Hands that do dishes can feel soft as your...mortar?

[Helliecopter]

The bricky putting up the brick and blockwork on my extension has been using my washing up liquid. I wasn't sure why, but have just found out that it's in the mortar mix. Apparently it makes the mortar easier to work (Twitter told me!) but is bad practice nowadays because it can cause weak mortar.

So I've just scared the crap out of myself googling it, and am worried that the new extension is going to collapse in a few years. I've got a feeling that if I raise it with my building firm, I'll get fobbed off with them saying it's not a problem.

What should I do? I'm thinking of asking them to extend the 10 year guarantee they give on their work...

Cheeky sod should have brought his own!

No, I would be asking them to re-do (if you have time for a re-build). If not, then yes, extend the guarantee, but also make sure it covers what you want it to cover.

Ha! Yeah, it was cheeky. And it was orange scented anti-bacterial stuff as well.

On the bright side then at least you won't have to worry about germs...

Nah, they'll have put a tiny amount in. It contains silicone and just makes it a bit more bound together. Everyone used to do it. Don't worry, won't make any difference.

No germs and a faint orangey whiff every time it rains!!

They have used some proper plasticator (that's not what it's really called, I am making it up) today as I've found the empty bottle just chucked on the floor. And as someone else pointed out, builders used to do it all the time in the 70s and 80s and extensions from then are still standing.

Panic over. mostly