My cleaner chucked her cigarette butt into our hydrangea bush

[JuneM]

Our cleaner does four hours a week - a couple of weeks ago I noticed a cigarette butt in a small gu pot on our back porch.. very usual as we don’t smoke! I thought it might be the gardeners, my husband mentioned he thought it was the cleaner.

this week, our cleaner who charges £18 per hour went out for a cigarette break, we have cctv at the back, and I saw that she chucked her cigarette butt into our hydrangea bush. I’m not happy about this at all. I think it’s disrespectful and disgusting that I now have to clean up my cleaners dirty cigarette butt.

I also often make her a tea or glass of water, in the past it has irritated me that she doesn’t actually put the cup in the dishwasher and I have to clean it up once she’s gone.

I know we need to raise this with her but what would you do.

AIBU?

They are not biodegradable.

https://truthinitiative.org/research-resources/harmful-effects-tobacco/5-ways-cigarette-litter-impacts-environment#:~:text=Are%20cigarettes%20biodegradable%3F,break%20down%20from%20living%20organisms.

This thread is beyond hysterical. Our cleaner does 4 hours for us and has a break in the middle, smokes on the patio. I do not care in the slightest, I chuck the butts in the outside bin and feel grateful I can afford a cleaner to do all the jobs in the house I don't want to /don't have time to do. She is amazing, I appreciate her, I don't mind her having a ten minute break. Honestly who out of is goes four hours without getting up to make a coffee, taking some kind of break? Absolute Lols at the outrage here.

I'm always amazed that posters would rather dismiss someone from part of their livlihood than have a conversation about it.

And to the poster who thinks that it's acceptable to work for 4 hours in a physical job with neither break nor brew - that's absolutely disgraceful.

This is how to treat your cleaner. Thank you.

They're not biodegradable. What she's done there is littering. I'd find another cleaner.

We've had so many people do work in our house over the years, cleaners, builders, decorators, window installers etc. Some of them have smoked on their breaks and some haven't. Not one of them has ever littered a cigarette butt on our property! It's not hard! Bins exist.

Not true- they are disgusting things
https://www.earthday.org/tiny-but-deadly-cigarette-butts-are-the-most-commonly-polluted-plastic/

Just politely ask her not to chuck fag butts in the garden (she can take them with her), or ask her not to smoke on the property.

Your tone seems a bit OTT.

I also often make her a tea or glass of water, in the past it has irritated me that she doesn’t actually put the cup in the dishwasher and I have to clean it up once she’s gone

🤣🤣

Find a jar with lid put some water handle to her and say please put your fag inside and please can you smoke outside. Problem solved. Cleaning somebody houses is a hard work.

I would expect her to have a drink but I would also expect her to put the cup in the dishwasher like anyone else.

👍🤣🤣🤣 you should buy her small Xmas present as well you are disrespectful

It's still littering.. Not sure I would want a smoker in my home. When adult ds visited he smoked outside but it still carried in. Yuck.

You really need to stop spoiling her with the tea and water 🙄.

‘Hey Michelle. How are you? Ahh that’s great. I’ve popped an ashtray outside for you today for your break and I’ve got some nice biscuits in as well. Thanks so much for everything you do for us, it makes our lives so much easier. See you later.’

Really easy.

And I’m a non smoker but if I had to clean the loos of uptight buggers like you I’d probably need a ciggie too.

I wouldn’t mind as long as it ended up in the soil and out of sight - it’s a biodegradable item that will help fertilise the plants.

Cleaner here. From my perspective:

• if the cleaner is charging by the hour, she should clean for that amount of time and not take smoking breaks. I charge ‘per job’ so I take breaks if I want/need to.
• You say you thought it could have been the gardener. Would you have felt different? Would you ask him/her not to smoke?
• If you agree that cleaner can use some of her paid time to smoke, she shouldn’t be doing it outside your open windows or flicking the butt in your garden
• you sometimes offer her tea or water. Would you believe hardly any of my clients offer me a drink! But I am often asked to move so they can get to the sink/cupboard/kettle to make drinks for themselves and/or other tradespeople
• I wouldn’t get hung up on her not putting her mug in the dishwasher. Does the gardener do this?

It's not biodegradable as several people have pointed out. It's litter.

I would expect her to tidy away any cups / glasses used and I would be telling her not to smoke anywhere on my property , if she can’t manage that I’d find a new cleaner .

Fire the cleaner saves you £18 an hour and clean your own home.
There are a lot a threads about how bad cleaners are or they dont clean to your liking in stead of moaning about it clean your own home.

It’s bad behaviour to chuck cigarette butts anywhere into the environment. Even worse to do it on your property. I think even a 5 year old could tell you this. I cannot imagine why so many posters think it’s alright. No wonder the country is covered in litter if people don’t have an issue with someone chucking it.

I hope you haven’t got a dog who would eat them. They can be harmful.

those of you saying have a word with the cleaner - I don’t think op should need to have a word. It’s just basic behaviour not to litter. You wouldn’t expect anyone who comes to your house to chuck fag butts anywhere ever.

I’d sack her. You wouldn’t expect to ask her to wipe her bum. So why should anyone expect to tell someone not to chuck litter. Again, basic behaviour. I don’t understand this thread at all.

can you ask her nicely to not smoke?
no need to fire her

If you pay for a service, you are entitled to expect the service to be performed properly. It’s nothing to do with the OP’s “liking”, it’s to do with behaving like a responsible adult and not chucking fag butts about.

This might be controversial but I wouldn't want a cleaner who smokes. Smokers, even if they do it outside, still bring a smell in with them which defeats the purpose of a nice clean house.

When i smoked, i could go 4 hrs without a cig if i was only there for 4 hrs. Im there to work. So is your cleaner. Over 4 hrs she can have a break.. I've been a cleaner, no need for this

People who drop fag butts are selfish morons