Have you ever gone into someone's home that was really filthy and...

[Muenkel 0]

...been offered something to drink or eat?

This happened to me recently. It was a friend of a friend's. Really nice people, but their house is absolutely disgusting. I couldn't even describe the odor. There was not a clear spot on any countertop, table, floor, etc. I could barely breathe. All I could concentrate on was when the hell I was going to get out of there. They offered me something to eat and drink and I politely turned them down. Bleh!

Why do you suppose people live like that?

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Chris

[JeepDiver 0]

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Why do you suppose people live like that?

They might be dirtbags?

[Muenkel 0]

This was more than just being a dirtbag. There's a difference between messy and downright disgusting. This place was disgusting. I felt my shoes sticking to the floors.

Is this a form of depression or mental illness?

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Chris

[RALFFERS 0]

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Is this a form of depression or mental illness?

[RED][B]DING DING DING!![/RED][/B] "C'moNNNNNNN dowNNNNNNNN" (think Bob Barker)

Dialogue/commentary between Divot, Twardo & myself -

"from your first Oshkosh when the three of us were riding to or from one of

[Shell666 0]

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This was more than just being a dirtbag. There's a difference between messy and downright disgusting. This place was disgusting. I felt my shoes sticking to the floors.

Is this a form of depression or mental illness?

Is the place a rental? Some people just don't care if it's not "their place" (even though renting means it's "your" place).

My guess ... they're dirtbags and just don't give a rats ass about anything.

I'd stay away. And tell your friend why you are.

My house is not the least "uncluttered" place you'd find (nor the newest so the floors and walls leave something to be desired) but I wash my floors every week and try and keep everything clean despite the "stuff" laying around. Guess it depends on the person. My friends understand that the "stuff" laying around isn't because I'm not clean.

Some people just don't care. Which is sad.

'Shell

[Muenkel 0]

No, they actually own the house and it's not an old house either. I have no reason to return there as they are my friend's friend. I was with him and he needed to stop there for a few minutes. I made the mistake of going in with him.

The really weird thing is, the outside of the house looks totally fine. No junk lieing around. The landscaping was decent. Just completely gross inside.

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Chris

[jtval 0]

When My friends would leave messes behind the standard saying was:
"What, do you think this is your home or some other dirty place?"

My photos

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[Shell666 0]

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No, they actually own the house and it's not an old house either. I have no reason to return there as they are my friend's friend. I was with him and he needed to stop there for a few minutes. I made the mistake of going in with him.

The really weird thing is, the outside of the house looks totally fine. No junk lieing around. The landscaping was decent. Just completely gross inside.

Then they just don't give a rats ass. Which, as I said, is sad.

Why someone would let one of their most valuable assets deteriorate is beyond me.

I just have a hard time dealing with people that have something and just don't care about it.

As you do. Since you posted about this.

Some people just don't know how good they have it (owning a property). Like I said ... it's sad.

My house is old, has no baseboards (for now) but I'm working on it. And that feels GOOD.

Chris, be happy you appreciate living in a really good environment. And be happy you don't have to go back there.

'Shell

[Muenkel 0]

I was raised to keep the house clean. Right now my desk is a bit cluttered with paperwork I need to go through and file. It's driving me nuts. I'll clean it up tomorrow.

There are different kinds of messiness.

Messy but clean: Bathrooms, floors, kitchen, carpeting are all maintained but the newspaper may be tossed on the table, mail may be laying out, folded laundry may not be put away yet, etc.

Filthy is when the bathroom, kitchen, floors, furniture are disgusting.

Clutter is a different story. If like you said, the floors and the rest of the house are cleaned regularly, that's not filthy.

I've been in homes that were old like yours, not decorated in the latest styles, furniture mismatched; but the house overall was very clean. You aren't afraid to sit on the furniture or eat there.

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Chris

[Shell666 0]

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I was raised to keep the house clean. Right now my desk is a bit cluttered with paperwork I need to go through and file. It's driving me nuts. I'll clean it up tomorrow.

There are different kinds of messiness.

Messy but clean: Bathrooms, floors, kitchen, carpeting are all maintained but the newspaper may be tossed on the table, mail may be laying out, folded laundry may not be put away yet, etc.

Filthy is when the bathroom, kitchen, floors, furniture are disgusting.

Clutter is a different story. If like you said, the floors and the rest of the house are cleaned regularly, that's not filthy.

I've been in homes that were old like yours, not decorated in the latest styles, furniture mismatched; but the house overall was very clean. You aren't afraid to sit on the furniture or eat there.

I don't recall saying my furniture was mismatched!


