Constant doorbell interruptions

[JWSJ]

Unfortunately, our doorbell rings at least every other day, sometimes multiple times. This interrupts our school day.

 

The vast majority of times the culprits are religious spreading the word.

 

A normal "No Solicitation" sign will not keep them away, as this is exclusive to sales persons.

 

What sign will keep them at bay?

[anneofalamo]

my kids are hilarious! Really! We homeschool year round, but are done by 11ish during the summer, but the neighborhood kids forget...so my daughter as a joke put up this huge sign...because we are doing Easy Grammar, and we make a joke out of bad Grammar:

 

 

 

We is Busy

 

 

 

It worked!:lol:

 

 

[Maverick_Mom]

This looks ... novel: http://www.rof.com/No-Preaching-Sticker_p_52.html

 

You could also make a sign that says "No soliciting or proselytizing."

 

"Do Not Disturb" is a good all-purpose message, too, and the vast majority of people will know what it means! Whether they *respect* it or not is another story...

Edited September 5, 2010 by Maverick_Mom

[nd293]

"Do Not Disturb" is a good all-purpose message, too, and the vast majority of people will know what it means! Whether they *respect* it or not is another story...

 

But if they don't, you're not being rude by just pointing at it and shutting the door...

 

Nikki

[NanceXToo]

Hm. I don't know. You could try a variety of signs and see which one/s work. Maybe:

 

"THE NEXT DOOR NEIGHBORS NEED JESUS MORE THAN WE DO."

 

Or "SHHHH...CULT WORSHIP GOING ON!"

 

Or "IF YOU RING THE BELL, I'LL WRING YOUR NECK."

 

No, okay, not really. More seriously, I like the idea of a "Do Not Disturb" sign. You might even want to say "Homeschool Classes Taking Place, Please Do Not Disturb Unless You Are Delivering A Package" or some such (so you don't scare off UPS, FedEx, the mailman or whatever).

 

ETA: LOL at "We is busy"

[emubird]

We just don't answer to door if it's pairs of people wearing suits. They leave their tracts and move on.

[stephanier.1765]

We don't answer the door either. Not to people in suits, not to college kids selling magazines, not to elementary kids selling candy, not to anyone unless it's the man in the brown truck. :D

[TN Mama]

We don't answer the door either. Not to people in suits, not to college kids selling magazines, not to elementary kids selling candy, not to anyone unless it's the man in the brown truck. :D

 

Ditto. :iagree:

 

I had a friend who covered her doorbell with a sign about disturbing a sleeping child.

[mrsrevmeg]

We found a picture of a funny stop sign online. It was a standard stop sign, but had a smaller sign underneath that said "right there pilgrim". Below that I wrote Homeschool in session. People have respected it. (we do watch for the brown truck like crazy, though. He's welcome anytime!!)

 

lol at we is busy:lol:

[elegantlion]

How about ...

 

"The only thing that needs delivered around here are books. Please do not ring bell unless you represent UPS, USPS, or FedEx. If you represent God, I'm doing all right in that category and do not care to share at this moment." :D

 

Obviously you could leave off the last sentence.

[MamaT]

Thankfully, we live in a remote enough area that no one ever rings our bell unless we're expecting them. Back in the days when we lived in a neighborhood, I put a sign up beside the door that said, "Please do not disburb. Homeschool in progress." It worked fine.

[kalanamak]

Ditto. :iagree:

 

I had a friend who covered her doorbell with a sign about disturbing a sleeping child.

 

Who is sick with the flu....

 

If it is the same people coming back, I would become rude.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Missionaries I've known have always honored the "no soliciting" signs. However, Hornblower I think, has a handmade sign that says "no missionaries" that she put under the no soliciting sign.

 

Another thing - if we are busy, I will often open a front window instead of the door to ask who it is. It is much easier to refuse someone from a window and get back to work than from a door.

[EKS]

I don't answer the door unless it's someone I know or someone I'm expecting. No exceptions. Same with the phone. That's what answering machines are for.

[mrs.m]

What makes me angry about this is that a no solicitor sign should include religious and political solicitiations as well. The definition of the word isn't about selling!

 

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/solicit

 

I have no problems pointing at the sign and telling them to go look up the word in a dictionary and to stop ringing bells at homes that have that sign.

[*Inna*]

The only thing that worked for us is covering the doorbell button with a sticky note that said "Don't". ;)

[starwarsmomma]

I just put a note on the door that says

 

DO NOT KNOCK

DO NOT RING BELL

 

(instead, the neighbor kids just started banging on the window right next to the door. or just staring until someone notices)... LOL

 

It works 99% of the time though.

