What are your unwritten house rules ?

[cakeorwine]

Need to go to the shops but the washing machine is on. I don't want to pause it and one of the unwritten house rules is "Don't go out when the washing machine is on"

So I've had to wait until it's finished. Luckily it's a short wash so not too long.

What are your unwritten house rules?

I leave all my machines running when I leave the house and always have done. I need to RTFT to see if I am the weirdo or the rest of you confined to barracks when you wash your smalls.

Greet the dog when you come in
Don't leave the toilet in a mess
Don't be a Dick

Fed four times? 😂😂

I think our record with the cats is only twice.

Me too (dishwasher, washer, drier, slow cooker). I take advantage of their delay timers... I'm not on a tariff thats cheaper at certain times, but I time things so they finish at times convenient to me

Dogs are only allowed on sofas if there are blankets on sofas.
Except for Princess dog who ignores all rules . And of course old man dog who is too precious to be moved.
So- dogs lounge where they like and everyone else deals with it

9 out of ten times our washing machine is on there's no one at home. I usually time it so it starts automatically and finishes when I get back home. As for the fire risk, the fridge is on all the time and I am not aware of higher fire risks for washing machines so I don't see the point on switching it off when I go out. And ours has an automatic water stop so apparently it doesn't flood.

One rule I am very strict about is no eating outside the dining room! Ever.

When QI or HIGNFY comes on, you have to do the pyow bit in the theme tune.

The unwritten rules started out as clearly expressed rules.
No eating in bedrooms.
No shouting and yelling indoors.
Clothes in laundry basket or in closets / drawers. There should be no clothes anywhere else.
No leaving books opened and face down - use a bookmark.
The TV remote stays on the coffee table.
Clean up after making a snack or a sandwich, etc.
Don't put empty containers back in the fridge or cupboard.
Write grocery items that are needed on the whiteboard. I do not read minds, and contrary to what I may have told you when you were younger, I do not have x-ray eyes or eyes in the back of my head.
If you bring in the post, it goes into the inbox on my desk, and nowhere else.

About the washing machine - how do you suppose people manage to live their lives in multi unit buildings where several washers or dryers could be on the go all day?

There has never been an 'industrial' grade machine anywhere I've lived in the US for the last 30something years.

In apartments with washers and dryers in the basement, it's been a standard top loader or front loader every time, with a coin attachment jerried on by (hopefully) some electrician.

In my own house, I inherited the previous owner's white goods, with the washer and dryer located in the basement. I did not sit down there watching the washing machine or dryer. I frequently put the dryer on and went to bed.

In apartments, my neighbours used the laundry room at all hours of the day and night, and people came and went as they pleased. How could they possibly be attended? How could people possibly time their comings and goings for when the washer/ dryer was not in use?

Everyone who goes to the loo right after you will surely figure it out anyhow?

The point of waiting until others have peed is to spare them the ex post facto advertising that might happen if you pooped first.

No rules in particular, the outside world is demanding enough. Once the door closes, we all just get to chill and love each other.

All of this too, apart from the doors (open plan-ish home).

And also, please flush the loo, night and day alike. Nobody about to have breakfast at 6 wants to see what you've been up to at 3am.

Give mum a hug before leaving the house - that’s not my rule but everyone seems to have to detour by me, no matter where I am, before they can leave (or go to bed). Even the cat does it.

Fabric scissors are only for fabric - that’s my dm’s voice echoing loudly round my head as I grasp the scissors in my sweaty hand fiercely resisting the temptation to cut random things. We have lots of scissors so no one in my family except me has ever gone to the bother of getting the fabric scissors out of the sewing box to cut anything.

Share sweet things with dad there’s often a corner of a bar of chocolate sitting on a dinner plate in the fridge, or a lump of a muffin left in someone’s lunchbox because they’re saving it for dh.

I don't understand the tea towels one. You touch the towel and dishes with your hands when you're drying the dishes! And when you dry your hands, you've presumably just washed them, so they are clean.

I once had a washing machine catch fire/explode. It was very scary and no way will I leave it on and go out now

• Laundry only gets done if you put it in the basket in the kitchen.
• Living room door to hall needs to be shut to keep the draught out.
• Bunny gate closed behind you to stop them marauding through the house.
• No dishes upstairs.
• No shoes in the house.

No shoes on carpets
No food or drinks other than water to be eaten anywhere other than the table or kitchen
Open the window after a shower or a shit
Share food

You are lucky I invited you.
Don't touch my shit.
Don't be a twat.
Don't touch my shit (incase you forgot the first time)
Don't outstay your welcome.

So you never have a cup of tea or glass of wine in the living room? What about a packet of crisps or some snacks while watching TV?

If you see a job that needs doing, do it. No keeping score.
No smoking in the house, no matter how far you hang out of the window.
No spiced biscuits in the same box as the plain digestives.
The toilet seat should be left down when not in use.

No shoes upstairs. Bed’s stripped on a Sunday and duvet buttons done up. No personal stuff to be left in the communal living room. No phones at dinner.

We have had to implement a system of fridge magnet ‘counters’ which are moved from left to right whenever the cat is fed. She will try to persuade whoever walks into the kitchen that she’s starving, and looks positively disgruntled at any communication between her mark and the previous feeder.

God I do so many of these rules😳I leave the washer/dryer on and go out, we charge phones and watches overnight, never switch off plug sockets (I think we might have done when we went on holiday!)

Ours are:

Remove bath mat after 6 yo has got out
No shoes on inside but we wouldn't bother to tell a guest if they didn't take them off themselves
Toilet seat down when flushing (will never forget what I read about poo particles🫠)
Whoever cooks doesn't tidy up

No leaving the washing machine or dish washer on when we’re out or asleep.
Front and back doors are always locked.
Everything apart from essentials like fridge get turned off overnight.

I’ve really enjoyed reading through this thread. Love the differences between people. I had always heard never to leave dryer on overnight/when out but never washing machine.

There’a just me and my 2yr old but so far these are what I’ve been doing:

shoes off in kitchen or hallway (depending on entrance you use)
no phones at the dining table
no food upstairs