Cleaning off a patio

[mom2rtk]

How many leaves are we talking about? One full lawn bag? Half a bag?

 

[Belle0101]

We have wicker furniture and we don't leave it out all winter. It, along with all our other outdoor furniture, is stored in our garage until Spring. If you don't have a shed or storage unit, they make outdoor furniture covers.

You yourself didn't want to dig thru a mess of "...mess of wet leaves, cat litter and who knows what else" so you pushed it all through the fence, into the parking lot, for someone else to deal with. That's just, well, inconsiderate.

 

[roseaster]

Wicker is not meant to be left out in the elements uncovered.

All of the rest of it is being an adult with a home. Fall and winter happen, wind blows, leaves fall. If you care about the appearance of your outdoor area you rake it up, you sweep it up, you throw it away. If you need "special equipment" to do this you purchase it. If you spill grape juice on your carpet you don't say, "I don't have carpet cleaner" and just throw the rug into the hallway for someone else to deal with.

If there was a pumpkin out there, maintenance of this area has been left by the wayside for nearly 4 months. Assuming that no one will tell me that Valentine's Day pumpkins are "a regional thing." If you had 4 months of debris on your patio and it only took you 20 minutes to sweep it all onto someone else's property and barricade up the fence, then there, really, wasn't that much trash.

Also, part of being an adult is trying to be a good neighbor. Go upstairs, be friendly, and talk to your neighbors like a big girl. Likely they didn't even know there was a problem, and just as likely they would rectify it if they knew. Now you've created a hostile relationship by being the tattle tale. Trust me BTDT. I had downstairs neighbors that ran to management with everything. My kids riding their bikes in the parking lot. My husband shutting the door too loudly. A candle on the railing or our balcony. No good ever came of it.

 

[piccolopat]

I don't own any gardening supplies or gardening bags, which is why I couldn't rake up the leaves. I just brushed them off my patio (which has a fence), into the pile of leaves that was on the other side. There were already leaves on that side.

You swept the leaves with the garbage in it to the other side of the fence and left the mess for someone else to deal with. You could have swept it into a regular garbage bag using the same broom and dustpan. No special equipment is needed.

 

[piccolopat]

Without any gloves or gardening supplies I wouldn't want to use my bare hands to clean up the mess OP had to deal with.

OP could have used regular gloves (washable), dish gloves or a dustpan and broom to clean up the leaves with debris. Bare hands were not needed.

 

[Magpie]

If there was a pumpkin out there, maintenance of this area has been left by the wayside for nearly 4 months. Assuming that no one will tell me that Valentine's Day pumpkins are "a regional thing."

I'm guessing that, as a romantic gesture, telling someone you'd like to kidnap them and confine them in a oversized pumpkin leaves something to be desired. And might explain why that pumpkin was tossed over the balcony.

 

[Lilacs4Me]

I don't think anyone is suggesting she be happy about the litter and go forward just living with it. People are suggesting that lawn furniture can be washed off, and that she can talk to the neighbor or landlord about making sure it doesn't continue.

Agreed. I never said that people are saying to be happy about it. I was responding specifically to the person who said why is the furniture ruined because she could just wash it off. My incredulity came in at the thought that someone would really be OK with (possible) nasty cat litter falling on their stuff because they can "just wash it off".

 

[Lilacs4Me]

She didn't say if the litter was being used for a cat or for other purposes that deal with snow. So cat litter won't ruin your furniture if its not being used by a cat, its just like sand. It's annoying to clean up, but thats life sometimes. Also her tattle tailing to management instead of going upstairs to her neighbors and talking to them about the issue rubs me the wrong way. I would understand if that person was being like "OH YES, LETS POUR SOME CAT LITTER DOWN THERE. HEY NEIGHBOR, HOPE YOU LOVE RAINING CAT LITTER." But she's not giving that kind of impression.

You are right. We don't know.

I don't know if my kids's socks and underwear are clean or not when it's laying all over their bedroom floor, but I'm not going to take my chances - into the wash it goes.

Same with this....I'm going to assume first that there is a litter box being used on the balcony and that is where the litter is coming from. I'm not going to take my chances with thinking that the litter might be clean....personally I would wash everything, cover it, and talk to the neighbors or mgt company, which is the advice I gave OP. But even covered, I still wouldn't want to deal with disgusting cat litter all over my patio and chair covers! If the litter happens to be laid down because the renters upstairs are super-safety conscious and have the good sense to lay down clean cat litter on their balcony so they don't slip and hit the railing when they step outside in the winter, then so be it.

Again, my response was specfically responding to the entire post of: How was your patio furniture ruined by the cat litter? Can't you just wash it off? , not all of the what-if's. My answer to that, assuming the cat litter is NOT being used as an anti-slipping agent, is no, IMO, I cannot just wash off cat litter and be good with it falling all over my stuff if I were the OP. It would gross me out and I would want to throw my stuff away.

