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Original poster

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

750 replies

Creativemode · 21/09/2016 14:49

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.

OP posts:
e1y1 · 21/09/2016 22:25

dame flogging
Just googled it, and it looks like it has already got underway in Conwy NW Wales (phew not us yet).

News article was only 2 days ago

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-37405589

Floggingmolly · 21/09/2016 22:26

Does he come in and check, notmorecake? Would he order you out if you were discovered in the big bed??

Tartyflette · 21/09/2016 22:27

I always wash my hands in the kitchen sink before starting to cook! It's bonkers to go upstairs to the bathroom then down again.
(Presuming you wash hands in the bathroom anyway after using the bog.)
I was at boarding school in the 60s/70s and we had to bring our sanitary towels, wrapped in brown paper bags, down from the bathrooms into the huge farmhouse style kitchen of the boarding house and throw them in the aga/raeburn type stove.
So everyone knew when you had your period and in the charming way of adolescent girls, would make eeurrgg noises and go on about smells and hand you deodorant. But everyone had to go through it!

bumbleclat · 21/09/2016 22:32

At MIL and FIL, we have to go to bed before the dog Confused
We wanted to stay up and watch TV (DH is 43!) and we were told to go to bed!

TopazRocks · 21/09/2016 22:41

Some of those are brilliant. Mine are quite tame really. My parents, once it was just them at home, had a rule that you had to wipe down the shower IMMEDIATELY after using it. Sometimes I'd forget; I think DH always forgot. You'd come out of the bathroom and find DF loitering there ready to dash in and wipe the tiles. I can't recall any more, but there were some.

A friend's mum, when were about 10, was pregnant. But friend was trained not to use the word, she had to say 'p' instead. The mother overheard me mentioning the mother's pregnancy and was furious. Later, friend got p Wink at 17 and unmarried. She married the bloke, had the baby, and her mother disowned her. She was horrible really. Not a nice person at all, and not actually funny.

Julia001 · 21/09/2016 22:45

I actually cannot see anything wrong with 4 weekly collections apart from the need for a bigger recycling bin, our "bin" in the kitchen isn't even full of non recyclable stuff after a week, so 4 weekly would be no problem, don't people recycle virtually everything apart from tetrapak?

carabos · 21/09/2016 22:48

Friend had the opposite of the shoes off rule. She insisted on shoes or slippers on at all times, in all parts of the house. Also, fully dressed at all times, so overnight guests couldn't leave their rooms in nightwear.

Same friend - No curling up on the sofa, feet on floor always and the house was kept at 16 degrees year round, no supplementary heating unless the indoor temp dropped to 12 deg - except in her bedroom, which was sweltering. No windows open at night.

Crunchymum · 21/09/2016 22:49

Having been to many a Greek island (and living in Cyprus) I cannot express how serious it is to adhere to the 'not putting paper down the loo' rule.

I remember going to Kefalonia 15 years ago and the owner of the accommodation almost started crying as he begged us "please don't put paper in the toilet as shit will pour out" Shock

However I will caveat this by saying that Greek landowners are responsible for their own plumbing and waste disposal so most hotel / bar / restaurant owners could upgrade their plumbing systems at a significant cost and they choose not to.

grumpysquash3 · 21/09/2016 22:49

Does anyone want to come and stay with me? There is a choice of toilet, you can do what you want in it, flushing is positively encouraged at any time of night or day. Food and alcohol are not restricted in timing or quantity, and you can choose your own bedtime. There are no dogs or cats.

You will have to dance naked around a bonfire a midnight though :)

flamingnoravera · 21/09/2016 22:53

I was told to take a stick to the toilet at night when staying with a well to do family in Dhaka.

In case there was a snake, "they come into the bathroom and coil round the pan, so take a stick and you will be ok". I waited all night with my legs crossed before I dared enter the bathroom.

