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

I'm of the 'If it's yellow, let it mellow, if it's brown, flush it down' school of thought. Unfortunately my OH often forgets the OH of that rhyme....... My new neighbour dropped round to introduce herself but was caught short and asked to use the toilet (why she couldn't wait as she only liveed next doo, I don't know).
Anyway, I didn't check the toilet beforehand as that would have immediately aroused suspician.....She came back rather quickly and asked whether we had 'problems with the drains round here'. I went to look...........v embarrassing.

Not really spoken to her since as despite our shortfalling in the bog department I still think that she was rather rude to bring it up......

When I have visitors I keep the kitchen door closed as I have a mountain of ironing on the table there. Sadly it is the unwritten law of visitors that they follow you into the kitchen when you offer to make them a drink so my dirty secret is revealed!

I once gave my mother in law a glass of orange squash, and as she was drinking it I saw one of those silver fish insects in the bottom of the glass. I quickly grabbed it from her, saying I could see a crack in the glass and gave her a fresh one.

BT engineer come to my house to sort out broadband, I was half-heart to clean up as men usually may not pay any attention to the dirty in my house!

Opened the door, I greeted very polite engineer there, SHE came in and sort it in professional way and I had to swallow my pride & assuming!

I'd spent ages making beds & tiding for sleepover guest last Christmas & thought everything was done. Everyone arrived & was having a cup of tea when we heard a few sniggers. The DC's had draped lots of pants (mine included) all over the plants & thought they were very funny! Revenge will be mine

I remember the Sky man came to install new equipment but as my tumble drier was broken and it was another rainy day, my lounge looked like a laundry with knickers and socks hanging from every available space. Most embarrassing!

Having done a quick whip round when you've been told a family member or friend is coming round at short notice - and then spending the whole time they are there thinking please don't need the bathroom because I didn't get that far - or excusing yourself to use the bathroom and quickly wiping round whilst you are up there

Having the meter reading guy visit when the room and the cupboard, with the meters in were both a complete mess because I was having a huge sort out.

The horror of guests turning up unexpected and you've sat down to watch the telly after tea and left all the dirty pots and pans in the kitchen. You go to make them a brew and they follow you into the kitchen.... No oooooo !!!!!

Well just yesterday I had someone come over to look at some furniture that they wanted to buy. I took them to my room to check out the wardrobe and dressing table and didn't realise that I had my underwear lying around until too late. Worse than that, it was a man. I'm really hoping he didn't notice but you just can't miss something like that. Embarassing or what!

Been an army wife living in QTR's I try to keep it as tidy as possible, especially as we have pets. But one sunny afternoon a lady tipped up at the door telling me she was the Estate Manager and was here to inspect my ceilings?? I wouldn't let her in until she told me why (asbestos) only to have her traipse around the whole blooming house. I hadn't been upstairs since everyone had gone to school/work and found both kids rooms in disrepair, my husbands dirty PT kit (undies included) dumped on the landing, shaving foam all over the sink and a nice big floater staring at us......to say I wasn't impressed is an understatement.

just before the sister in law and nieces turned up the dog got caught short (i wasn't listening to her) and did a dump on the dining room carpet then in walks one niece who promptly trod it into the carpet mortified wasn't the word my in laws already thought i was a bit odd now they know i am one washed shoe and carpet later i now listen to the dog all the time no matter what craziness is happening

I remember going to a childrens indoor play area once & when I went to change my sons nappy I couldn't believe how high up the changing table was! I'm 5'10 & I struggled to see what I was doing! Would have been better off changing him on the floor

I was having my kitchen remodelled but had forgotten to clean down the sides and the back of the cooker. I could have died with shock when they took it out and there was a cloth that must have been dropped by one if the grandchildren down the back and boy was it greasy. I didn't know where to put myself it was awful.

My upstairs is usually a mess so I never let anyone go up there. Downstairs is always somewhat presentable

My highest shelf in the living room, had to fetch something from it and a thick cloud of dust came off it.

I remember having some friends over and made a lasagne - there was a bit too much in the dish so ended up all around the oven. It had been clean but when my friend came in the kitchen it looked like my oven hadn't been cleaned for quite a while

In the middle of a million things, kids told me the puppy had pooed by the door. I totally forgot about it until 15 minutes later when one of my husbands clients dropped round....

Our electric meter is in the downstairs loo and whenever someone comes to read the meter youi can guarantee my small son will have left his mark...

I have the philosophy of at least keeping the hallway and living room tidy and shutting the doors on everything else if I don't have time to deal with it. On this particular day my bedroom was a glorious disaster, after weekend shenanigans, with all sorts of dubious attire, gadgets, and mostly empty bottles of booze scattered around. Anyway, I'd gone downstairs to collect the post when on my way back up the stairs I spotted a ferret in a fetching red coat standing on the landing looking at me. I had one of those blank moments where you literally don't know what the fuck is going on, then heard my downstairs neighbour calling "Fred.... Freddddddddd!" and realised that maybe I hadn't gone mental and that I had actually seen a well dressed ferret, probably going by the name of Fred.

The ensuing hour and a half of trying to catch a ferret with my neighbour in a room that stank of sex and gin has probably got to be the most mortifying experience of my life.

Don't know if it's too soon to post this, only happened last week so still cringing!

Finally finished doing up our first place so invited the in laws to see. Had been kindly given my parents old (well known brand name) oven so was showing it off to them but hadn't yet cleaned it.

Opened the electric side which only gets used at Christmas to find an eleven month old cremated chicken kebab from the party food OH cooked round theirs last year!

Don't know if they were more disgusted by us or my parents. Oops!

Was doing a deep clean of the house with a friend, pulled back the fridge and there was a (very old ) bowl of dog food that had fallen down behind- yuk! I remember thinking about a year ago (!!!) I wonder where that naughty dog has gone and hidden his bowl , turns out the poor thing just went hungry one night!! my friend thought it was hilarious!!

My friends called round once unannounced and I ended up rushing into the kitchen and putting all the dirty dishes in the cooker.

I'm always embarrassed by the state of the wall behind the cooker. My kitchen is a DIY job by the last occupant of the house and for some reason instead of nice easy clean tiles there is some sort of wooden splashback behind the cooker, sprayed with silver paint to match all the kitchen cupboards. Of course nothing washes off it so its covered in filthy looking grease stains. It looks disgusting but won't clean off. I like to keep my kitchen clean so the sight of it offends me let alone visitors!

I would consider myself to be quite clean, but not obsessively so. I have a proper clean once a week, and spend the rest of the week just keeping on top of stuff; A quick dust here, a quick wipe there and a hoover. Our home gets very dusty living so close to Heathrow and the M3, so you have to keep on top of it otherwise dust builds up.

I moved here 5 years ago, and got a new washing machine. Unfortunately because of the length of the pipes and the way the space is, it's not one you can just pull out, without lots of hassle. Fortunately our trusty washing machine has never had any issues for 5 years, so we've never had reason to pull it out, out of sight out of mind and all that.

Untill a couple of weeks ago.............

The machine started playing up and we thought it best to get someone out to look at it and give it a service.

Well, after lots of huffing and puffing for 30 mins from the engineer, taking the pipes out and trying to pull it out. To my horror when he did finally pull the machine out from it's cubby hole, the dust was horrendous. We are talking an inch thick at the top of the machine and behind the machine it looked like someone had poured the contents of the hoover bag over the back. My face flushed and i ran to get the hoover immediately with lots of apologies.