Everyone has that one chore they dread doing. Whether it’s exhausting, disgusting, or just downright tedious, we’ll often procrastinate until the cows come home. Even beautiful items can turn infuriating, nooks and crannies will fill with dust, unreachable without exertion.
The “'Things designed by people who don't have to clean them” Facebook group gathers designs that perhaps look intricate on the surface until you take a moment to think about living with them. Then the sinking realization sets in, that a thousand twists equals just as many crevices for dust to hide in,
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I Finally Have One That Fits Here. This Mouse In The Manager's Office. I Want To Vomit
Fur Walls, Ceiling And Bedding
Okay What In The Actual-
This Facebook group isn’t the first (and presumably won’t be the last) collection of people who have started to notice designs that, while visually appealing, are impractical to their main users, that is, us, humans. Cleaning is just one part of use and maintenance, but you may have already noticed that doors, tables, showers, and all sorts of other appliances have more and more obtuse and unintuitive features.
Among sociologists and designers, there is a movement that, in response perhaps to many of the things seen here, champions user-centered design. Its adherents believed that things should be designed with the user put first, and foremost when considering features and functionality. As obvious as that seems, a simple glance down this list will reveal just how often this tenant is broken in the name of novelty.
This Is The Worktop In A Kitchen. Dirt Just Gets Accumulated In All The Dimples
"Sofa"
young me : YEEEEEES WEEEEEEE !!!, now old me : where is the crane ?
Break Out The Sand Blaster To Clean The Shower, Easy!
The term came about in the late 70s, with a paper by Rob Kling arguing for a user-centered design in software. Software, as in the 70s, as today, is a pretty niche topic, so the term only became truly popular with Donald A. Norman's book “User-Centered System Design: New Perspectives on Human-Computer Interaction” in 1986. Even if you have not read it, it’s very possible that you have at least encountered the term “a Norman Door.”
Found On Marketplace 1965 Chevrolet G10 Van
Found In Another Group, I Am Wondering How They Are Able To Clean This Set Up? Seems Like A Cool Concept, But How Are You Able To Dust And Vacuum When You Have Huge Rocks Around Your Living Room?
Well…
The term “Norman door” is actually somewhat ironic, as it refers to a door that explicitly does not follow Don Norman’s ideals. You have probably encountered a door that needs to be either pushed or pulled, but does not have any contextual indicators to allow you to understand which. So you pull, the door doesn’t budge, then, red-faced, you finally push it. This works in reverse as well.
Kids Bath Toys 🤢 One Looked A Bit Weird So I Cut It Open And It Was Full Of Mould! Thrown Out All Of Her Bath Toys That Can Fill Themselves With Water
Odysseas Ladopoulos
No No No No
What did you expect when you rented a place advertised as the “Flintstone House?”
Don Norman used this sort of item as a clear example of designers not putting human use first. Perhaps the door was an afterthought, or there was a very limited budget, or the builders really, really liked this one, specific door. Ultimately, while it might look nice, in a busy area, a bad door probably causes hundreds of hours of delays every year, as people need to figure out how to get in or out.
This Cup, Which I Photographed Before Finally Getting Over My Guilt And Just Throwing Away. Those Arms Are Hollow. Even If It’s Only Used For Water, It’ll Get Damp In There And Full Of Unreachable Mold. Farewell, Cute But Useless Cactus Cup. I Wanted To Give You A Chance, But You’re Just Too Poorly Designed
This Was In Another Group I’m In. They Said It’s A Carpet And They Change It Out Once A Year But I Still Think It’s Gross. 😂 Sorry If You’re In Here
Ancient Egyptians were well known for their love of faux fur carpeting in the bathrooms.
My First Post!!
That's not a post. That's a grassy table. And a disgrace.
In many of the images here, it’s pretty obvious that someone, a designer, home or business owner had a vision for something unique. Many of these designs are interesting at first glance. But they generally have made two mistakes. First, they have not actually sat down and worked out who is going to be interacting with the item on a daily basis. Second, they have not considered maintenance as part of the design's normal use case. That's all fine and dandy if you are just an innovative architect, but if you are a homeowner, it’s going to quickly become a problem.
Unfortunately, I Am The Cleaner
Not Cleanable Things
Not Cleanable Things
User-centered designers not only recommend but downright insist that before anything is made, the team sits down and works out a hypothetical persona. This represents the average user interacting with something as intended. In extreme cases, this might involve a literal focus group, but for the amateur home decorator, it can be a good little mental exercise.
