on the bed - that always looks like such a lot of work!(

How much of a kids presence (through their stuff) is too much?

Stale smoke smell here too, animal smell, Dirty kitchens make me feel ill, damp cold smell, dirty sofas.

Don't care about miss-matched furniture, clutter, shoes in toilet, or hall (we keep every day shoes in the hall, they don't smell).

doggy smell

Just remembered something guaranteed to make you all squirm....I have a lovely lovely friend with a collie dog. Had a nice lunch with friends round hers in the summer....when we'd finished with our plates, she put them on the ground for the dog to lick clean....does it all the time, apparently.

Now, I'm a total domestic godless, but even I found that beyond the pale.

Air fresheners, especially those ones that either plug in or squirt out toxic chemicals every so many minutes.

And Cyb, my house is both cluttered and clean..... my cleaner does an excellent job!!

Cats on the table or kitchen sides...

show homes make me go bleurgh - especially if they've overdone the old "tasteful" neutrals. Your home should be personal to you, not blandly inoffensive.

Other than that I like a clean loo, with clean towels, clean sink and mirror. Will happily overlook mess or clutter in any other room.

I find squeamishness about dogs and cats one of the most awful characteristics in people. Many of dh's close relatives are like this and we've just got a puppy partly to ward it off in our own children. Obviously the stench of poo or whatever is gross, but the fact that a cat is on the table or you can smell a (healthy) dog really shouldn't be a big deal.

Well I love going into houses with cats, books everywhere, kids pictures and photos blutacked on all the surfaces, clutter, evidence that life is going on in there.

Animal smells. [vom] Mainly cats and dogs really.

Cats on worktops.