What's the weirdest house rule you've ever experienced as a house guest?

[Creativemode]

Just that really.

Mine is someone that wouldn't let me flush the toilet incase it woke their children.

Also another wouldn't let me go upstairs to the toilet incase the stairs creaked and woke their children (there was no downstairs toilet).

I had a school friend that wasn't allowed fish and chips in the house because of the smell.

[SongforSal]

Had a friend at primary school. We lived a 5min walk from each others houses, and used to play together all the time. At weekends we were only allowed in the garden on a Sunday afternoon or the kitchen. It wasn't till our late teens we realised it was because her parents were having 'alone' time upstairs! I'm not even shocked, they get a slow clap 👏 from adult me.

[confusedat23]

I could not use my shampoo at MIL's house as apparently it stained the paint accross the room once... Also My bathroom stuff seemed to appear in DH's Bedroom when everyone elses was in the bathroom...

[xStefx]

Aw, my response to the lady who doesn't like the word poo would have been
Shouting " DP, .... the baby's shit!!"

[GeorgiePeachie]

Oh and just remembered my Grandparents had the no touching the walls thing. and You wern't allowed to say the word Can't or I don't like.

I don't think they liked us as children much.

[GeorgiePeachie]

hahahah
My Mum lives in the mountains we have MANY MANY rules. She lives with an ALMOST 0% carbon footprint.

Peelings go to dog food, Slightly off veg and off cuts go to chickens, everything else compost, including kitchen roll and tea bags floor sweepings. everything goes back on the fields.

We have our own sewer system so that means No loo paper down the toilet or it means going in and cleaning the tank ourselves. No thanks.
Every bathroom has a bin and everyone has the responsibility to put the used toilet paper in the compost themselves. And wash the mini bin. Sanitary products get burned/incinerated.

the only think that doesnt get recycled is soiled plastic (meat trays etc.) And Hard Metals/Batteries.

Only run the washing machine when full. once a day. same for dishwasher if poss to save money.

Its ridiculous hard work to visit, but I love it.

[lurkingfromhome]

Used to visit friend from very wealthy family during the holidays and stay for a few nights.

Was told that the two boys had to go up the left-hand side of the stairs, the girls should go up the right-hand side of the stairs and the parents would go up the middle. That way they could ensure that the stair carpet would wear evenly and wouldn't have to be replaced too soon with everyone's feet touching the same section of carpet. I got reprimanded by my friend's sister if I dared use the middle of the carpet and was invited to go down on hands and knees to inspect the slightly worn tread.

Came home and reported all this to my (not nearly as rich) parents who were .

[Huskylover1]

Close friend of mine....very wealthy, BUT, on a visit to her new home and staying over (she had moved away, so this was the first time we'd ever needed to stay over, iyswim), we found out that no heating was allowed on, even though it was December, we had one small salad to share between 4 people, and the wine never got topped up once you'd finished a glass. Sitting there with an empty glass and actually seeing my breath, I decided this would be my first and last visit.

[redjoker]

When I was smaller, about 11 a friend had a pay phone in her house, no mobiles then, she had 5 siblings so was cheaper apparently. All well and good but they wouldn't even lend me 20p to call my mum to say id be late home for dinner. didn't go there much after that, Tight weird gits (they were also SUPER rich)

[HunterofStars]

I had a flatmate who had 5 different air fresheners for each room. One day her mum and brothers visited and her mum used the "wrong" air freshener for the kitchen. She screeched at her for it and for touching the dishes in the sink. Her mum calmly said "but your boyfriend lets his mum do the dishes".

I had a neighbour as well who wouldn't let anyone but her touch her bar of soap in the bathroom. One day, I forgot and used it. When neighbour went in, she blamed her flatmate's partner who was also visiting at the time. Poor flatmate was [embarrassed] and said that he'd have a word with her.

[zukiecat]

I had an aunt that wouldn't let anyone use the upstairs toilet in case the flushing woke her sleeping cats

Now I have cats that I absolutely adore and even I'm not that bad!

[LakieLady]

This thread is just hilarious.