Beautiful Spoon, But Come On
I had cutlery like this. Really loved them. Having OCD mine were spotless. Washed by hand. Looking back I'd never get anything like that again
This Fabric Chandelier/Lightshade Is Hanging In A F*cking Toilet. Can See The Spiderwebs & Dust From My Seat
Yes, These Are Earphones
If you really want to get into the weeds, you can also consider an anti-persona, the user that this item or design is explicitly not intended for. Perhaps useful for tools and software, but not as applicable when considering a bathroom door. All in all, it is important to push back against designs that ultimately make our lives harder and more complicated, particularly in the 21st century when we really have better options. If you want to see more designs like this, check out our other articles here, here, here, and here.
Save $8k On This Couch Obviously Designed By Someone Who Doesn’t Have To Clean It, Now Yours For The Bargain Price Of $6000! All I Can Imagine Is The Crumbs That Would Get Caught In The Deep Pile
The Wall In This Testaurant Is Beautiful But ---
Not Cleanable Things
I Needed To Use The Ladies' Room At The Restaurant Before Having Lunch. This Is What I Found. Yes, We Still Ate There. No Idea If The Men's Room Was Similar
Found In The Wild (I Think It's Beautiful, But Still)
Bathroom Sink In Indonesia
Spotted You Walmart… And For Kids' Messy Little Hands Too
This Chair Is For Sale In A Shop Across From My Office. I Looked At It Out My Window Thinking It Looked Like A Huge Nest Then Pulled It Up On Their Website. For That Price You Know They Have No Kids Or Pets And Do Have Someone Else To Clean It. Now To Go Over And Touch It
This Feature Wall In A Pub In Ireland.. I Didn't Get Too Close, It Looked Pretty Good Considering, But I Hate To Imagine The Upkeep
Found One In The Wild Of One Of My Local Yard Sale Groups. If Ur Not Familiar With The Central Valley It’s Dusty Af. I Can Only Imagine This Thing In A Years Time
Why ?
This Sherpa Recliner I Found On Marketplace.… I’m Not Sure You Can Clean This Lol
This Looks Like Gravel Stuck In Old Gum, With Lime Scale And Soap Scum Accents
A good thump with a rubber mallet will remove that nonsense pretty easily. If I had to guess, it's covering up a nasty etched stripe in the enamel from where a sliding shower door used to be.
Just Installed The Mirror Wall Tiles 🫠 Good Luck Cleaners
Found On A Realtor Website
Above The Bar At Emeril's Table Restaurant At The Fairly New New Orleans Airport. So Fuzzy
I’m Almost 30, All My Friends Are Buying Houses. This Is In A Friends Basement
This High Priced Coffee Table Sans Glass Top
Yay, you can have a giant bug hotel in your living room.
Bathroom Sink At My Local Coffee Shop
The Upper Section Of The Wall In The Dining Area At My Local IKEA Warehouse
Someone Shared These Artificial Flowers On Kitchen Ceiling In A Craft Shaming Group And All I Could Think Of Was The Grease And Moisture And Dust That Would Accumulate On That.... Maybe It Would Be Cute In Like A Bedroom, Nut Definitely Not A Great Idea For A Kitchen Imo
This Chair From Cb2
Imagine All The Dust Particles Etc In All Those Crevices
This Is Cute As Hell But Oh My God The H A I R
Found On Pinterest. Wooden Backsplash
This Water Bottle I Saw At A Department Store 🤦♂️ . . . I Feel Like There's Going To Be A Lot Of Other Groups Tagged In This One
The Bottom Inside Part Of My Clear Glasses Frames
Ceiling At Local Restaurant
This Hanging Light In My Doctor's Waiting Room
I like the look, but it's not worth the dusting.
Found In The Wild At Homegoods. That Is A Market Umbrella. For Outside. Covered In Random Unhemmed Cut Fabric
What, because hemming was going to help with the water damage and or dust …..?
An Indoor Playground, With Wood Chips. Adjacent A Food Court
Just Finnished Wiping Down This Bad Boy
This Wall On The Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady Is Driving Me Nuts
I Love The Concept But Practically, A Nightmare
First Time Poster. The Dust
Again, an easy fix. Turn off the light. Use the brush attachment on your vacuum cleaner.
Grooming Shop And Fans. Fun Times
This is just laziness. I clean my fans, and they are tighter, and harder to clean than that one.
Fake Flowers On The Ceiling/Walls Of Bathrooms/Restaurants. Ew
The Ceiling Of Nando's In Corby, UK... 😬 (I'm Guessing It's To Do With The Acoustics Of The Place..)
Water Flows Into This Pitcher's Handle, And The Top Of That Is Not Detatchable. What Were They Thinking Really?
