It is painfully obvious when men are perpetually single. No women wants to make the investment to bring these man up to speed (at least, not the sane ones).

Instead, you want to Look Run Through. Looking like you’ve had a girlfriend before is a good thing. It’s like social proof. ”Someone out there was willing to give a shot on them, maybe they’re not so bad.”

I actually think this is one of the reasons why men who have been in relationships tend to get in relationships after breakups, while those who are single remain single. Women want men who have been vetted!

To help level the playing field, I’ve compiled a list of products to help you Look Run Through.

Bedroom

Duvet cover

• You need to have a duvet and a duvet cover (also known as a comforter in America). You can’t raw dog the duvet without a cover, that’s gross. You also can’t just have a blanket, that also seems kinda gross and probably isn’t warm enough?? The point of the duvet cover is that you can wash it regularly.
• When it comes to selecting a duvet cover, for some reason all guys choose navy. I don’t understand why, maybe they think it’s more masculine or something. There’s nothing inherently wrong with navy, it’s just that it’s become coded with bachelorhood. So when a girl sees a navy duvet set, she’ll think, “okay at least he’s not completely gross, but did he mention when his last girlfriend was??”.
• Instead, I recommend white/cream/beige. And I know you’re thinking, “why would I get white, that gets dirty so easily”. And to that I say, that’s literally the point! If your duvet looks dirty, you should wash it!

Here’s an affordable option I found (Amazon US$28)

I personally own these ones. They’re very crisp and good for summer. (LL Bean US$170)

If you absolutely insist on not having white-ish sheets, then grey would be a good alternative.

These sheets are really soft. Feels like staying in a hotel. (Amazon US$88)

Pillows [new]

• You need a minimum of two pillows – one for you and one for your guest. They both have to be good. It can’t be the good one that you use and the old, flat, lumpy one for your guest. That’s so unpleasant.
• A friend of a friend once slept over at a guy’s place and he only had one pillow and didn’t even offer it to her. The bar really is so low – you can easily do better than that!
• And while you’re buying a duvet cover, don’t forget to buy pillowcases for them too!

Here’s one I found (Amazon US$27)

I recently bought these pillowcases. They’re nice, soft and come in a pack. If I have extra pillowcases, I double them up on my pillows to keep them clean from oils and drool. (Amazon $14)

Bathroom

Hand soap