Nastiest Kitchen Ever: A Party Host's Hygiene Fail

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Discussion Overview

This thread discusses participants' experiences with unsanitary conditions in hosts' kitchens during cooking shows. Various anecdotes highlight the discomfort and surprise at the lack of cleanliness observed in these environments.

Discussion Character

  • Anecdotal
  • Opinion-based
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • One participant, identifying as a consultant, described a host's kitchen with fresh fruit next to trash and a dirty sink, expressing discomfort about using the facilities.
  • Another participant shared a similar experience where they had to clear clutter just to prepare for a show, noting the unpleasant state of the kitchen.
  • Several users mentioned feeling embarrassed for the hosts and expressed disbelief at the lack of pride in their home cleanliness.
  • One participant recounted a show where they found food stuck to their foot due to a dirty floor, which they found particularly gross.
  • Another participant noted that while they may not keep the neatest house, they differentiate between clutter and filth, emphasizing the importance of cleaning before hosting.
  • Some participants shared experiences of working in homes with multiple pets, describing the resulting mess and their reactions to it.
  • One participant expressed concern about how such conditions might affect sales and bookings for future shows.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Views differ on the expectations of cleanliness when hosting, with some participants expressing a strong belief that hosts should maintain a clean environment, while others acknowledge that not everyone prioritizes cleanliness in the same way.

Contextual Notes

Participants shared personal experiences from various cooking shows, highlighting the diverse standards of cleanliness among hosts and the impact it has on consultants' comfort levels during events.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to consultants who encounter similar situations and wish to share or learn from others' experiences regarding hosting standards and personal comfort in such environments.

susanr613 said:
my director did a show for a woman with 13 cats in a 1-bedroom apartment! she hosed down everything she got home from the show.

ick ick ick!

oh my. I can just hear her talking about it, too....I'll have to ask next time I see her. LOL.
 
I had a show last Sat and I swear I about gagged and just left.... First off the house SMELLED.....and then the woman had 5 dogs running around the house and they were NOT house trained...so they were peeing and pooping on the floor ( hence the stench when you walked in.)

The carpet was a cream colored carpet and it almost looked black it was so nasty. I didn't even want to set my kit down, but I put it up on the counter. Which was nasty too. She had not been able to find anyone to watch her kids, so they were there running around getting into my kit causing trouble. She was yealling and swearing at them the ENTIRE time.....

I didn't even do my show like I usually do....I just wanted to get it done with and leave. She only had 3 people there and they looked a little rough. I ended up with only $40 total in show orders....so not even enough to count as a show. So it was a complete waste of my time.....but at least I was already in town and didn't drive 30 min out to her home to do this for her.

So yeah when I got home my ENTIRE kit was washed....and I had to take a shower I was so grossed out. Does anyone know how to wash the big black carry bag we have to take our stuff in to shows?? :)
 
elizabethfox said:
I had a show last Sat and I swear I about gagged and just left.... First off the house SMELLED.....and then the woman had 5 dogs running around the house and they were NOT house trained...so they were peeing and pooping on the floor ( hence the stench when you walked in.)

The carpet was a cream colored carpet and it almost looked black it was so nasty. I didn't even want to set my kit down, but I put it up on the counter. Which was nasty too. She had not been able to find anyone to watch her kids, so they were there running around getting into my kit causing trouble. She was yealling and swearing at them the ENTIRE time.....

I didn't even do my show like I usually do....I just wanted to get it done with and leave. She only had 3 people there and they looked a little rough. I ended up with only $40 total in show orders....so not even enough to count as a show. So it was a complete waste of my time.....but at least I was already in town and didn't drive 30 min out to her home to do this for her.

So yeah when I got home my ENTIRE kit was washed....and I had to take a shower I was so grossed out. Does anyone know how to wash the big black carry bag we have to take our stuff in to shows?? :)

:eek::yuck:
 
elizabethfox said:
I had a show last Sat and I swear I about gagged and just left.... First off the house SMELLED.....and then the woman had 5 dogs running around the house and they were NOT house trained...so they were peeing and pooping on the floor ( hence the stench when you walked in.)

The carpet was a cream colored carpet and it almost looked black it was so nasty. I didn't even want to set my kit down, but I put it up on the counter. Which was nasty too. She had not been able to find anyone to watch her kids, so they were there running around getting into my kit causing trouble. She was yealling and swearing at them the ENTIRE time.....

I didn't even do my show like I usually do....I just wanted to get it done with and leave. She only had 3 people there and they looked a little rough. I ended up with only $40 total in show orders....so not even enough to count as a show. So it was a complete waste of my time.....but at least I was already in town and didn't drive 30 min out to her home to do this for her.

So yeah when I got home my ENTIRE kit was washed....and I had to take a shower I was so grossed out. Does anyone know how to wash the big black carry bag we have to take our stuff in to shows?? :)

:yuck::yuck:I feel your pain! I wiped mine down with Clorox disinfecting wipes, and then sprayed it with Febreze.
 
Jenni said:
Ok~ first let me say I'm not a clean freak or a germ stresser. Last night at my party the host had the nastiest kitchen I have ever been in. She had fresh fruit just cut open on the counter with trash sitting next to it. The sink looked like it belonged in someones garage or laundry room. The floor was covered in dirt and dog hair. She has five dogs and the only room they are allowed in is the kitchen. I am a huge fan of dogs have to love them! (they are like my kids) Just gross, I didn't want to use the stove or the sink. Ugh just nasty! I can't belie she invited people to her house.
Anyone ever had to deal with this? I was just waiting for roaches to crawl across the floor :yuck:. She offered to wash the dishes like three times. I was like no thank you, my son will be sad if I come home with clean dished he gets paid to was them :rolleyes:


Grose!!!! :eek:
 
ChefBeckyD said:
:yuck::yuck:I feel your pain! I wiped mine down with Clorox disinfecting wipes, and then sprayed it with Febreze.

