Inigo is a content writer at Apartment Therapy and previously for Lost At E Minor. A few years ago, he wrote an article about baby bats, which was so cute, Buzzfeed took a screenshot of the headline and cover image, then made a listicle about weird but adorable things. He thought it was so cool. He enjoys books, k-pop, anime, and sports. He is based in the Philippines.
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Does your roommate always forget to wash the dishes? Do your kids always fail to make their beds? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. The rest of America is suffering with you.
A study by HomeAdvisor has found the most common and most violated house rules across the United States, including rules involving pets. The rule that household members break the most? In a survey of 2,200 Americans, the company discovered that putting items back in place, followed by “no interrupting” and keeping one’s room clean, are the rules people most often forget to follow.
Here’s the list of the top most broken house rules:
- Put things back where you found them
- No interrupting
- Keep your room clean
- No eating in front of the TV
- Turn off the lights when you leave the room
- Make your bed
- Clear your dish when you’re finished eating
- Knock before entering rooms
Interestingly, the study also published the most broken house rules in each state. For instance, 24 states like California, Texas, and Florida, fail to put items back in place. Nevada, meanwhile, is the only state that tends to not wash their dishes after meals the most. Tsk!
The states where house rules are broken the most
The survey also found the naughtiest and most behaved states. The worst offenders are North Carolina, where 46 percent of households disregard a rule at least daily. Others on the naughty list are Alabama (44 percent), Michigan (43 percent), and Oklahoma (43 percent).
On the other hand, states that follow the rules the most are Nevada — with only 24 percent of households not following rules — followed by Massachusetts (30 percent).
The most common house rules in America
Although every household has its own unique set of rules, there are commonalities with other homes, like turning the lights off when leaving a room. What are the house rules that Americans all try to follow? Here are the top 10:
- Put items back in place: 88 percent of households
- Share household chores: 81 percent of households
- Keep room clean: 80 percent of households
- Turn off lights leaving the room: 76 percent of households
- Clear dish after eating: 76 percent of households
- Turn off the TV when not watching: 75 percent of households
- No climbing on furniture: 65 percent of households
- Knock before entering rooms: 54 percent of households
- No interrupting: 50 percent of households
- Help set and clear the table: 47 percent of households
Unfortunately, some of the most common rules are also the most broken, leading to what 25 percent of respondents believe that such rules only increase conflict in families.
The most common house rules for pets
Let’s not forget our four-legged household members. They have to follow (or be told to follow) the rules too. Here are the most popular rules for pets at home:
- Don’t let pets jump on people: 58 percent of households
- Don’t disturb p while eating: 55 percent of households
- Don’t let pets inside without cleaning them: 37 percent of households
- No human food: 31 percent of households
- No pets on the bed: 20 percent of households
- No pets on the couch: 19 percent of households
But according to the study, “… it can be hardest to resist puppy dog eyes. That could explain why 25 percent of households with pets break their no human food rule, and nearly 20 percent break the no pets on the couch rule.” They added: “Plus, 20 percent of pet parents admit to letting their pets jump on people.”
You can read the full study over at the HomeAdvisor website.
