Bathrooms. You can learn a lot about people when you clean bathrooms. You can discover things that you never wanted to know. I use a lot of bleach. A lot. I don't dilute it much. I wear gloves.
Today started at 6:30 when someone tried to enter the locked store. Woke me up, of course. I stayed up waiting for a late arrival. Had to, as love of my life didn't think that the posting of signs indicating site numbers on the new sites was a priority. We got to bed around 1:00. I am exhausted, so I was less than thrilled when I heard the buzzer sound. I did not respond to the silly camper that thought I might be open at that hour, but I could not go back to sleep.
They were persistent and at 8:00 I sold them the ice. Big sale......$3.00. For that I had to be awakened. Already in an unpleasant state of mind I head for the bathrooms to clean them before I officially open. After 3 interruptions and 4 phone calls I am done and enthroned upon my chair here for the remainder of the long, long day.
Speaking of "thrones"..........I will return to the subject of this post. Upon entering the ladies room (and I hesitate to use that term, given my clientele of late) I encounter a funky odor and a trail of ants. Hmmmm........wonder what surprises await me? I decide to follow the trail of ants (the yellow brick road?) and end up at the trash can sitting next to the toilet. The can is small and lined (thank goodness) and is for, you know, personal items to dispose of............not for plates of food remains! Making me wonder...........did someone sit upon the throne eating what looks to be beans and a hot dog? If they did, why? And if they didn't, why would you put it in an open trashcan when there is on with a lid on it right outside the bathrooms? Oh, it gets better, so stay with me.
I dispose of the garbage and grab a new liner along with the paper product to restock and head back to begin the scrubbing of the facility. After scouring the toilet bowl and cleaning the seat I put the lid down to discover that some kind soul has smeared feces all over it. Nice. It is all dried and I have to spray it and let it sit while I scrub the shower and the sink and finally got it clean again with a little elbow grease and a lot of bleach. Just in case there may have been graffiti on the walls at some point during this delightful dining experience I washed all of them as well.
The men's room held no surprises and was a normal clean-up, save the black paint on the floor that the kind man apparently got on his feet when he ignored my wet paint sign and used the facility anyway. I don't know why I waited to get out the mineral spirits and clean it up. Maybe I was hoping for little elves to come in the night and magically make it disappear. No such happenings in these parts, so I cleaned that up as well.
Just a little insight for you to mull over if you are thinking of going into this business........
7 comments:
Oh, Kathy ... you have surely earned your angel wings and your halo doing that job! I have read that women's bathrooms are always more filthy than men's bathrooms. Isn't that strange?
I have to be honest, I could not do what you do. You must be a saint, for sure!
I cannot deal with the general public. I am astonished at the levels of bad manners many possess and how ignorant they can be. You have the patience of a saint. Manky gits!
I am enjoying your blog vicariously. From my ages of 11 to 20, my parents owned the KOA in Redding, CA. I have done my share of restrooms and don't miss it a bit. My worst peeve are males that don't know the difference between a urinal and toilet.
Fortunately my parents sold the Kampground before I came close to inheriting it!
Roger
I have to admit, I couldn't do it! I have a hard enough time with my own.
I'm amazed - I always thought the men's room would be worse than the women's room!
YUCK!
Hmmmm ok, you posted this June of 2009 and I'm still catching up but something happened yesterday (10/12/11) that has to do with my work bathroom.
We are in a locked building, but lo and behold somebody in a uniform (like a janitor kind of uniform) walks into our office and asks where the bathroom is. I assume he works in the building and is new, a few minutes goes by and a flush every 15 seconds or so for 5 minutes and he leaves.
I'm sitting at my desk wondering if he was adjusting the toilet or what?
I walk in and what to I see, feces covered toilet and floor... oh yeah just great. The only mens room and the only toilet and this disgusting guy had a field day.
Guess who cleaned it all up since I was the only one in the office? ME, how much fun did I have! :(
Erik
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