To think plumbers should have their own towels

[soloula]

Fully prepared to be told iabu but I've just had an engineer out to repair my washing machine and he wanted a few big towels to mop up when he opened up the filter. I only have four bath towels and I don't really want my good towels manky from mopping up the floor (my floor is clean but all the water leaking from under the kickboards is filthy), especially if he couldn't fix the machine. Most of my hand towels were sodden from the initial leak that he was out to fix. Why do they not have their own stuff to mop up? This has happened loads of times when I've had plumbers and engineers out to fix plumbing things. Painters carry dust sheets, why don't plumbers have towels? You know you're likely to be dealing with puddles of water so surely you come prepared?

Yes why don't they travel around with bags and bags of sodden filthy towels from all their jobs? Which they then presumably have to get washed and dried for the next day.

With it leaking did it not occur to you to buy some blue roll or a big pack of kitchen towel?

FFS I despair I really do. It's your manky water from your washing machine! An engineer is there to fix your machine not clean up after you. YABU to only have four towels.

YANBU
DH is a heating engineer, laundering dust sheets and towels just goes with the job. Dust sheets dry quickly. Though mangle the washing machine with bits of solder!

This has happened loads of times when I've had plumbers and engineers out to fix plumbing things

Buy some cheap, dark coloured towels then. This is not an unsolvable problem.

It's not cleaning up after the OP it is carrying out a service that the customer is paying for. The plumber knew it would likely leak dirty water and should have own means of minimising the mess.

Have you only had four towels in your life? Because that's why you keep the old ones.

I'm in a new build with very little storage space so I only have enough towels for one pair using, one in the wash. What if I didn't have towels to give to him today - my mum was supposed to be coming up to collect my washing to do tonight but never managed. Would he have just not done the repair if I hadn't the towels to give him. Surely it's part of the service they're providing. They don't ask for screwdrivers so why do they ask for towels? Why should I go to the expense of providing blue roll or kitchen roll when they're the ones coming out to do the repair (which was because of a fault that I was in no way responsible for).

He should have some rags and an aquavac ffs

Your mother was coming up to do your washing!

Sort out your own towels for christ sake.

Why should you? Because prior experience has taught you that this happens loads of times and old towels are useful and needed.

I don't think it's the same for plumbers as it is for, say, decorators who can reuse dust sheets many times. Soaking wet, dirty, smelly towels can't sit around in a plumber's van all day quite as easily. They'd end up with dozens every single day, instead of each customer having maybe a couple.

I live in a small house with very little storage but I have so many old towels! They don't take up that much space and they're useful for so many things - pet or child emergencies, leaky taps, dog washing, big spillages, leaks, hair dying, protecting breakables when packing...

She probably would if her washing machine worked

I guess OP you never have guests who crash out on your floor.

Just buy more towels and stop whining.

@Myheartbelongsto I assumed OPs mum was only helping as OPs washing machine was broken...

Why should my washing machine have to wash towels or sheets from your leak?

It's bad enough when I get a call telling me a drain has exploded over him and he was showered in over people's shit because they are too thick and flush things that shouldn't be flushed. My machine needs a vinegar boil wash after that!

We had a man come out to fix our toilet. He brought a big roll of the blue paper towel with him and a bucket and a waste bag. Cleaned up after himself and even offered to mop and bleach for me too.

I wouldn't have extra old towels either as I also do not have alot of storage but I'd have just mopped up the excess water otherwise.

I have never known a plumber carry towels. Imagine how many they would have to carry in order to service all the leaks they repair. YABU.

I’m struggling to imagine a home without room for more than four towels.

I had more than that in a one bed flatshare.

I only have 4 bath towels. I live alone, I do laundry regularly, I’ve yet to have a towel go beyond use. I’ve never felt a pressing need for any more!

I’d expect a family to have 2 or 3 per person. But OP hasn’t mentioned if she lives alone or with six kids or anything in between.

However, YABU to expect plumbers to cart around wet and dirty towels from every job that they do. If for some reason your towels are now unusable even after a hot wash because they’ve mopped up dirty water, then keep them as old towels for such occasions and buy new ones. But I’m sure they’ll be fine after a wash.

I have plenty of towels but only four bath towels. The man asked for big towels not tea towels because of the volume of water he was expecting. The machine broke at the weekend when I was doing a towel load actually, so the sodden towels were sent down to my mums for her to spin and dry for me. She was supposed to bring these back today and pick up the other dirty ones because, as others pointed out, my washing machine is broken and I've needed the use of someone else's machine. I don't make a habit of getting my mum to do my washing.

I appreciate that small tradesmen may not have the facility to wash and dry so why not carry blue roll? Surely it's part of cleaning up after yourself. And it was a beko engineer. I don't think it's unreasonable that a big company has the facilities to deal with this? I don't think my towels will be ruined but it's an extra wash or two that I could've done without. It's pouring here today so I can't just put them out to dry easily and I've already had a few loads of clothes that I've needed to catch up on and find space inside to dry them. And if they are ruined, why should I just go out and replace them at my own expense because they're not properly prepared for the job?

You need bigger things to worry about

I once had a plumber ask me for a towel, so i supplied one - thinking he wanted it to kneel on/mop up a bit/ dry his hands on etc. But what he actually wanted it for was to wipe evostick all over it. Why not ask me for an old cloth that you I didn't want to keep ? - I've got plenty of disposable cleaning/ wiping cloths.

My DH is a plumber, he uses a wet vac and rags/paper towel for any remaining water.

🤣😂

My ex is a plumber and he always carried dust sheets and old towels on his van. He also acquired lots of old towels too. So I have loads of everybody else's old towels. Which is handy as my washing machine flooded at the weekend also. 🙄

You need bigger things to worry about

Haha true.. I know this is first world problems and all that and on the scale of being mildly irritated to seriously pissed off, I'm definitely at the lower end of the scale but it's happened a few times which made me question if IABU to think they should be better prepared and going by some posters, it is possible to be prepared. Never heard of an aqua vac but that sounds like exactly the type of thing they should be carrying to clean up after theirselves.