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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Silly house rules

372 replies

tabbyH · 20/03/2011 20:37

My husband has just emptied our kitchen bin. Apparently this means that I'm not allowed to put anything in it! Not sure what the time frame is until the bin is allowed to be used again... Does anyone else have any peculiar rules?

OP posts:
LeQueen · 21/03/2011 21:10

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Kleftico · 21/03/2011 21:14

I have just started to say things like "I'm not buying strawberries or grapes anymore because they just get eaten.". And I seem to be stock piling yogurts because they don't. I am turning into my mother.
I also do not allow anyone to cross my wet kitchen floor; I wince when clean loos get used immediately, and poos are only permissible in the upstairs toilet. Purely because it's boak worthy to smell shite when I'm burning blooming Yankee candles in the living room!

BooyHoo · 21/03/2011 21:19

it's a notebook. not a pretty one. an asda smartprice one but a very important one none the less. the pen is a silver parker stolen from my mother's handbag. Smile

ceasar04 · 21/03/2011 21:24

What is a pillow sham Confused

pawsnclaws · 21/03/2011 21:26

My MIL hoovers her doorstep but not the driveway - she picks up stones and specks of dirt by hand from that.

She also has net curtains and carpets in the shed. Everything in the home is ironed - pants, tea towels, hankies, everything.

Cardigans and jumpers are hung in the wardrobe in plastic wrappers and have socks stuffed up the sleeves so they "keep their shape".

8rubberduckies · 21/03/2011 21:26

[waves at takethatlady] I think probably the only rule in my house that doesn't get ignored is that if I start crying about the state of the house DP must run around for the next 7 hours cleaning frantically. I sob a lot about the state of the house at the moment, as I am 6 months pg, with a toddler, full time job and SPD Grin. I tried following Flylady but didn't have time to read the emails let alone do any cleaning and organisingBlush.

Thingiebob · 21/03/2011 21:33

Christ On A Bike!

None of you would want to come into my house!
I didn't think it was too bad but after reading this thread...

All this seperate piles this, seperate piles that, kitchen equipment hidden in cupboards, toilets that can't be used. Dearie me.

I think I should start by making up some rules.

LeQueen · 21/03/2011 21:36

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

butternut234 · 21/03/2011 21:40

I am a secret tumble dryer too Blush. Thought it was just me. To be fair to my DH though, I have been known to tumble dry a skirt when it's been 40 degrees all day but I've only remembered at 9pm that I need to wash and dry it to wear the next day.

Carrotsandcelery · 21/03/2011 22:06

My dmum can also only use matching pegs when hanging out wet washing. It has to be done meticulously and in order. The wet washing is folded in order before she goes outside and pegged up in order once outside. Many a t-shirt of mine was ruined by her pegging the bottom edge at full stretch because it was neater.
Poor mum - she is highly intelligent and being a SAHM just wasn't enough to fully occupy all those brains...Grin

victoriascrumptious · 21/03/2011 22:15

I can safely say I don't really have any rules apart from obvious ones like no washing your hands in the toilet and no smearing chicken blood on the walls.

I thought I was normal. Now I realise that I am not

BoffinMum · 21/03/2011 22:22

Suffice it to say my linen cupboard is bilingually labelled.

pawsnclaws · 21/03/2011 22:22

Oh Carrots I do that. Each member of the family has their own colour pegs and woe betide anyone who hangs an item up with the wrong colour peg.

SarfEasticated · 21/03/2011 22:31

my one rule which is always ignored is that towels that have been used should be left open on the towel rail to dry and then folded. Being folded when damp makes them smell horrible.
I love line drying clothes and the smell of them when they come in.

For all of you poo smell sufferers ? we bought a very nice glade air-freshener which does the job (pardon the pun).

xstitch · 21/03/2011 22:49

my XH wouldn't let me use the tumble drier (which he bought) but neither would he let me hang any washing up on a clothes horse and it would spoil the view of his garden if I hung it outside. I still get a little panicky when I am doing the laundry. On the days I was allowed to hang washing outside he would scream at me if the pegs weren't the same colour.

I am particular about dd washing her hands, she is very risistant to the concept so it causes a few fights. Also coats do not belong on the floor and the middle of the hall just in the door is not a good place for a school bag. I think I am quite reasonable about that.

dementedma · 21/03/2011 22:56

Dear God -I am genuinely shocked at the rules some of you people live by. I couldn't give a monkeys what way the toilet roll hangs, or most of the other stuff. I prefer shoes to be taken off and wet towels to be hung up, but that's about it.
the only rule in our house is on a sign when you come in
"be nice, or leave!"
That's about it really.

pinkhyena · 21/03/2011 23:03

ceasar04 I was wondering the same thing Confused

Thingiebob · 21/03/2011 23:08

Thank you for the list LeQueen although I am fairly sure my 1 year old and slobby DH will completely disregard them.

whomovedmychocolate · 21/03/2011 23:22

Oh goodness me you lot are lovely and weird Grin

I can relate to all of these - especially now we are selling the house and everything is scarily tidy Shock Grin

chasingrainbows · 21/03/2011 23:43

ceasar04 my mum made mattress covers for my dc which she proudly pointed out were made from pillow sham - i still have not got a clue what is so special or unique about it - just looks like fabric to me Confused

BooyHoo · 21/03/2011 23:45

"no smearing chicken blood on the walls."

that is a very sensible rule. why would any house not have that as a rule Grin

BluePyjamas · 21/03/2011 23:55

A pillow sham is a pillow case.

And the bloke who prefers mouldy stinky clothes is a nob, does he do this to your clothes etc too? I would tell him to fuck the fuck off tbh.

Anyway.

I like my facecloths to be in colour order, and folds pointing the same way.

Towels must be folded in half longways, then in thirds, hotel stylee.

Quilt cover has to be stretched taut and decorative cushions put in airing cupboard overnight as they make the room messy while I'm sleeping.

I can't sleep if there is anything other than lamp, clock and phone on bedside table.

If there is a piece of paper/sock/cup etc on the other side of the room after kids bedtime, I can't relax until it's put away.

Counters/sink have to be clear and wiped before bed.

I iron everything.

I have very messy cupboards though. So I'm not a freak.

Sassybeast · 21/03/2011 23:59

Victoriascrumptious - how do you enforce the chicken blood rule though ? Cos we have a real issue with that here and reward charts just don't cut it....

I'm not that bothered personally but when the lady comes around to colour code the pillow shams she gets a bit twitchy.

CardyMow · 22/03/2011 00:03

When hanging clothes on hangers, the waistbands of the trousers must all face the same way on the hangers. DS1 has green plastic hangers for non- school clothes, and yellow plastic hangers for school clothes. DS2 has blue plastic hangers for non-school clothes and orange plastic hangers for school clothes. DD has silver wooden hangers for non-school clothes and white wooden hangers for school clothes. I have beech wood hangers and DP has dark wooden hangers. Woe betide DP if he hangs clothes on the wrong hanger.

There are many, many more....

Skinit · 22/03/2011 00:15

Re not smearing chicken blood....my MIL somehow manages it...shealways seems to make little bloody splashes when prepping meat!