People say “My body is a temple,” but I have another kind of saying. My house is actually my temple and I rarely want anyone disturbing my peace. It's my place to rest and recharge. It's like Whoopi Goldberg said: "I don't want somebody in my house."
Granted, she meant that's why she doesn't want to get married, but doesn't that also work for having guests over? I guess that's why this post on Ask Reddit hit so close to home for me. The Redditor sodamnsleepy asked the Internet about the weirdest things their houseguests did, and the people did not disappoint. Check out the spiciest answers below.
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Bored Panda got in touch with the creator of the viral thread. The user sodamnsleepy was kind enough to answer a few of our questions. The Redditor says that personal experiences with guests inspired them to post the question.
"I guess I asked the question because some friends/guests I had did a few weird things but nothing close to the stuff people commented," they admitted.
The author of the post also says they luckily haven't experienced anything similar to the things people describe in the thread. They call their experiences with rude guests "kind of tame compared to those in the thread."
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We asked the Redditor how they reacted to the strange behaviors of their houseguests. "Most times I just sat there, staring," the netizen admits. They describe themselves as a non-confrontational person, so the times some friends acted inappropriately, they just let it slide.
sodamnsleepy also didn't expect the post to get the kind of attention that it did. "Usually my posts get 50 upvotes and a few comments, then they die." The degree of chaos in some people's stories also surprised the author. "I didn't imagine such wild stories," the Redditor says, not hiding their bewilderment.
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Many of us wouldn't know how to react politely when a guest helps themselves to a snack uninvited or commits another kind of faux pas. Etiquette experts agree on one thing: don't be rash, passive-aggressive or rude yourself. Below you will find some advice on how to react to weird behavior exhibited by your guests.
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When staying with a friend for more than a day, etiquette experts recommend guests offer to help around the house. Washing dishes, pitching in for groceries and all that stuff. However, a polite guest would never start cleaning around the house without the host's permission.
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Patricia Napier-Fitzpatrick, founder of The Etiquette School of New York, offers Elle Decor a possible script to let your guest down easy. "Tell them it's not necessary by saying, 'Don't worry! My housekeeper is coming tomorrow after you leave.' Whether or not that's true, it doesn't matter. Maybe you're the housekeeper the next day."
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What if your houseguest is all up in your fridge? The co-host of the "Awesome Etiquette" podcast Lizzie Post advises to let your guests know what's off-limits upfront. "You might let someone know, 'Oh, help yourself to anything in the fridge, but the chocolate cake is going to be dessert on Friday night.'"
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Etiquette experts claim guests should know to clean up after themselves. Make your bed, and keep your bathroom clean. But don't snoop around. "It’s not polite to open medicine cabinets or rifle through drawers," etiquette experts warn, certified etiquette consultant Nikesha Tannehill Tyson told Casa De Suna.
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For those hosts whose guests are prone to snooping around, Napier-Fitzpatrick recommends telling them your boundaries. "Say, 'Oh, I'm very private, I'd really prefer you don't look through my closet,'" she says. The best solution is to put away the things you want to keep private altogether.
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A lot of the nightmare scenarios in this list have to do with the bathroom, so let's tackle that issue. Napier-Fitzpatrick says that this topic is best approached with humor. If your guest is taking suspiciously long in the bathroom, jokingly call out "Yoo-hoo! We're waaaaaiting!" or hum the "Jeopardy" theme song.
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One more common behavior of strange guests can be sitting down at your computer. That can be worrying, especially if you don't password-protect your device.
Lizzie Post suggests simply saying "Hey Jim, my computer isn't something I typically invite people to use whenever they want, so if you don't mind just checking with me first, I'd appreciate that. If you're just looking to check emails, I'd be happy to set you up with the iPad."
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Having people over at your place is a normal part of socializing. If you're a guest, don't forget to always be grateful to your host. Leave them a handwritten (feels more personal) note at the end of your stay and always bring a gift when coming over. In return, hosts should tidy up before any guests arrive and be gracious if the guest breaks something – accidents happen.
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