To think some people just have no manners?

[clevercleaner]

I work as a cleaner for a company who own properties all over the country and I cover my area which has around 15 in total. The company are currently only letting key workers book but some of things I’ve seen over the last couple of days have left me in shock. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had my fair share of messy cleans and it’s just part and parcel of being a cleaner but it really has made me realise that some people have 0 respect for other people’s properties. My boss agrees but of course he’s not the one who has to clean up after these people. I think what makes it worse is that it is “serviced accommodation” so the guests literally see no one during their stay. I have a close friend who also rents a property out via the same website and she’s said that she’s never had these problems, the only difference is that she greets the guests on arrival and as their leaving so I imagine they feel more inclined to tidy up/leave the property in decent condition.

On Friday morning I arrived at one of the properties to a disgusting smell right outside the front door which turned out to be wee. Not only that, but there were several fag butts scattered across the driveway so obviously the guests had been having a cigarette outside and just couldn’t be arsed to use the toilet upstairs like a normal human being so decided to use the driveway instead. It took 3 buckets of water/bleach to wash the smell away and I was incredibly worried the next guests might turn up and be able to smell it. I imagine, it’s not exactly something you want to smell when turning up to a holiday home.
The very same people decided to tie the bin liner up once full but left it in the kitchen bin and just carried on throwing rubbish on top so I had the pleasure of having to scrape all the rotting food from the bottom of the bin as well. Other things included poo on the bathroom floor and all over the toilet seat (we do provide toilet brushes so no excuse imo).

I wish I could say it was just this one set of guests but unfortunately it’s not the case. I’ve walked into rooms where the guests have stacked all the furniture on top of each other (god knows why) which can be back breaking and dangerous having to move it all back on my own. I’ve found condoms and used sanitary pads in beds and used cotton buds scattered all over the bedroom floor and underneath the beds. I once had to change a bed where it was literally covered from head to toe in what I believe was period blood (I did report to my supervisor so he checked the CCTV and the guest looked fine when she left the next morning apparently). Other things include people leaving food in microwaves/ovens or on plates in the sink (can they seriously not be arsed to scrape it into the bin? It takes 2 seconds!).

I appreciate I’m a cleaner and my job is to clean, and I want the guests to enjoy their stay. I don’t expect them to wash the dishes or change the sheets before leaving but surely the examples above are just ridiculous and down right lazy?. Not to be completely negative, we have had some lovely guests who have left the properties spotless and even stripped the beds before leaving and taken the rubbish out but of course we’ll always have a handful of people who take the piss. I just don’t understand how they don’t feel embarrassed when leaving a property in such awful condition. I worked in a hotel 3 years ago and never experienced messiness to this level.

AIBU? I don’t get paid enough!

Just me who thinks it's disgusting then

With you @clevercleaner.

These people sound like animals.

Thank you @Piglet89

It does make me wonder whether they live like this and treat their own properties the same, but I doubt it. I just can't believe some people can look at a room and say "yep that's fine, I'll be on my way". Crazy!

I really do believe it's down to the fact that there isn't a staff presence, like in a hotel so they think they can just do as they please and trash the place.

Sadly you’re probably onto something with your last paragraph. I’m sorry you have had to deal with the fallout of other people’s slovenliness.

When on road trips, staying in motels, I always do a sweep and clean up before we leave. I can’t imagine leaving a mess.

Same.

Some people are utter pigs I cannot imagine leaving a hotel room in that state. I always go out of my way to try and make things easier for the cleaners! Just because you're a cleaner doesn't mean you can't get annoyed about people like this OP, you shouldn't be expected to deal with disgusting situations like that. I take my hat off to you
Just for the record, who the FUCK leaves a used sanitary towel IN A BED!?

I don’t expect them to wash the dishes

Really? I see that as the absolute least you could do.

I don't understand how people can be so dirty. Same with people who chuck stuff from car windows and fly tip. Ugh!

Doesn't your boss ever follow up with -animals- guests who leave filth and damage in their wake?

I think you’re right about the lack of visible staff/ landlord presence making it easy for some people to assume the cleaning fairies wave their wand. I was a chambermaid aeons ago, which has the positive effect of making me more than usually considerate of cleaners, but also the negative one of meaning I find it hard to relax in hotels because I don’t buy into the illusion that no one but me has ever stayed in this pristine room — I’m far too aware of the ‘invisible’ work.

