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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Are you being told to clean toilets at work?

549 replies

noblegiraffe · 13/07/2020 14:03

If cleaning toilets wasn’t previously anywhere near your job description?

It’s being claimed on another thread that this is just part of the new normal, everyone is pitching in. I’m not convinced.

YABU - I’m being asked to clean toilets

YANBU - I’m not being asked to clean toilets

If you are, are you ok with it?

OP posts:
MessAllOver · 13/07/2020 15:51

I would happily clean after myself, as I suspect would most people. I wouldn't clean after other people. If you're potentially going to be exposed to the bodily fluids of a large number of children, are they going to give you appropriate PPE?

If it's safe for you to do it, it's safe for the older children to do it. Put them on a rota and let them clean their own loos. My son isn't 3 yet and he helps with mopping the kitchen floor and cleaning the surfaces at home (wouldn't let him near the bathroom yet, though).

betteliefsen · 13/07/2020 15:53

@spanieleyes

We all are, teachers, teaching assistants, and the Head. It's part of the routine now.
I think it's the norm nowadays, we have wipes in the toilets and have to clean the toilet, taps, door handles etc after we have used it.
Aragog · 13/07/2020 15:57

I am not in school yet but those that are - yes, clean down after their use and also the toilets after the children's use - seats doors, handles, sinks. The care taking team are also doing increased cleaning of the toilet areas, shared areas and classrooms throughout the day. I imagine a fair bit of the normal (pre Covid) job is having to be put to one side as a result though.

DH. is a solicitor and they are now in 50% of the time, on rota. They do not clean the toilets bar what you would normally expect after you've been yourself. Increased cleaning of the shared toilet areas is being done, as usual, by the maintenance teams.

Smashtastic · 13/07/2020 15:57

No I'm not being asked to clean toilets! And if say no if they did!
I am energy sector and office based. We have been provided with cleaning stations to clean down our own desks and equiptment at the start/end of each day which I think is acceptable.

stayingaliveisawayoflife · 13/07/2020 15:58

I am a teacher but with Crohn's disease so can't clean toilets. We have not been asked to though as we have a set of toilets for each year group.

Aragog · 13/07/2020 15:59

Do you mean cleaning after yourself?

I think the OP is talking more about cleaning the toilets beyond what is the general norm.

And about cleaning the toilets after others (customers, clients, service users, other colleagues, etc) have used them, not just yourself

Inertia · 13/07/2020 15:59

@FishyDuck I would say that schools need to be provided with adequate budgets, so that they can both employ enough cleaners to keep the school building safe and clean, and employ enough teachers and TAs to ensure the best possible learning outcomes for all children. It certainly shouldn't be either/or.

The other issue with requiring people to clean when their contracted employment is something different is that they don't then have time available to do the essential parts of their actual job. Everyone's pulling together in a crisis, but if essential parts of someone's job are not being completed because they are cleaning toilets then it's a false economy.

CallmeAngelina · 13/07/2020 16:00

Perhaps the question should be tweaked to ask, "Would you be prepared to clean toilets used by the general public?" when it's not your usual role.

Intricate56 · 13/07/2020 16:00

No, not being asked, no materials in the toilets to do it with. I work in a very large, mostly office building. We already have a fairly large cleaning team. They're currently cleaning more frequently - with far fewer staff in, some areas are fenced off and out of use at the moment, so far less space to clean.

Glitterb · 13/07/2020 16:01

Yes we have a rota, our cleaner is on the vulnerable list so is not at work. I work for a small family business and have no issue with pitching in and helping out. I must admit the mens toilets are grim....

DotBall · 13/07/2020 16:01

See, this is the sort of thing that worries me about returning to work. I’m a teachers who’s shielding.

If I have to clean toilets when I do eventually get the green light to go to work, there is no way on god’s earth I’m cleaning up after anyone except myself. I’m not prepared to take that risk.

SunflowerProsecco · 13/07/2020 16:01

Yes I am. TA. Happy to do it - precious little other protection offered against COVID in schools.

