A spotless home.

[MOM21SON]

My neighbors home is always spotless.  Like out of a magazine.  and it always smells so good!

I am always at a loss what to say when I visit and she says, "Ignore the mess." 

A few times I have said, "what mess?"  She answers with, "I haven't had time to clean."

Most of the time I say, "Oh, don't worry about it."  She answers with the same as above.

This has gone on for 13 years!  lol.

Its not really bothersome, but I can't help but wonder if there something else I should be saying?

[ti_ax]

"Okay, I'll try." 

[gen xer]

 I think a simple "Oh it's fine" will suffice.  I don't know why people sometimes feel compelled to say things that are obviously untrue but - maybe she wants the reassurance?

[rose red]

"Your house looks lovely." 

[LadyL]

I would be tempted to turn it into a joke - "Oh yes, I can barely make it over the piles and piles of clutter you have here" (while gesturing at their clutter free coffee table).

[SlitherHiss]

It's just part of her script. Your answers are fine. I wouldn't overthink this at all.

[MOM21SON]

LOL.  I just thought of this.  Sometimes when she comes to my house she says "Your house is so clean."   Notice I said sometimes.

[m2kbug]

You're fine.  There's really not much more to say.  I'm with LadyL that I might poke some fun and say something like, "Oh yea, all the laundry and clutter lying around is hard to maneuver around."

[CrazyDaffodilLady]

You're fine.  There's really not much more to say.  I'm with LadyL that I might poke some fun and say something like, "Oh yea, all the laundry and clutter lying around is hard to maneuver around."

I have a feeling that the woman would not take it as a joke.  Just my experience.

[Luci45]

She probably won't even notice if you don't respond to that statement at all and doesn't register what you say anyway. It's automatic for some people, like, "How are you?" If you feel compelled, just say, "OK." and go on the the next conversation. Don't fret about it.

[poundcake]

Is that you, Mom?

[PastryGoddess]

I looked up spotless in the dictionary, but I couldn't seem to find it

[snowdragon]

Is that you, Mom?

That was my thought, too.

[MrsJWine]

Ugh, I hate this. I get it. I have the same impulse when people come over, and I haven't had time to scrub every corner. But come on. It's clean enough. No one will notice that baseboard in the corner. No one will realize that you vacuumed two days ago and not today. I know someone who used to do this, back when I was kind of a slob, and it made me feel almost guilty. Like, if this is what you consider a mess, what would you think of my house? I will never invite you over, not even after a good cleaning.

So even though I want to sometimes, I make myself not say stuff like that when people come over. No one notices or cares, and it just makes your guest feel awkward. When people say it to me, I say something like, "Wow, I wonder what you'd think of my house." I really don't see mess when I go to other people's house, unless it gets in to real grossness territory (filthy kitchen counters, visibly grimy toilet). I simply don't care. So I try to make myself assume that of them.

[Sharnita]

To me it comes across as fishing for compliments.