What is the strangest rule you had to follow at someone else's house?

NanOf8Girls

Another childhood memory was never to mention you felt poorly at Grannys..As a farmers daughterwho then married a farmer she would whisk 2 raw eggs, a splash of milk and sugar in a cup. Then insisted I drank it all quickly. I did as I was told as she stood watching. My dad (her son) carried on with his mother's solution to all childhood ailments. I soon learnt to not admit 'feeling unwell'.

Oh lawdy nan I remember trips to maternal grandparents on the farm and there’d be an enamel jug full of boiled and cooled wormwood….? and we were made to drink a small beaker full?‍? with my mam’s blessing!

I never understood, if it was as ‘good’ for us as all the adults said, why they weren’t drinking the darn stuff themselves! When I said that out loud my mother slapped me later for my impertinence ?

We had Dettol in the bath too, I think.
It made the water look milky.

I remember Dettol sprinkled in the weekly bath on Saturday so we were all nicely disinfected for Church on Sunday ?

No poos in the downstairs toilet, wees only. Upstairs loo for anything else but hard luck if you were caught short.
I suppose because of the smells ?
First world problem.

I'm going back to the early to mid 60's when my grandma had an indoor bathroom installed by the council.

We still had to use the pot under the bed (huge thing shared between two to three children and our grandparents so a feat to not dip our bottoms in the liquid), or the loo in the garden, and baths were still in the old tin baths in front of the fire. Why? Because my Grandma was convinced an indoor loo and bath were unhygienic!

Does anyone remember mums putting Dettol in their children's baths? Not if they had grazed a knee or something - as matter of routine. Someone I know said that this was normal practice when we were young, and whereas I don't remember my mum doing it, I can't be sure that she didn't. I asked my husband if he remembered if from his childhood and he looked at me as though I was mad.

oodles Yes, I had heard of something like this through a French cousin-in-law, when she visited an old couple but they turned the plate upside down.

I can relate to many of the comments but the oddest thing for me when we visit acquaintances (rather than friends) is being asked to sign their Visitors’ Book.

We used to have a bush house on a septic system. Usually you can get special toilet paper that you can flush. You can’t put any bleach or disinfectant down because it kills the bugs that make the system work. At least they were better than the long drop toilets!

We were always told before we went anywhere to say "No, thank you" to anything offered.
That was hard if you really wanted something!

Another childhood memory was never to mention you felt poorly at Grannys..As a farmers daughterwho then married a farmer she would whisk 2 raw eggs, a splash of milk and sugar in a cup. Then insisted I drank it all quickly. I did as I was told as she stood watching. My dad (her son) carried on with his mother's solution to all childhood ailments. I soon learnt to not admit 'feeling unwell'.

My sister lives abroad in a rural area.
There is only one toilet and You can’t put any toilet paper down it what so ever.
I was told I had to bring the used loo paper out of the toilet and put it into the fire.
The thought of coming out of the loo clutching soiled loo paper was embarrassing especially with her husband there.
To be fair , It was for a good reason, in that their lavatory can’t cope with toilet paper and it backs up and blocks it. She’s previously had to dig down to the cess pit and find the blockage so I can’t blame her for not wanting to have to do that!
I am a new property type of person though with a cloakroom and ensuite in my house so this was a real culture shock.
I didn’t ? for a week until I got home. Not totally deliberately, I just couldn’t go lol

In my friends house, nobody was allowed to sit in her husbands chair, even though he was at work.
He had a clipboard with an itinerary of the programmes he was going to watch, a bar of Turkish delight, and other bits and pieces to make sure his viewing of the tv was all set up.

I would never ask a guest to remove shoes. If I invite anyone in then I am prepared to clear up after them. If they take them off automatically then that is fine.

My aunt would only allow me either a cola or a bag of crisps. One or the other but never both. Her mother, my granny insisted I eat sliced banana, sprinkled with sugar, topped with cold milk. The slice of bread and Lurpak thickly spread upon it, was compulsory. My brother and I would throw the hated bread and butter in the coal fire if luckily Granny left the room. The guilt was enormous as Granny was very strict

I don't wear socks or tights, even in winter.

SueDoku

Sloegin

We thought it very weird, and a bit rude, when visiting rather twee friends in Surrey about 40 years ago, to be asked to remove shoes! Haven't experienced that since or ever occurred to me to remove shoes unless muddy.Didn't realise it was a 'thing' until I discovered Gransnet and Mumsnet. I grew up on a farm so was used to removing wellies at the back door but not any other shoes. Have lived in N.ireland, Kent and Devon and never came across this with any friends or neighbours. I must move in mucky circles!

Me too - I cringe at the thought of all the dead skin, germs etc from people's feet being spread over my carpet - but I have friends who always do it (even though I've asked them not to).
I live in a home - not a show house, and only remove my shoes in someone else's house if a) they ask me to and b) they supply me with (clean/new) foot coverings to wear -otherwise my feet will pick up all their dirt etc and transfer it into my shoes...! Why would anyone want to do that..?? ?

Removing shoes doesn’t mean removing socks or tights as well

Sharp knives are best hand washed. The dishwasher dulls the blades.
Only weird thing that has happened was actually the person I was living with at the time. Boyfriends mother insisted I washed up BEFORE I ate what I'd cooked. But then she really didn't like me ?

I remember my grandmother (born 1888) telling me that as a child she and her family went for lunch to the farm of family friends. She was fascinated to see that the meal was served on a large plate divided by a ridge, with the main course served in the left hand side and the pudding in the right. She was told later this was so that meals could be taken quickly, so that everyone could return to their farm work. She painted a vivid picture of her custard spilling over and puddling into a small amount of gravy remaining on the left hand side!

Kate1949 Sorry it’s the same at mine. I always advise guests to bring their own cereal or it’s bread plus whatever. Here, the factories seem to add different measure of ingredients so it’s never the same. UK product is sweeter.

What should be remembered when visiting other homes, the families come originally different countries therefore have different customs. E.g. Taking shoes off, I don’t see the problem if there is something clean to slip into. I take my own slippers when I visit friends.
Even Her Majesty the Queen has changed her outdoor wear when visiting certain places.

As for flushing, wait till you are forced to have stand pipes because there is a water shortage and people have not been cutting down. Flush before guests arrive and if surprised check before they enter the toilet.

When visiting the old aunt she often insisted we would also call with her cousin who lived next door.His wife immediately ushered any males in our group into the kitchen and the ladies were put in the front room. The 2 groups then did not mix and tea was served separately in the 2 rooms.
His son, who was divorced had a second wedding abroad and we were invited later to meet the new bride. When we arrived she was posed at the door in full wedding outfit to shake hands .It did seem odd.

When I spent time in france with my French exchange's family we used the same plate throughout the mean, they had bread to clean the plate before you got the next course
On occasion when there was something I had left on the plate, for example fat from the mean, which I can't eat without gagging, I felt very self conscious about having to have a new plate. It cut down on the washing up for sure though, and I occasionally will do this myself if on my own
Don't know if the French still do that

My ex MIL wasted nothing. The first time I ever went for dinner she had made a hotpot. The hairy end of the onion was sitting in the middle of my plate ?

Did anyone else have the 'FHB' policy when visitors came to tea? (Family hold back)