"That's the cat's mug and he doesn't share" and other weird house rules that people enforce

Every home has its quirks, but some households operate under laws that leave guests scratching their heads. In a popular thread on r/AskReddit, redditors are sharing the specific, strange, and surprisingly logical rules they enforce under their roofs.

1. Respecting the fabric scissors

Few things infuriate a crafter more than seeing their beloved sewing shears used for household chores or outdoor labor.

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If you are looking for scissors ànd you only find my sewing “fabric “ scissors, you have not found scissors yet…

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My sewing scissors are all labeled"NO!" and "DO NOT" or "NO TOUCH". This started after an incident where someone cut Velcro with them because "that's cloth right?" No it is not and I can literally see the dents in the metal. It now has 3 sticky spots that fray fabric (thankfully I was able to sharpen them out).

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My brother and I used to get our mother scissors in her Christmas stocking every year because we were usually the reason hers were missing. Neither of us has lived at home for 15 years, so she and Dad are probably running low--I should do that again this year.

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I made my husband buy me new fabric scissors until he stopped using my fabric scissors. Only took two pairs to learn. He hates how expensive they are. Me too!

2. No misuse or abuse of toilet brushes

It seems like common sense, but some households have to explicitly ban toilet cleaning tools from going inside the dishwasher or bathtub.

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No toilet brushes in the dishwasher. The fact that the rule exists is what would be perceived as ridiculous.

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Reminds me of our house rule that I can't believe we had to make: No cleaning the bath with the toilet brush...

3. No summoning demons

Occult activities are fine for some roommates, as long as they take place outside of the living space where they cannot impact the security deposit.

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No summoning demons in the house.

This sounds ridiculous, but we had a very unhinged roommate years ago, and regardless of whether the demons arrived, the summoning proved detrimental to our deposit. I spent ages cleaning and repairing that apartment and still didn't get the deposit back.

Thus, all ritual summonings need to happen off the premises.

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Ah, this is funny. I work as a traditional energy practitioner and rules in my house are: Dont look into a several pieces of broke  mirror at once No mirrors where they can reflect sleeping people. No energy work in libraries (ok, this is not a house rule but still) It goes on. I am quite aware that they are nuts. 

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This rule got implemented in my house BEFORE I even had a chance to summon a demon. Mentioned it once and my fiancée said hell no

I get it tho

5. Fact-checking the sneaky pets

Animals are adept at finagling a second meal from an innocent human, prompting owners to implement verification protocols to avoid overfeeding.

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Announce that the dog has been fed. You must check in with the other pet parent to verify the dog has been fed. You must not believe the dog, he lies in order to get a second dinner.

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We have the same rule for the cat, complete with a magnet on the fridge marking it as such. Otherwise, the next person will be coerced into feeding her a second meal.

6. The feline escape artist protocol

Lengthy goodbyes at the front door are strictly prohibited when there is a sneaky house cat waiting for its chance to bolt outside.

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No dilly dallying by the front door. One of my cats is an escape artist and I don’t want to chase her ass down two flights of stairs because you couldn’t move your ass fast enough to cross the threshold and close the door behind you.

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Yeah it would be cute to do that lingering farewell but unfortunately I will shut the door the second you are on the other side of it. The person I’m dating used to walk out the door and then turn around to do a little wave or smth as goodbye and be met with a door. I explained about the cat, and now they walk out the door PROMPTLY and instead turn around halfway down the path to wave at me thru the kitchen window. 

7. Do not touch the pet's special cup

Some pampered pets refuse to drink from regular bowls, leading their humans to assign specific dishware exclusively to the animals.

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You can't use that mug, it belongs to the cat, it's his night time sip mug and he doesn't share.

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Ours is "you cannot use the flamingo glass, that is the cat's, and she has it on the coffee table and it must be full to brim and topped up throughout the day". She will NOT drink from a bowl on the floor, or a fountain but the bathroom tap is occasionally acceptable lol

Edited for spelling!

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My cousin's dog has her own solo cup. She will not drink water out of anything but a solo cup. She's 13 years old and my cousin tried for years to get her to drink water out of a bowl like a normal dog but nope, it must be in her solo cup and in his master bathroom or she will die of dehydration.

8. Warning people before turning on the lights

Startling family members with sudden illumination requires a heads-up warning phrase before flipping the switch.

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Saying "light" before turning on a light in a room someone else is in.

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If you’re turning on the big light in a room in our house, you have to say “bright light.” Except for one kid who just says, “Blackpool.” We are not British.

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We have that rule too! “Bright light!”

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Ours is "Light... 3... 2... 1..."

The rules we enforce behind closed doors say a lot about our daily realities. While guests might be confused at first, it usually only takes one explanation for these bizarre policies to make total sense.

What unconventional rules do you adhere to in your own household? Read the full thread in r/AskReddit, and find more conversations like this in r/CasualConversation, r/homemaking, and r/mildlyinteresting.