to think it would be common courtesy and common sense to that? possibly tmi.

[someonestolemynick]

To put a bin next to the toilet.

This makes me irrationally angry: My job involves going to people's houses. Normally I will be with them between a and 4 hours, so occasionally I will have to use their toilet.
Today I'm on my period and have quite heavy flow. I was on a longer job (3hrs) and bled through my tampon. I discovered that there was no von in the bathroom. Just to be clear. I try to avoid having to change my tampon in client's houses by changing in public loos, McDonald's or Starbucks and carry scented plastic bags with me tobwrap the offender in when I have to do it at someone's house.
So, anyway, i was in the very awkward position of having a soaked tampon and no way of getting rid of it. I was in charge of a very young child - so no way of nipping out to the bins or a pub (to use the loo) and ended up stemming the flow with toilet paper and going back to working with their dc for another hour.
I will not flush a tampon down the loo because I don't want to block the clients toilet.

So, aibu to ask you all to provide a bin for female visitors?

How does one get 'express permission' does it need to be in writing? how many days notice do you require?

Zoe what do you do with your tampons/sanitary towels?

If anyone is interested I would be happy to post pictures of nasty pump stations when they are full. Or even better blocked pumps. You would not believe the kind of things we pull out - clothes, underwear, nappies, condoms, sanitary items, Incontinance pads. Might make all flusher and proud a think twice

"Taxes & water bills aren't the same thing......I don't mind paying for vulnerable adults in society to receive assistance with daily living but I don't see why I have to pay for people being a bit thick."

Heh! Exactly.

God, this thread has been an eye-opener. I can't believe there are people out there who flush. Why? Who ever taught you that this is ok?

I'm also not all that keen on the "oh, but of COURSE I double-bag my TOXIC WASTE in a couple of chemically-scented, non-biodegradable plastic bags - one has to be hygienic, you know!" crew. Not convinced that's much better tbh.

But I reserve my strongest "WTF?!!" for those who think "it's common knowledge that you take your used sanitary products with you - don't even THINK about leaving them in MY bathroom bin." Is it a display bin, not to be used? Do you only change it once a month, so are worried about smells developing? Do you like to have a little rifle through said bin before tying it up and taking it outside?

"What you need to take on board, OP, is that fine, some people don't mind. but very many people DO, and you should not ever be leaving a used tampon in any ones bin without express permission.

If you did that in my house, I promise you, you would never set foot over the threshold ever again, I would consider it utterly foul.

You have no right to do that ever, in someone else's house, without permission.

I have never in my life done anything like that, nor has anyone ever done it to me, nor do I know anyone who would consider it acceptable."

WOW.

blimey that's a strong reaction right there Zoe - it's a tampon not a dirty bomb!

Vintage as PP have said, they really don't. Best case scenario (cheapest) the end up blocking a pipe, worst case they block a pump and case hundreds, if not thousands of pounds of damage due to pumps burning out. Most treatment plants have inlet screens but the grids aren't fine enough to catch sanitary wear.

Cotton wool, which they are made of does disintegrate.

No it doesn't or it would fall apart in use.
Or do all the water boards not know what they are talking about?

Cotton wool, which they are made of does disintegrate.

It may disintegrate eventually, but not fast enough. If you put (an unused) one in a bowl of water and some toilet paper in another bowl of water and swished them about does the tampon disintegrate as quickly/quicker than the toilet paper.

As an aside, unless you are using fancy pants tampons,all the main brands are not made from cotton...

To be fair, I am a secondary teachers, and have observed more than one PHSE lesson visitors inform our female students in the "period talk" that they can flush tampons. It's sold to the girls as a plus-point of tampons.

Zoe, to be honest: if you took that attitude with me, I'd be terninating your contract. Women have periods, and it's not shameful to dispose of them in a bin and while I go above and beyond for my clients I'm in the lucky position to be able to refuse to work with people who don't show me a minimum of respect.

YY if tampons disintegrated when they got wet they wouldn't be much use really as an effective method of sanitary protection.

I think Zoe would have terminated your contract first, OP.

I think the point is that if you used the bin in someone else's bathroom, they wouldn't know you put a used tampon in it. So, unlike at home, when I change the bins every day if I know someone is on their period, I wouldn't be alert to changing the bin if I had a visitor.

All of those happy for others to use their bin, do you check/clean your bin out every day then or after visitors have been?

I think it is much politer to take away your used products with you, wrapped up and in the same container you presumably brought the tampons in- but then I keep tampons in a little bag inside my bigger bag rather than having them loose in my everyday bag as I know they'd spill out.

I do think it's a bit gross to put something like that in a bin in the bathroom, you just don't know when it's going to be emptied and not all people use bin liners, it's not ok to get them to fish it out later.

They don't disintegrate for a while of course neither does cotton wool neither does tissue.

I doubt it: what I do is pretty niche and I'm very good at it. I can't imagine anyone letting me go aber a tampon. Having said it might be a mutual parting of the way.

Vintage toilet paper is cut up by a pump impeller normally, tampons aren't.

absolutely Throughthickandthin

She would be out on her ear.

You are talking about "minimum of respect" OP, and say this entitles you to leave your used tampons in my bathroom?

As I said earlier, you need to reconsider your attitude. It doesn't matter what huge sense of entitlement you are wondering around with. It doesn't matter that some hosts are ok with it. The fact of the matter is that for many people, including me, it would be the height of disgusting, shameful behaviour, and totally intolerable.

If you ever do such a thing again, without the permission of your host, you are doing it in the full knowledge that some people are going to be utterly disgusted and horrified by your behaviour.

'disgusted and horrified' by someone using a bathroom bin. Well I have heard it all now.

To me it always has been and always be acceptable to put a tampon down the toilet living in London. Id rather pay a few more pounds to the waterboard than to the council. Even when expanded to the full they are relatively tiny. It's smoke and mirrors.

Zoe you sound awful. I don't think many people would want to come round your house anyway

Oh and 'shameful and intolerable' . Blimey.

Everyone come to my house, where you can use my bathroom bin as much as you like without any fear or judgement.

And about why I don't x:

I'm happy to stem the flow, for me that's the least faffy option. I can cope did there not being a bin, i just find it incosiderate to not give your visitors the option.

Btw: no, I'm not fab little bag banks cheque

I would never use a "bathroom" bin to put anything other than a used toilet roll cone in or a used product such as an empty shampoo bottle, blehhh, nor would I use a toilet brush, boak.

Scoutsmam. If you are worried about using see through bags then it's easy enough to use a coloured doggy bag. You can find non scented and biodegradable ones.

They can cost as little as 1 pence each rather than the ridiculous 15 pence each that the fabLittleBags cost.

are you sure you don't work for fablittlebag