I caught the cleaning lady with a lemon. And right after that, she couldn’t believe her eyes

I caught the cleaning lady with a lemon. And right after that, she couldn’t believe her eyes. There are some things you just can’t prepare for when traveling the world. Sometimes they’re funny, other times… Well, judge for yourself.

Have you ever been to Bojnice? They have a castle there and, above all, a beautiful zoo. Oh, and by the way, it’s in Slovakia (I’m writing this for everyone who knows geography as well as I do and is capable of getting so lost that people start speaking French to them on the way from Brno to Prague). We had been planning this trip for a long time. And so one day we went.

I didn’t ask for cleaning, but it was there anyway

It was only for three days, two nights. A small guesthouse within easy driving distance. The reviews were good, the price was good. So let’s go. Why not, right? We told the tiny reception desk that we didn’t want the room cleaned for the time being. It seemed unnecessary to us—we don’t clean that often at home either.

But either the girl at the reception desk made a mistake, or we were unlucky. I return to the room to get some medicine I forgot, and I suspect I won’t be alone there. The cleaning cart in front of the door makes that clear. I hesitate for a moment – but what the heck, I need the medicine. So I go inside.

Photo: Pixabay

I caught the cleaning lady with a lemon. And right after that, she couldn’t believe her eyes. There are some things you just can’t prepare for when traveling the world. Sometimes they’re funny, other times… Well, judge for yourself. Photo: Pixabay

I didn’t expect that

I’m expecting the usual situation—a cleaning lady with a rag, maybe headphones in her ears. But what I’m not expecting is a lady rubbing my nightstand with half a lemon (while my things are on the floor). My eyes must be deceiving me, otherwise I can’t see it. I just stammer a greeting and go get my bag. The lady responds and continues rubbing. “Is that to make the furniture shine?” I can’t help myself.

I’m not going to transcribe the Slovak here, I don’t know it well enough, but that’s not the point. The lady likes ecology, so instead of “nasty” chemicals, she uses lemon and salt. Just like at home. And apparently, it will smell nice here. Aaaaaha. I nodded, slammed the door behind me, and went outside to get some air. In retrospect, I think I should have asked if she cleans the toilet this way too. Because I know a thing or two about visiting hotels, and ordinary lemon probably wouldn’t be enough for that.

I confided my frustration to my husband, but he didn’t understand. He said it disinfects, so what’s the problem? Sure, lemon is definitely a perfect disinfectant—but in public spaces, where there is a lot of foot traffic? Well, I really don’t know. I’m not thrilled about it. We didn’t include it in our review in the end, but I’ll probably never go there again. And next time, I’ll ask how eco-friendly the owners of guesthouses are. So I don’t end up looking like a deer in the headlights again.

Sources: Author

Preview photo: Pixabay