A mum has been left fuming after her in-laws cleaned her house whilst she was away on holiday. The woman says she asked her husband's family not to do any cleaning whilst she was away for Christmas, reports Hull Live.
She took to social media to vent her frustrations after returning home to find the place had been cleaned despite her request. Posting on a popular chat forum, the woman says her mother-in-law kept dropping hints about her cleaning the property whilst the family were away.
She said: "We were away for Christmas. In-laws have our key for emergencies
"The night before we left, in-laws came round. I was in the middle of packing and a lot of things were everywhere ( but the house wasn't actually dirty).
"My mother-in-law kept saying, ' don't worry about cleaning the house before you leave, you won't have time '.. ( she's been asking me whether I was packed to go for about a week before I left. I don't pack a week early.
"I tend to pack the day before and I always manage fine. I travel a lot and always have and have travelled with my kids a lot too, so I do know what I'm doing.
The mother says she didn't think her home was a mess and needed cleaning before she left on the trip. However, she says her mother-in-law (MIL) kept dropping hints about tidying up.
She added: "Anyhow, the house wasn't dirty, there was just clothes everywhere as I was packing. MIL kept repeating I should not worry about cleaning.. kind of annoyed me, as it wasn't dirty.
"But OK.. I ignored it. She then said she'd come and clean while we were away. I said no don't worry at all, it's not dirty."
"Of course, we got back and it's clearly been cleaned a bit (fridge has been cleaned, for example ). Of course, I'm grateful and I've said thanks.
"But I'm really uncomfortable with it. I assume she thinks I'm a dirty cow of course.
"Just the way she kept saying I shouldn't worry about cleaning - when it wasn't really dirty. The fact she was here when we were not here and the fact I had declined the offer of her cleaning my house.. it's annoyed me.
"I won't start a fight over it, but next time we go away, this can't happen." This mother's cleaning conundrum sparked up conversation on social media with people quick to give their thoughts.
Many people agreed that they would also not enjoy the gesture. One person said: "I would hate this.
"It feels very judgmental, doesn’t it? Ask them why they let themselves into the house, what was the emergency.
"I’d get the key back, then you’ll know it can’t happen again". Another agreed stating: "Ask your partner to ask for the key back easy and put it in a key safe instead.
"That way you can have anyone trustworthy in - neighbour etc and she doesn’t need the code at all." Meanwhile, others thought it was a kind gesture from the mother in law.
One person said: "Take it in the spirit it was intended because she probably didn't want you to come back to a messy house. There's nothing worse than coming back from holiday to a bombsite."
Another user stated: "She was probably just trying to do something nice, not being judgmental. If you feel uncomfortable about it, say that next time, but I would interpret this as someone trying to support you all and lighten your load."
A third added: "My mum used to do this and I loved it - no one could clean house like she could. If we went on holiday we'd often come back to find she'd had a tidy through the house.
"She was careful to respect personal boundaries, avoided our bedroom etc but I loved it. It was her 'act of service' to show us she cared."
However, others thought perhaps the mother-in-law had higher cleaning standards. One person said: "She obviously has higher standards than you and wanted to make a nice surprise for you on your return.
"I think it was done with good intentions. Lots of people do have a thorough clean before going away. "
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