I have just come back from visiting various friends in the UK and have to admit I was appalled by the state of every house I visited bar one....

[HopeForTheJingleBells]

Not just messy, which is fine, but utter chaos and filth. Ds and I stayed over at a couple of places, and I can honestly say that I did not want ds touching the sinks as I do not think that they have ever been cleaned.
And I cannot even begin to describe the toilets.

What amazed me even more was that there was hardly enough room to walk across the living room, so strewn was it with toys, clothes (clean? dirty? impossible to tell), nappies, books, plates, dvds, boxes, folders, mugs and cups with dregs of old drinks in them.... there was often nowhere to sit except a filthy couch or broken chairs, no dining table, no coffee table.

The kitchens were disgusting. Dirty dishes on every available surface, dirty water in the sink into which various things were dipped and then left to dry on an overflowing rack, crumbs and leftover food everwhere, cooker crusted over with old food, floor so crunchy it made me feel a bit ill to walk on it in just my socks...


Basically, every place we visited (except one - and they have a cleaner, which is probably significant) was like this

Now, I am not the world's tidiest nor cleanest person. Really, I'm not. Neither is my dh.
However, there is no way on earth I would let someone into my house if it looked like that. But my house doesn't look like that. And, funnily enough, I don't know anyone here whose house looks like that.
I know people who are far messier than we are, and I know people who are much, much tidier and cleaner. But none of my friends here live in this state of squaller which seemed to be perfectly normal for my friends in England .

What was even more interesting was discussions I had with a number of people when I got back (both British and other nationalities) who all seemed unsurprised and bascially said that yes, the English were known for this


So, what is your experience? Do you notice this when you go back to the UK? How is it where you are? Or do I just happen to know some really skanky people in England :o ?

[Hulababy]

I live in England and I can assure you that this is not my experience at all. Pretty much everyone I know of various ages and stages in life have perfectly clean and normal homes. Most are not like show homes as they are livedin, but they are clean, tidy, things have homes, stuff isn;t strewn across floors and furniture and - well, they are just clean and tidy and normal.

I would be suprised to go into home and see them int he way you describe. It is not the norm at all ime.

[Francagoestohollywood]

Did your dh live with my dh in the past? He used to share a flat in Kentish Town that was a tip. The bathroom was disgusting. He and his flatmates joked that in the toilet lived a monster made of pubic hair

[SnowMuchToBits]

Lol, no Franca, he lived in Ipswich!

[Francagoestohollywood]

Ah

[allnightlong]

Funny you mention you live in Germany, I have a german friend who used to live in the UK with this sort of attitude towards UK house keeping standards. She was greatly exagerating imo because she saw mess she just assumed it was also dirty.
I would say that level of dirt is very uncommon for most adults epscially those with children.
Carpet in bathrooms maybe in older peoples homes but I know no one at all who still has carpets in bathrooms.

Certainly there is a difference in how German families keep their house and British families. We're far more relaxed in terms of mess but that doesn't mean our homes are dirty.

I find it hard to believe that you SAW all this dirt.

[HopeForTheJingleBells]

Can I just make it clear that I am not "judging a nation"? I was shocked at the four friends I visited, but when I mentioned it to friends back here (and one French friend in the UK), nobody seemed surprised as it seemed to be a bit of an assumption that the Brits are not very clean and tidy.
I then offered up this experience as a point of discussion for others who live/have lived abroad.

The whole thing did remind me very much of student digs, except that none of these people are students. The only thing I could see that they had in common is that they all have children, none of them seemed particularly bothered about the state of the house (although one did seemed generally stressed out), and they are all my friends.

So the conclusion can be that I just happen to have rather unhygienic, messy friends in the UK :o

[moondog]

I agree actually.I'm staggered at the filth and clutter in a lot of houses I go to.

[booyhohoho]

gosh, why do you have such filthy friends?

I'm surprised you chose to stay in the houses actually if tehy were as bad as you describe. me thinks you are exagerating and spoiling for a brawl!!.

[NoahAndTheWhale]

Our house is a big mess at the moment.

If anyone were to visit us it would be cleaned and tidied. I would feel embarassed for anyone to see our house the way it is now tbh.

[NoahAndTheWhale]

Which does beg the question of why it is like this. But I think that is a question not for this thread.

[booyhohoho]

there should have been a after my first line. it looks serious without it. I'm not, i was being sarky.

[Francagoestohollywood]

I agree with Magichomes. In my years in the UK I've seen houses in desperate conditions (when I was house hunting) and I agree that one of the main reasons is that house prices are so high that people can't afford to renovate them once they've bought them.

[Beamur]

I don't know anyone, uk or otherwise who live like this.
At least 2 of my chums, with kids, have homes that are beautifully clean and tidy. Mine is a bit messy and has a few skanky corners, but with 3 kids, a dog, DP and I often work from home there's a lot going on.
You just know some dirty folk.

[sparklerainbowglitter]

my house is definately clean but I do still have carpet in the downstairs loo and ensuite . Just cant afford to change it at the moment.

[notpartofthelifeplan]

If english people are known for being skanky then why the saying "An Englishmans home is his castle".

I really think you are telling porkies. I have only ever been in one skanky home in my whole life and sadly the mother had mental health issues.

[Horton]

Nappies on the floor? Erm, I am the first to admit that I am a lazy (English) slattern and my house is very much in need of a good dust but nappies on the floor is NOT normal (or even close).

[GlynistheMincePie]

The kitchens were disgusting. Dirty dishes on every available surface, dirty water in the sink into which various things were dipped and then left to dry on an overflowing rack, crumbs and leftover food everwhere, cooker crusted over with old food, floor so crunchy it made me feel a bit ill to walk on it in just my socks...


But you felt at ease enough to take off your shoes?


OP reads a tad ungrateful here, I take it you were visiting friends, not giving a bad hotel review? I hope they don't read this thread and feel their hospitality is being judged?

[HopeForTheJingleBells]

Nope, sadly am not making it up.

You can all stop getting your knickers in a twist, I am not saying that all English people are like this.

These are the relevant bits in the OP:

"What was even more interesting was discussions I had with a number of people when I got back (both British and other nationalities) who all seemed unsurprised and bascially said that yes, the English were known for this

So, what is your experience? Do you notice this when you go back to the UK? How is it where you are? Or do I just happen to know some really skanky people in England ? "

[SnowMuchToBits]

Lol, Fio my dh (whose house was a health hazard) is Scottish!