Marie Claire UK Marie Claire UK
  • Fashion Fashion
      • Fashion
        • View all Fashion
        • Fashion Trends
        • Shopping
        • Watches and Jewellery
        • Fashion News
  • Beauty Beauty
      • Beauty
        • View all Beauty
        • Fragrance
        • Hair
        • Make Up
        • Skincare
        • Nails
        • Marie Claire Beauty Awards
  • Health Health
      • Health
        • View all Health
        • Fitness
        • Nutrition
        • Female Health
        • Wellbeing
  • Life Life
      • Life
        • View all Life
        • Opinions
        • Travel
        • Sustainability
        • Weddings
        • Money & Work
        • Competitions
  • Culture Culture
      • Culture
        • View all Culture
        • TV and Film
        • Celebrity News
        • Books
        • Royal News
  • Vouchers Vouchers
      • Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Mint Velvet
        • Karen Millen
        • H&M
        • nobody's child
        • ASOS
        • ARKET
        • MANGO
      • Designer Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Reiss
        • THE OUTNET
        • SSENSE
        • Mytheresa
        • Liberty London
        • Selfridges
        • Farfetch
      • Accessories
        • View all Vouchers
        • AllSaints
        • Aspinal of London
        • Charles & Keith
        • River Island
        • FitFlop
        • Kate Spade
        • Vagabond
      • Jewellery
        • View all Vouchers
        • Pandora
        • Abbott Lyon
        • Goldsmiths
        • Beaverbrooks
        • Astrid & Miyu
        • Swarovski
        • Angara Jewellery
      • Beauty
        • View all Vouchers
        • Sephora
        • Cult Beauty
        • Space NK
        • Dyson
        • Clarins
        • Look Fantastic
        • Clinique
      • Activewear
        • View all Vouchers
        • Lululemon
        • Gymshark
        • Sweaty Betty
        • Nike
        • adidas
        • New Balance
        • Helly Hansen
  • NEWSLETTER Signup to our newsletter
  • logoCreated with Sketch.
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Women in Sport 2026
    • Marie Claire Masters
    • Spring Summer 2026
    • Nail Trends 2026
    • Best Investment Bags
    • Best Perfumes
    • Digital Issues
    • Women Who Win
    1. Life
    2. Relationships

    This is the biggest relationship deal breaker for 75% of couples

    It might surprise you

    Delphine Chui's avatar
    By Delphine Chui
    Published 25 July 2017 In Features

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    (Image credit: REX/Shutterstock)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    It might surprise you

    There are a lot of factors that determine when you reach certain relationship milestones but can you guess the biggest deal breaker when it comes to new couples taking the next step together?

    Well, regardless of any emotional relationship advice you may hear, the most off-putting thing to a potential partner is actually the appearance of your home.

    A huge 87% of participants in a survey carried out by Furniture123.co.uk said that they judge a new girlfriend or boyfriend on how tidy and clean their house is.

    75% of them said that clutter and untidiness would be a make or break factor. So, you might want to ramp up your cleaning routine.

    You may like
    • Broken disco ball smashed to pieces on the floor. Black and white for a dramatic touch. Shiny backdrop is defocused. Why Do Men Ruin Your Birthday?
    • Barbie's DreamHouse Is on Rightmove The Barbie DreamHouse Is on Rightmove, But What Does Female Home Ownership Look Like in 2026?
    • Milly Goldsmith “I’ve Never Had A Boyfriend”: Milly Goldsmith On Being “Chronically Single”

    Relationship deal breakers

    Uncleanliness

    General uncleanliness is enough to discourage 83% of Brits from progressing with a new relationship.

    Bad odour

    81% of respondents say a bad smell would deter from any further dates with the person they were seeing.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    Dirty toilet

    Dirty toilet is a big no-no for 80%.

    Unmade bed

    76% say an unmade bed would put a stop to the budding relationship.

    Old furniture

    Tired or worn out furniture would have the same effect for 66%.

    Decoration

    Clashed in general style and decoration is enough to put off 63% of those surveyed.

    Toys

    61% feel strongly about having cuddly toys on the bed.

    Remnants of a previous relationship

    59% say seeing things in the house belonging to an ex is a deal breaker.

    Delphine Chui
    Delphine Chui
    Social Links Navigation
    Read more
    Broken disco ball smashed to pieces on the floor. Black and white for a dramatic touch. Shiny backdrop is defocused.
    Relationships Why Do Men Ruin Your Birthday?
    Barbie's DreamHouse Is on Rightmove
    Homes and Interiors The Barbie DreamHouse Is on Rightmove, But What Does Female Home Ownership Look Like in 2026?
     
     
    Milly Goldsmith
    Relationships “I’ve Never Had A Boyfriend”: Milly Goldsmith On Being “Chronically Single”
    A woman's collarbones with a shell necklace and slip camisole top
    Wellbeing "Protecting Your Boundaries" Is One of 2026's Biggest Buzzphrases—But Therapists Say We're Using It Wrong
     
     
    Latest in Relationships
    Wedding planning
    Relationships I Love My Fiancé, but I Resent the Emotional Labour of Planning Our Wedding
    Wicker husband: Alexander Skarsgård and Olivia Coleman in the new film Wicker
    Relationships Move Over Regular Men and AI Boyfriends, The “Wicker Husband” Has Arrived
     
     
    Emotionally Unavailable Men: Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie in Wuthering Heights
    Relationships Why Are We Still Glamourising Emotionally Unavailable Men?
    Broken disco ball smashed to pieces on the floor. Black and white for a dramatic touch. Shiny backdrop is defocused.
    Relationships Why Do Men Ruin Your Birthday?
     
     
    Latest in Features
    Charlotte Mensah Afro Hair
    Hair Charlotte Mensah Has Spent 40 Years Changing the Conversation Around Afro Hair—Now, Her Legacy Is Going on Display
    Aesthetics Safety
    Beauty "What Did She Expect?"—The Sexism and Classism Behind The UK’s Aesthetics Safety Crisis
     
     
    Wedding planning
    Relationships I Love My Fiancé, but I Resent the Emotional Labour of Planning Our Wedding
    Expensive beauty products, luxury beauty
    Beauty The Expensive Products That Are Actually Worth It, According to Beauty Editors Who’ve Tried Thousands
     
     
    logoCreated with Sketch.
    • Site Archive
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Terms and conditions
    • Advertise with us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • About us
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire UK is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.