TennisButterfly · 13/07/2020 16:02

I'm a primary teacher so yes I am cleaning toilets we take it in turns so everybody does it, even the head takes her turn. It's got to be done and there is no money for extra cleaners

CallmeAngelina · 13/07/2020 16:02

Glitterb, May I ask if both men and women are on your cleaning rota? And is everyone cleaning to the same standard?

Sugartitties · 13/07/2020 16:02

our cleaner is out due to covid so i’ve been cleaning the office since march.

to be fair when the lads see me doing it they all pitch in, carry out the bins and will do kitchen while i do toilet or vice verse

Evelefteden · 13/07/2020 16:03

Nobody is too good to clean toilets. I’ve cleaned our office toilets when there wasn’t a cleaner and I’m a owner of it! We all had to pitch in. Tbh it was the women who had more issue with it than the men. The men had to do the men’s and women do the women’s.

We took it in turns to get the hoover out as well Shock

CallmeAngelina · 13/07/2020 16:03

I'm a primary teacher so yes I am cleaning toilets we take it in turns so everybody does it, even the head takes her turn. It's got to be done and there is no money for extra cleaners

Fortunately, my HT has not and will not ask us to do the same.

MessAllOver · 13/07/2020 16:04

I must admit the mens toilets are grim....

The men should clean the mens toilets. Might make them treat them with more respect in future.

CallmeAngelina · 13/07/2020 16:05

@Evelefteden How many people work in your office and use those loos?
Would you be prepared to clean toilets that had been used by hundreds of members of the public?

Evelefteden · 13/07/2020 16:05

@MessAllOver

I must admit the mens toilets are grim....

The men should clean the mens toilets. Might make them treat them with more respect in future.

I doubt it...
BeccaB1981 · 13/07/2020 16:06

i also wonder how many of the people posting on here about "we all have to do our bit/ i'm grateful to have a job" know what it's like to clean up toilets after OTHER people?

i had no idea how disgusting some people could be tbh

i always take extra care to leave it pristine after myself e.g. when checking out of hotels and such because people are fucking vile

and that isn't just in public places where you have horrors greeting you in shared loos

i remember one particularly bland office block with very very professional people (think something akin to the finance team of the council department, that sort of thing, very gentle atmosphere, large spaces for plants between desks, it was bland but nice)... the mens loos were revolting. including 1 repeat offender leaving shit in one of the communal showers first thing in the morning, whereupon anyone who cycles or jogged into work would find it. we had to threaten to start DNA testing the fucking mess before it would stop (after many months).

shit in the shower might have been the worst case, but there were a lot of vile stuff , smaller level stuff, EVERY day.

do you really want to start suggesting people clean up other people's mess then? really? i wish people could post if they've ever been a cleaner/someone responsible for toilets like in a pub, before they can comment here,

NoIDontWatchLoveIsland · 13/07/2020 16:06

But these are children, not adult clients who can be asked to perhaps wipe after they've used a bathroom.

I'm sorry OP but who do you think is going to do it? It would cost millions to hire enough cleaners, there are not enough cleaners available, and most importantly teachers are already in bubbles with their pupils so it minimises spread to others.

What is so fucking bad about cleaning a toilet. Use rubber gloves and wear a mask, you aren't touching anything. Get over yourself. Teachers aren't too good to clean toilets used by children. No one is.

Blobby10 · 13/07/2020 16:07

8 men in our factory who are taking it in turns to clean the factory toilets each day. I clean the office toilets more often than my male colleague does but that's just me Grin. I have no problem doing it and have and would clean the factory toilets without an issue but the men get embarrassed as a) I'm female and b) I'm their boss so they do it themselves. Once we can, we will ask our cleaner back to work but they are in lockdown stll.

Thirtyrock39 · 13/07/2020 16:08

Nhs health care assistant
No we are expected to clean anything else communal se touch though eg stapler, phone, photocopier, so really we should be cleaning the loo after we use it

UsernameNotValid · 13/07/2020 16:09

Yes, I'm in a residential care setting with children working 1:1. We need to clean the toilet/shower/bath every time it's used by ourselves or our assigned child whereas the cleaner would normally do it once a day.

I don't see that it's a big deal tbh, these things need to be kept on top of right now and everyone should be doing their bit.

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