Inside Scoop: What People’s Homes Secretly Reveal (And Yep, It’s Juicy)

As an electrician, it hurts me to see how older women get pushed aside in jobs and pay. I find a lot more barely furnished places for single women than men. Yep, I charge them less, too. Not great business, but hey, gotta sleep at night.

I used to sell floors and visit homes. One time, 'Jessica' didn’t answer, but an 8-year-old boy did. Two skinny dogs came sniffing my shoes. The place was nasty - trash and worse everywhere. The boy said his mom was in a mental hospital, dad hadn’t been around. He even showed me a huge hole in the floor. The kid booked the appointment himself! I called my manager, then the cops for a welfare check. That was my last week doing in-home sales.

Plumber here! Homes tell you everything if you just listen. The mess, the stuff, it all spills the story - half of it’s fibs ‘cause folks can’t face themselves. Used to judge, now I mostly just wanna hug everyone. Life’s rough, people do what they can. Hoarders? So many. Everyone’s holding onto some big secret, wanting to drop the act and be real. Social media makes everyone hide their mess, but a spotless home can be chill ice cold inside too.

Never eating food at work potlucks from strangers again. I’ve been inside million-dollar homes that were absolutely disgusting. Beautiful houses, well-dressed owners - and piles of dog poop in the house, stinky mess, dishes stacking up. It’s not just poor folks living dirty - wealthy people can be gross too. You really can’t tell who’s going to be the messy one.

Went to a nice-looking house with boxes all over the place. My helper asked, 'Are you guys just moving in?' after a long pause, the owner sheepishly said, 'We’ve been here 10 years.' Lesson learned: don’t ask awkward questions!

If the whole house is shiny clean, but one room’s a disaster, it usually means the person’s holding it together on the outside but feeling totally overwhelmed inside. You can basically read their stress by which corners they quit caring about!

A mover once entered a house where everything was pink - floor, walls, ceiling, furniture, even their clothes! Except the bedroom, which was lime green. Talk about personality screaming through the paint!

One big thing I notice is if the house gets aired out. Many places smell so stale and moldy, I feel bad for the kids in those houses - they probably haven’t had fresh air in forever.

During med school in Brazil, I visited a bedridden man. His house was filthy - rats, trash, gross smells. Turns out he was chained in a dark room with a soiled mattress, locked away because he used more than two diapers a day. He’d been there for at least ten days. We called police and social services immediately. Talk about a nightmare I’ll never forget.

I’m a home energy auditor. When a homeowner immediately says, 'I’m not a hoarder,' I know I’m in for an adventure the next couple of hours.

My husband’s a pest controller, and he’s seen beds crawling with bed bugs for years. Some people live with rats like they’re pets. You wouldn’t believe it unless you saw it!

Went into an apartment where the entire carpet was wet, plus dog feces and urine everywhere from three dogs. Yikes! It was so bad I flagged it as a hazard and refused to work there.

I do home repair, and I’m always shocked when people don’t do the easy prep work. Clear out the cabinet under the sink, clean the bathtub (especially the hair clumps, ew), and don’t park where I need to park! Also, please wipe your feet - my boots have been in some nasty places. And if it’s winter, think ahead about your door weatherstripping. Trust me - it makes a huge difference for me and for you.

I’m a paramedic and recently visited a house full of penguin statues, paintings, even life-sized ones! One of the older residents has autism (like me) but doesn’t know it yet. It was a distraction for me, trying to focus on the patient surrounded by so many penguins.

I’m an electrician in Texas, and I always say: being poor doesn’t mean you have to be trashy. Respect your space and yourself!

I pet sit and get to live like a guest in people's homes. Most fridges don’t get wiped out, sinks are grimy, toilets are gross, and a few people don’t even put out clean sheets. On average, homes aren’t as clean as their owners claim.

I went to change drain lines under a sink once and opened the cabinet to be greeted by about 100 roaches! I waited until they dealt with the infestation before touching anything.

This list is making me feel better ahead of a workman’s visit. Sure, I’ve got scattered papers and holiday wrap out - but that’s nothing compared to houses with poop on the floors and crazy smells!

