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?

She shouldn’t be smoking at your house. I would fire her.

My roofer threw his beer bottles... I'll stop there.

For me, it would depend on the relationship you have with your cleaner. If she does a good job and you've no other concerns, just ask her to not smoke on your property. I suspect most people would happily agree to that and crack on. If you have other concerns, or you just think of her as 'staff', which your tone implies, just get rid and stipulate a non-smoking cleaner when you next recruit. Or do your own cleaning.

If it bothers you this much, why not get another cleaner who doesn't smoke?

Imagine how happy she must be that you occasionally give her a glass of water. How kind of you, you sound like a delight, I'd probably pee in your flowers x

Are you for real?

I'm sorry OP but I think this wins the award for the most middle class thread title I've seen on Mumsnet for a long time!

🤣🤣🤣agree!

Exactly!

She wouldn't have even made it into my house on her first visit, let alone been in a position to leave her filthy butt on my property. How vile.

Sidelining the thread a bit, but…18 ph! I get paid 11 something to look after young adults with learning disabilities. This means helping people who can’t move/communicate eat, go to the loo, socialize etc. Does seem a bit bonkers. Good job they are lovely.

Thank you for all your feedback - it seems like a bit of a split.

the point about the drink (usually it’s a tea or coffee and/or water and she knows she can also help herself) is not that I make her one, it’s that she then leaves the cup somewhere in the house for me to find at a later time a dirty cup sitting on a clean chest of drawers etc that I then have to put in the dishwasher or wash up.

I’m a busy working mum with a baby so finding time to make myself a cup of tea can sometimes be tricky, so to me it is a small gesture, and I’m also not sat there twiddling my thumbs when she is cleaning and I don’t have time to do my own house cleaning to those that suggested that. .

I have a good relationship with my cleaner, she is a nice lady, thank you for the suggestions to buy her a gift (I did give her a Christmas bonus of £75), I do not mind her taking a short break in the middle of the clean, she is often speaking on her phone while cleaning also. For those that asked her cleaning is okay, her ironing is very good but we have had some problems recently with things not being very well cleaned (such as the toilet loo rim) and I do sometimes feel the need to finish up when she’s done so there is a bit of underlying frustration there too.

The main problem I have was her chucking a dirty cigarette in my garden and a few weeks prior leaving an ash tray for me to clean up when I don’t smoke and we would never allow it in our home. Hence why I even mentioned the dirty cups being left out for me to also clean up as it seems like there is a recurring theme.

This has confirmed I personally don’t feel comfortable with anyone smoking in my porch then chucking a cigarette littering my garden. We also have a small puppy so yes not safe for her also if she were to find that. So I will speak with her about the smoking on our property next week and mention it is a no smoking property.

Thank you again!

Yes

I’d ask her not to smoke on my property. If she quits than whatever, just get a new cleaner who isn’t disgusting and doesn’t drop litter.

I assume you are posting on here to see if it is a reasonable thing to object to, not to see whether you should sack her or not?

(Sacking her without first just politely asking her not to do it would be awful, but I assume you realise that)

Like others have said, ask her to smoke off the property if it upsets you.

I think objecting to giving her a tea or a glass of water will make you sound inhumane tho in all honesty.

On a positive note, nice to hear you are paying her a decent wage. My mom has an excellent cleaner and I was shocked to learn recently most of her clients pay her £12 an hour! (My mom pays her more - we both consider £12 borderline exploitative for the service).

No this is best comment and 1 reason why I still read mumsnet. Bookmarking and coming back in 28 pages to find out the back story.

Surely she can clean for 4 hours without having a cig.

I don't think so, a woman today smoking right outside the school gates then stubbed it onto the floor to pick up a child, that's too
Much to ask for a 10 minute period, stop smoking 2 minutes before the school gates or wait a few minutes after to be away from kids and not litter at the school gates. 4 hours must be unreasonable when 10 minutes and a bit of decency is too much

It's simple really, just ask her not to smoke on your property (as has been said already) BUT..... You say she left a dirty ashtray that you had to clean up a few weeks previous to this - yet in an earlier post you said you don't have an ashtray???
So did she bring her own on that occasion???

I wouldn’t have a cleaner that smoked at work. Tbh I wouldn’t have a cleaner who smoked full stop as you can always smell it on people but no doubt that would be discriminatory and violate many human rights!

Honestly, the things which bother some people astound me 😖

And some of these posts!!!

Meanwhile in the real world.....

Yeah, when my 5 year old smokes they always put the butt in the bin.

Won't somebody think of the hydrangea?

Pannicles or flat heads?

😂😂😂😂