How Your Home May Be Ruining Your Love Life
How Your Home May Be Ruining Your Love Life
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Let’s face it: Dating is hell. There’s really no way to tell if that would-be special someone you’re meeting for the first time has freaky fetishes or Mommy or Daddy issues, or has packed on 50 pounds since posing for the picture that prompted you to swipe right.
It’s no wonder getting into a meaningful relationship can sometimes seem tougher than scoring an affordable two-bedroom apartment with street views in San Fransisco.
But the reason you’re still single may rest closer to home. In fact, it might be your home itself. The folks over at Wayfair, an online home decor shop, recently released a survey of the top 10 deal breakers around the house that can render potential paramours undateable. The Boston-based company surveyed more than 2,100 Canadian participants.
The top transgression that can leave the lovelorn even more lonely? Smelly apartments. Both genders singled out olfactory offense as the ultimate romance buzz kill.
“We fall in love through our five senses,” says New York–based love and dating coach Sarika Jain. So “keep your [home] aired out. Leave a window open. You can use fresh flowers or lavender. … [And] fragrant candles are good when someone comes over.”
Grimy bathrooms and bad plumbing were ranked the second and third worst carnal-killing sins. Not much kills the mood faster than a clogged toilet.
“Your home is a reflection of you and your state of being,” Jain says. “If it’s cleaned and decluttered, then it automatically feels like you have space for other people in your life.”
Rounding out the top five deal breakers for men were poorly behaved pets and tons of dirty laundry. Women cited dingy or soiled sheets before dirty laundry. (It seems that we’re splitting hairs here.)
“Pets are polarizing right away,” says Arthur Malov, a senior dating coach at New York Dating Coach. “If you mention a pet on the first date, it can kill the date. … They either love [the little rascals] or dislike” them.
Other offenses included lack of privacy, no air conditioning or heat, dirty dishes, damaged upholstery, and crude artwork. So maybe it’s time to listen to your mom and take down those vintage “Baywatch” posters.
“If you’re home is a little messy, that’s all right,” Malov says. “But if someone comes in and things are thrown everywhere, that’s going to be a deal breaker for sure.”
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