Loads of people put litter boxes near the furnace filter. So instead of just smelling it in one spot, the furnace pushes that smell all through the house. Bad idea, folks!

I’m an installer and I can’t count how many times kids sneaked up to grab power tools or sharp stuff. Parents, please watch your little ninjas for their own safety!

I clean homes and can tell folks who love their family life because of the messes: crayon drawings, photos, travel brochures. Other homes? Super neat with no signs of life - sometimes it feels like the couple lives on opposite sides of the house.

I’m a cleaner and if your toilet bowl has a strange film, I might guess you’re diabetic - it’s easy to spot. Also, if your water’s hard and nothing’s getting clean, stop being cheap and fix your water treatment!

On my birthday while working as a pest control tech, I went to a house full of bed bugs crawling in broad daylight. The house reeked of meth and grime, and two naked, malnourished kids were there. That day scared me so much, I left pest control a month later. The CPS got called, thank goodness.

Once while measuring windows in a messy house, I took off my shoes like they asked but immediately stepped in a puddle of pee. Not sure if it was from a dog, cat, or kid, but since then I always bring shoe covers!

I clean because I don’t wanna trip. My brother tripped, hit his head, and died instantly at 46. Dying because you tripped? True story. Let’s keep it safe and clean, folks.

I enter homes all the time. Pro tip: never ever eat potluck food at someone else’s place unless you really, really know them.

I’m a plumber who’s seen a ton of bathrooms. People, you gotta clean those bathrooms regularly. Like, once a week is a minimum.

I grew up in a messy, hoarder house. It’s so embarrassing when electricians come over. I usually hide in my room and hope they don’t see me. Don’t know how my parents handle it!

I can smell your kitty litter the second I walk in. And no way I’m taking my boots off, ever.

I overheard my dad talking to a plumber friend. They said the state of the bathroom tells how people handle stress: spotless means they’re still in control, super messy means overwhelmed. Turned out to be true!

I paint in neighborhoods full of 300-year-old homes. Some owners don’t care about preserving history. I’ve torn down ancient chimneys and walkways. Feels bad, but hey, it’s their house, not a museum.

I insulate houses and visit crawl spaces, attics, and other creepy spots most folks never see. Sometimes those places are the cleanest parts of the home! Also, fun fact: you’re likely surrounded by spiders right now, small ones too.

By day, I’m a banker. But I also organize homes. My ex was a hoarder, and cleaning our 4,000+ sq ft house alone was a huge job. I learned that clutter is often tied to mental health - especially ADHD. It breaks my heart when people can’t let go of stuff, and the stress spills into their brains too.

I usually take my boots off in people’s homes, even when told to keep them on. I do data cabling and am my own boss, so if I hurt my foot it’s on me. I keep crocs on hand for indoors because my boots have been to mining sites and might carry lead dust or worse.

My plumber friend told me his neighbor had the worst living conditions he’s seen: big holes in carpet, bucket in sink because pipes were broken, peeling paint everywhere, and just smelled awful. The kicker? The wife was always super proper, and he’s OCD about his landscaping! Meanwhile, I apologized for my own cluttered mess at home. Perspective!

I’ve been in thousands of homes and can confirm: there are way more hoarders and garbage piles than most people realize.

I’m a carpenter and once working on a home noticed their wedding photo looked like it had lines etched on the glass. Turns out it was residue from drug lines. Not quite the usual décor!

I used to recruit for the Army. Went to one appointment where the yard was piled with junk and the son was living in a shed surrounded by trash piled up for decades. Felt bad for the kid. He didn’t pass the test to join.

I was a nurse doing home care and visited a lady on dialysis living in a motel filled with roaches everywhere. It was super cold outside, so fewer bugs usually, but not there. I smelled those roaches for days after.

One family had a lot of generic nature canvas art and hardly any family photos. The house was quiet, almost like a doctor’s office with no real life or hobbies. Kind of a hollow vibe overall.

I used to groom special needs pets at homes. Once, I had to wash and cut a dog in a bathroom with three inches of old cat litter all over the floor. I didn’t walk out because I worked with the person at my day job and didn’t want the awkwardness. But I threw those clothes away after I got home.