Remember when your mom bugged you all the time about cleaning your room? Little did you know, she was looking out for you. Years later, women are still horrified by your living conditions—but they aren’t as forgiving as mom once was. We spoke to nine women about this issue to help ensure your home is girl-approved. Turns out, the only place filth is accepted is in the bedroom. Time to clean up your act (literally).
“I hate when men have provocative posters up of other women, like a half-naked model on a beach in a sex-pose, or something like that. Some girls find those posters derogatory, so if he is trying to make a good impression, he shouldn’t assume that poster wouldn’t offend me. They are also so juvenile. I remember my brothers having gross posters like that when they were fifteen. If I see that in a grown man’s home, I think, Did he really make the effort to pack that up from his teenage bedroom to hang in his ‘adult’ apartment? Bottom line is that it makes me uncomfortable. Like she’s watching us or something…” —Anna, 26
“I once went to a guy’s house for the first time and saw a woman’s shampoo in the bathroom. I asked him about it casually and he told me it was his ex-girlfriend’s. Obviously if he can’t bear to throw that stuff out, he’s not over it. Needless to say, I left.” —Sarah, 30
“I am glad he’s responsible enough to use a condom, but all of that goes out the window when he takes it off and tosses it on the floor or somewhere in the bed after we’ve had sex. I end up rolling over and hours later I have a dirty used condom stuck to my thigh. I saw this once and thought, Okay, this guy is just gross. But then I saw it again, and again, with different guys. If you really cannot move from the bed after a good lay, put a garbage can next to your nightstand. Trust me, it will make all the difference.” —Megan, 28
5 of 10
Bathroom Trimmings
“It would behoove every dude to spend like 20 minutes wiping things down once a week. Want to trim your beard/hair/arms/whatever? Cool. Maybe leaving the tiny hairs all over the floor, sink, toilet, and shower isn’t super necessary. Unless you want us to gather it for a throw rug… just kidding. We don’t weave.” —Rachel, 27
“Nothing is worse than a dirty toilet bowl. The kind that looks like it has never seen a scrubber because it has rings and stains. Makes me feel like something is gonna jump out even if I’m squatting to pee.” —Amber, 27
“It drives me crazy when a guy leaves dirty dishes out. Either he thinks I am his maid or he doesn’t care if bugs infest his home. What’s almost as annoying is when they leave dirty dishes piled next to the sink. For real, dude? You can’t put them in the sink at least?! I just don’t understand it. It’s like they wanted to impress me and show they care, but they didn’t actually care enough to follow through.” —Sasja, 26
“A find a general lack of grooming supplies to be really alarming. How do they clean themselves? Or wipe?! That’s usually my cue to bail because there’s no way this guy is clean. And when they do have toilet paper, it is never replaced on the holder. That is just pure laziness, and no girl wants to date a guy who is that lazy.” —Lauren, 29
“I have met a few guys who own futons instead of beds. If purchasing a real bed is too much of a commitment for you, than I can’t imagine you are ready for a relationship. Plus, no one wants to have sex on a futon; it can’t be very comfortable. They also haven’t really been in style in the last decade, so it makes me feel as if I’m sitting on years worth of DNA.” —Amber, 27
“I try not to date guys who have roommates, but that is unavoidable sometimes. If you do live with roommates, please understand that when I come over, it is because I want to hang out with you, not them. Please inform them that this isn’t the time to catch up or play video games together.” —Beth, 31
Remember when your mom bugged you all the time about cleaning your room? Little did you know, she was looking out for you. Years later, women are still horrified by your living conditions—but they aren’t as forgiving as mom once was. We spoke to nine women about this issue to help ensure your home is girl-approved. Turns out, the only place filth is accepted is in the bedroom. Time to clean up your act (literally).
“I hate when men have provocative posters up of other women, like a half-naked model on a beach in a sex-pose, or something like that. Some girls find those posters derogatory, so if he is trying to make a good impression, he shouldn’t assume that poster wouldn’t offend me. They are also so juvenile. I remember my brothers having gross posters like that when they were fifteen. If I see that in a grown man’s home, I think, Did he really make the effort to pack that up from his teenage bedroom to hang in his ‘adult’ apartment? Bottom line is that it makes me uncomfortable. Like she’s watching us or something…” —Anna, 26
“I once went to a guy’s house for the first time and saw a woman’s shampoo in the bathroom. I asked him about it casually and he told me it was his ex-girlfriend’s. Obviously if he can’t bear to throw that stuff out, he’s not over it. Needless to say, I left.” —Sarah, 30
“I am glad he’s responsible enough to use a condom, but all of that goes out the window when he takes it off and tosses it on the floor or somewhere in the bed after we’ve had sex. I end up rolling over and hours later I have a dirty used condom stuck to my thigh. I saw this once and thought, Okay, this guy is just gross. But then I saw it again, and again, with different guys. If you really cannot move from the bed after a good lay, put a garbage can next to your nightstand. Trust me, it will make all the difference.” —Megan, 28
Bathroom Trimmings
“It would behoove every dude to spend like 20 minutes wiping things down once a week. Want to trim your beard/hair/arms/whatever? Cool. Maybe leaving the tiny hairs all over the floor, sink, toilet, and shower isn’t super necessary. Unless you want us to gather it for a throw rug… just kidding. We don’t weave.” —Rachel, 27
“Nothing is worse than a dirty toilet bowl. The kind that looks like it has never seen a scrubber because it has rings and stains. Makes me feel like something is gonna jump out even if I’m squatting to pee.” —Amber, 27
“It drives me crazy when a guy leaves dirty dishes out. Either he thinks I am his maid or he doesn’t care if bugs infest his home. What’s almost as annoying is when they leave dirty dishes piled next to the sink. For real, dude? You can’t put them in the sink at least?! I just don’t understand it. It’s like they wanted to impress me and show they care, but they didn’t actually care enough to follow through.” —Sasja, 26
“A find a general lack of grooming supplies to be really alarming. How do they clean themselves? Or wipe?! That’s usually my cue to bail because there’s no way this guy is clean. And when they do have toilet paper, it is never replaced on the holder. That is just pure laziness, and no girl wants to date a guy who is that lazy.” —Lauren, 29
“I have met a few guys who own futons instead of beds. If purchasing a real bed is too much of a commitment for you, than I can’t imagine you are ready for a relationship. Plus, no one wants to have sex on a futon; it can’t be very comfortable. They also haven’t really been in style in the last decade, so it makes me feel as if I’m sitting on years worth of DNA.” —Amber, 27
“I try not to date guys who have roommates, but that is unavoidable sometimes. If you do live with roommates, please understand that when I come over, it is because I want to hang out with you, not them. Please inform them that this isn’t the time to catch up or play video games together.” —Beth, 31
