Yick: Host Houses That Haven't Been Cleaned for a Show!

[pamperedpals]

I did a show once where the house was so dirty there were cocroaches in the oven, and we were doing a pizza....gross.

Okay that is really nasty! EEEEEEWWWWWW:yuck::yuck:

 

[Sheila]

Eww, that is disgusting!!

 

[virgomama]

OMG! This is one of my fears with selling PC. Please tell me that it's 1 in 100 homes that are like these stories!!

 

[ChefBeckyD]

OMG! This is one of my fears with selling PC. Please tell me that it's 1 in 100 homes that are like these stories!!

Probably more like 1 in 1000.

I've done around 400 shows, and only had one host like this.

 

[wadesgirl]

Probably more like 1 in 1000.

I've done around 400 shows, and only had one host like this.

Yes I agree!

 

[chefcharity]

Reading these this has been one of my biggest fears!

I am extremely sensitive to smoke due to my illnesses. As you begin to branch out of your 'inner circle' has anyone had to ask certain accommodations be made for them during the party such as no smoking?

My director is allergic to dogs. And she puts it in her email that she is and to please keep any dogs put up during the show. You could do the same thing with smoke.

Good luck and do not let these posts scare you! They are funny and happen very rarely. I've been in biz for 2 years and only have one house horror story. These things do not happen all the time!

 

[virgomama]

Probably more like 1 in 1000.

I've done around 400 shows, and only had one host like this.

Phew! That's good news

 

[pampered.chris]

Probably more like 1 in 1000.

I've done around 400 shows, and only had one host like this.

My thoughts exactly! I have only had one REALLY REALLY bad "I-stripped-outside-my-house-before-I-went-in" show and only a small handful of other ones where I was mildly grossed out.

I am not immaculate, but like Ann, I am just a little cluttered, not filthy at all. My sister's house on the other hand...is both. It is so much a house that we refuse to eat in, sit in and breathe in...and she has 2 small kids. I always make sure my clutter is picked up before she comes over, just to show her what her house could look like.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

My thoughts exactly! I have only had one REALLY REALLY bad "I-stripped-outside-my-house-before-I-went-in" show and only a small handful of other ones where I was mildly grossed out.I am not immaculate, but like Ann, I am just a little cluttered, not filthy at all. My sister's house on the other hand...is both. It is so much a house that we refuse to eat in, sit in and breathe in...and she has 2 small kids. I always make sure my clutter is picked up before she comes over, just to show her what her house could look like.

I think people like that just don't get it though. My host who's house was so disgustingly gross...she was ranting about how her family had just messed up her kitchen, and how she was so anal about her kitchen.(???) Well one look (and one whiff) could tell you that the build up of filth in that kitchen was years old. Oh, and we won't even go into the dirty, smelly, absolutely disgusting fish tank sitting on her kitchen counter. :yuck::yuck::yuck:

 

[BeckyC5830]

I have to share with you what I walked into a few weeks ago. The host walked up to me at a booth a few months ago and said I want to book a party. Oh, good I thought, she'll be a great host. Found out she was really hard to get hold of by phone and email. I sent out 23 mini-cats for invitations and called the six people whom she gave me phone numbers for two days before the show. Got one order over the phone, but no other responses. Showed up for the show and was greeted by 6 cats (I'm allergic to them) and two dogs. The husband had just washed the carpet and it still smelled like wet pee. Went in the kitchen and set up. Nice island for the demonstration, but had to keep knocking the cats off of it. Then host thought maybe the cats were hungry so she put the cat food on the kitchen table!:yuck: and the cats jumped up to eat... Went through the demo. But wish I had brought my own hand soap, she had none, thankfully I had a hand sanitizer with. Did BBQ Chick Sand in DCB. Had to sanitize my hands a lot. Thankfully I brought a dish cloth and towels. The dogs and cats were constantly poking through my PC bags - hair on everything! One cat curled up on what I called my office - hair all over. After the guests, host and her husband got their food they sat in the family room, so I went out there to wrap up the show. Well the carpet was soaked so every time I walked on the carpet my shoes would get wet and when I stepped on the linoleum in the kitchen I would slip... I closed the show and packed my bags, waiting for orders. Waited about 45 minutes. I had to ask if anyone planned to place an order. At that point two of the three guests booked a show, the third was too young. Only one of them ordered. Total of four orders. One outside order is co-hosting with one of the attending guests. So anyway, the four orders only came up to $86. Host didn't put any effort into getting more orders. So I couldn't submit the orders as a show. But I could add them onto another show, but I gave the women who were booking a show the option to waiting until their own show to order, which they chose to do. So now I have two orders to add onto another show -- one of those cc was declined and she'd never call me back. That caused that show to lose it's show status..... Worked with TPC and I added an order and saved the show. Anyway, had to wash everything I took to the show. Vacuum out my bags. I ended up spending $20.82 on mini cats, and postage for them and the host packet. One hour drive time, add'l direct shipping rates for the two outside orders. I think one of the shows I booked will be great and should recoop some of the lost $$. My director wondered if the hosts friends knew about the cats and dogs and that's why she didn't have a good turnout -- she had a good point! Have to chuckle at the day.

 

[erinyourpclady]

Oh, yes ... I failed to mention that it's custom here in Japan to remove your shoes at the front door. Mine socks were not wet, but they were black & sticky at the end of the night. ;(

Just thought I would add...after you leave Japan, that tradition doesn't leave you! LOL!! Everyone takes their shoes off at my house! AND my kids and I always remove our shoes upon walking into someone's home! In fact when we moved back to the states, my youngest was HORRIFIED that my parents did not have a shoe basket by the front door!

