Caught out by a dirty room or appliance? Tell Kärcher for the chance to win a £250 John Lewis voucher NOW CLOSED

[AngelieMumsnet]

Kärcher would like to find out about moments where you've been caught out by a dirty appliance or room.

Here’s what Kärcher say, “We’ve all been caught out when visitors drop by unannounced and cringed when they pop in to find the house in disarray, what we would like to know is what has been you most embarrassing moment?”

So, have you ever been caught out with a dirty room? Maybe you noticed a hideous cobweb just as you had visitors over? Or maybe someone caught sight of your dirty oven? Perhaps you noticed something floating in your kettle, just as you were making a cup of tea for a guest?

Whatever way you've been caught out, Kärcher would love to hear about it!

Everyone who adds their thoughts to the thread will be entered into a prize draw to win a £250 John Lewis voucher.

Please note that any comments posted on this thread may be used by Kärcher in further marketing material (anonymously, of course).

Thanks and good luck,

MNHQ

my mother in law visiting when the i had been having a clear out and the room was trashed

Inside the microwave

MY son found a wine glass in his toy box. Oops. I'd balanced it there, empty of course, the night before.

Unbeknown to me, my toddler had managed to locate my tampon stash and poke them in the sofa crevices. Awkward discovery by my Dad that evening!

I tend to dump everything in the cupboard under the stairs!

We had our house on the market and some people came round to view it. We cleaned and tidied beforehand, but didn't have much time, so did the most noticeable surfaces. When I was showing them the bedrooms I noticed a huge cobweb hanging from the ceiling - you couldn't miss it! I pretended it didn't exist!

The bathroom is via a utility area where we keep the detergents and washer/dryer. I had a small op and was lying around the sitting room in a dressing gown when the doorbell went. It was a group of mothers from the school, none of whom I knew well, with flowers and smiles. Which faltered a bit when they saw the state of the sitting room (think bombs, with few survivors), probably disappeared completely when they went to make a cup of tea (I'd not loaded the dishwasher from breakfast, nor wiped the table of the crumb tsunami) and then when one by one they went to the loo, I could see genuinely perturbed faces. Which baffled me a bit as the bathroom is always pretty spotless, and I'd asked my Mum to clean it for me just the night before.

I later realised DS had tried to create a snow scene with the washing powder, all over the floor of the utility area. They'd had to crunch their way over it to reach the loo. Where he had taken all the loo roll away, so he could wrap his teddies in them to create mummies for Hallowe'en.

I never plucked up the courage to explain. Several probably think the house always looks like that, we never provide loo roll, and leave detergent spills where they fall.

I had some friends round for dinner, before hand I had spent ages getting everything clean. My friend was helping me to dish up, I asked her to get the plates out which she did but I was horrified to see a few of the plates had bits of food on them, I hadn't checked them when I'd got them out of the dishwasher!!! I always check now.

When the children were younger, the house was always untidy. In my opinion, I could often be found reading them a book surrounded by lots of lego and books all over the floor.

My flat is permanently messy, I always tell visitors that I'm in the process of decorating and renovating, which is kind of the truth, It's just been going on for years though.

When I was pregnant I ambitiously had guests round in our new house for Sunday lunch. They turned up 40 minutes early while I was still in the middle of chaos cooking and in a sweaty frenzied mess! I had to go and have a cry in the bathroom before composing myself and just tidying up around them. They will have heard me too as it's not a mansion, the walls are thin and I was wailing something along the lines of 'why are they here? They're early, no ones ever early!'

put the dishes in the bowl and put them under the sink

when people are due round we throw everything in my bedroom out of sight out of mind :)

When my boyfriends parents turned up with him un announced and my kitchen was a mess! I hadnt met them before either! She even helped me clean up! so embarrasing. We are now engaged though :)

I had a tiff with my husband over housework and decided to go on strike on the very day the health visitor decided to visit, cringe!

came home after a two week holiday, son was supposed to be cleaning the house etc cats had only brought in a mouse which died under one of the chairs, son never cleaned up. We had just got back when inlaws arrived to see us and cat proceeded to bring out the mouse from her hiding place, I was mortified!

My friend's mum (who is a really nosey woman) insisted on coming in to look around our newish house. We were in our twenties, no kids at the time, and used to be a bit slack on the housework front. The house was a complete bombsite - seriously every room. I was mortified.

Twenty years on, we're now proper grown ups and keep our house quite tidy/clean. I feel like ringing this woman up and asking her round. Whenever I see her (not often) I feel like she's judging me!

Oh, the day we had relatives visit who don't like animals. We've always defended our cats but I could have strangled them that day. Between answering the door and getting to the living room, one of them had managed to leave a trail of sick right across the room . . .

I had terrible morning sickness with dd2. I just used to vomit without warning.
Ds had had an accident where he had touched the bulb of a lamp.
We had a visit from the health visitor to check the house after his a and e visit.
There was a knock at the door and dp lets her in just as I was running to the patio doors mid vomit.
Cue splattered door and a less than impressed looking health visitor.
Luckily she understood but I was mortified.

My daughter having a toilet training accident and attempting to conceal the evidence in various hiding places around the house, just as the guests start to arrive.

We had the landlord round for a visit and the kids had drawn a picture on the hall wall. Oh dear! x

I never know, with a 10 year old boy, how the toilet will look if a guest arrives unannounced! The state I have found it in after one poor person entered it was not pretty!

Every time my landlord arranges a last minute house viewing for a potential buyer!

When we first moved in I was working two jobs & my fiancé was working long hours in London, needless to say our housework was left on the back burner. One weekend when I had just come back from shopping, after an especially busy week, a big group of his family (aunty, uncle, cousins etc) decided to drop in unannounced to see the new house. I was mortified, there were shoes everywhere in our hallway, glasses all over the sideboard & the house hadn't been vacuumed for days, I wanted to crawl into a little ball & die of embarrassment!!

We have a spare bedroom where we store all the things we 'need' but have no space for! The door is normally kept shut but one day when friends were round and one went to the bathroom I heard a massive 'WOW hoarder or what!' My face when she came down.....