Woman Asks House Cleaner For A Discount Because She Noticed Her Using Their Sink To Fill Her Water Bottle
KATRIN BOLOVTSOVA | PexelsWith how busy people are these days and how frustrating it can be to clean your home, house cleaners are in high demand now and quickly hitting capacity.
But, despite being in high demand, one woman felt disrespected after cleaning a client's house. Everything seemed OK until her client sent her a “thank you” text. She started by praising her for a job well done, but the message didn't end there.
The client asked her house cleaner for a discount for using their tap water.
She expressed her appreciation for the cleaner's work in a text message and even asked that she come back monthly, but the client went on to ask a pretty strange question that understandably rubbed the house cleaner the wrong way.
“We're wondering if you could give us a discount next time?” she asked. “We saw you refilling your water bottle from our sink. It seems [like it's] not a big deal, but our water bill is high, [especially] with our new pool.”
"Looking forward to seeing you again," she ended the text.
Despite their apparent wealth in hiring extra help, the woman seemed to be trying to take advantage of the house cleaner. The average gallon of tap water costs around just one cent, meaning this homeowner was trying to milk the cleaner for pocket change.
Assuming that the house cleaner wore a face mask and gloves, as most cleaners do, she surely worked up quite a thirst. There would have been no reason for her to think twice about filling up her reusable water bottle in the sink. However, the client clearly took issue with it and, as a result, the cleaner was forced to confront the unexpected reality of this privileged client.
Thankfully, the house cleaner stood up for herself and refused to tolerate the client's entitled attitude.
Many people left comments that showed how outraged they were with the discount request when the story made the rounds on social media, but the house cleaner’s response was perfectly polite, with maybe just a hint of pettiness.
After thanking the homeowner for the compliment on her cleaning, she explained that the physical activity required was strenuous, especially because the family had turned their air conditioning off. “I have to be hydrated because it wouldn’t be fun [if I passed] out in your home,” the woman wrote back. “Please send your Venmo or PayPal for the reimbursement.”
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The cleaner made sure to point out that she would be paying the homeowner back for the amount of water it took to fill her 32-ounce water bottle. She estimated the water in the area to cost about two cents per gallon. A gallon of water could fill four 32-ounce bottles, so it's not entirely clear how she managed to work the math out to send the woman a minuscule reimbursement.
In the end, the cleaner politely explained that she would not be back to clean their house again. "As far as me coming back again, it seems like we're not a good match," she wrote. "I wish you good luck and health."
People who have worked in similar positions said this entitled behavior is surprisingly typical for many ‘wealthy families.’
Although not all families who hire cleaning help are necessarily wealthy, many who can afford the luxury are. Comments from other house cleaners suggested that they’re not the easiest clients to deal with.
“I worked as a cleaner and a ton of people are like this,” one person wrote. “It’s sick. It’s a human right to have water, employee or not.”
Tima Miroshnichenko | Pexels
Although many people related to the harsh reality of being a house cleaner, and the tendency for clients to lack basic empathy, several comments provided a sliver of hope.
“Awful. My cleaning lady can take anything she wants, including helping herself to cold bottled water and drinks in the fridge,” one woman claimed. “She does the work that we don’t want/don’t have the time to do, so we appreciate her endlessly.”
The United Nations does recognize water as a human right, which puts how entitled this homeowner acted into an even more troubling perspective. Demand for house cleaners will surely work in her favor to replace the client, but regardless, she shouldn’t be working for anyone ignorant enough to ignore her basic human needs.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a senior editorial strategist with a bachelor’s degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