 

[wadesgirl]

Just thought I would add...after you leave Japan, that tradition doesn't leave you! LOL!! Everyone takes their shoes off at my house! AND my kids and I always remove our shoes upon walking into someone's home! In fact when we moved back to the states, my youngest was HORRIFIED that my parents did not have a shoe basket by the front door!

I've never lived in Japan but that's the first thing I do when I go into my house or someone elses! I always feel weird with my shoes on inside. I wasn't raised that way either. I just prefer my shoes to be off.

 

[Sheila]

Erin, we are spending 6.5 years over here. So I imagine it will be a hard habit to break when we return to the states! LOL

 

[lockhartkitchen]

The kid poo on the carpet story made me loudly say Oooooooooooooooooh!!! The dog hair in the stove made me laugh. What do people think? My husband, like us, goes into people's homes to repair computers. He goes into million dollar homes and trash homes. It's amazing people don't get embarrassed. My worst I call the "cat home", I haven't called ever again for a show. She lived in a shoe box of a mobile home that had only one 2 foot counter covered in clutter. She led me to the kitchen table that 5 cats were laying on. I counted more than 6 others around the place. I think they normally eat on the kitchen table too. It was yucky. I didn't want my things stinking. I myself, have 3 cats and 1 dog. No one ever sees them or smells them. When we had our longhaired cat, we vacuumed every day. There is a difference between clutter in one's home and dirty.

 

[jackieblue]

Heh...it's customary to remove shoes at most places around here because during so much of the year there is snow and slush or some form of watery yuck on the ground. It stays much cleaner in the house with no shoes. I also slip them off automatically everywhere.

 

[chefann]

That's a good reminder - I need to start packing my spare slippers in my show bag.

 

[jenniferp417]

Ugh. I think I'm going to get a nice-looking pair of moccasin slippers (hard bottoms) to wear ONLY inside for shows. I know these stories are the exception, but OMG I just couldn't do a show with wet, squishy, or sticky floors and stocking feet. Couldn't. I also added a bottle of soap to my shopping list.

 

[esavvymom]

I am positively nauseous from reading all these...:yuck:

I agree! I'm not even going to finish this right now....:yuck:

I think if I had been in a house with kids and human (or animal) poo around, I too would have called someone!! That's just WRONG!! Understand the situation with being on base in a foreign country, but wow.

I think I'll keep putting an extra table in my car for shows. If I encounter that situation, I can at least go out and grab my own table to set up on or demo on. People are amazing! Thankfully, it's not the majority we have to deal with! so far, my worst was just seeing a roach on the kitchen counter (crawling around my tools) and strong smell of smoke. Just scrubbed EVERYTHING I had when I got home to (A) get rid of the smoke smell that permeated everything (even my laptop!), and (B) make sure I didn't have any stow-aways!

 

[pampered1224]

Geez I would pick lunch time to read this but it got my curiousity going!
EWWW! Anyway, I am up to 300 plus parties and I too have had only one encounter like this. Thank God!! I like most of you am clutter bug. I own a cat and sorry but you know it the minute you walk in the front door. Reason being, we had to put his litter box there! I know it sounds weird but when we first moved into our home and about a week or two I think it was, after, I had opened the front door and in scurried our neighbors cat! Mine went nuts and chased the kitty around and back out of the house. Luckily I caught him. He immediately started the 'let's mark MY territory" thing by peeing right there by the front door!! Pissed me off! We scrubbed it and all but did this for three days and so, we moved his ltter box. And no, if I move the litter box off the spot, you can't smell it but if we try, 12 years later, to move it, he pees on the carpet! I walked into a home last fall and I almost threw up. Clutter I can handle but that filth! The liveing room, TV room and the little dinnig area were pretty well set but when I got to the kitchen, OMG! The host was not there, her sister answered and proceeded to totally disappear leaving with this problem. We need a microwave, which my host knew and the oven. I had to put the dirty, moldy dishes in the sink. I had to find cleanser to clean off the stove top and luckily I checked the oven as there were even more dirty dishes in there and a horrible rank smell of rotten food. Got enough counter room to wipe off, with cleanser as I have no idea to this day what the black stuff was and I do not want to know, off. Got my stuff set up and procedded to check out the micorwave. Got another blast of dinner past and that's when I had to walk out. I could not find the bathroom so I did it. I actually had to run outside and toss my cookies! As I finished, my host drove up. She asked me if I was OK. I told her plain and simply, I could not go back in her kitchen and why. (Now, her mom was with her at this point!) Her mom was so embarrased that she walked into the house, into the kitchen and came back out and told me to stay put. In about 45 minutes, which by the way was 1/2 hour after the guests had arrived and we were supposed to start, we finally could. Her party only partially made up for it as when I got home, I could not get the smell out of my nose even though her mom had cleaned it up quite well. Mentally it woudl not go away! Her party closed at about $700. She called me last summer to book a party again. I lied and told her I was not doing cooking parties this summer. She did a catty show. I don't know what I will do if she calls again!

 

[scottcooks]

wow. stinkeeee. Anne still wins for the most outrageous incident at a show, but these are awesome stories to tell to your downlines! I think I'll go clean the bathroom.

 

[Sheila]

John, it wasn't in your head. Your nose hairs actually collect odors & retain them. (I learned this trick from being a Police Dispatcher and talking to police & firemen who had to work death scenes.) After being exposed to something very rank, come home & dip a q-tip in rubbing alcohol. Take a deep breath, then while exhaling very slowly, clean a nostril! Try to do is super quick so you can keep exhaling & letting it dry. You might need to do a couple of breaths in the mouth & out the nose. Once you have it clean and dry, you can repeat on the other side. But until you clean out the inside of your nose, it doesn't matter how many showers you take - you'll still smell the odor because it's STILL THERE! Death scene odors (rotting meat in a kitchen is the same concept) can linger for DAYS in your nose. First timers think it's all psychological, but it's not!