Social Question

Shippy's avatar

How does my very dirty neighbor survive his own home?

Asked by Shippy (10020points) January 6th, 2013

A neighbor of mine never cleans, there is filth and dirt everywhere. It has turned into grime, yet he never gets sick? The place is rank, and you cannot even sit on his chair, but you smell afterwards. His kitchen has to be seen to be believed. How does he survive this?

I find kitchen hygiene very interesting and would love if you could share your hygiene tips or habits. No matter how big or small.

Do you sanitize your counter tops? If so with what, bleach? Vinegar or other? How often do you wash your dish cloth? Do you air dry it after each use?

Or are you the opposite and couldn’t be bothered yet have survived the possibilities of food poisoning etc.,

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9 Answers

hearkat's avatar

He has probably already battled all the microbes in his home years ago and is now immune. They say that we are doing ourselves a bit of a disservice by being too aggressive with ‘sanitizing’ so our immune systems are growing weaker from lack of exposure, while the microbes are getting stronger from having been exposed to the cleaning agents. thus we have borne the new “superbugs”.

TheProfoundPorcupine's avatar

I agree that he has got used to it and he probably does not even notice things now. If he walked into your house he would probably be hit by clean smells and wonder what they are.

Judi's avatar

As an apartment manager I saw it all! It is a testament to the survival instinct that some people survive their own homes!
I am not anal about cleaning but I am always happier when things ARE clean. I am thankful that I can finally afford to pay someone once a week who knows how to clean better than I do.

Coloma's avatar

Yes to @hearkat s’ sharing.
He may be immune to his own self created flith but clearly the guy has some serious issues. ” As within, so without.”
A person who dwells in inner chaos manifests it in outer chaos of their environment.
The guy sounds seriously unhealthy.

I’ve let go of my past perfectionism, but a little extra dust or not making your bed every day is not even close to living in squalor. Poor guy, clearly he’s a mess. Pun intended.

ZEPHYRA's avatar

I guess your neighbor has become immune to just about every germ there is!

Dutchess_III's avatar

Wow…gross!

wundayatta's avatar

Maybe dirt isn’t as big a deal, healthwise, as we think it is. It could be more of a cultural thing than a health thing. I know that in other countries, many people don’t have the cleanliness fetish that Westerners have.

YARNLADY's avatar

I agree with @wundayatta on this one. My son and his wife live like pigs, and it doesn’t seem to be harmful at all.

burntbonez's avatar

I try to keep my place clean. I don’t want roaches or other vermin around. I’m sure that if you never clean, you must get all kinds of bugs. I would think this old man’s place is infested with cockroaches and mice, and that those mice must also spill over to the neighbor’s apartments. I would think that you could call the public health department and maybe have his place condemned as a health hazard. Also, that kind of thing is seen as a mental illness, and he should be taken care of. Again, public health might be interested.

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