Friends, Family, In-Laws: Who Makes The Worst House Guests?

We encounter a wide range of behaviors when it comes to hosting guests in our homes. Some guests seem like perfect angels, while others can be quite challenging. A survey commissioned by Avocado Green Mattress and carried out by OnePoll revealed that two-thirds of Americans have extended the invitation for guests to "feel at home," only to regret their decision later. They surveyed 2,000 people to determine who makes for the worst guests, the lengths hosts go to, and the steps people can take to ensure their home is inviting.

The survey respondents mentioned several reasons for their occasional hosting regrets. These included scenarios where guests anticipated more meals than initially intended (54%), extended their visits longer than anticipated (45%), and left messy spaces. (39%).

Other behaviors were also highlighted, such hogging the bathroom (36%), creating disturbances late into the night (32%), interrupting sleep early in the morning (23%), and unexpectedly arriving without an invitation (22%). Interestingly, consuming excess alcohol and accidentally damaging belongings were of less concern, according to the responses.

The study also looked to see what kind of people make the worst guests. Mentioned at the top of the list are friends (42%), siblings (39%), and in-laws (37%). For 35% of the respondents, the circumstances have led them to communicate to someone that their behavior as guests was not ideal.

On the other hand, 75% of the surveyed Americans believe that they effectively fulfill the role of hosts. Within this group, 31% describe their hosting abilities as "very good."

To meet the standards of a thoughtful host, 49% of respondents have chosen to buy a new bed or mattress for guests staying overnight. While an additional 45% have opted to acquire new furniture to ensure the comfort of their visitors.

Investing in furniture for your guests could hold value. As indicated by the survey, when in the role of a guest, 35% of respondents acknowledge that they've judged someone else's home negatively due to perceived shortcomings.

Take a look at the complete study here.

As a host, it's important to make your guests feel welcome and comfortable in your home. However, sometimes situations may arise where you need to politely ask your guests to leave. In case it's getting too late, and you have work to attend to the next day, or if your neighbors are beginning to raise concerns about the noise level, it might be necessary to ask your guests to leave. Also, if someone's getting out of control, it's probably best to give them the boot before they do something ridiculous.

Do you know what can be tricky when you're hosting? Figuring out how to gracefully nudge people toward the exit. It's one of those challenging skills that can test your hosting abilities. There are some polite and not-so-polite ways to show and ask guests to leave your house.

A polite way to show and ask guests to leave is by using gentle language and expressing appreciation for their visit. An example would be saying something like "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I have to wake up early in the morning and I need to get some rest. Can we continue our conversation another time?"

On the other hand, a not-so-polite way to show and ask guests to leave is by being more assertive in your language. For instance, you might say something along the lines of "I'm sorry, but it's time for you to leave now as you've overstayed your welcome."

Here are some clever ways to encourage guests to wrap up their visit.

Without saying a word, start washing dishes and clearing out the trash scattered around the room. As you clean up and tidy the space, it sends the message to your guests that the event is coming to an end.

If you want to drop a hint to your guests that it's time for them to start thinking about heading home, try casually asking them about their transportation plans. It's a way of showing that you're considerate of their needs and subtly letting them know that the evening is winding down.

An empty snack bowl and dry glasses can work wonders in persuading people to call it a night. As the gathering starts winding down, you can slyly stop serving alcohol and snacks. By doing this, you're giving a subtle signal that the party is slowly coming to an end.

When you're ready to drop some hints that it's time for your guests to leave, why not go all out and put on your favorite pajamas? It makes it clear to guests that you’re ready to call it a night.

A sneaky move to nudge your guests towards the door is to start casually turning off the lights. Dimming the room gradually changes the ambiance of a party sending a not-so-subtle message that it's time to wrap things up.

As a clever way to wrap up your party and gently encourage guests to leave, why not suggest taking a group photo together? It’s a way to end the party on a high note and a great closing activity too.