You really don’t know what’s going on inside other people’s homes, and these stories from Reddit community members confirm just that. Recently, people were asked to share times they’ve gone to someone’s house or apartment but saw something that immediately made them leave, and…wow. From bugs to a machete collection and everything in between, here’s what people saw, smelled, or heard that made them get out as fast as possible:
1.“I went to dinner at my daughter-in-law’s parents’ place. There was a cat turd. On the stove! It was just the wife, me, and them. It was a BBQ. I don’t remember if we ate anything or not, but I haven’t been back since.”
2.“There were **** photos of his wife on every wall in the apartment. I saw them right after he had introduced me to his wife. Awkward.”
—Goblue5891x2
3.“I was installing security alarms in Wisconsin. I was told there was one room where they specifically wanted every kind of sensor: motion detector, glass break, window/door, etc. I walk in, and the room is a literal shrine to Hitler, along with a TON of Nazi memorabilia. I told the client, ‘Sure, no problem!’ Then I went out to my truck and left. I called my manager and told him what was up, and he said there wouldn’t be any techs being sent out there anymore. I will say that the whole vibe of the house was ****** to begin with, starting from the front door. There was a wild amount of Egyptian stuff around, Knights of Columbus, and freemen stuff scattered about. The whole place gave me the willies.”
—TexanInExile
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4.“I met someone at a rather sketchy bar, and she invited me to her place deep in the forest. It was a trailer, and when we got inside, I noticed that all the doors had been removed and replaced with sheets. There was no power, and a couple of steps in, I felt like I almost fell through the floor due to a few sagging spots that were damaged by water. I have to admit, I was still tempted to see where it was going to go, but the feeling of This looks like a place you get murdered in in a horror movie was stronger, so I pretended I forgot something in my car and sped off.”
—[deleted]
5.“Roaches EVERYWHERE.”
6.“Her dad had his machete collection out and was sharpening them. He was talking to them as if they were his friends. It was really bizarre; the guy was obsessed with knives and blades. We decided to play at my house that night. Eventually, that guy tried to kill my friend’s mom with one of the machetes, and it was a whole ordeal. Her mom moved away and didn’t give out any contact details, so I ended up losing my friend overnight.”
—Walmartian_Beta
7.“The bathroom. It was the worst thing I had ever seen. The filthy tub was filled with dirty clothes that solidified into a black, foul-smelling gunk. The floor was beyond filthy: used Q-tips everywhere, no toilet paper, and no toilet seat. I was there until I got someone to drive my sister and me home. As we left, one of the kids who lived in the house was lying on the filthy stuff in the tub. My sister and I speak of this house to this day, and it was well over 40 years ago.”
—Bennington_Booyah
8.“My ex kicked me out of the house (rightfully so), and I didn’t have anywhere to go until an old friend said I could go to her place. She wasn’t there, but said to let myself in. I walked in, and there was trash and dirty diapers everywhere, plates of old food on the stairs and bedrooms, trash piled ankle-high through the whole place, and — oh god, the smell. I walked out with my suitcase and told her I had found somewhere else to stay. I haven’t been back since, though she does invite me over every time we see each other out and about.”
—literarytrash
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9.“I went to dinner at a family member’s house, and they fixed the plates for everyone. I asked them not to put peas on my plate because I hate them, and I was told, ‘In this house, we eat what’s served.’ I’m a grown woman, so I walked out.”
10.“Yeah, I walked into my dealer’s house halfway through a raid. Quickest 180 I ever did.”
—wolfie-thompson
11.“A guy I knew insisted on showing me his new handgun. It wasn’t much of a gun, but fine, I’ll admire your new gun. While showing me how to chamber a round, the muzzle crossed in front of my body. I held up my hands and said, ‘Hey, whoa, take my money.’ I really meant, ‘Don’t point your **** gun in my direction,’ figuring the message would be clear. A minute or two later, he did it again, and I suddenly remembered I had an urgent appointment.”
—Kevin_Uxbridge
12.“They had a rotten turkey from Christmas in their fridge. It was March.”
—Userdataunavailable
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13.“I was a home health aide. One house had the bathtub, sink, and commode filled with feces. The kitchen had rats/mice and roaches coming and going in the fridge, and they were hoarders. How the hell was I supposed to bathe that woman? I had to put my gloves on BEFORE I got to the front door.”
14.“I’m Hispanic, and in college, I used to work retail with a very mixed group of people. One night, we went to this super sweet redneck girl’s house to drink (like, it was the whole team). She showed us her room, and right above the bed was a rebel flag and a big *** noose. We all left pretty much immediately after.”
—Master_Definition252
15.“I stopped by to catch up with an old roommate. Ten minutes into our conversation, he put **** on the TV. I got up, left, and never saw him again.”
—YouMustBeJoking888
16.“When I was a kid, my dad was taking me to a new friend’s house for a playdate. When we walked in, he saw a gun just sitting out on the table, completely unsecured. We turned around and left, and from then on, I could only play with that friend at my house.”
—WilburChocolates
17.“I went to visit a buddy who lived in Jax Beach with my wife. The three of us went to his friends’ house, a couple, before we went out. This couple had three Saint Bernards. I kid you not, there were huge piles of dog **** all over the place. Mind you, this was a big ***, nice home. My wife and I still can’t believe it.”
18.“There were so many candles lit and so many scented things plugged in. I got an instant migraine, so I had to step out.”
—Reddittorio
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19.“Unfortunately, there was a KKK statue on top of their refrigerator. No way I’m getting past that.”
—plsjustgiveme5
20.“I lived in an apartment, and many times, as I was coming and going to work, the lady who lived next door would be sitting on the floor outside her door. I would always stop and say hello or ask if she was alright. I had found out from management that she was a highly educated professor from one of the Ivy League universities, but had had a mental breakdown. One day, I was coming home from work, and she was waiting at the elevator for me in a total panic. She said she had to show me something. She took me to her door and told me I needed to leave all my electronics outside. She opened the door, and I stepped inside to see that every square inch of her apartment was covered in tin foil. She then went on a rant about people spying on her. Yeah…that night, we contacted her family. She was in the hospital for a few weeks after that.”
—Luking2thestars
21.Lastly: “I heard rats running around and scratching up the walls. Like, it sounded like millions of rats just walking, jumping, scampering, and continuously squeaking.”
If you’ve ever gone to someone’s house or apartment but left right away because of something you saw, smelled, or heard, what was it? Let us know in the comments, or you can anonymously submit your story using the form below.
Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
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