to not want to wash bedding and towels for 4 when a family stay the night?

[goreousgirl]

I am starting to wonder if I am on my own to think it is unreasonable for friends to turn up for one night for a family of 4, bringing nothing with them (ie sleeping bags for the kids or towels). I know it sounds bad, but does anyone else get stressed about this?

We had friends stay last night, and I took 2 bin bags full of washing to the launderette (would have been 5 washes to do everything at home). I always take towels and sleeping bags for my kids when I stay. Do you? Do you get mad or am I really a crosspatch?

YABU - I would never expect to take my own bedding.

And Moondog - yuck yuck yuck! You CANNOT reuse bedding that someone has slept in! That is truely disgusting!

If you want them to take their own bedding and towels then you need to ask them. I think that I would prefer to take my own if I thought they weren't clean!

YABU. I don't expect guests to bring thier own beding and they are also welcome to use our towels.

I agree with moondog I don't wash bedding after one use and I'm happy to sleep in beding that has been used once or twice before.

YABU.

I hate all the extra washing that comes with having people to stay, but i would never dream of asking them to bring their own stuff.

If they have kids then they have so much stuff that they have to bring anyway that it makes things a bit easier for them not having to pack bedding and towels.

There's no way my SIL could fit all her lot and bedding etc in the car.

It should only be 3 loads of washing, goreousgirl:
2 single duvets, 2 sheets, 2 pillowcases - 1 load
1 double duvet, 1 double sheet, 2 pillowcases - 1 load
4 towels - 1 load
Total - 3 loads.
You can easily do 3 loads in 1 day. The stuff won't be that dirty after 1 night so you could use a 40degree wash rather than a 60.
It's up to you whether you sleep on their used bedding, but please don't ask them to bring their own!

It sounds as though you have too many visitors and that is more the problem! I would say no if I really was too tired. Sometimes this is better than the resentment it causes.

No-one wants to be a burden, even for a free overnight stay!

Horses for courses - if entertaining is too much, it's too much.

Crikey I can't believe the number of people who don't ask guests to bring bedding. When we go to close friends I always take bedding (both for us and the dds) and ask them to bring bedding here.

if it is a couple or a single frind I wouldn't both asking them - but if they offered I would say yes please.

I work full-time so 2 or 3 extra loads of washing is a pain. I also don't wash our bedding every week - but I think that could be a whole new thread

I usually offer to take bedding if going to stay with a family smaller than ours - its a bit much to assume they have so much spare bedding when they are a small family iyswim.
I wouldnt offer otherwise, but I would be happy to (and not offended in slightest) if someone asked me to!
Next time someone says to you 'We're coming to London, can we stay with you?' say 'Yes, of course you can. we'd love to see you. Would you mind bring some of your sheets and towels though as we may not have enough for everyone?'
Thats not offensive surely!

And I'm feeling SICK at the thought of you people who DONT WASH the bedding between guests!!! I hope that I dont know any of you in real life. I'd HATE to sleep in someone elses unwashed bedding YUCK YUCK YUCK

I have only asked guests to bring bedding once and in my defence DS was only 6 weeks old, not sleeping at all and DH was away on a stag weekend.

I still cringe about it now though

I don't change the bedding if its the same people who are likely to be coming again, i.e. my parents stay quite often, but other than that I could never leave the bedding on after visitors. When we have stayed with other friends I know straight away if the sheets haven't been washed, you can tell from the smell, and I have no desire to sleep in some strangers sweat and I'm sure our guests don't either.

As a guest I wouldn't mind being asked to bring towels and bedding for DS but I would find it a bit inhospitable to be told to bring our bedding. I do always ask people when we stay if they want the bed stripped or not, so perhaps you could get visitors to do that which helps a little bit ?

I don't mind really, although DH's family always bring their own towels and sometimes bedding too.

It does depend on how many guests you have. If you live in an area that all your friends want to visit, and see it as a wee holiday, it is easy to have 5 or 6 lots of guests a year. That get wearing after a while.

We have already had 6 guests and have only been here for 6 months.

If I am going to stay with friends/family I don;t take bedding or towels with me unles asked to do so. We do generally check.

Likewise we provide bedding and towels for our overnight guests.

I also provide shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and toothpase in the bathroom for them to use.

However if someone asked me to provide beddign/towels I would not be offended or bothered.