Second hand Lego with shit in it. Literally. WWYD?

[JesusInTheCabbageVan]

We bought a huge box of Lego for DS for Christmas a few months ago on eBay. Had a quick look inside at the time and it seemed fine.

I got it out today to wrap it and noticed that the blocks were a bit grimy, so filled the bath with hot water plus a lot of bleach and spent a good long while stirring it round, then took it out and left it on a clean duvet cover to dry.

While sifting through it I found quite a lot of detritus - fluff, sweet wrappers, chewing gum, a dead battery, a drawing pin ... By this point I was less happy but thought at least I'd sorted out all of the nasty stuff.

Then I found two small 'nuggets' of what was unmistakably shit. I know, unfortunately, because I smelled it. Either human or cat/dog is my guess.

So now I'm just fucking disgusted. It's been dripping all over the carpet upstairs and touched god knows what else. I've been sorting through it with my bare hands all day. DH thinks it will be fine if we give it all a good clean again, but I feel sick at the thought of DS playing with it. I want to at least contact the fucking animal that sold it to us and try to give it back to her, and get our money back.

In this situation, would anyone consider keeping it? I am just not looking forward to giving it to DS now. Feel horrible.

I would wash and disinfect it very thoroughly and keep it.

I'm a 'shit happens, and when it does you just deal with it' kind of person.

Pretty sure every kid in the country has played with things that have at some point been in contract with someone elses shit (unless they never go to nursery\softplay\school\friends houses\have siblings). As long as there isn't currently shit on it and any germs have been removed it's not a problem.

I don't think you will be too late to leave FB, OP. And the item was certainly 'significantly not as described'.

It was me who made the comment about the caring professions, in response to the OP's comment along the lines that an inability to deal with strangers shit was a "survival mechanism". I was generally pointing out that some are able to override that mechanism, and a good job too. Not suggesting that she should give her child shit-encrusted Lego to play with. (Although I'm in the camp who believes that the Lego can (and has) been cleaned and disinfected so that it's safe to play with).

And I never suggested putting it in the dishwasher. Hell no!

Shocked at so many saying "bin it".

If you don't want it, sell, give or freecycle it. Hell, put it out on your drive with a sign saying "free, please take" and it'll go.

But don't sodding bin perfectly good Lego because of some tiny poo particles that have now been cleaned away.

It'll be fine, I'd have it. A few months ago we had some free Lego out of a skip (we did ask the owners first). It was pretty dirty. We cleaned it. DS was delighted. No-one died.

If you paid by paypal you have 120 days to raise a dispute.

I would do that and either return to seller or bin it if they don't want it back.

That's really gross but now you've done most of the work cleaning it, I'd keep it. Plastic doesn't harbour germs so once bleached it'll be ok. I probably wouldn't contact the seller as based on recent eBay experience I find once they've had their money they don't give a shit. Insert " well in this case they already have given a shit" joke in here, groan. But seriously, it's the thought of it making you feel icky now I think but it will actually be fine to use.

I'd be sticking them straight in the bin personally. Wouldn't be comfortable giving them to my DC to play with even after a thorough cleaning.

I dont know how old your ds is, (I did look through, but can't find an age), but my dd is forever putting lego bricks in her mouth to separate them, (I know...it's a habit that she is losing, thankfully) ... I couldn't keep it, no matter how much I cleaned it.

Truly cant believe that anyone would put something with actual shit on it into their dishwasher... like, the thing they use for washing their plates in. For eating off.

It's quite a contrast to the oft-expressed view that merely having a loo brush is disgusting.

Wonder if anyone cleans their loo brushes in the dishwasher.

There was a box of lego at the charity shop yesterday. not that big, think one of those bead/tool box sizes. £60 and it was filthy i know lego is £££ but this was just random shit. well hopefully not but who knows. ..

Well. DH sent an upset email to the seller and got back an email apologising. She said she'd asked her son to sort, weigh and clean it. If that's true, I hope she took the money back off him and is also dry-heaving thinking about times she's eaten stuff he's cooked at school.

Lego has been in bath with Milton, then in washing machine on 60 degrees with more Milton, then was sorted and checked individually by DH wearing surgical gloves. I have covered the house in Dettol and washed everything that came into contact with anything that came into contact with Lego.

This was so not worth the money we saved.

Has the seller offered a refund?

No - she can get away with not offering, as we bought it so long ago, though morally I think it would be the right thing to do. I wouldn't give it back to her anyway though, as that would mean she's effectively had it all cleaned and sorted properly for free, and can just sell it again.