Posted by
Outdoors
20 yrs ago
What's up with amah's watering down the soap? I've had this from more than one maid. A new bottle of dish detergent is bought and within a couple of days it's no longer viscous but runny and watery. Now it has happened to my hand soap. Half the bottle emptied out and replaced with water. Why would a maid steal soap? What do they do with it?
Please support our advertisers:
No, I dont think they are 'stealing' the soap. But they do use a lot. In order to economize it, they tend to put water into it. I encountered the same problem before so I understand what you are talking about.
Explain to her adding water to it does not solve the problem. On the contrary it makes her use a lot more because the whole thing becomes watery and does not have the 'power' to take away the oil. Educate them on how to wash your dishes with less detergent.
Please support our advertisers:
Are you sure she's not stealing it? I've heard that some DH steal stuff and take it out on their day off and sell them. Favorite things they like to take are toilet papers, detergents and rice. Have no idea whom they sell these to but that's what I heard. (They take these things to the back door before they go out so it looks like they are leaving with nothing in front of their employer). FYI, I also heard that they never touch loose changes around the house but sometimes take larger bills from your wallet.
Please support our advertisers:
The handsoap is watered down yet she denies adding water to it. Weird. Sounds more like she's stealing it than trying to make it go further. Weird.
Please support our advertisers:
Oh, come on, dont be paranoid.
Please support our advertisers:
:-)
20 yrs ago
You know what if she wants to steal something from you i don't she go with the soap..maybe you're just paranoid.why not test her? put some money somewhere where easy for her to find it...if she takes that money then confront her..
Please support our advertisers:
I leave money all around the house and totally trust her. That's what is so bizarre about the soap situation.
I've also heard the stories Oceanview mentions, but not sure if they're true, as I cannot comprehend why.
Perhaps she ran out of soap and used mine to bathe with. But why add water to top the container back up again?
Still just as bamboozled as before...
Please support our advertisers:
:-)
20 yrs ago
Hmmmnn.that's strange...maybe she found out that its good for her skin..
Please support our advertisers:
Why dont you ask her why the liquid soap is obviously liquidy!! My Dh uses bleach for a lot of different things. Hard to explain but maybe she is using it to do the handwashing of your clothes??? I know it sounds bizzare but maybe there is a resonable explanation or maybe not.
Please support our advertisers:
She's trying to save you money by lengthening the life of your soap.
Wow, lock her up and throw away the key.
Last time I checked, DHs speak English (quite well, in fact), so why not just ask them why they're doing what they do? If you can't bear to bring yourself to ask an employee for explanations, the least you could do is adopt green's attitude of "life's like that."
The longer I live here, the more embarrassed I am to be white.... *sigh*
Please support our advertisers:
pathoftherighteous et al, if she were simply trying to be helpful she wouldn't have denied watering it down.
i have a very good relationship with my DH and asked, in passing (so not sounding accusatory at all) why she'd watered it down and she denied touching it.
BTW we're talking about handsoap here, not dishwashing liquid
something peculiar happened...
Please support our advertisers:
Then make her drink the rest until she talks. :)
I'm just glad you're relatively cool with it. Based on past events I've read, some people would push her out a window for less.
Please support our advertisers:
I say switch to bar soap. If half of the bar suddenly goes missing, you have your answer :)
Please support our advertisers:
md
20 yrs ago
I only had this conversation yesterday about the watering down of soap. My ex DH used to use my beautiful Crabtree and Evelyn hand cream in a dispenser in the guest bathroom. She watered it down so it didnt look as though she had used it. Loo paper rolls, soap and money missing. Also entertaining friends here in my absence without my permission. Lots of other reasons too and hence the EX helper. Over it.
Please support our advertisers:
I found this thread really amusing.....but well again I heard a lot of things about missing items in the house if you have a DH.And I am really sorry to hear that some people could do that beside of the fact that you helped her by employing her.....sigh...:(
Please support our advertisers:
having a live-in helper privacy is out of question already, make it a house rule that when employers go away for holidays they are not allowed to let their friends in the house, no matter how responsible and trustworthy they are, thinking of them being all over the house is just not acceptable. For those missing misc things, well if the helpers live out then its possible they do their grocery shopping at your homes......
Please support our advertisers:
KAT8
20 yrs ago
Hmm better check my liquid soaps in my flat. God forbid that they are being watered down, how on earth can I survive? Do you have kids? Maybe they did it for fun. My kids have been known to use the whole bubble bath when having a bath and filled the empty bottle with water.
Please support our advertisers:
I must admit that I read these messages at the weekend, and thought to myself "how lucky I am!".
Yesterday, I was in our bathroom, and noticed that the soap was watered down, as it was splish-splashing inside the bottle. I confronted my helper with the direct words "why is there water added into this?" She looked blankly at the bottle - whether she was completely baffled by my question or she was trying to think of a lie, or pray before she lied - God knows??!! Her answer was that she likes to put all the toiletries into the bath and clean them with the shower head before putting them back. That's how the water may have got inside, she said. Do I believe her? NO! Do I know what she's doing with it? NO! Does this really small issue bother me? YES! Don't think I'm a witch and like to micromanage. I just feel angry that she has to lie to me about something so small. It's the trust factor. If she has to steal something like this, or lie to me just to cover up some mistake or wrong-doing, I feel that I can't trust her at all. At the same time, it is sad that she has to steal something like soap.
