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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Aibu to think workmen should plan their toilet breaks better?

192 replies

rockcake · 23/02/2017 21:56

I don't think I've ever had a workman come to the house who hasn't asked to use the loo. Happens every time.

For the last 10 days I've had neighbours' workmen in and out as it's been helpful to them to have scaffolding built in our garden - they're on the 3rd floor - which is fair enough. They've all been as unobtrusive as possible and not asked to use the loo until two particularly scuzzy men turned up to remove the scaffolding today. No sooner were they through the door than one asked to use the loo, so I grudgingly said ok.... dd told me 5 mins later that someone's not flushed their wee - no guesses who - so I flushed it for him.

They're about to leave when I see workman 1 directing workmen 2 to the loo, so I said "make sure you flush it please, your mate didn't...."

Workmen left looking sheepish - but Aibu to think workmen generally should try and use public loos whenever possible? I live in a busy street with 2 cafes only yards away and I always want to direct workmen there, but never summon the nerve to say it.

Am I a wimp - or just not very nice for HATING workmen using my bathroom? Even though I go in with the wipes and the bleach afterwards it still makes me cringe.

What do you do?

OP posts:
Original poster
rockcake · 24/02/2017 11:49

borrowed that's mostly been my experience too. Interestingly I have a friend who's v v not house proud and who says builders and other visitors never ask to use her loo, which makes me think some workmen pick and choose according to where they fancy going- so maybe they're BU too Grin

OP posts:
BoneCruncher · 24/02/2017 12:05

OP you've been helpful allowing access through your home. The builders have not displayed the same courtesy. Very rude to leave you to deal with their piss. YANBU

seagazer · 24/02/2017 12:06

Most workmen i've known would just pee outside in the bushes or wherever. It's not a big deal, i think it's just more convenient for them. Id be surprised at one asking for the loo just for a pee. Wouldnt bother me though, but i wouldn't like next doors workmen using it too. Sod that.

StealthPolarBear · 24/02/2017 12:19

So on the whole mners don't answer the door in broad daylight unless they're expecting someone , and yet wpuld be happy to let a strange man in to use their toilet.

StealthPolarBear · 24/02/2017 14:35
expatinscotland · 24/02/2017 14:45

This, Stealth. Happy to clean up whatever mess is there, too. Don't forget to offer hot drinks and sandwiches, flasks of tea, welfare packs, counselling and advice, your firstborn child, your eternal soul. If not, you're a twat.

SomethingBorrowed · 24/02/2017 15:10

Haha stealth
The same as your houseguests not being allowed to use your shower gel, but builders should be made to feel at home.

BeBeatrix · 24/02/2017 16:10

Stinky poos can't always be helped. But leaving the seat up, or the loo unflushed, or a puddle on the floor are always very rude.

BoomBoomsCousin · 24/02/2017 16:11

Since they are working on the neighbours property, not yours I would probably have let them use the loo until they didn't leave it in the state they found it. At the first sign of wee on the seat/unflushed/etc I would have just said "No, sorry, you don't treat it well enough".

I've had plenty of workmen (and women) using my loo and only a few have not left as well s they found it (but we've never had proper building work done).

But you can't send them to the cafe down the road - those aren't public loos.

Applebite · 24/02/2017 16:15

yanbu not to let your neighbours' workmen - who are complete strangers, after all - use your toilet. yanbu not to want them to leave it in a skanky state.

yabu not to like it because they are workmen!

as a complete aside, a friend of mine once had a tramp ask to use their office toilet. they said yes - he was in there for over an hour, and the smell was so bad that they all had to go home early. so they were all desperate for him to ask again, but he never did!!

StealthPolarBear · 24/02/2017 16:16

So its not ok to use a cafe toilets as they're not public toilets.
but it is ok to expect to use the toilets in a random private residence?

FreeNiki · 24/02/2017 16:18

Last time I had workmen in I found a random woman using my downstairs loo.

I found out she was his gf sitting in the van or on the public patch of grass outside as he worked. He even asked for a cup of tea for her.

