Could they have been stolen?

[fizzingmum]

This is so weird and there are a couple scenarios, as far fetched and unreasonable as each other. A huge chunk of my OH clothes have gone missing. Nowhere to be found. All have been worn in the last few weeks. Gone missing are 5 pairs of jeans, 3 designer sweaters a couple of t shirts and some new shoes.
When clothes are dirty they go in the washing basket, this is taken downstairs to utility room twice a week, washed, dried and folded (I don't iron, just as it's needed). The folded clothes are then put into baskets or bags (big ikea blue bags, great for washing!) and taken to each persons room for putting away. We have been through every inch of the house and they are nowhere to be found. I was expecting to find a bag with everything in it and mystery solved. But literally they are nowhere in the house. So the logical conclusion is they are not in the house. But how? The possibilities are
A) someone has hidden them for a joke. But who and not really funny
B) they have been stolen. We are having work done in the house and have had 3 people in the house. My brother does the electrics. It's not him definitely. A plumber came around we have known for many years. It's not him. The builder has been here for 2 weeks now. I don't know him, he is a friend of a guy OH works with. Could be him but I dont understand why? The jumpers are new at Christmas but the jeans are old and frankly tatty. And OH is a big guy and none of the clothes would fit any of the people. I'm wondering if the builder could be doing it as a joke. (OH and his friend are on a weight loss programme together, maybe it's a lad banter thing?) None of my stuff has gone and there is cash in the house that hasn't been touched. Just XXL second hand clothes. . Do I approach this with the builder and if so how? It is driving me insane as all of the clothes have been worn up to about 2 weeks ago.

Have you checked your bins op in case they've been put in there by mistake?

Does the builder use blue bags for disposing of waste? Could he have chucked them in error?

" I don't know what to say, if anything."

Just ask if he has seen/moved a bag/pile of clothes!

Why is your OH blaming you?

When you were tidying up did you find anything that was in an odd place?
I have been know to have two things to put away and put them in the wrong place ...(once I threw some receipts in the bin and put some notes (money) in my pocket....except I had thrown the money and kept the receipts - I did realise before the rubbish went thankfully ....)
They aren't still in the tumble dryer????
And are you sure you have just been folding them - you aren't remembering doing it a week before or something...and then they could be anywhere ...
(I couldn't find a pair of DD's jeans when I was packing after staying with my parents once....I looked everywhere. Eventually found them in a carry bag under some (DM's) towels in the garage ...on a trip out, just in case we went anywhere like a beach, I had taken towels and a change of clothes...so it was actually two DC's outfits and underwear not just a pair of jeans. Had been in the car boot, then brought in with reusable carry bags... )
Also if you have workmen in they will be getting rid of rubbish too - so they could have got mixed up with that and chucked - I would just ask all of them - not just the builder - if they have seen them...

kaitlin did he apologise? My DH wouldn't have.

Ah, my first thought was "were they in a bag?" As I see they were, I'm betting they've been either binned or packed away with belongings of one of your workmen. One of them may use Ikea bags for storage themselves.

I do have a suspicious mind at times, but wouldn't equate missing clothes to an affair.

Sometimes things just go missing, we are currently missing a 60CM tall Twilight Sparkle ¯\(ツ)/¯

My dad lost his blue fishing trousers for months and months. He found them in his fishing room (spare room) under his blue cap! 😂 My mum will never let him forget that one!

I once found some shoes in with the Christmas decorations randomly!
I doubt they have been stolen, just somewhere really safe

Does he travel for work?

I don't seem to be able to go anywhere without losing at least one item of clothing because I've left it in the bathroom/hanging in the cupboard.

Sadly not once has the hotel ever "found" the item despite me sometimes calling back within an hour of checking out

At risk of sounding batty, sometimes renovations can stir up woo. It sounds odd but when you are home alone speak out loud that the joke is over, bring the items back. Sometimes works for me. At worst you look a bit silly.

Do you have a loft? Garage? Could they have been stored away with other stuff accidentally?

Have you lost only the clothes, or also the bag?

DH and his mates once shared a house that had some odd goings on. Including random clothes appearing in the house that didn't belong to (or fit) anyone.

Bathsheba - no he didn't apologise! He apparently had made an understandable error - only to be expected when you are important and busy - and when I protested I had done the same, I was told I was shrill (obviously not important or busy) and that if I continued he "would get annoyed". Arse. Just one of the reasons why he is an ex.

Has the bag been stacked with another bag, eg one of your children's washing bags? So someone could have put one of your children's bags inside Dh's bag? Check each bag doesn't have another bag inside it, the outer bag being your Dh's.

Don't blame you kaitlin

Believe me Bathsheba if MN had been around in those days I would have wasted a lot less of my life with him.

It's incredibly unlikely that someone stole a bag of ratty old clothes that wouldn't fit them anyway. Illogical. Much more likely that someone threw them away by mistake, or they got put away somewhere you haven't thought of yet.

I had to laugh at this though: Maybe the builders took them thinking that the IKEA bag was full of tools?

What bag of tools could weigh or feel or look anything at all like a bag of clothes?

Sometimes thieves just steal for the thrill of stealing, they don't steal things that would fit them perfectly! You can't accuse the builder without proof, but I'd keep a very close eye on him for the rest of his time working for you.

Any joy today?