Mum's cleaner using wrong sponges - how worrying is this?

[Itsfreezingcold]

Mum instructed her cleaner which sponge to use on the kitchen floor and which one to use on the surfaces.
She just found out that the cleaner has been doing the opposite, for a long time.
So Mum has, herself, been using a sponge on the surfaces and sometimes the dishes (she usually uses the dishwasher) that has been used on the floor. She says she tends not to put things directly on the countertop.
She has mild digestive symptoms which I attributed to stress and medicines.
I sent a message to the GP, but wondering how worried I should be.

Sponges 🧽 are shocking for harbouring bacteria anyway- ideally something like a J cloth that can be properly aired out is better.

There is next to no chance the sponges have anything to do with your mum’s digestive issues- assuming some sort of detergent has been used. Do either of you have health anxiety?
It’s good practice to use different things for different jobs at home but I wouldn’t panic if a mistake has been made- I’m quite sure it happens in most homes every now and then.

Get some new sponges and leave a note in the cupboard they're kept in, green for floor, blue for bathroom ect. X

Maybe just get her to do a toilet sample too and drop it in the drs ask can she be tested for helicobactor, she will just need antibiotics.

Yes the NHS has been horribly shamefully under resourced, but that doesn’t mean we should feel we can’t seek medical advice when we have a genuine concern - that will only play into the hands of those who want the US system of abysmal free healthcare for the poor and everyone else paying into the huge profits of private healthcare

But this isn’t a genuine concern is it? Anyone with the smallest smattering of logical thinking skills knows what to do now - bin the sponges, not mix them up again and see if the digestive symptoms stop on their own. If not, then book an appointment. But realistically what can they do bar advise she bins the sponges? They can’t scrub her insides with bleach (so to speak).

And why would we have a US system and not the system of many EU countries? (I digress)

I meant to say because of her digestive issues.

This is why imo people should pay for GP appointments stop the time wasters

Initially I thought this post must surely be a wind-up.

A colleague once told me that if she couldn’t find anything else to wipe her young children’s faces with, she’d use the floor cloth.
Both perfectly healthy, both now Oxford graduates.

What a load of nonsense. Nothing to get worked up about.

100%.

Put a £40 charge on that message the OP sent and she never would’ve sent it. Remarkable.

This is odd. My mop head (microfibre, velcro) looks absolutely nothing like the sponges I use for counter tops and wiping down cupboard doors. I also stick the velcro microfibre mop head in the washing machine on 60° after every use.

I think you’re being a bit dramatic! What would a GP do?

Dear Lord, who knew there was such a thing as a "wrong sponge"? The poor GP will be dining out on this nonsense for months!

It's not about the Sponges.. its about the concern of all the bacteria that might have made her ill. 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

No wonder GPs’ receptionists are triaging phone calls.

Do you take a mop out everytime you drop or spill something on the floor?

Yes. I have a spray mop so it’s easy and no kneeling/bending required

Corners get missed by a mop and uneven floors can lead to build up under skirting a little scrub saves the day.

OP I would look at where the materials are kept.
I got black colour scrubs cloths so cleaning materials stand out plus a caddy so that they dont end stored on the same area as counter cloths.

As pointed out the cleaning solution will kill off most germs. However they may be a root of the digestive problems if cups etc were not properly rinsed off

I accidentally washed some dishes with a sponge I’d used to clean the hob. It was ok but obviously was more careful after.

It's not about the Sponges.. it's about the concern of all the bacteria that might have made her ill. 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

But the sponges haven't made her ill yet. And probably won't, what with stomach acid being remarkably good at dealing with bacteria.

If - and only if - the OP's mother has gastric symptoms that don't settle or are severe and worsening it would be appropriate to seek medical advice from a GP or 111.

Any mild symptoms should be self managed, unless someone has a serious underlying health issue. Symptoms that "might" occur don't need managing at all.

You messaged the GP?! This is such a none issue.

😂

Half term innit....

But why would you even consider that an issue? What’s on your hob that isn’t on your dishes?

My friend is a cleaner and a damn good one. She works for the local authority cleaning council offices. The training she undertook was surprisingly rigorous. The different areas to be cleaned have to have different colour coded cloths, mops and cleaning products. There is obviously a reason for this and it’s to do with infection control and cross contamination of cleaning products. I agree with a couple of PP’s that the OP has been given a hard time on here. I also think she is entitled to express concerns about her mother’s health to a GP. It’s not as if she has rushed her mother to A&E in an ambulance! I wouldn’t be happy about what this cleaner has been doing she must be very slovenly or totally clueless. I think the moral of this story is to employ professional cleaning companies.