House Guest Rules: How to Be the Perfect Houseguest

by Tina Case
For the most part, my family loves having friends and family visit and stay at our home. Whether they are visiting as part of their vacation or are spending time with us as an invited guest for a special holiday, having guests over creates a wonderful memory. Likewise, we love staying at the home of friends and relatives when we travel because it gives us a chance to enjoy their cozy abode and truly catch up more intimately than if we were to visit over dinner or a movie.  But to be invited back, learn how to be the perfect house guest.

There's a distinct line you cross between being a welcomed guest and one you cannot wait to shut the door to. With the winter holidays just around the corner, here are a few reminders on what makes the perfect house guest. If you're going to be staying with friends or relatives be sure to review these rules for being the perfect house guest so you'll be warmly invited back. Perhaps you can send these out to your upcoming guests as a friendly reminder with a call-to-action before they pack up their suitcase for their upcoming visit.

Rule #1 Leave your Sloppiness at Home

The first rule to being a great guest is being neat and tidy. Don't leave your belongings all over your host's house. Confine your items, including your luggage, handbag, dirty laundry, shoes, laptops, cameras and cell phones, in your guest room. The last thing the host wants to do is pick-up after you like a child returning from college. Keeping all of your things in one place also prevents you from leaving an item behind and inconveniencing your host with having to mail it back to you (another no-no in the rule book for being a perfect guest). Continued on Yahoo! Shine.