Thanks I will have to give that a try. I was seriously in shock when I walked in....because if you had seen the gal I was doing this show for, you wouldn't have thought her home would be like it was....:yuck::yuck:
 
elizabethfox said:
Thanks I will have to give that a try. I was seriously in shock when I walked in....because if you had seen the gal I was doing this show for, you wouldn't have thought her home would be like it was....:yuck::yuck:
That was the way mine was too! At the show she booked from, she was a "know-it-all" and very precise, and seemed to have such high standards for her cooking and kitchen tools....I was in shock too when I walked into her house. And couldn't wait to get out of there! I knew it was really really bad when I walked into my house, and DH and DS both wanted to know why I smelled so bad! It was so strong, it permeated my clothing and my hair and everything.
 
All I can say is YIKES!!! :yuck: I also frequently live in a bit of disarray (prob should be tidying/cleaning not posting right now!), but these sound disgusting and unsanitary. And like all of you, I ALWAYS clean and tidy for guests. This is getting a little scary!
 
I did my first Cooking Show at a friend's who had a cat walking across the counters. Before I started to cook, I picked the cat up and took it into the Host (who was chatting in the living room with her 3 guests) and asked her to put the cat away somewhere since it wanted to be on the counters. She did... Everything else was clean but her 2 yo & 5 yo and the 2 yo and 4 yo of a guest where in the kitchen, singing to the top of their lungs while I was trying to answer questions on the products. I finally (after 10 minutes) turned to the children since I knew them from Church and asked them to go to another room. The mothers looked at me and one said, "Oh I just never notice the noise"... I smiled sweetly and said well I couldn't hear myself talk so I figured no one else could either." I ended up with only $100 in orders so combined it with the Past Host Specials from my daughter that the Show was booked off of. Since it was 60% off any two products (in February), the 7-pc cookware she bought put it over the $300 mark. I gave the Free Product credit to the Host of $40...
 
I posted this last year in another "filthy kitchen" thread (I don't know how to link another thread to this one)...


At my second show, just a few months ago, I thought about walking out before I even started. I showed up 1 hour befor the show, as I had told the host I would do. She was in dirty sweats and a ripped t-shirt. Her cabinet doors were all over the kitchen, because she was painting them. And, her daughter's cabinet doors were all over her front entery way - the were refinishing them. She showed me around the house and introduced me to her dog and 5 cats. Looking around, I thougt there were at least 10 cats, but realized the were just hairballs. We talked about it and decided the livingroom was the best place for everyone to see the demo and then she said, "ok, wel I'm going to run to the store now, to get your ingredients." I could't believe it. Not only had she postponed her show twice, but then when she did finally have it she was no where near ready. So, she left and I proceeded to vaccuum, dust, scrub the kitchen counters, and clean the outside of the disgusting garbage can. I was afraid to touch it at first. Now, I am not the best house keeper in the world, in fact, my husband does way more cleaning than I do, but I could not work in the condition that the house had been in. When she got back 1/2 hour later I was sweating and irritated, but at least I wasn't totally grossed out anymore. I thought it might be worth it, she had told me earlier in the week that she was expecting 10-15 people.

Well, she never changed clothes and the first person arived, she seemed fine with what she was wearing. We waited another 1/2 hour and her daughter and 1 neighbor showed up. That was it, 3 guests and the host. When I left the party was at $130. I collected an outside order, so I could get it over $150, but she had nothing else for me.

It was funny, before I left I was cleaning up my stuff and she said, "Oh, did you clean the garbage can?" She didn't notice the vaccumming or the dusting or the counters being scrubbed.
 
Oh My Goodness! Thankfully I haven't run into any of these houses with my cooking shows, BUT......................
I am a real estate broker. I go into these houses all of the time and have to see/be in the entire house!!! Yeah, those people have DISGUSTING bedrooms and bathrooms. :yuck::yuck::yuck:
I always have to come straight home from showings to take a shower, it's just awful the way people live. I still just cannot figure out how walls are filthy 4-6 ft. up. :eek:
 
Oh my gosh, I guess I have just been lucky with the cooking shows I've had...nothing as gross :yuck: as you all have mentioned here! Did an activity several years ago where ever student at our school got a free camera and they were to take pics. of things they valued in their life. The cameras were sent in and the pics. developed. Because we had to have an end project to submit I needed to look through all the photos. It was amazing and often times sad what I saw. From one end of the spectrum to the other....beautiful clean and organized rooms and yards to places I could not imagine living. And yet these kids were taking pics. of what was important to them.
 
I had a show once with the cats on all the kitchen counters and dining room table. I had to remove one, wipe down the table and hope hairs didn't float down. You would be amazed of how little people care about a house when a stranger comes over, but your friends? My husband does mobile computer repair and works for millionaires and discusting slobs. He had one house that he will never go back to. Looked like a puppy mill in the house. Dogs in crates with c*** all over the floors, and stench. He had to watch where he walked and wash all his clothes when he came home. They knew he was coming over. Some just don't care. Like we need to say, "Please have your house sanitary for your cooking show!"
 

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