Picture this: you’re about to have people over, and it’s been a hot minute since you’ve been able to deep clean. Lacking time, you look around in a mild panic, wondering what you can do in 30 minutes to prepare the guests in the home.
Remember that scrubbing is morally neutral and you shouldn’t be ashamed of scrubbing. Laundry, dishes and dust are facts of life. But no one wants to feel like their space will exhaust their guests.
If you’re wondering what really bothers visitors — the r/CleaningTips corner has the answers. Reddit user flowerybb discovered some of the most universal turn-offs after posting a Reddit thread titled “What things do you notice in other people’s homes that, if they’re dirty, bother you?”
Instead of rushing to clean everything at the thought of your friends dropping by, focus on these key areas that could get the most bang for your buck for decluttering.
A dirty toilet bowl is the most basic of household mistakes, but it turns out that sticky hand towels are almost as repulsive. Reddit user Pahoehoeflow named a “rough or ridiculously wet bathroom towel” as his most important side, and commenters echoed this sentiment. A good part? Replacing clean towels is a low-effort, high-reward solution.
Dirty dish towels are another pet peeve that seems very valid. Redditor AllAlongThisPath pointed out, “If you wash a cup and dry it with a rough towel, it’s no longer clean.”
There is no shade, but the noticeable absence of hand sanitizer could set off alarm bells ringing in guests’ minds. “If there’s no hand soap or some kind of soap on the sink, I’m out,” NextAbility7562 said. Soap, while better than none, also entered the conversation as potentially unsanitary.
It’s settled. Urine splatter is a guest’s worst nightmare, and if your toilet rug looks anything less than fresh, visitors will assume the worst. So add quickly putting away a washed potty mat to your list of well-paying, pre-fun prep tasks.
Crumbs in the cutlery tray
Redditor Here_for_tea_ said that if the host’s cutlery drawer is “dirty or full of crumbs, I have to stop wanting to wash the cutlery before I use it”. To prevent your cutlery drawer from clumping, make it a habit to wipe clean as you go, rather than a twice-a-year deep clean.
Toothpaste stains on the sink
Your home shouldn’t be spotless for guests, but they are safe spots you might want to wipe off. Toothpaste splashes came up in multiple comments. User juliek succinctly shared a double dose of rudeness saying: “Hair stuck on toothpaste in sink.” To avoid this ugly scenario, try keeping a small cleaning cabinet handy in your bathroom.
Sticky stair railings, couches, and kitchen countertops
“Tacky” is generally not a positive descriptor for any part of the house. A Reddit thread revealed that stair railings, sofas, floors and countertops rank as some of the most unattractive areas to encounter stickiness.
According to user galacticsharkbait, “Food and gross stuff on the rim/lid/outside [the] trash can” ranked high on their ick list, and they weren’t alone. To keep trash out of the bin in order, add cleaning the trash can to your weekly chore checklist.
It spills in the fridge
Cleaning out the fridge may not be at the top of your to-do list before guests arrive, but a seriously dirty fridge can be an appetite killer. An easy solution is to wipe up spills as soon as they happen. Redditor missharies shared that coolers indicate a gross frame: “If they are sticky inside or [have] obvious liquid spillage, it’s hard not to. Crumbs, eh. We all have them.”
Floorboards that haven’t seen a broom in a while
Keeping the floorboards clean can feel like the bane of your existence, but it’s something guests will notice. Unhygienic bathroom surfaces got the most airtime in this spotlight thread, along with general stains, dust and pet hair deposits. Pro tip: Try running dryer sheets along the floorboards to reduce static electricity and repel dust.
Dark marks around door handles
Redditors are not fans of dirty doorknobs and surroundings. Greasy light switches were also high on the ick scale, with user Valentine1979 stating, “Visible dark grime on light switches and door around handle.”
Fan blades with dust festoons
Redditor wilfreds_mustache said the only thing they notice when they visit other people’s homes is “dust so thick on the ceiling fan blades it hangs.” Hate getting up on a ladder to wipe away sticky layers of dirt? This is another place where you can reuse dryer sheets to remove dust and take advantage of their anti-static properties.