To wonder if anyone else would do this

[graziemille1]

My friend is lending me a buggy to go on holiday next week. She dropped it off last and it was completely filthy. I’ve spent this morning steeping the cover, scrubbing it and disinfecting it. The hood had to be scrubbed and the basket was full of god knows what which has now been cleaned.

Maybe it’s just me but I’ve given many many baby things to people to borrow over the years but I’ve always made sure they’re clean!

I wish I’d just given it back to her but it’s too short notice for me to get another one.

Am I alone in thinking you give something a clean before you give it to someone to borrow??

I should add that I’m on mat leave and my parents are taking us away as money is a bit tight or I would have bought a buggy myself normally!

Usually yes I'd have cleaned it first but does she have multiple dc? It could be a last minute kind but disorganised gesture

I would always clean something before giving it to someone but, really, it’s not worth getting het up about. She’s done you a favour. Just accept you have different standards. She may not have even realised it was as grubby as it was.

I would feel shame tbh to hand something over like that and as I result I would clean first.

Part of it is probably that people just have different standards, and part of it is probably that the mess/dirt will have gradually built up so would maybe be less noticeable to her than to you.

But generally yes, I would clean things before lending them.

Chances are she hadn't unfolded it to check how clean it was. She's saving you a load of money and a bit of effort, so see the cleaning as a favour in return.

I would also feel embarassed to lent something dirty to someone else.

On the other hand, your standards might not be hers and she is doing you a favour.
I would see your effort to clean it as a ‘thank you’ for borrowing it from her instead of giving her some chocolates/flowers/wine.

YABU. She probably didn't have time to clean it

From her point of view - she's done you a favour, is presumably either happy with the state of the pram/was unaware. She didn't have to lend it to you.

Ps yes, I would have cleaned it, but might have been a bit rankled whilst cleaning it given that if I hadn't have done my friend a favour, I wouldn't have to bother.

I’ve been in your friends place. I have offered to lend something in good faith only to drag it out of the cupboard/shed/garage/attic at the last minute and realise it was in no fit state to be used but I had no time to clean it. The choice then is to lend it dirty or let the person down. Damned if you do and damned if you don’t.

I have also thought if they want it they can do the work rather than me making work for myself in order to do them a favour.

She might not have been aware of the condition it’s in, annoying you had to clean it but I would think of it as a better deal than paying for one yourself.