The Ceiling In The 1000 Seat Auditorium At My Job. I'm Not Sure When It Was Last Renovated (If Ever) But It Was Certainly In The 20th Century
It’s So Dusty! I Just Want To Get In There With A Rag And A Squeegee
These Plastic Pieces Used In The Sink At A Sushi Restaurant. Ew
The Hair, The Hollow Legs…the Joints?!
Former Owner Of My House Put Trim Allllll The Way Around My Kitchen Counters And I'm So Grossed Out By It 🤢 Tried To Pull It Off But It's Taking Pieces Of The Counter Tops With It 🤬
My Sister Just Bought A New House. Why Tf Would Someone Do This
Local Ramen/Sushi Spot. They're Glueing Bamboo On The Ceiling Edit (Additional Info): Yes, They Glued It One By One. We Don't Have Many Venomous Spiders/Insects In General In Here So That's That I Guess? They Also Have Paper Cranes Hanging From The Ceiling In The Other Part Of The Restaurant. Their Food Is Amazing But This Decor
Yikes
This Group Was The First Place I Thought Of
This. I've Seen People Trying To Use Those Glasses As Rails, And Is Just Fingerprint Everywhere
I'm A Professional Window Cleaner, I've Been At It For 6 Years Now. This Grate Is Purely Aesthetic. Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time, I Suppose
An Airplane Seat Bolted To The Plane. You Know They're Not Using The Hose On A Vacuum To Get This. They Probably Don't Even Vacuum Until They Absolutely Have To
Who Tf At American Standard Thought This Was A Good Design For The Underside Of A Toilet Seat? I Seriously Wonder If They’ve Ever Cleaned A Toilet. I’m Seriously Considering [probably] Spending My Own Money To Get A Seat Sans Crevasse’s Even Though This Place Is A Rental. To Somehow Make The Design Worse, It’s A Slow-Close Yet It Doesn’t Have The Quick Releases To Clean Under The Hinge
This Couch On A Local Market Place
This Is The Ceiling In The Public Hallway Of My New Apartment Building, I Wonder How Long It Will Take Before Its Full Of Bugs... According To The Contractor, It Must Represent A Cloud Field... And Yes, It’s Already Falling Apart
It represents the cheapest way to do ceilings because it is sprayed on and it hides every imperfection in the installation of the ceiling that was present. "Cloud field, my #$$"
I'm At The Club Right Now, Thoughts?
Chain Curtain At A Local Restaurant 🤮 You Pass This Going Into Or 🤢out Of🤢 The Bathrooms
This Samsung Stove. A One-Way Trap For Crumbs And Cooking Oil
This Is A Big Design Trend Right Now & I Can’t Understand Why. I Usually See It As Bare Wood Too, So Imagine The Slivers. Not A Hard Thing To Keep Clean I Suppose, But Definitely Time Consuming And A Huge Dust Collector. Where I Live, Spiders Would Be All Over This
I have unfinished vertical wood paneling in the stairs to my laundry room, it's been fine and hasn't collected a noticeable amount of anything in 10 years.
This Fountain Thingy At A Mall In The City Where I Live. There's Literally Someone Mopping The Whole Time Because The Part Where The Water Falls Is Too Shallow, And The Water Splashes All Over The Place
Found This Cast Iron Grill Pan On R/Castiron. Cast-Iron Needs Specific Cleaning Practices. Grill Lines Are A Pain To Clean And Add All These Holes And I'd Never Use It
Fuzzy Texture Combined With Oily Skin, Ear Wax And Whatever Dirt You Like Every Day
. . . . That just looks like a print, not fuzziness. . . A Q-tip, or cotton pad should clean it right up.
In A UK Nandos, A Sink That Is Made Of A Porous Material And Hence The Basin Has Become Mouldy!!
A Knife Block
How About A Glass Of Wine From This Cool Decanter? (Image Nicked From Another Group.)
Either way it's near impossible clean thoroughly and you'd never know of you had done a good job or not
Load More Replies...What demented mind did this come from, and what would a sane person ever drink from the mouth of such a creature?
Lol Gross. I Don’t Care What Type Of Door These Knobs Are Used For. Absolutely Not
A Restaurant, From Their Own Promo Materials. Those Are All Logs Of Course
Escalators
Seen On Redfin: Outdoor Shingles On An Indoor Bathroom. A Brown Toilet. How Would You Know If It's Clean?
I have an avocado green bathroom suite. It's not hard to tell if the toilet is clean. Brown will be the same.
This Two-Metre Tall Wooden Ornament/Fake Plant Holder Next To A Toilet In A Bar's Bathroom (No Varnish)
Not Cleanable Things
Nononono
This Sink At Chicago O‘Hare International Airport. How Does It Fully Drain?
