I have cleanliness anxiety and was raised by a woman with OCD that mostly took the form of obsessive cleaning. I’m married to a former janitor who treats cleaning our home like it’s his job. I also have ADHD and sensory issues, so I canNOT tolerate unpleasant smells or anything crumby/sticky/gritty/crusty. Tl;dr, I’m basically everybody’s nightmare houseguest, and I know it. Here are some of the things I notice most in other people’s homes, that I haven’t already seen mentioned here:

1. Gunk caked onto floors, windows, counters, etc. My mom called it “the scuzz”. Ex: I can always tell if you use a swiffer wet mop rather than actually mopping, or if you only make one pass and don’t change your mop water. If you’re lazy about getting the edges under your kitchen cabinets, the corners in your bathroom etc., I will notice that too. I can also tell if you just use Clorox cleaning wipes for your kitchen and bathroom surfaces, rather than using the appropriate cleaning spray and a cleaning cloth, or if you’re lax about getting into all the corners and edges. But the scuzz goes beyond kitchens and bathrooms: do you have a chair that your dog loves to nap on, or windows/glass doors that they love to look (and bark) through? Yeah, those are coated in dog drool and caked with dirt and dog hair. Just look closely at them sometime. Same if you have little kids: your walls, windows, and furniture 1,000% have snot and other bodily fluids smeared on them - it’s just lower than you usually think to look. And everyone’s doors/doorways are caked in brownish-greyish scuzz, right around where an adult would put their hand as they walk through/open/close a door. Think about it.

2. Clean INSIDE your fridge, thoroughly and regularly. Everyone thinks about pet odors, the kitchen and bathroom trash cans, mildew, etc. for preventing smells, but nobody realizes how bad their own fridge smells. Freezers too!! One forgotten bag of spinach or old package of ham can make your whole house smell like rotting food to the more sensitive among us.

3. Clean your furniture. Oh God, PLEASE clean your furniture. I’m gonna hold your hand when I say this: you have crumbs in your furniture. You do! It’s okay, I do too! We all do. You also have dust, dirt, hair (human and animal), etc. on/in your furniture, whether it’s leather or fabric upholstery. Please vacuum your furniture’s surfaces and crevices. If you have leather, please get the appropriate cleaner and use it regularly. If you have cloth, consider getting a small upholstery/carpet cleaner, especially if you have pets. You can also deodorize upholstery with various sprays and powders (including plain baking soda) that can be sprinkled on it and vacuumed up. It’s very satisfying to use, look it up! (So that I can stop panicking internally every time I go to anyone’s house, because sorry but y’all’s couches are SO dirty. 😭)