Guidelines


Please be aware to stay safe, not only in and around the house but also when going to the beach or hiking in nature. If you feel unwell or have an injury, give it immediate attention and ask for help or treatment as soon as possible. Keep in mind what is good for you and do not feel obliged to participate in any activity that you feel is not suitable for you.


Please respect the hygiene in bathrooms and the pool and sauna. Read the applicable instructions before jumping in. Personal hygiene is important for many reasons, including to keep the pool water clean. Leave your shoes outside and wear plastic slippers in the house and pool and sauna area, to keep it clean and avoid spreading contamination.


We have water from a bore hole, a deep water well. It has a high amount of minerals which is good for the garden but too much for drinking. Do not drink from a garden tap. The tap water in the house is filtered, softened and sterilized for safety, but still has a high mineral content.
We provide purified drinking water for cooking and drinking. You can refill your water bottle with it. We recommend that you take your bottle with you when you leave the house. In summer you need to drink a lot of water. Please drink only from your own bottle, don’t put any other bottle to your mouth.


We recommend that you get enough sleep, around 8 hours per night.


About food hygiene. Most people know the rules, but not always observe them. So if you see people trying to serve food with their hands or their eating spoon instead of a serving spoon, please alert them.


Please be in time when you want to participate in a meditation session. It is disturbing when people walk in and out, so go to the bathroom before it starts. Do not enter a session once it has started. If you do not participate in a session, please respect the silence during these times. We recommend to stay in silence in your room.
For most other activities you are allowed to enter late, although this means you may miss introductory instructions.


We have a vegetarian kitchen, if you want to eat fish or meat you are free go to a restaurant.


When helping in the kitchen or in the garden, please follow instructions from the responsible coordinator. Do not use kitchen machines or gardening tools by yourself before we have explained to you how they work and how it should be used, as this may lead to damage or accidents.


There is a Ground plan with numbers that show the location of all the areas that are available for you to enjoy. Other spaces, like kitchen and store rooms and tool and machine rooms are controlled by coordinators, please do not enter there without being invited to assist. Also do not enter other private rooms or dormitories.


Please do not touch the controls of technical equipment, like the pool pump and other machines. If you want to assist, please ask instructions and follow guidance of the technical coordinator, do not take any initiative on your own.


If you need to do laundry, you can use a washing machine, but ask us to explain how you can use it, and when. Please check your pockets before washing and remove beach sand and garden mud, discarding it in the garden, not clogging our bathroom drains with it. The same applies to dirty water from floor cleaning: water the hedges with it.


If you want to help in the garden, please ask what you can do and how to do it. Do not harvest anything from the vegetable garden or fruit trees unless you have been explained when, what and how to take it.


Do not play with our computers and other electronic equipment, it will interfere with settings and connections.


When you break something, please report it to us and pay for the damage, as we have no insurance or reserves to cover such extra expenses.


Wifi is available, but in a limited area and at scheduled times, in order to protect sensitive people.


Many window and door locks and hinges are a bit old and do not always align easily. Handle them gently. Do not push handles down hard if things don’t fit, it may get worn out even more or break.


No smoking in the rooms or common areas. Outside only in areas that will not affect others. Please use an ashtray and be aware of fire risk with dry grasses in summer.


Please do not take pictures from people without asking their permission.


Please help to keep our waste separated. Organic waste from kitchen and garden is recycled in our compost pile, other waste goes in separate bins that we take to the containers in town. This includes bathroom waste, such as toilet paper that does not go in the toilet here, but in a bin. This is because of the septic tank. Please read the instruction sheet in the bathrooms.


An important issue for any organization is the need to keep things organized. All things have their own place around here, even brooms and other cleaning stuff. If you use anything please take it back after use. If it got dirty please clean it and store it in the right place again. This way we can all find it easily, without having to run around and ask everyone who used it last.






file: Laozi House/ website texts/Guidelines 191018