Scrubbing

I've given this post the title of 'Scrubbing' but I'm not actually sure if this is the correct title for this post?  I might change it to 'Recycling'.  Don't know yet.  Not sure where my rantings are going to take me.

I live in a complex of 12 properties and more than half of them are 'holiday lets'.  I look after two of them for my neighbours.  Cleaning holiday let properties is a very lucrative business here in the South West.  Being a 'housekeeper' in the South West pays at least twice the minimum wage, if not three times the minimum wage so obviously it's a worthwhile job to do.

However......................  August holiday makers are a nightmare.  Holiday makers are supposed to leave the property in the state that they found it.  They're supposed to empty all the bins, they're supposed to get rid of all unused food, they're supposed to leave the property how they found it???  Grrrrr, Grrrrrrr, Grrrrrr.

They are not supposed to empty the bins and then just throw in whatever rubbish they have into a bin that does not have a bin liner (even though the property has umpteen bin liners that they could put in the bin), they are not supposed to leave crockery to be washed or just shove stuff in the dishwasher without even switching it on.  They are not supposed to leave sand all over the property.  They're not supposed to eat pizza in bed and leave the remains all over the place.  They are not supposed to leave used nappies for the housekeeper to dispose of......................  But they do??!!

August holiday makers are the worst! 

And the other thing that is really annoying...........................  They arrive really early, ie before 9am, roll up in the car park thinking that they can park in the space...................... when the visitors who have been in the  property the previous week don't even have to leave until 10am??!!  And then they get stroppy because there's a car in the space.  And then they go away and come back at dead on 10am and start knocking on the window of the property that I've only just got into and say, 'We've paid for this holiday and we can't get into our parking space and when will the property be ready?'  And I say, '3pm but if I finish cleaning it before then I'll give the letting agents a call and they'll contact you.'

...................And they wander off muttering something like, 'how long does it take to clean a two bedroomed flat'?  ...........Well actually not very long if it had been left in a reasonable state but it never is in August.  For example everyone who comes on holiday in August fries stuff!  I know because I walk past the two holiday lets that I clean and every morning the frying pans are out and there's huge greasy fry ups on the go.  I probably use my frying pan a couple of times a year.

Not so holiday makers - they constantly fry everything!  And they never ever clean the frying pan.  They just shove it back in the cupboard so that when I go in to clean I have to wash all the pans and crockery first.  Grrrrrrr.

.....................And the other thing which is really, really annoying is........................  They totally 'over occupy' the properties.  Because I live pretty much next door and can an eye on who is coming and going; I know that the two properties that I look after are 'over occupied' on a regular basis.  Take this week for example - Property 1 sleeps 5 and on my booking chart is showing 2 adults and 3 kids - I know for a fact that there's 3 adults & 4 kids in there.  I live next door - I've seen them all coming and going.  But can I prove it?  I cannot!!  All I can do is report back to the letting agents that they're over occupying but unless I camp out outside their front door 24/7 (and set up CCTV which shows them going in during the evening and not leaving until the morning) there's not much I can do.  ................If confronted; they'll just say they have visitors visiting!!!

Everything seems to be in the favour of the people who are renting these properties.  There's been occasions when I have actually photographed damage that has been done by holiday makers.  ..........................And then they've totally denied it?!  Holes in walls, stains on carpets, etc, etc.  And even with photographic evidence, it's still their word against ours.  They just say, 'We didn't do it. It must have been done before or maybe the cleaner did it'. Duh!!!!

It's not easy being a scrubber!!!