I agree with you on the floors and furniture. In my house, they're as clean as they can be with 2 cats and a dog that all shed. I have hair on the furniture (which I vacuum every week) and there are the hair "tumble weeds" on my hardwood floors that I try and grab between vacuuming.

You visit, you get to deal with the hair. You visit, I can "almost" guarantee your feet don't stick to the floor. If I spilled something 30 seconds before you arrived, all bets are off.

'Shell

[aprilcat 0]

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Is this a form of depression or mental illness?

[RED][B]DING DING DING!![/RED][/B] "C'moNNNNNNN dowNNNNNNNN" (think Bob Barker)

Isn't the same to be said of compulsive cleaners?

I agree..sticky floors are nasty and heaven forbid you go in the bathroom and think you've just woken up in a bus stop, but it was nice that they offered anything and you can just say 'no thank you, I'm fine' and if you ARE thirsty or hungry get the clock going to leave (if one is that grossed out) to get your refreshments.

I don't think there's a happy medium. I get scared when I don't see any type of papers in a living space. Who's selling all these little chotskies (sp) that people buy and who's dusting them?

My best friend is the cleanest person on the planet..I'd like to marry him off to my cousin who is the 2nd cleanest person on the planet, just to get my kicks watching them lose their minds over the new trend of 'cleaning green' and kill each other or something, and leave the world the Oscar Madisons who are relatively happy, but need a little Merry Maid Money or more time.

My WORST experience in someone's home: going to a party and watch the host knock over a guest's wine, staining the carpet and blaming the guest for putting the glass where instructed THEN telling his wife 'see, thats what I meant about inviting ANYONE'.

They were models and had a totally 'beige' condo and at the time of the alleged spillage, he got bored and started taking pictures of her, boring the rest of us till the wine spilled. I've never seen so many people turned off at the same time.

Then there's the smoking issue. I smoke in my house,but not in every room (the bathroom is OUT..wanna piss me off? smoke in my bathroom and stink up my towels!). But I won't smoke if you bring a kid here, and I wouldn't smoke in YOUR house unless its okay.

I don't see the 'medium'. You can come in my apartment and spill something, I have a mop and paper towels and baking soda. But if I come to your house and something spills, I don't want to be in a lineup!

(lost my train of thought..I guess its under the pile of clothes on the chair)~~April

Camelot II, the Electric Boogaloo!

[Muenkel 0]

I was not saying that I thought your furniture was mismatched; besides furniture doesn't have to be part of a set. It's called eclectic. When I purchased my living room furniture recently, I didn't buy a pre-matched set. I purchased a sofa and chairs that go together rather than a prearranged set.

As for the visit, I'd be glad to vacuum up the hair balls for you. I trust your place wouldn't even come close to grossing me out.

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Chris

[Shell666 0]

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I was not saying that I thought your furniture was mismatched; besides furniture doesn't have to be part of a set. It's called eclectic. When I purchased my living room furniture recently, I didn't buy a pre-matched set. I purchased a sofa and chairs that go together rather than a prearranged set.

As for the visit, I'd be glad to vacuum up the hair balls for you. I trust your place wouldn't even come close to grossing me out.

YAY!! You just said you'd vacuum for me!! Come on down! Or "UP" as the case may be. But be prepared to deal with matchy-matchy furniture (that's about 20 years old) and my hairy roommates.

And I hope a place that wouldn't gross you out. I try my best.

Oh, are you any good with power tools ... that would help.

'Shell

[Muenkel 0]

April, I was polite to the people and declined the food and drink. I'm not a neat freak by any means, but there is a line between messy and disgusting.

As for the smoking. I've been in homes of smokers and I can smell the smoke, but their homes were immaculate. That doesn't gross me out at all. I can be around smokers and it doesn't bother me at all. I'm definitely not a smoke nazi.

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Chris

[Muenkel 0]

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Oh, are you any good with power tools ... that would help

I don't think you'd be too keen on a person with TBI working in your home with power tools.

I'd be willing to wear the carpenter's belt and nothing else though.

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Chris

[Shell666 0]

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Oh, are you any good with power tools ... that would help

I don't think you'd be too keen on a person with TBI working in your home with power tools.

I'd be willing to wear the carpenter's belt and nothing else though.

YAY! I have a naked guy with the stuff I need for MY power tools! Must be careful with the "ratchet" I grab.

'Shell

[nigel99 558]

A friend of mine went to visit someone sometime after christmas a few years ago and the people still had the turkey left-overs on the kitchen table. I believe that the people were still picking bits off it. Anyway Craig picked it up or looked closely at it and there were maggots.