 

Sometimes I forget and leave it on for days, until a neighbor calls and checks on us. LOL

[ThatCyndiGirl]

I used to duct tape a plastic food container over the doorbell.

 

Also, you could disconnect the bell.

 

And, I agree with a pp, I do not answer the door OR the phone if it isn't convenient for me. The phone is for MY convenience not everybody else's!

[Annie Laurie]

Disable it? Our doorbell has been broken for over a year, and I haven't been in a hurry to fix it. People still knock, but it honestly seems like less people knock than would ring the bell, they just leave their literature on the door and move on. I don't answer the door or phone during school hours though anyway.

[Murphy101]

I prefer the doorbell to banging the heck out of my door or window.:glare:

 

I put out a sign on the door saying do no disturb. I made sure to tape it directly next to the ladle and the bell so they really can't miss it. In theory.

 

Then I do not answer it.

 

I have forgotten to take it down, but no one we really know or need to see ever use the front door anyways. My fil thought it was funny.

[eclipse]

This is a huge problem for us, too. I live in Mexico, and the door to door stuff is about 20 times more prevelant here than it was in the US - we get religious solicitors, people asking for day work (mow the lawn/clean the house/fix x,y,z, etc), political solicitors (but I can't vote here, so they leave pretty fast), people collecting for various charities that may or may not be legit, people telling you how hungry they are and can I spare a peso or some food, etc etc etc. And if I go answer, it takes even longer to tell them I'm not interested in broken Spanish than it would in English. We have gotten to where most of the time we don't answer, especially since answering requires me to actually go outside (the doorbell is on the outside of the fenced front yard). If the front curtain is open, I've gotten good at waiving them on.

[emubird]

Oh, we also have a big dead hairy spider in a dusty spider web hanging right over our doorbell. I thought about cleaning it up, until I realized it might have some deterrent effect.

 

Folks we know just knock anyway. I'll answer knocks. It's the doorbell I tend to avoid.

[Ellie]

We found a picture of a funny stop sign online. It was a standard stop sign, but had a smaller sign underneath that said "right there pilgrim". Below that I wrote Homeschool in session. People have respected it. (we do watch for the brown truck like crazy, though. He's welcome anytime!!)

 

lol at we is busy:lol:

I always think of "The Wells Fargo Wagon" when I see the brown truck. :lol:

[Jean in Newcastle]

 

(instead, the neighbor kids just started banging on the window right next to the door. or just staring until someone notices)... LOL

 

 

 

Our neighbor girl climbs the tree and yells through our living room window until we come out (we live in a split level house).

[ZeldaRules]

I printed something out, put a few stamped images around it, taped it on cardstock, taped over it (cheap lamination)...and I put

 

Absolutely NO Soliciting (in English and Spanish - I'm in Texas)

Except children

(this includes religion)

 

-----------------------------

 

It's right at eye view when knocking on the door. We'll see if it works.

 

I don't like strangers knocking on my door. I usually don't answer it if I don't know who is at the door. ;) That included the Census lady. I never would have answered her pestering me because I mailed in my document, and I don't support them wasting their money to make us re-fill out the paperwork. She got my husband on the 3rd day. I never would have answered. I can't wait for the building to be done in the neighborhood, because then the gates will be shut all day and that will deter that big time.

[flobee76]

I have a sign that covers our doorbell "Please knock only".

 

But, I generally do not answer the door during school hours. :)

[oldskool]

Our door bell is the kind that plugs into a wall and that helps a lot. People can try to ring it from the outside, but we can't hear it. They just go away.

 

Lesley

[Alicia64]

We have the same problem. I put a sticky note on the door that says "we can play at 3:30" or whenever.

 

Kids respect it.

 

A.

[Forget-Me-Not]

Disable it? Our doorbell has been broken for over a year, and I haven't been in a hurry to fix it. People still knock, but it honestly seems like less people knock than would ring the bell, they just leave their literature on the door and move on. I don't answer the door or phone during school hours though anyway.

 

Yep, we completely disconnected ours close to a year ago and I haven't missed it. At all.

[ondreeuh]

I have a bright yellow sign taped up that says "NO SOLICITING - including religion." It works most of the time.

[Rosie_0801]

How about:

 

"School is in session so please don't knock unless willing to recite 7, 8 and 9 times tables. UPS and FedEx delivery guys excepted."

 

:D

Rosie