What interested me in my chambermaid days was that you couldn’t always predict who would leave a disgusting mess — ‘respectable’ older people were often worse than stag parties, and one band who were famous for hellraising not only shared their weed when I came to clean, but left their suites spotless and a big tip.

Thank you so much for all your replies, it really has made me feel better and shown that I'm not being unreasonable.

We do ask that guests leave the properties as they found them (minus the bedrooms/bathrooms etc as obviously we thoroughly clean those after each use) but things like making sure all rubbish is put into the bin and if they can, wash the dishes but it doesn't always happen.

I remember last year, one of my colleagues turned up to a property and the guests were late checking out. A group of around 12 women roughly in their 30-40s all dolled up as if they were going out on the lash (at 11am ). They didn't let her in (she soon found out why) but one of the ladies stood and talked to her by the front door. She asked if my colleague could come back in 10 mins and she said that was fine. When she returned, the guests had left but she walked into utter chaos. All the furniture had been moved, rubbish everywhere (fake eyelashes, coat hangers, alcohol bottles), make up stains on the carpet etc. You name it, they'd done it! She couldn't believe they'd had the nerve to stand and chat with her when they knew what state the property was in. It made sense that they didn't invite her.

Ew. But yes. Manners cost nothing but the truth is some people don't give a fuck.

Whether it's leaving hotel rooms a tip, bodily fluids, neighbours blasting their shit music, people leaving half open binbags in communal areas, antisocial behaviour, day butts out of car windows, swearing in front of children, spitting in the street, being rude to service workers......some people have zero class. And it ain't about money!

That they didn't invite her in * was what I meant to say!

And I agree @Navelwort it's not always young people who leave them in a mess, but older people. We've had some lovely people in their 20's who have left the properties absolutely spotless.

Thank you @Midsommar for your kind words

That’s awful, it’s amazing how gross people are capable of being and how little thought they give to the people cleaning up their messes.
When I stay in rented accommodation I always leave it in good shape - I’d be so ashamed for people to think of me as a slob or dirty.

I do think sometimes there’s an element of ‘I’m paying to be here so I can do what I like’ especially with hotels. One of my friends is a cleaner at a mid range hotel chain and some of the stories she’s shared - people vomiting under the mattress and leaving it there (how??), fecal matter in the shower, condoms just left in sheets...it blows your mind!!

I wish there were more people like all of you! You all sound like a dream to clean up after

So awful.
A friend of mine is a chamber maid in a plush hotel and she says the same as you. No respect at all and feel they can leave it in any state.
You don't expect it to be spotless but it not acceptable to leave period blood all over the sheets! Nor shit anywhere.

It's not even about manners. They are disgusting human beings!

Absolutely @Sparklesocks, they think they can treat the place however they want just because they've paid. Awful

We used to run holiday homes and it was me that did the cleaning. Young family with 3 kids stayed for a week. It was hovering around 40 degrees all week (not UK).

When I went in to clean it was stinking. They had a young baby and the bins were full of a weeks worth of nappies. The ones that didn't fit in the bins were just left on the floor.

Oh @thejollygargler poor you! Disgusting.

I lived in shared flats for years, all of my twenties as a student, and honestly having seen the number of perfectly well brought up (ie, not from a dysfunctional home where no one has taught them the basics) who are absolute dirt birds, I believe you.

By the standards of mumsnet I am low to average (don’t wash towels and sheets every day or bleach everything in sight) but I was consistently the cleanest flat mate by far. People are animals.

@clevercleaner

The irony was that the mum had been picking my brains all week as they were considering going into the holiday letting business themselves

Some people are disgusting and they think they are on holiday so that involves no cleaning or tidying, and someone gets paid to do it at the end anyway.
It's a wonder anyone gets their deposit back.

I probably go too far the other way but I might want to stay there again. So I strip the beds, put towels in the bath, clean the kitchen/bathrooms, run the dishwasher and put bins out at the very least before leaving.

People can be gross, I don't even like people who leave fag butts on the floor, but I'm confused about what kind of properties these are. Are they for key workers who have to work in different parts of the country?