He didn't eat there again

Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

[jdthomas 0]

I worked in home health care for a few years.. been to some really nasty houses.
Come out coated in fleas and once i picked up equipment as i was told it did not work.. once I got it out of the pile of junk that suronded it I found that it had gotten maggots inside the machine!
The house had a hole in a wal that went outside, they stuffed the hole with clothing and who knows what else.
I don't recall those people offering me any food or drink, but others that wehere comprable had. I told them it was agasint company policy and I could not accept anything.

www.greenboxphotography.com

[cocheese 0]

Man, i thought my place was messy til i read these stories. I just have r/c planes and parts and tools everywhere. The junk room is officially un walkable. I need a woman to kick my ass and give me reason to do the things i don't want to do.

[Zep 0]

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...been offered something to drink or eat?

This happened to me recently. It was a friend of a friend's. Really nice people, but their house is absolutely disgusting. I couldn't even describe the odor. There was not a clear spot on any countertop, table, floor, etc. I could barely breathe. All I could concentrate on was when the hell I was going to get out of there. They offered me something to eat and drink and I politely turned them down. Bleh!

Why do you suppose people live like that?

I havent botherd to read the rest of the posts an the first thing that entered my mind was as phrase that my mother taught me.
There but for the grace of God go I,
People live like that for many reasons an we have to accept that we have our own standards an when others dont arrive at the standards that we impose on ourselves
we tend to critisise,
One example is my wife and I are like chalk an cheese in this respect, I could not stand a disorderly house(every thing has a place an their is a place for every thing)
It took me a long time to realize that in my case a disorganized home is a happy home, for years I would not invite my friends to my house because of the chaos
I was embarrassed that it wasent neat an tidy, Now I've learnt to live with it by accepting that my wife is not a great house keeper but she is a fantastic mother
So as long as the house is not a health hazard I'm happy an the rest of the world can think what they want.

Gone fishing

[SkydiveStMarys 0]

We had a girl at work, she no longer works with us, but the first time I went to her house I was totally blown away. I was "warned" before hand by my boss to "be prepared", but I had no clue what to expect. I wouldn't sit, or eat, or drink anything. Needless to say I just stayed briefly, made some excuse as to why I had to leave so quickly, called my boss and cried. I had no clue it was that bad for her. I have seen "poor conditions" on like info commercials like Feed The Children, but never imagined someone would choose to live the way she did with her family. I think for her is was too overwhelming to figure out where to begin. Not to mention her three kids didn't give a shit either about trying to help keep things clean. And to hear her talk at work it always seemed like she was cleaning her house on her days off. Like i said she used to work with us, now that she has left we have heard strong rumors about really bad drug use/abuse going on in the household. I have a feeling that the children will be romoved from the household shortly.

Bobbi

A miracle is not defined by an event. A miracle is defined by gratitude.

[Shotgun 1]

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Is this a form of depression or mental illness?

For many people, yes, depression could lead to a filthy house. If you're in a condition where you don't care about much of anything, including yourself, there's a good chance you won't be scrubbing the floors, etc.

But I've known some extremely busy people, who were not depressed, but simply did not have time for house-cleaning, and perhaps could not afford maid service either (or didn't find it necessary).

Mine gets pretty messy at times, but I usually try to avoid inviting anyone over until I've had a chance to clean it. Though I can never seem to get rid of the clutter... I sort of fall into the category of being too busy to keep it clean, but for me it's probably more a case of disorganization or poor time management, and sometimes depression. It's not that I don't give a rat's ass though; it actually drives me nuts when the house isn't clean.

[dannydan 5]

OMG.....I know a family that has a WONDERFUL, well maintained home inside and out that they own and everything is new to fairly new. They are the "keeping UP with the Jones' type" but not hoity/toity, but anyway there is this ONE "wee wee poop" of a problem I have with their FREAKING THINKING, ...they allow their K9s to farkin relieve themselves in their most up to date kitchen next to this 3000.00 refrigerator.... I just don't get????

[Snowwhite 0]

My WORST experience in someone's home: going to a party and watch the host knock over a guest's wine, staining the carpet and blaming the guest for putting the glass where instructed THEN telling his wife 'see, thats what I meant about inviting ANYONE

I don't see the 'medium'. You can come in my apartment and spill something, I have a mop and paper towels and baking soda. But if I come to your house and something spills, I don't want to be in a lineup!

(lost my train of thought..I guess its under the pile of clothes on the chair)~~April

[Shotgun 1]

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. . . and whether the toilet paper goes UNDER or OVER the roll . . .

It goes OVER the roll!!!