Please support our advertisers:
s8899
20 yrs ago
Experience with DHs taking things from their employers:
The experience of myself and many of my friends tell me that many DH do take things away from their employer for various purposes - for their own use, exchange with other DHs, offer for sale, etc. Some employer do not ask for receipt for DH's expenditure. There have been DHs who got half box of detergent, rice, softener, etc. from other DHs (obviously stolen from the employers) and claim the full price from the employer. Apart from detergent and soap, food items are also very popular. My friend's sister-in-law returned home early one day and found her maid in the street near her home selling mushrooms and conpoy taken from her flat to another DH.
My maids have also taken things from us like rice, detergents, shampoo, soap.....,etc.
While we do not eat rice ourselves, the rice is only for the consumption of the DH one person, 8KG of rice can disappear in 2-3weeks. A large box of cloths detergent can disappear in 2 weeks (only 2 of us in the family, no kids, not much cloths to wash). 2 large bottles of Woolite (delicate clothes detergent) can disappear in 5 days..........and more
If you are curious or suspicious, go to a prawn shop in central on Sunday or Saturday, queues of South Asian women can be found lining up waiting to realise money from golden necklaces, rings, ...etc. Where are those golden accessaries from?
Please support our advertisers:
s8899
20 yrs ago
Another DH was terminated, an employment agency in central handled a DH termination case yesturday 21 June 2005:
The employer hired a DH to take care of the old age and sick father. There have been repeated incidencts of missing things from the family. DH has also borrowed money from the employer. Since the employer had to count on the DH to take care of the sick father, max. forebearance is given to the DH- until the father found his precious ring missing. The DH denied anything until a prawn receipt is found.
Another family has a DH worked with them for 8 years. They kept their precious jewels wrapped and folded with clothes and plastic bags under the mattress of a bed. After the DH finished contract and returned home, they found that all the jewels are gone, only empty boxes are wrapped and kept under the mattress.
And many many more........
Please support our advertisers:
This is amazing.... I can not believe how some people pick on their helpers. Sure some people steal in general not only helpers. Your own kids or your sister steal from you. The best thing to do is to not hire a helper at all. I'm sure you'll be fine without a helper like you used to wherever you're from.
Please support our advertisers:
Donjess, I don't know whether you were referring to me in your message, but just wanted to say one thing in reply to your comments. It's not picking on a domestic helper for the sake of it. I totally believe in "don't do unto others as you would have others do unto you". I think I treat her quite well and try and make her feel comfortable and part of the family. I'm reasonable with her hours and try and give her treats when I feel she's done a good job. It was just a very simple question of why the soap was watered down. I don't know whether she really didn't know or whether she was pretending, but water does not appear in a bottle of soap miraculously. If she needs soap, she can say.... there's a whole bottle sitting in her bathroom. If she spilt it, she can tell me.... if she was saving me money, she can tell me. Anyway, the soap is a small issue, but I believe that if these issues are not tackled at the time, it leads to resentment and possibly bigger things going missing later on.
Please support our advertisers:
I knew this would happen eventually, but after a few months of usage, my bottle of hand soap is running very low.
Anyone know where I can get a good deal on some fancy branded liquid soap?
Please support our advertisers:
Hi Taytay,
I always put water in a bottle of soap so that it runs faster and it's also a way to economize. If your helper did put water in the bottle and she denied it when you confronted her then I think because she is afraid of you. She knows that you do not like what she did by your confrontation especially if you use an angry tone. I'm sure you and your kids wash your hands a lot. They're always reminded at school and by you to always wash their hands. That's why your soap is running out so quick. So your helper thought she'd dilute it with some water so that she won't be accused of using it or stealing it. If I am wrong then you will have to get your helper to open up to you more by not being mad.
Please support our advertisers:
s8899
20 yrs ago
Missing of household stuff or watering down of hand soap is not a big issue in it self. It is the matter of trust and honesty that bothers an employer. If DH has delivered good work, I don't mind to pay her more every month as a bonus. But DH taking things from employer, no matter how insignificant is that thing, is very disturbing.
Please support our advertisers:
Having a stranger living in your home is a big risk!!!!
Please support our advertisers:
Life
20 yrs ago
What a funny thread.
The main issue here is not how much water is in the soap. The issue is, is she lying. Everyone hates a liar. Now, when you were working, did you ever take a pen from work? Or a paper clip? Or you did not think that was stealing did you? If you were asked "did you just walk out with that pen" you would have said, yes, because it is so petty and not worth sweating over. So, for your maid to deny something can be annoying.
Our maid broke something in the bathroom and failed to own up. So, I informed her that, if she breaks anything, she needs to tell me. If I find out about it on my own, I will fire her. So she broke something while cleaning, and immediately fessed up. I appreciated the honesty and told her not to worry about it. (granted it was my husbands and I thought it was ugly anyway). Meat was missing from the freezer, and I asked her what happened, and she told me she took it to her friend’s house and cooked it. “A” for honesty.
Tell her if she puts water in the soap again, you are going to fire her. She will stop.
Please support our advertisers:
You must be logged in to be able to reply.
Login now
Copy Link
Facebook
Gmail
Mail