What makes someone a "wonderful houseguest"?

A little Independence, a spot of tidiness, understanding household routine and offering to pitch in when required.

@janbb A nice question off shoot to this would be, your worse house guest experience ever!!

Not being a bad guest, mainly.

The worst guests are picky eaters who make a HUGE point about being a picky eater. “Oh, don’t bother making any of that fresh zucchini bread for me! I don’t eat anything green.”

Oh, and smokers who bitch about not being allowed to smoke in my house. It’s not the fucking tundra outside, and I have a husband and a son with asthma. Get over it.

Just smile and tell me I’m a good cook, and we’ll get along swimmingly. ^_^

I just thought of another I did that I think helps out a lot – I made my own breakfast.

Leaving when they say they will.

When they pay the bills & offer up a courtesy flush when taking a dump.

Good answer, @Shippy. A good houseguest knows not only that it’s good to offer to be helpful, but also that help may not always be desired.

I have someone staying with me and we get along great because we respect each other’s privacy and routines. He is also excellent company and we have some good talks together.

I like when my guests help themselves, basically feel comfortable getting their own drinks or breakfast. Unless I have made a point I would cook a meal for everyone.

Very important to me is at the end of the stay they ask if I want them to strip the bed or what to do with the towels. I once had a guest strip her bed and put the damp towels in my washing machine without telling me. Two days later I finally went upstairs to wash and clean everything and found the bed undone and no towels in the bathroom. Everything was ruined sitting in my washing machine. I don’t always want to do the laundry the same day a guest leaves, but they put everything in the washer I have no choice.

time

and distance.