He did a good job so I just resolved never to use him again as bringing his gf took the piss.

Cottongusset · 24/02/2017 16:26

We had a guy come to paint the outside of our house. He would come every morning at 8:00 am, unload his van and then come in for a very stinky poo - every morning. He only lived 20 minutes drive away. I just didn't have the balls to ask him to come half an hour later after he'd had his poo.

SomethingBorrowed · 24/02/2017 17:12

I know cotton I am always amazed that a good number of builders eem to need a poo in the 15min or so after they arrive! Why not do it at home??!
And again, strangely, my cleaner and nanny are able to start their work day without using the toilet straightaway...

seagazer · 24/02/2017 17:34

There must be a lot of people with very dodgy bowels is all i can say. Poo doesn't have to be released at the first urge. It can be held back. I've got a dh that does a lot of work in people's houses. He always manages to wait for his lunch break and come home. He'd be too embarrassed to stink a strangers toilet out.

Dulra · 24/02/2017 17:49

Haven't read all the thread but I'm a bit confused as to where you expect them to use the loo. They are workmen on the road living put of a van mostly. If they can't use their clients loos where do they go? In the bushes Confused

Not flushing though is rude but don't tar all workmen with the same brush

StealthPolarBear · 24/02/2017 17:55

They should use their clients loo. Not knock on a random door.

expatinscotland · 24/02/2017 22:33

'So its not ok to use a cafe toilets as they're not public toilets.
but it is ok to expect to use the toilets in a random private residence?'

On MN, yes. 'A delivery person who was not delivering anything to me asked to use my loo which is upstairs and I was alone in the house, should I have let him in?' Oh, yes! Poor thing, where is he supposed to go, it's only poo (your house with a random stranger in it whilst you're alone in there with your kids)? My guardian angel is a delivery person and he/she would never do anything to harm anyone. I can't believe you are so precious! It's only a toilet! If it were me I'd invite him/her in and make a cup of tea and bacon sandwich whilst he/she was doing the business.' 'It's so depressing how no one wants to let total strangers into their homes anymore to use their home as a public loo! What twats!'

BarbaraofSeville · 25/02/2017 07:24

I know cotton I am always amazed that a good number of builders eem to need a poo in the 15min or so after they arrive! Why not do it at home

Probably because their wives moan at them for using the toilet for it's intended purpose, so they avoid it whenever possible.

On the subject of 'letting random strangers to use the loo' I wouldn't do it, and am even less likely to following reports locally of a woman doing this and then robbing people who let her in.

expatinscotland · 25/02/2017 11:44

' am even less likely to following reports locally of a woman doing this and then robbing people who let her in.'

People will tell you this is fake news. This never happens in MN land, where we all live in 'quite cul-de-sacs' where children roam happily singing Kumbaya if only their nasty parents let them turn their faces away from the Xbox. I wouldn't let some stranger into ours to use the loo, either. I don't care what their story is.

WaitrosePigeon · 25/02/2017 11:49

I know cotton I am always amazed that a good number of builders eem to need a poo in the 15min or so after they arrive! Why not do it at home

Builders/workmen/roofers usually start work at 8am. Most people on the planet have a poo in the morning. Workmen usually don't have the time. They also can't control when their poo needs to come out. That's the reason why, in a nutshell.

I don't agree with leaving customers toilets in disarray.

SoupDragon · 25/02/2017 12:25

The over reaction and exaggeration on this thread is hilarious.

expatinscotland · 25/02/2017 20:34

Why, because some people are unwilling to let strangers into their homes, Soupy? I'm won't, unless there's some reason for them to be there - called in by the LL to service the boiler, workmen there to do repairs, etc. If they makes me over reactive, I can't say I'm bothered.

expatinscotland · 25/02/2017 20:36

It's not my lookout where the general public takes a shit or has a piss and I'm not running a public toilet.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 25/02/2017 20:38

The OP was definitely going above and beyond, to let her neighbour's builders use her loo - and they took the piss by not leaving it as they found it.