Hygiene of friends

tooties

My father who is 75 lives in a dog hair strewn house, i have a dog myself but we get covered in hair at his.

I dont use the toilet there and i am not even going to describe it as i would probably vomit.

You never ever have a cup of tea or coffee there as he likes to keep his false teeth in the nearest available mug.

He is always moaning that nobody visits him, being the dutiful only child i told him why. Not sure you could do that with friends though.

regards

ripplyuk

I have a friend who is like this. The whole family seem oblivious to the mess. Even more strange is that she never stops talking about how she's 'Cleaned the whole place from top to bottom the other day'. It's one of those houses where it's difficult to find somewhere to set your handbag down, without needing to wash it after each visit. The tea mugs aren't washed, they're wiped with a rag (also never washed) and I've got used to drinking dog hair. The loo involves hovering and bringing my own tissues, as toilet roll doesn't seem to be an essential to them.

My survival strategy is to wear old clothes whilst visiting and use hand sanitiser before entering the house. I also refuse any offer of food/biscuits etc (I'm on a diet). I keep one of those sticky roller things in my car which is great for removing the dog hair, and a large pack of baby wipes.

I'd like to think this is simply boosting my immune system but I've now had five ulcers in my stomach and can't help but wonder if it is in some way linked.

niallmitch

tooties wrote: »

My father who is 75 lives in a dog hair strewn house, i have a dog myself but we get covered in hair at his.

I dont use the toilet there and i am not even going to describe it as i would probably vomit.

You never ever have a cup of tea or coffee there as he likes to keep his false teeth in the nearest available mug.

He is always moaning that nobody visits him, being the dutiful only child i told him why. Not sure you could do that with friends though.

regards

Perhaps you could clean it for him?

thorsoak

Oh dear. Reading all these comments worries me. I'm now 72, live on my own, with my 3 dogs and 2 cats ....and I always have loads of visitors (not all of them dog/cat owners either) and they who don't seem to hesitate in their cars, to use hand sanitisers before they come into the house, nor do these use lint rollers and baby wipes before they get into their cars before they leave .....does that mean that they are all unhygenic?? :-D

They happily accept all food and drink that I offer too - although I am invited out to eat with them sometimes as well - does that make some of them skinflints?

paye

Quality and funny post by the 'OP', I was cracking up laughing whilst reading it. Poor lady went to all that effort making hairy sandwiches, and you turnt it down :rotfl:

bluelass

I understand how you feel I really do. But rather than going round to filthy houses my problem was with others personal hygiene. There is a man my hubby knows from a local pub everytime I went out with him to this place he would be stood smoking at the main entrance (I convinced myself he looked to see us coming) and just saying hello wasn't enough for him he wanted to hug and kiss me on the cheek. His teeth looked full of tartar and nicotine stains and his gums looked awful he deffo had advanced gum disease and I didn't need a dental expert to tell me that. In the end I just said hi and continued to walk past into the building, if it upset him well tough I wasn't going to get bacterial plaque on myself. It costs nothing to buy a toothbrush and a bottle of antiseptic mouthwash also his hands were stained deep yellow from smoking rollups. I have a cat but she is a good clean one and always does what nature requires outside I have never had to get her a litter tray except when she had kittens and I would not have kept it on a worktop.

bluelass

barbiedoll wrote: »

The most disgusting home that I have ever visited belonged to a school teacher (who worked in a public school!). She was very glamourous, wore full make-up every day and had fabulous hair. Her house, on the other hand, was absolutely rank.

When I visited, her mother had come to stay, along with her two small dogs. The dogs had urinated on the carpet and someone had stuck a nappy over the wet patches to soak it up. There were stacks of old newspapers and manky books over every surface, I had to move a pile of papers to sit on a chair. Which had a very sticky seat pad, that I only noticed when I got up.

Her husband came home whilst I was there, he had taken their toddler daughter out for a walk. The little girl's face was smeared with dried-up cereal from her breakfast. I know that toddlers are messy eaters but most people give them a quick wipe before taking them out in public! I had a quick peek at the kitchen as I left, it was worse than the rest of the house.

The cleanest place that I've ever seen belonged to a traveller woman who had 5 children, ranging in age from teenagers to a newborn baby. You wouldn't think that anyone actually lived in the house, let alone 5 kids, it was absolutely sparkling clean. She had a very impressive collection of crystal glasses and ornaments, all of which looked very fragile. The place was spotless, as were her kids.

I've seen half million pound apartments which look like they're inhabited by squatters, and council flats on horrible estates which are like palaces inside. You really can't judge a book by it's cover!

Yep just because someone has a degree or higher education doesn't mean they cant be dirty. My late gran (lovely lady) lived in a council house all her life. It was always immaculate even just before she passed away aged 86.

j.e.j.

niallmitch wrote: »

Perhaps you could clean it for him?

Yer cheeky devil


Perhaps she's got enough going on trying to work/bring up kids/keep her own place clean without having to clean other people's houses too!

onlyroz

BigAunty wrote: »

Eco friendly detergent and a bit of salt - sounds natural to me...

But who would want lady juice on their crockery?

Presumably it would have been rinsed under the tap first, and the dishwasher was only used to sterilise it. Not really any different to washing your knickers in the same load as your face cloths.

Fireflyaway

Well if there is a next time you will be better prepared! If you like the people I would not let their house put you off. Just wear some clothes you don't care too much about and stick them in the wash when you get home. If food is mentioned you could order a take away together or bring something - 'oh we were just passing the pizza place on the way so thought we would bring one to share'- that sort of thing!
Some people don't notice / care about mess as much as others and some people are very embarrassed but just don't know where to start so I wouldn't mention it / react just in case.
Could you make it a habit to meet someone neutral? That way nobody has to be 'host'. You could do a picnic / go to a coffee shop etc?