To think leaving stuff on the stairs is a bit dangerous

[BlueCanary]

What is it with people who have piles of stuff on their stairs.

I'd say that about half of the houses I visit (friends, ILs, family, play dates etc) have stuff on their stairs. Maybe a pair of slippers on bottom step, some magazines on next step up, maybe a few toys on the next one, and then some washing/coats/cardys halfway up.

Why?

AIBU to think this is unsafe, and someone could go flying, and really hurt themselves.

I do this but only so I (or whoever it belngs to) remember to take it upstairs next time I go. I have the worlds clumsiest child and even she so far has coped with it.

I agree with you. At home nothing is ever left on the stairs at home but am constantly moving stuff from the stairs at work (am a nanny). Many a times I've nearly slipped on some clean washing or toys! It's soo dangerous

I agree, but I would also always look at where i was going when going down stairs anyway.

If my lazy DDs picked their stuff up as they went up stairs, there wouldn't be anything to trip on on the way down.

Since they don't, everyone is totally used to looking out for junk.

I do remove rubbish if we are having visitors.

I have half the house on the stairs. I have just invested in stair baskets . They are going to change my life.!!!!!!

I put things on the stairs for dc to take up. They ignore them!
I even put a pile of DS's clothes in the middle of the step a few steps up and he stepped over them all evening every time he went up or down the bloody stairs!

Of course it's unsafe. Same as drinking hot drinks (scalding injuries), using a sharp knife (gushing blood injuries), turning on the lights (electric shock injuries).

YABU
We always do this and nobody's ever tripped over them ever. It's a lazy way of tidying up, or more efficient, not sure which..

We have stuff on the stairs all the time! Dried clothes that need to be taken up, toys/books that need to be taken up/down, phone/wallet/bag for going out, jackets for going out etc... A great storage place really!

Yep. It's dangerous. And I will accept any suggestions as to where else I can store two guitars, a pile of hats and a water pistol!

It is very dangerous: when I first moved in with my now DH, I left a load of stuff on the stairs. He had never left stuff on the stairs before, so came a cropper in the middle of the night trying to get downstairs in the dark in the middle of the night for a drink. He was not best pleased, especially when he could hear me shrieking with laughter upstairs.

If I didn't have shit on the stairs (which I do), I'd still have the cats on the stairs. You have to step over them - one will randomly try to bite your ankle as you do so. No-one rushes the stairs in this house.

It's not supposed to be there for long enough to trip over it.

Anyway, if they trip over it they might think "ooh, maybe I should tidy this up?"

we do stair bundles
no one landed on arse yet
unsafe?hell yes. necessary he'll yes

YANBU. If I had life insurance, I would think my partner was trying to kill me because of this issue.

Yanbu I think it is a hazzard. But in our house there are always always piles of things on their way up or down I'm always beating it down.

What I really need are buckets going up and down constantly like they have in coal mines.

Dh says my handbag is the biggest danger here. It's lurks and then fells him when he's least expecting it.

In fact, I think my whole family is out to get me. Partner and older son with the odd strategically placed football boot, cats with camouflage crouching and baby with well timed wriggling on the way down. I don't think he's yet worked out that this is a bad idea for him too....

I do put stuff on the stairs with the condition that I will not allow myself to walk past it.

I take it up the next time I go upstairs.

Magazines are the worst! I've slipped on one so many times.

I live in a flat now so don't have stairs but at home my mum was always leaving stuff on them. Usually piles of clothes to go upstairs or flipping magazines!

I want stairbaskets jealous! My sister has them she is über organised.

Out of interest what is currently on people's stairs?

We have a phone charger, hair lips and some bracelets to come up, a dolls head, wee filled nappy and some calpol to go down :)

*clips, a pile of lips would be odd

What Startail said in the 4th reply.
There would be nothing to trip on if everyone took stuff with them that is waiting to go up / down. As they don't, then they are all used to stuff being onthe stairs, so look out for it. No-one has fallen on it yet.

early on sunday morning i thought there was too much stuff on my stairs.

now i have an overloaded and highly dangerous landing.

Yes of course it's dagerous, that's the whole point. In my house nothing is piled neatly on successive steps, I arrange it all carefully strewn across each stair making it impossible to access upstairs without breaking a limb. This generally results in children picking offending items up and taking them upstairs on their next attempt to reach their bedrooms and then placing them in neat pile on the landing