Front-Loading Washers. There, I Said It. When We Moved Into Our House It Came With A Front-Loader And Was Fillies With Mold Both In The Seal And In The Detergent Tray 🙃 It Was So Much That We Just Had To Replace It
Spotted In A Local Cafe. Like How It Looks, Wouldn’t Want To Clean It
Some of the items on this list can easily be cleaned with a tool that was once a staple of cleaning, called a feather duster. I think there are several modern equivalents.
Sink At Target
The Shower In Our Hotel In Spain!
Microwave At A Newly Built Cabin That Just Got Added To The Roster At My Job
These Sinks At My Job. Bonus: Peep My Big A*s Forehead In The Reflection
Whatever This Is
I remember all my stripper friends getting this and the mirrored ones for their rooms around the 2008-2014 era 😂
You Asked For It. You Demanded It. Here It Is. Hooever Thought It Was A Good Idea To Put Those Raised Things There To Make It Xxtra Cleanable… *ah.. It’s A Soup Spoon
Not Cleanable Things
So I Thought I Made This Memory Up,,, So I Googled It
Restaurant Bathroom In Lahaina, Maui
They Are Glued Down…
From My Buy Nothing Group. The Family Is Lovely And Very Clean, But The Potential 'Ick' Factor Is Huge! Especially Second Hand!
Ever heard of washing things? I have jumpers like this for cold weather....
And It Doesn't Fit In The Dishwasher
(This Is A Cry For Help) I Would Like To Have Words With Whoever Conceptualized Baseboards, And Specifically These Ones. You Mean To Tell Me The Best Cleaning Solution We Have For These Is To Get On Our Hands And Knees To Scrub Them?!
Why are you scrubbing them? How about just vacuum them with the hose every week? Then they'll be fine.
Y'all I Hate This Razor It's Got Silicone Grips But It's Impossible To Clean And I Really Don't Want To Buy Another One Because They Are Expensive
Not Cleanable Things
A Donut Shop Sells Mugs With A Hole Through The Middle
If You Know, You Know. Enfit Feeding Tube. You Can't See It In The Photo, But The Head Has A Zillion Little Places Inside For Crud To Get Stuck And There Is No Way To Get It Out. This Item That Goes Straight Through An Open Wound Into The User's Intestines. I Just Want To Stick It In The Dishwasher 😭😭 Water Flushes Help But Don't Get Everything I Hate It
This is all incorrect. I produce videos for nurses on how to use and clean these. They come in sterile packaging and you are supposed to wipe the connector every time you use it. I have no idea what little crevices the OP is talking about. These have caps and one way syringes that connect to them. You also flush them before and after every single feeding or medication. Sounds like the OP doesn't know the proper usage of this.
This Fan! It Less Than A Year Old And Already Has A Huge Buildup Of Dust Inside. And I Can’t Figure Out How To Take It Apart
On My Suggested... I'm Blaming This Group For This
These Lick Mats For Dog (And For Everyone Sayigg Bc “Isn’t The Dog Supposed To Clean It Yes But My Dog Has Doggy Adhd And Gets Distracted Easily Before It’s Finished)
Good grief, OP is just taking the pïss. These are easily cleanable, even by hand.
I opened and closed this list. Grew up with a hoarder and find it way too triggering.
What's the deal with all of the rocks?! Can't imagine showering in a rock-encrusted bathroom.
I have a stainless steel water bottle with a plastic lid and straw. Even though I run boiling water through the lid and straw, it still got moldy inside. I soaked the lid and straw in bleach for 12 hours, and it still smells funky!
Bleach does not kill mold, white vinegar is the best thing for it.
Load More Replies...Lots of rocks on this one but the TV shows where they put barn wood everywhere, like in the kitchen - if that stuff is textured it's going to get dusty, collect pet hair, don't people cook in their kitchens - your going to get grease and food splashing on the backsplash ya know?
I opened and closed this list. Grew up with a hoarder and find it way too triggering.
What's the deal with all of the rocks?! Can't imagine showering in a rock-encrusted bathroom.
I have a stainless steel water bottle with a plastic lid and straw. Even though I run boiling water through the lid and straw, it still got moldy inside. I soaked the lid and straw in bleach for 12 hours, and it still smells funky!
Bleach does not kill mold, white vinegar is the best thing for it.
Load More Replies...Lots of rocks on this one but the TV shows where they put barn wood everywhere, like in the kitchen - if that stuff is textured it's going to get dusty, collect pet hair, don't people cook in their kitchens - your going to get grease and food splashing on the backsplash ya know?