Julia001 · 21/09/2016 22:55

grumpysquash3 I am on my way, I will bring tea bags (that you are very welcome to share) because I do like a nice cup of Builders Tea :-)

NameChangeDue · 21/09/2016 22:56

Not a rule, but know someone who has "NO SHOES" engraved on a gold plaque and stuck onto their front door Confused. Scared the bejeesus out of me when I went inside incase my socks weren't clean enough. I found it rude and intimidating. Leaving a few pairs of shoes near the door is a big enough indicator to remove shoes imo.

pictish · 21/09/2016 23:04

I hate having to take my shoes off. I do it willingly and jovially and you'd never know but I hate it.

Floggingmolly · 21/09/2016 23:06

A plaque on the front door Shock

GabsAlot · 21/09/2016 23:15

a plaque on the dooor!

killing myself at someof these the dance round the rug, leaving amessage?

i just cant stop laughing

people make my dh take his shoes off -they soon regret it

grumpysquash3 · 21/09/2016 23:15

Julia
Excellent, see you soon. I have biscuits to go with the tea :)

ShouldHaveBeenJess · 21/09/2016 23:17

I'm going to come up with my own now.

  1. If I have only just met you, it's not acceptable for you to enter my bedroom, use my most expensive perfume as though it's body spray and then casually flip through my wardrobe and make comments like 'Oh, I like this, I've never seen you wear it, could I have it?' when you have known me less than a week. (you know who you are).
  1. Just because you are lucky enough to live in a big house, please don't make comments about how 'awful' it must be to live in a tiny flat like mine, I like it (you know who you are)
  1. STOP BLOODY SWIPING SURFACES LOOKING FOR DUST (ex)
  1. When I make polite hints about 'last buses', please take them instead of sleeping on my sofa - I have a small child to deal with in the morning and am grumpy as fuck anyway (you know who you are)
  1. In fact, I don't bother turning up at all, unless you're an extremely fit male bearing cheesecake and/or ice cream.

Am not a very good hostess.

GabsAlot · 21/09/2016 23:22

julia theres alot u cant put in recycling

cat litter nappies sanitary towels-how do u think they would all smell after four weeks

TattyCat · 21/09/2016 23:23

I prefer no shoes but with one exception - my DSD. Her feet proper stink Grin so I insist she keeps her shoes on.

GabsAlot · 21/09/2016 23:24

oh i just realised i have one

close door to the bathnroom incase the cat makes a dash for the window shes too old for that

PinkSwimGoggles · 21/09/2016 23:27

theres alot u cant put in recycling

cat litter nappies sanitary towels-how do u think they would all smell after four weeks

you can, if you buy compostable versions.

Ezzie29 · 21/09/2016 23:30

I wouldn't want to stay as a house guest with any of the very clean people, but they are welcome to come for a weekend at mine and give my house a jolly good clean, I'm sure they'd do a much better job than me! I wouldn't like to be as unwelcoming as some of these people sounds, but I'm quite jealous at how clean it all sounds...

GabsAlot · 21/09/2016 23:31

what of cat litter?

anyway my council tell me not to put in any waste of any sort and the litter into recyable nor anything that has had food in it-its a pain

NameChangeDue · 21/09/2016 23:36

Yes, a gold plaque. I was shocked. There are some other plaques inside the house with rhymes about dirty hands and washing them.
I find it all too intimidating.

We don't wear shoes inside the house, but I always insist guests don't have to take off shoes. I wouldn't bark an order like that with a sign.

Amandahugandkisses · 21/09/2016 23:37

"When we visited my Nan's house we always had to leave by the door in which we entered. It was to make sure we took our bad luck with us..."

Grin This is fucking great I wish I'd done the same with a few visitors!

My parents sit in the dark pretty much all winter. They are v comfortably off. It's so odd going over there for supper and there's just one tiny light on in the corner giving no light whatsoever. It's made v clear it's not cool for us to just pop the light on.