People Are Sharing The "Horrifying" Items Someone Can Have In Their Home That Signals They're A "Red Flag"

Recently, Redditor u/Radiant_Blooom asked the people of the Reddit Community to share which items found in someone's home signal that they're a "red flag," and some of the responses were absolutely valid (and somewhat alarming). Here are some things you might want to look out for when visiting another person's house:

1."Large political flags on the wall. I don't care what your political affiliations are; if you're so obsessed that you feel like you need to hang a huge flag in your living room to announce them, that's a no from me."

Flag in a room features a train, the year 2020, and the words "All Aboard the Trump Train" with an American flag design

2."When there are guns or knives that aren't secured. I don't own any weapons, but I have friends and family who do. I won't go to anyone's house who doesn't have them in a safe."

kittyisagoodkitty

3."They had a dish rack in the sink with black mold where they put clean dishes to dry. They also didn't wash their baby bottles — just filled them up with water and let them soak before reusing them. I was HORRIFIED."

Close-up of a kitchen sink strainer with mold and dirt on a metal grid. Reddit post discussing cleaning tips for removing the mold effectively

4."When they let their pets poop and pee in the house."

CamoWeddingDress

5."A really gnarly aquarium. If you're going to trap fish in a box for your personal pleasure, at least keep it pristine."

Reddit post showing a fish tank with algae buildup. Images compare the tank before and after cleaning and water change

6."When there are no plants."

crooked-ninja-turtle

7."This is certainly a personal ick and not necessarily a red flag for everyone, but when people have absolutely nothing on white walls. I was seeing a guy, and he didn't even have pictures of family members or children. I couldn't help but ask him about it, thinking he had just moved in or something, and he said he didn't want to 'get attached' to the apartment — even though he'd been living there for years and wasn't moving out anytime soon. That gave me some weird vibes, and I never went back after."

Bedroom with a minimalist style, featuring a bed, nightstand, and ceiling fan. Reddit post asks for ideas to make the room feel warmer and cozier

8."I bought weed from a guy for a long time — he seemed normal enough. I'd sit and smoke with him and leave. One day, I needed to piss. He told me, 'End of the hallway on the left.' At the end of the hallway on the right was some kind of Nazi-white supremacy shrine. There were flags centered on the wall and everything. I got the hell out of there and never went back. And to be clear, this was absolutely not a WWII memorabilia collection. This was a room dedicated to Hitler, the Nazis, and everything else vile."

braindamnager

9."I don't know if I'd go as far as 'red flag,' but people who have zero books in their home give me pause."

Reddit post shows a wooden bookshelf with plants and decorations on top shelves. Caption says their cats keep the bottom shelves empty

10."One of my best friends from middle school invited me to spend the night one weekend, and their house was so unbelievably nasty. It was more than just trash and dirty clothes all over the place. My friend's older sister had a baby, and they had dirty diapers and food scraps throughout the apartment."

ABluntForcedDisTrama

11."Dirty light switches. This means they don't wash their hands. Don't eat there."

Screenshot of a Reddit post with a cleaning tip for removing yellow stains from light switch covers using a specific soap and water solution

12."When they don't have hand soap in the bathroom."

Myctic_Darling

13."When there's extreme beige-ness — especially if there are kids. I saw videos of parents painting colorful toys beige; it's just sad."

Living room with beige sofas, brown wooden floor, and TV. Comment thread discussing how to add color to the neutral decor

14."When there's no trash bag in the bathroom bin."

Acrobatic-Sense7463

15."When there are things that belong in storage piled up everywhere. My mom has been a bit of a hoarder since moving back to California. Instead of doing anything herself, she stays in bed and asks me to clean things out for her when I visit. The problem is that anything I put in the 'to be thrown out' box for her to review gets removed and goes back to the piles because of 'sentimental value' — but no functional value. I'm just going to buy a storage locker to put everything inside so they'll be accessible but out of the way."

A cluttered room filled with papers, boxes, and miscellaneous items, part of a discussion on hoarding challenges and solutions

16."Roaches. My in-laws' place is full of roaches, and they act like it's no big deal."

buoyant_nomad

17."One major red flag is if their home feels too sterile or empty — like they don't actually live there. It can be concerning!"

Screenshot of a Reddit post in the "malelivingspace" subreddit featuring a modern kitchen with a large island and minimalist design

18."When they don't do basic preparation for a guest coming over. For example, when there's no toilet paper in the bathroom or if the house is untidy."

AriasK

19."'Live, laugh, love.'"

Screenshot of a Reddit post from r/GreatBritishMemes. The image shows a wall sign saying "Live Laugh Love" with a humorous caption above

20."Dirty, filthy litter boxes."

Ophede

21.Lastly: "I did some real estate photography on a home, and the state trooper's house I visited was disturbing. It was in a nice neighborhood and a nice home that was clean and well-maintained. Photos of the kids and wife decorated the walls and end tables, but I started noticing holes punched into the walls (some plastered and repaired, some 'fresh'). There were doors that'd been splintered at the bottom from being kicked in, and there were a couple of doors that had padlocks on them that had been ripped out. There were signs of rage everywhere I looked."

Reddit post titled "How do I fix this hole in the wall" with a photo of a bathroom wall showing a hole near a light fixture

Yeah...I will not be staying at most of these people's houses. What's a "red flag" item you've seen when visiting someone's house? Let me know in the comments, or you can anonymously submit your story using this form!

Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.