AIBU to give my neighbours living room and kitchen a quick clean.

[Casschops]

My lovely neighbours have gone away on their holidays they don't have much money although work reaaaaally hard and juggle their childcare of their 10 year old son. They have gone to stay in annex of their relations home so have an absolute minmum on their holiday, a friend even drove them their as they struggle with money so much. Im feeding their cat. I saw the man chucking their vacum cleaner in the bin the other week and he was laughing saying they can't afford a new one ATM. The cat has been sick on the floor and flicked cat litter everywhere which I have cleaned up but I can tell that for some weeks they have swept the carpet and floor and there is a thin layer of cat hair and bits in corner of the rooms. It lools like it needs a good vacum the cat has also been walking on woŕktops in the kitchen and there are footprints on things generally lookin a bit hairy and in need of a good wipe as are the windowledges where he sits.
Would they think it odd if I gave everything a wipe down in kitchen and living room as well as mopped the kitchen floor and vacuumed the carpet. I just want them to come home to a nice fresh house or is this intrusive? I am absolutely not looking for people's judgement about levels of tidiness but would it be nice to give things a quick once over or just too much? We say hi on the street and chat but have never socialized with them just to give an idea of our relationship.
Thanks for any input.

@Timeforabiscuit

You know what, I would, just because it is shit walking into a grubby house when you've been away - nothing like a dose of reality slapping you.

I'm soft, so id leave a bunch of cat friendly flowers saying hope you had a good holiday - sorry to hear your hoover broke.

It's tough with having an implicit judgement on cleaning standards, but it's a kind gesture that helps.

This

@Rossita

Why are you in their house?

Are you for real?!

Blame the cat and just have a quick hoover and a wipe round before they come back. I think it’s a lovely neighbourly thing to do and I know I’d appreciate it. I’d just say I hope you don’t mind but the cat made an awful mess so I just ....... so it’s like it was when you left.

If someone did that for me, I'd be very grateful! If they mentioned it at all, I'd confess to having been worried about over-stepping but didn't want them to come home to the smell of cat puke. Especially in this weather 😩. You sound like a lovely neighbour!

I'd bloody love it if I came home from holiday and found someone had done the floors!

But I concede that some people might not feel the same.

Nooooooooo! So could backfire. Absolutely not worth the risk.

Just do it. I’m sure they’ll be pleased. Just say you hoovered up the cat litter and it would be silly not to do the rest of the room.

I would do it, you're just cleaning up after the cat, just mention it when they're home. "Oh the cat was sick and made a bit of a mess whilst away so I cleaned up, gave it a quick hoover and tried to keep on top of the grease/hair she was shedding. Hope you had a lovely time"

That's a lovely thought and I would do it.
You could,if you wished,leave a note saying the cat made a mess and you cleaned it up so they didn't come home to a mess.
for being a lovely person

My MIL stayed in our house while we were on holiday. And I knew that she would give it a good clean! But I was forewarned of this by her previous behaviour.... It was nice to get back from holiday to a clean house - but only because I was expecting it.

But what you're outlining seems fine, most of it is mess that cat has created so feels like part of looking after the cat. It's only the hoovering that goes beyond and that is a nice favour as they are currently without one. It will put them 'ahead' if they have a lot more time without a Hoover.

I'd do it & not say anything. Then at a later date I'd point them in direction of Gumtree & Facebook marketplace where vacumn cleaners go for pennies in house ciearances. It sucks being skint ,I wish I'd known where to get decent 2nd hand stuff then, instead of having to save up for basics like hoovers.

Just so I cam kind of summarise and clarify for people. I was never making a judgement about how clean they are just they are not at all
The house was clean and tidy they left and the floor had clearly been swept but obviously this doesn't get eveything up. The house is the same as mine, open plan and small the living room is carpeted and the kitchen is laminate. The cat has flicked cat litter and food everywhere and some of this has gone onto the carpet. The cat also puked on the carpet which I have managed to mostly clean up. The cat has been walking over the previously clean worktops and window sills shedding fur and putting footprints on everything. The question was about bringing my own hoover round to hoover the cat litter and vomit stain off the floor which would in turn put them on a bit until they buy another. I was also proposing to wipe marks of window sills and worktops and mop kitchen floor from cat food and litter. At no point did I say I think they are scruffy or make a judgement. I also didn't say I was going to clean the entire house, read their post or go through their washing pile. I have not and will not go upstairs just in the cat area. People have made assumptions and been a bit sarky from what is wholeheartedly meant to be a kind gesture. Some people would obviously like to come home to a gritty , meaty puke floor after their holiday imagine what two weeks would look like?

I think you are lovely OP.

I certainly would feel inclined to help too as I'd hste for someone to come back from their holidays to a mess.
I would frame it as such "cat made a right mess, couldn't have you coming home to it with the baby"...

Why don’t you hoover the cat litter and clean the vomit stain. You could also wipe the worktops but the cat will probably just walk back over them anyway and the same with the kitchen floor so I would leave the floor so it is a compromise. Then if they ask did you clean? You can explain the cat was sick and you didn’t want to leave it there so you hoovered it up.
So you’re still doing a nice thing but not offending them by cleaning too much.

The fact that the cat made a mess gives you a bit of a reason. I'd usually say not to. I think you could clean the surfaces, Hoover and mop the floors and just mention that you cleaned up after the cat so they don't think you were passing judgment on their living standards.

They may get a little upset as it might come across as judgemental. Maybe do a really good clean, but when they're due back put odd things around to make it look a little untidy , that way the cleanness may pass unnoticed

I'd hoover / clean worktops and leave a note saying cat litter and vom everywhere so you cleaned it up.
Seems like the nice thing to do

Oh please be my neighbour, although I already have nice neighbours, but if you lived up the road a bit and cleaned/tidied any part of my house I would virtually worship the ground you walked on.

I can pretend to be away, out back wrapped in a hammock or tarp, depending on the weather, if that helps.

I think you sound bloody lovely!

I would love it if someone did this for me!!

I think there is a chance you’ll offend them so I wouldn’t.
It’s a shame because it’s lovely idea.

If you do do it, please be wary of what you use to mop the floor and wipe the worktops if the cat goes up there. Any residue will go on their feet which they will ingest when cleaning themselves. Just make sure you don’t use anything toxic for cats. Other than that, I’d love it if someone did this for me (assuming they used cat-friendly products).

I think it comes from a very good place but given they aren’t close friends I wouldn’t.

I would , and would love it if someone did it for me.

I would bloody LOVE it if someone did that for me!

I would be absolutely happy to come home to find hair/cat litter hoovered up, surfaces wiped and a little note explaining that Catto had flicked litter everwhere so you'd whizzed the hoover about.

If I were concerned you'd think I was a filthy heathen, I wouldn't have invited you to cat mind in the first place (and if it were me, you would, because my house is a hovel inhabited by nothing but Filth Wizards).