I was going to post some of DP's late father's odd behaviours, but I now see that not letting the children into the living room, house keys only allowed for the parents (any teenage child not in by the time parents went to bed had to find somewhere else to sleep, which is probably why they all had cars at 18) and insisting that every electrical appliance is unplugged and the supply switched off at every socket before retiring are relatively normal behaviours.

[WashBasketsAreUs]

Re the sanitary towel issue. We weren't allowed to leave packets of them /clean ones about. ........ in case my dad saw them or, heaven forbid, my brother. They had to be in our drawers in our rooms, covered by clothes just in case. In case of what?
I've told this before but worth repeating. Any used ST's had to be wrapped in loo roll then newspaper and then put them in the spin drier, then mum would burn them in the incinerator when dad and brother weren't in the house. One day the spin drier broke and had to go to the repair people. My mum had forgotten about the bag of used and wrapped ST's in there and she only remembered when they brought the spin drier back! She was mortified.
Oh and we weren't allowed to use tampons as they would take our virginity away.

[jamie2]

One friend had a rug in the living room which we weren't allowed to walk over in case we wore it out. The rug was a bog standard ikea type one so we aren't talking priceless antique. Needless to say wedsnced all over it whenever my friend left the room

[Crumbs1]

Growing up we had to take a torch to the outside loo. It was freezing in winter. Very few rules though - probably not enough.
I have colour coded hanging ribbons on the bath sheets - a different colour tape hanging loop for each so they can be hung up and reused with twice weekly changes. It stopped one using another's dry towel because they'd left theirs on the floor.
Everyone used to burn sanitary towels - huge great mattress things with a hideous belt thing or a big safety pin to hold it in place. It wasn't that long before that they were washed and hung out to dry. We've just got much more private and hung up about bodily functions.

[Meekonsandwich]

No touching the walls?????

What?!?! You do realise you can wash/wipe them???


Do you not redecorate or freshen the paint up each year?

Or is that just my mother who was overzealous and would redecorate every summer?

[MiddlingMum]

Not me but a friend's experience. Move the snake from the bath to the bucket under the sink before you have a bath.

[ShowMePotatoSalad]

I went to stay at a friend's house. She acted really strangely the whole time we were there. She told me not to touch the walls. I had to sleep with the curtains open because she wouldn't let me close them and said she'd know if I did.

It was a horrible weekend. We are not friends anymore.

[purpleprincess24]

Use baby wipes to wipe your hands as water is corrosive and will make holes in the basin!

[BasicBetty]

At my ex-BF's house, you weren't allowed to dent the scatter cushions on the sofa. This involved perching awkwardly on the edge of the sofa.

Not relaxing. Strange people. Lucky escape.

[jimjimjamming]

Came across this thread again.Honking with laughter. Not a patch on jaffa cakes & utility room, but when I was at Uni, I dated a guy from the NE. Spent a weekend at his parents house, with one loo upstairs. None of the family were smokers so I was a bit baffled that the toilet frequently stunk of fags. Figured that someone was having a sneaky one and left the subject. When we returned to Uni, I mentioned it to bf who said that anyone who did a No2 was required to light a ciggie and blow the smoke around, like an alternative air freshener. There was a box of cigs & matches in the bathroom cabinet, supplied by his Dad.

[Janey50]

Jeff- that is absolutely outrageous!

[FruVikingessOla]

gotthemoononastick. My Mum was the "two plain biscuits before having one 'fancy' one" post way upthread! But it had to be in that order! We too lived in a hot country for some years - although I'm sure my Mum's rules had nothing to do with melting chocolate!

[gotthemoononastick]

Yes,one fancy biscuit and then one plain ,only if offered.Under no circumstances the foil covered chocolate one as the choc wouild melt and go all over your itchy nylon frock.(boiling hot country).

[JeffVaderneedsatray]

The loft had been converted many years before and didn't seem to have been subject to the same planning regs. I am nearly 50 and have been with DH for 20 odd years. It was converted when he was a tiddler. He and his 3 brothers shared it for a while but his parents used to sleep up there.
4 kids in a 2 bed bungalow........

[Greyandyellow]

My PIL used to live in a one-bedroomed house, with visitors staying in a shed and locked out of the house at night. After I let slip to SIL that I didn't drink any liquids after 6 pm and occasionally couldn't last all night so had to pee in the garden, they had a spare key cut to lend to guests.