Cleaner told me off

[PremiumRaa]

I usually get to work early to get ready for the day as it's easier for me after a long ish commute. The work toilets are separate large cubicles with a toilet and sink in each one so I take my make up bag into work and usually spend 15-20 mins in one before I go into the office.

This morning I got ready at work as usual and as I left the cleaner was leaning on the main door waiting for me to come out so he could go in and clean. I had left some rubbish (an empty paper bag and a napkin) on top of the bin as the bin lid wasn't working when I pressed the foot pedal.

The cleaner looked annoyed as I left and then went into the cubicle. I had only walked a few steps down the corridor before he called me back shouting "lady lady!" And then beckoned me into the toilet, gestured at the rubbish saying "this is you - these are clean toilets" and picked up the rubbish and put it on top of my handbag then picked up some paper towels from the floor and stuffed them onto the top of my bag as well whilst complaining.

I was so shocked and embarrassed I took the rubbish and walked away and put it in another bin. I felt really stressed like he's going to report me to building services or something. The toilet was clean it was just the rubbish on top of the bin and I think he was annoyed waiting outside for a while. WABU?

Just to clarify some points raised:

No I don't know the cleaner's name I've never seen him before and I'm only in the office 2-3 days a week.

There were two other empty cubicles so I wasn't allowing a queue to form but yes preventing the cleaner from going in for that time.

He went in with a bin bag to empty the bins as well so in terms of "who do you expect to take your rubbish" I would have expected whoever was taking out the bins to add the rubbish to the bin.

It was one of those sanitary bins with a sliding lid, which wasn't opening it wasn't a case of me not wanting to touch the bin.

Assumptions that OP didn't try and open the bin at all.

Assumptions that the cleaner is having to wait everyday.

Let's let the OP clear these up.

I don’t care what you use the toilets for or how long you take. 15 to 20 minutes is not a big deal.
Of course it is, when she’s actively preventing the cleaner going about his work.
Work that’s supposed to be finished before the working day for the day staff begins.
It’s rude and arrogant in the extreme, and that’s before you get onto op leaving her crap for him to pick up off the bloody floor.
Shameful behaviour.

Not defending just clearing up-

The rubbish wasn't left on the floor it was left on top of the closed bin.

I hate people who do rubbish on top it's disgusting....fit it in or go to another bin. Why should he pick up your dirty snotty tissue....he won't know what's on them.

The paper towels were picked up from the floor but they weren't mine.

It was an empty paper bag - not a snotty tissue.

Can people respond to what actually happened and not exaggerate.

If it was a sanitary bin then you shouldn’t have been trying to put rubbish in it at all. Find an actual waste bin!

If the bin isn't working you take the rubbish away with you.

Why should the cleaner have to touch your discarded crap whatsoever it may be.

So did you leave a used sanitary towel on top of a bin?! Or just "clean" waste? Neither is great, but used sanitary products is disgusting. Could you not have just put them in the bin in the next cubicle? I ask because as it was balanced on the sanitary bin he probably assumed it was that kind of waste (which he would have been rightfully furious about)

Then why didn’t you tell him it was broken, and explain it wasn’t you who left the paper towels on the floor?

@Janetime I don't know I was so caught off guard

You are being unreasonable.

I don't understand why you were putting rubbish in a sanitary bin

As it was ordinary rubbish why didn't you take it to an ordinary bin?

Maybe clear up after yourself?

You don't use sanitary bins for any other rubbish it's collected separately and sent for incineration..,so you've made your thread even worse. Take it to the right bin not rocket science just lazy.
Most cleaners are in a strict time limit so you really held him up.
Do you run or cycle to work? If not makeup at home

He was probably more annoyed at you coming in early and disrupting his cleaning routine. Cleaners hours are usually arranged for when there are no staff present using the facilities so that they can just get on with their job. The facilities are then clean and ready for when the staff come in, at their time of work. I would be annoyed if I was the cleaner at having to work around you when you are not supposed to be there at that time.

I do feel you could have found another bin. There's no way I would go near a sanitary bin in the loo unless it was for sanitary products. Use the actual bin in the loos!

He's not looking at what's in the rubbish it could be sanitary wear pooh covered or anything a dirty person leaves around....do you drop bags at home? Do you surround your desk with them?

Surely you can see why he might have been pissed off? I can’t really understand leaving it rather than looking for another bin, you know that someone has to pick it up.

Saying, ‘I’m sorry but the bins were full’ could have made both of your days a little nicer.

I don't get the pile-on to be honest. The OP put a paper bag (nothing soiled) on top of a sanitary bin she couldn't get open. Male cleaner entered the toilet and freaked out. His behaviour was unprofessional over something so trivial.

No issue at all with doing your makeup in the work toilet if it's before your start time/company doesn't care much about lateness.

The rubbish thing - bit grim but to pick paper towels off the floor and put them on your bag wtf?? I'd have apologised for my rubbish and maybe said i thought no harm done if he was emptying the bin anyway, won't do it again etc. but I'd have handed the paper towels back and said they weren't mine!

This! It used to annoy me to have to wait for people to leave the loos because they were doing make up or whatever, especially because it put me over my shift!

Do you like using toilets piled with rubbish? Do you like picking up after lazy people who can't be arsed to go to a proper bin....

Most sanitary bins are collected by a specialist waste company contracted for the job...i bet the cleaner was just clearing up shit dropped by twats.

The entitlement is really something else.

You managed to find another bin when you were pulled up on it and handed your rubbish - why couldn't you have used that bin in the first place? Very rude and lazy to leave your rubbish for someone else to deal with.