I think all of us at some point or another have stepped into someone's house and seen something that made us think, YIKES! And it doesn't always have to be something huge either; for example, it can be going to the bathroom at someone's house and noticing that their toilet paper and (paper) towels to dry your hands are clearly stolen from public restrooms or their work (true story) when they more than have the means to buy their own.
And recently, Reddit user Surfing_chick248 was curious about those "yikes!" moments when they asked: "What is a red flag to see in someone's home?"
Needless to say, the thread got lots and lots of responses. While there were a ton of jokey ones, there were also a lot of comments that truly screamed "red flag!" Below are the top and best answers:
1. "Pets that are not cared for properly."
2. "No hand soap in the bathroom."
3. "Trash piled beyond the trash can, taking over the cooking/eating surfaces."
4. "The outside garbage bins in the living room."
5. "'Sorry, I had no time to clean before your visit!' when the place has obviously not been cleaned in, like, a year. Yikes."
6. "MLM inventory for their 'business' or they buy a lot of MLM stuff. Minus a normal amount of Tupperware."
7. "I would imagine anybody who has old uncovered food lying around. Anybody who is willing to leave old uneaten food uncovered in their home screams unsanitary."
8. "No books. I dated a guy that laughed at me for buying a bookshelf because 'who the f**k reads books?'"
"No books is fine. I read, like, 99% of my books digitally. But his reaction to your question is a red flag for sure."
9. "Expensive PC and everything else in their home is broken and rundown."
10. "Not having pillow cases on the bed. You know those sheets and blankets are filthy then."
11. "When it's extremely messy. I can understand a moderate amount of disorganization, but when I have to jump over piles of dirty clothes and trash, that's when I know I need to leave."
12. "Nothing on the walls."
13. "Dirty toilet. I get that someone's house can't always be immaculate, but if I see grime in the toilet, gross, that is a total red flag!!! Especially if you invited me over and still didn't clean your toilet. My son played sports with a boy who I would give rides home to a lot. One time I couldn't wait to get home to pee and asked to use her restroom. It was so bad I didn't go and just waited till I drove across town to get home. 😫"
14. "When invited over for dinner, I do not want to see their cat roaming the kitchen counter."
15. "I don't know if it counts as 'see,' but family members yelling/fighting while I'm there. Like, what's happening when you DON'T have a guest over???"
16. "Never any clean towels. One time my ex knew I was staying over, and he had absolutely no clean towels — gave me a T-shirt to dry off with."
17. And lastly, "A giant 'Live, Laugh, Love' sticker on a blank white wall."
You can read the original thread over on Reddit.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.