Should Contractors Use Your Bathroom?

Are you having work done in your home and concerned about whether or not contractors should be using your bathroom?

This is something that many homeowners have mixed feelings about, so you’re not alone!

Having been in this situation myself, I can tell you that it’s something that’s guaranteed to cross your mind as well. With that, let’s jump into some of my reasons why I would allow them to use my home bathroom.

Reasons To Let A Contractor Use Your Bathroom

1. If my home was in the middle of nowhere. It would be a cruel thing to make someone who had to go bad, get in their car and drive far, far away. If they had to go bad, I can’t imagine how that would feel. So, unless my home was situated within walking distance of facilities where they could use the restroom, then I would allow them to.
   
2. If I had a half bath that was used as a guest restroom anyway. It would be one thing if everyone in my household had to use that bathroom. But if my home has a bathroom at the entrance for guests, with easy access then by all means I would allow them to come in and use it.
   
3. If I was 100% sure they were a reputable company. If I had read the reviews and was confident I was hiring a reliable team of workers, then it would make me feel more at ease about letting contractors come into my house.
   
   Most of the best contractors and businesses have a good reputation, not only because of the great work they do but also how the homeowners feel about them being in or outside their homes. So, if they are a 5-star company, chances are they’re pretty reliable.
   
4. If I was going to be home. If I was scheduled to be home that day, it’d be a bit easier to allow them to use the restroom, knowing that I could be there to make sure nothing was taken or the house wasn’t left unlocked when they left. It would also allow me the chance to make sure they were keeping it clean. If they weren’t, that would be easy to fix. A simple note for the next day about cleaning up should suffice.
   
5. I wouldn’t want them peeing in my bushes. Let’s just say that it’s pretty easy for most men to just pee wherever and whenever and while the contracting company may have women on it, I wouldn’t want to restrict them the use of the bathroom, only to find out later that they went ahead and used my plants or bushes.
   
6. It would help them work more effectively. Having to leave premises every time someone has to go to the bathroom would take up a lot of time—especially if my home is far from fast food places, gas stations, etc. It wouldn’t be a good idea for anyone, including myself—as the faster they get the job done, the better.

Reasons To NOT Let A Contractor Use Your Bathroom

With all this being said, there are a few instances when I would not feel comfortable allowing someone to use my bathroom.

Such as:

• If my teenage children will be home alone. While I do try my best to be open to everyone and trust in the goodness of those I hire to work on my home, I just wouldn’t feel comfortable having my kids be home alone, with contractors having access to the home.
  
• If my restroom is one that the whole family uses and full of items, such as personal hygiene toiletries and medication. I wouldn’t want to risk them taking my medication or having access to personal items that are meant to be 100% clean. Additionally, if the whole family shares the restroom, it could make for an uncomfortable situation.
  
• If there were a pandemic. If the use of the bathroom was going to put me and my family at risk, such as in a pandemic where a contagious disease was spreading like wildfire, then I would, unfortunately, not allow them in.
  
  The only caveat to that is if I had a restroom off the garage that none of my family ever used and they were working on my home’s exterior, then I would reserve the use of that restroom for them.
  
• If I wasn’t 100% sure they were a trustworthy company. Whether because of price or an emergency job, there could be times when I’m not able to hire a company I absolutely trust. In these instances, if I wasn’t going to be home, I wouldn’t let them use it. With valuables inside my home and the lack of trust, it’d be hard to let them have that kind of access.

But…

At the end of the day, showing contractors some human decency is a great way to show the team working on your home that you trust them and that you respect them.

While it’s definitely wise to be cautious when working with a company you can rely on, sharing your home as they work on it can go far in not only showing them you believe in their goodness, but can also help the remodeling get done faster and more effectively, and who doesn’t want that?

At the end of the day…

Because the way someone works on my home is far more important than whether they use my facilities or not, I take my time to read reviews. I want to be sure that the job is going to get done the way I want it to be.

Typically, while reading reviews, you’ll come across this type of information about how contractors treat your home, including bathroom use. For the most part, these are people just looking to make an honest buck and have no interest in leaving a mess or making clients unhappy.

Of course, there’s always that one “bad apple,” so just read reviews and you should be good to go.

Another related question that you may have wondered about is should contractors be tipped. Make sure to read my article to find out!