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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU about these mystery stains?

48 replies

litlealligator · 31/01/2022 12:08

We had a houseguest this weekend, one of DH's very old friends who has been having a tough time with his mental health. I don't know him super well but he seems a lovely guy.

However. On Friday before guest arrived, DH cleaned the toilet. I went in to talk to him while he was cleaning and I know it was spotless. So on Saturday I was a bit miffed to see what I thought were wee stains on the seat. It's not DH because he is very clean, so assume it's houseguest missing his mark in the middle of the night in the dark. Try to give them a quick clean but can't completely shift them.

Stains get worse over the weekend. He left this morning so we've gone to look at them (DH noticed too) and I don't think it's wee or poo. If anything they are sort of a reddish colour and we are struggling to shift them from the loo seat, we've tried normal bathroom cleaner and bleach. We're now wondering what on earth this could be - could DH's friend be bulemic for instance? Would that leave these kind of stains? He seemed to go to the bathroom a lot but we never heard him vomit and it's a small house. We're quite worried about him.

Any advice on what this could be (and how to shift the stains!!!) greatly appreciated, I've never come across this before.

AIBU about these mystery stains?
OP posts:
emsmar · 31/01/2022 12:10

Did you have red wine at any point?

MsAgnesDiPesto · 31/01/2022 12:11

Is it a plastic seat? I’ve managed to cause slight damage and staining to one of ours by dripping bleach on to it. If your guest has cleaned the loo after himself, he could have done the same thing. I don’t think you need to assume it’s something which has come out of him!

MorningStarling · 31/01/2022 12:14

I've stained a seat with bleach before, also things with alcohol can stain (hand sanitizer gel for instance).

Have you tried removing the seat and soaking it overnight?

Original poster
litlealligator · 31/01/2022 12:35

It does look a lot like red wine - that was actually my first thought - but we didn't drink any all weekend, so that would imply he was drinking it in secret or in the bathroom or something which I didn't see any evidence of but again I guess is possible.

I don't think it's a bleach stain, we only have clear bleach in the house and it's never marked the seat before. There was equivalent staining underneath the rim of the seat too as if something has splashed up (gross, sorry) but that cleaned off easily, it's just the top of the seat that we can't shift it. There are drips everywhere and more and more kept appearing over the weekend.

OP posts:
irene9 · 31/01/2022 12:38

Did you eat food with red sauces?
Could it be blood stained urine. But I don't know if that stains!

MayThePawsBeWithYou · 31/01/2022 12:39

could it be blood or vomit, I would get a new loo seat anyway, can your dh ask his friend if he is ok.

MsInsomniac · 31/01/2022 12:41

Could it be hair dye dripping from wet hair after a shower? Mine drips coloured first few washes after dying. A magic sponge will probably remove it.

irene9 · 31/01/2022 12:42

And check to see if any cleaners or shampoos or shower jels left in the bathroom have a pink or red.
If he had OCD might he be trying to clean everything before he uses it with whatever is available.
Might he have a catheter or stoma bag without telling anyone that needed cleaning or emptying.

FluffyLion · 31/01/2022 12:42

My white bath has pink stains on the bottom of it from when my partner left bleach on it for too long. Could be that?

Original poster
litlealligator · 31/01/2022 13:05

I think hair dye is unlikely although it does look like that, there's no equivalent stains on the bathtub or floor and it doesn't look like he dyes his hair or explain how the marks got under the rim of the seat.

Catheter or stoma bag not impossible, he's had some health issues so that is a possibility, I doubt he'd have told us if he did have one.

There's no red or purple cleaning stuff in the bathroom, I keep most of the cleaning stuff downstairs as there's not much bathroom storage.

OP posts:
icelollycraving · 31/01/2022 13:07

Get magic sponge from the poundshop. They are brilliant on loo seats.
Could it be fragrance?

FelicityBeedle · 31/01/2022 13:07

Some meds can cause staining wee, and some vitamins too. Happens all too often in the hospital where I work

Repetitivebeats · 31/01/2022 13:10

If he has health issues, could he be taking a liquid medicine and dropped some of that on the seat?

RockinHorseShit · 31/01/2022 13:15

Aftershave splash. ?

We had almost identical stains on an old loo thanks to DH being a bit crack handed with his aftershave

Stravaig · 31/01/2022 13:18

I sometimes deep clean for a family member and neat Flash liquid works well on stubborn toilet seat stains. As a previous poster said, could easily be splashes from emptying a bag, location is right. Else, try a magic eraser sponge?

Doggymama123 · 31/01/2022 13:20

Mouthwash maybe? They come in red and purple colours... maybe dribbled when gargling lol

MeatPieWoman · 31/01/2022 13:32

Food? Beetroot?

mrsbyers · 31/01/2022 13:59

I have a stoma bag and have never stained a seat and often mine is covered with splashes if I’ve had a bad night and emptied in a half sleep

MsAgnesDiPesto · 31/01/2022 14:01

@Doggymama123

Mouthwash maybe? They come in red and purple colours... maybe dribbled when gargling lol
Mouthwash! I’ll bet that’s it. Looks the right colour and the alcohol might have eaten in to the surface.
Blossomandbee · 31/01/2022 14:59

I agree it looks like hair dye, or it could be any brightly coloured product such as a coloured shower gel. My DC have made similar stains with bath bombs before.

crackersforcheese · 31/01/2022 15:04

I'd say possibly mouthwash like listerine? There's a purple one of them

Original poster
litlealligator · 31/01/2022 15:21

The thing is I could get mouthwash or other products if it happened once but surely you're not going to dribble mouthwash all over a toilet seat repeatedly all weekend?

Definitely going to have to try a magic sponge, nothing else is working lol!

OP posts:
Original poster
litlealligator · 31/01/2022 15:31

More generally how on earth would you raise this with the guest? Or would you ignore it? Obviously it would potentially be easier for us to clean it if we knew what it was but also we're now concerned about him. Is there any non awkward way to ask someone what on earth they've done to your toilet seat???

OP posts:
bebarkered · 31/01/2022 15:50

OP, try Bar Keepers Friend

Picklypickles · 31/01/2022 15:52

I've got stains on my toilets lid like that where daughter spilled some nail polish remover on it, maybe something strong and chemical-ly like that?

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