For me, I just didn't see that there was an extra room in that short corridor. If the washing machine was in any other room, I would've found it.
For the steak, it's in an odd place. It would make more sense for it to be in the fridge or on the kitchen counter.
For the dog, there could be a light close to him so you can actually see him. And, if I remember correctly, the door leading outside was in a dark corner, there should be some light there. And reduce the lighting in unimportant areas and objects. Players tend to gravitate towards shiny objects since that's what games have been teaching us to do for decades.