Letting a delivery driver use your loo

I notice many of you say that yes, you let them in to use the ‘downstairs’ loo.

What if you only have an ‘upstairs’ loo though?

Are you keen for them to be upstairs, do you hover about until they come down again?

I have very few deliveries, any workmen use the loo, but they are known to me.

We live just down the road from a bus terminus, and there used to be a little public toilet beside it which was used by the bus drivers. It's gone now, and as the public toilets in the village (and many other local ones) are also closed now, I do feel sorry for them, as they must have a long wait if they do need the loo.

The problem is, there are so few public toilets now and many drivers out on the road - for extended hours.

What are they supposed to do?

The idea of them peeing into a bottle en route... hmm - do they sanitise their hands?

Perhaps it's time this problem was addressed - health, safety and adequate working conditions appear to have gone out of the window.

Per 100K of population we are 20th on the list with 15 toilets - behind most European countries... top of the list is Iceland and Switzerland, with 58 and 46 respectively. We tie with Lithuania and Cyprus, and only just beat Belarus who have 14 per 100K.

Global Britain - open for business. But tough luck if you need a pee whilst you're walking around.

But, at least we're not as bad as the American south - Louisiana has only 1.2 per 100K of population along with Mississippi, though Texas and Tennessee fair better with 2.6 and 2.8 per 100K.

I think these figures were compiled by The British Toilet Association (yes, there is such an organisation).

My postman knows he's welcome to use my loo any time he needs to if I am in, and does very occasionally knock even if he doesn't have a delivery for me. Any delivery driver who asked would also be accommodated. I can understand if it was just a random knock at the door by a stranger, but anyone with a legitimate reason to come to my door who needs the loo will be welcome to use it, given that it will usually be in daylight hours. My biggest fear would be if I hadn't just cleaned it or if the hand towel hadn't been changed for a couple of days, when I'd be profusely apologising!

Ive got a young window cleaner/grass cutter chap and he uses my loo sometimes. There's no public toilets around here. It's never occurred to me that it might be dodgy. I think I can trust him. It is a problem though, isn't it.

Have I missed something?
OP’s delivery driver didn’t ask to use her loo, or did he?
I wouldn’t expect my shopping delivery driver to ask, but workmen in the house may of course.
I have to admit that when one of the gas fitters asked to use our downstairs loo during the pandemic, I was in there as soon as they had gone armed with the Marigolds, the Domestos, Harpic and Cif , new towels and hand steriliser and didn’t use it myself for a full 24 hours afterwards! We know now that Covid wasn’t spread by surface contact, uti we didn’t know then!

I remember being sent out as a young social worker to interview a very large man in his own home about accusations of child abuse. Nowadays this would not happen I am sure and there would be some consideration for the SW's safety.

However, I was desperate for a pee by the time I got there (cystitis) and the first thing that happened when he came to his door all guns blazing was that I had to ask to use the loo. He did a double take and showed me where to go. When I emerged he had calmed down and we were able to have a sensible conversation.

Interesting though - it changed the power balance a bit and helped to defuse the situation.

crazyH

Dickens - you are so lucky to be living in the Cotswolds.
To answer the OP, yes of course, I would let the delivery man use my downstairs loo.

Believe it or not, there are parts of The Cotswolds where property is not hideously expensive - our town is historic (my own house has its roots in the 1500s), but it's a working town and ordinary working people live here. Lots.

But they still took away our one and only public convenience.

... and forgot to remove the signpost directing visitors to it.

We've a loo in the back/side entrance - used for gardening and outside tasks. We've allowed drivers/workers to use, it's not inside our home.

As we have a downstairs loo, of course I would have allowed him to use that, even if his question was not so direct.

That said, I was really bloody annoyed (though didn't say anything) when we were having work done in that room (as well as the loo, our air-source heating system is in there) and an operative doing similar work on a neighbouring property let himself in at our back door where his colleagues were working and used our loo without even asking!

Nobody has ever asked, but as we live very very close to public toilets that are open 8 till 5 so I would tell them that, I wouldn’t allow any one to come into my house especially strangers and more so if I was on own,

Primrose53

I do sympathise as my OH has extremely high BP and is on water tablets. Sadly it is not unusual for him to go for a wee 4 times during a meal or 8 times in the night.

He says it is really embarrassing to get to a customer’s house and ask if he can use the loo as soon as he arrives. He does have to carry a bottle in his vehicle too!

Much sympathy.

My OH is also on those drugs and has the same problem.

Anyone who is working suffering with these medical conditions is in a very difficult position.

I do sympathise as my OH has extremely high BP and is on water tablets. Sadly it is not unusual for him to go for a wee 4 times during a meal or 8 times in the night.

He says it is really embarrassing to get to a customer’s house and ask if he can use the loo as soon as he arrives. He does have to carry a bottle in his vehicle too!

I would and I have in the past , luckily I have a downstairs loo and a dog .
Many years ago when my dc was very young , they were out with my in-laws at the park and my dd needed to go , no public loos so my mil knocked on someone’s door and they kindly let her use their loo.
Regarding bottles of yellow liquid , I’m in a litter picking group and every pick we get loads of bottles strewn on the kerbs and central reservations .

Absolutely yes, as long as it wasn't late at night and I was alone in the house. My husband also suffers from IBS and has had some terrible experiences whilst out and about in town or while travelling by public transport which have caused him severe embarassment.

MrsThatcher

Absolutely no way. I would direct them to the nearest public loo.

How very unkind. Why?

MrsThatcher

Absolutely no way. I would direct them to the nearest public loo.

How kind.

It is possible to get an “ I can’t wait” card from an IBS charity. People are supposed to let you use the loo if you showthe card. I must admit, I might need to use it for bladder weakness!

I am not sure if I would let a driver in, if I was on my own in the house, though I guess it is no different from letting a workman in. In the OP’s case, he asked about public toilets and she was able to direct him to some, so fair enough. But in other circumstances I think on reflection I would feel sorry for him and let him.

Felicititious

I'd let them, but gave to dash in there first to make sure it was clean enough to eat your dinner in😉

😁

Yes, or keep apologising - "oh! I havent had time to clean in there yet!!"

My husband dis still working but does suffer with Ibs and when he needs to go he needs to go! I’m grateful to anyone that allows him to go!

Absolutely no way. I would direct them to the nearest public loo.

I can understand why people might feel reluctant, especially if they are alone in the house, but I suffer from a couple of medical conditions which sometimes mean I need a loo urgently, so I know what it's like to feel desperate! Many of the public toilets in our area have been closed now too.

I let a driver use mine a couple of weeks ago. I was alone in the house, but the downstairs loo is at the back of the house and I was getting in the shopping at the front door whilst he was in there. I could have run off if necessary, but I think the odds on that are extremely high.

I wasn't pleased that he didn't wash his hands though. For someone handling food I think that was pretty shocking.

A lady Sainsbury’s driver asked if she could use our loo , I said yes , as she said , it’s harder for the lady drivers
The men can always nip behind a hedge if they get desperate .
We live in a village with no public toilets .

Dickens - you are so lucky to be living in the Cotswolds.
To answer the OP, yes of course, I would let the delivery man use my downstairs loo.