And - I don't care whether the OP covers her stuff...if it's on her property, she can do whatever she wants with it, with the reasonable expectation that cat litter, dirty or otherwise, will not be falling on it. Personally, if I lived in an apartment with a covered patio, I wouldn't spend the money buying covers for my outdoor furniture....the pieces are reasonably protected from the elements under the covered patio. Well, unless, apparently, the upstairs people have a cat. (or are very worried about slips and falls).

But whatever. Not everyone will agree. It's OK.

 

[DisneyChula]

Exactly, I didn't know what was all in the leaves. I did pick up the cups using a plastic bag, but the small plastic from planting materials I was not digging thru a mess of wet leaves, cat litter and who knows what else. Also, I can't put leaves in a plastic bag, its against the law here. They require special paper bags, which I don't own as I don't have a yard.

The pumpkin was there before I cleaned my patio. I don't have neighbors on the otherside of the fence, its the parking lot. The fence is just like a balcony type fence, to keep people off.

My furniture I have tried cleaning off. The cat litter has gotten wet and caked on. I'll keep trying to scrub the table, but its gross. The chairs are wicker and the litter is in the wicker. Its patio furniture.

I already told the apartment complex that I brushed everything out and they said that was fine. I shouldn't be dealing with garbage and litter on my patio.

There is a way to avoid this...instead of brushing it off of your patio, dispose of it properly.

 

[robinb]

Again, my response was specfically responding to the entire post of: How was your patio furniture ruined by the cat litter? Can't you just wash it off? , not all of the what-if's. My answer to that, assuming the cat litter is NOT being used as an anti-slipping agent, is no, IMO, I cannot just wash off cat litter and be good with it falling all over my stuff if I were the OP. It would gross me out and I would want to throw my stuff away.

Believe me, if the litter was "used" I think it would have been included by the OP.

FWIW, I have 1 child, 2 cats, 2 dogs and had pet rats so poop and pee just don't send me into a tizzy. I literally handle dog poop every day and I scoop cat poop and pee every day.

Since the furniture is wicker and the litter seems to be stuck in it, I would power wash it. If I felt the least big grossed out by the possibility the litter was used, it I would use some antibacterial all purpose cleaner (like Mr. Clean) after I got the litter out and then I would rinse it well and set it in the sun to dry. I am obviously not a germaphobe .

 

[Poohforyou]

Believe me, if the litter was "used" I think it would have been included by the OP.

FWIW, I have 1 child, 2 cats, 2 dogs and had pet rats so poop and pee just don't send me into a tizzy. I literally handle dog poop every day and I scoop cat poop and pee every day.

Since the furniture is wicker and the litter seems to be stuck in it, I would power wash it. If I felt the least big grossed out by the possibility the litter was used, it I would use some antibacterial all purpose cleaner (like Mr. Clean) after I got the litter out and then I would rinse it well and set it in the sun to dry. I am obviously not a germaphobe .

Exactly, we have woods behind us with deer, turkeys, squirrels, mice, fox, etc. Who the heck knows what creatures have made their way onto our patio furniture and left something behind. We scrub everything down in the spring and then figure the summer sun will kill off many germs.

 

[robinb]

Exactly, we have woods behind us with deer, turkeys, squirrels, mice, fox, etc. Who the heck knows what creatures have made their way onto our patio furniture and left something behind. We scrub everything down in the spring and then figure the summer sun will kill off many germs.

I admit I snickered a little over your post considering your username @Poohforyou .

 

[NFLDERS]

I admit I snickered a little over your post considering your username @Poohforyou .

robinb:. Oh.. you're good, you caught that!

 

[Callie]

Believe me, if the litter was "used" I think it would have been included by the OP.

FWIW, I have 1 child, 2 cats, 2 dogs and had pet rats so poop and pee just don't send me into a tizzy. I literally handle dog poop every day and I scoop cat poop and pee every day.

Since the furniture is wicker and the litter seems to be stuck in it, I would power wash it. If I felt the least big grossed out by the possibility the litter was used, it I would use some antibacterial all purpose cleaner (like Mr. Clean) after I got the litter out and then I would rinse it well and set it in the sun to dry. I am obviously not a germaphobe .

Its likely the litter was used, as we've before seen bags of cat matter out near the parking lot. The slots between the boards aren't wide enough for clumps of cat poop to come falling thru!
When I've heard the litter falling, its usually when there is nicer weather.

I also didn't cover my furniture because I had it pushed up against my walls in the corner. Snow and rain do not come that far in. Plus now I'm going to be thinking about the fact that it was covered in possibly dirty cat litter. Bacteria grows in that!

I also do not have a hose or a connection for a hose. I'm also not going to waste a ton of money on a power-washer because at that rate you can buy new furniture.

 

[pfalcioni]

Birds poop on patio furniture all the time. Gardeners use manure as fertilizer and that stuff goes airborne in dry windy weather and gets on your patio furniture also. I assume you've cleaned a toilet before? Those are also "full of bacteria" but we put on gloves and scrub them every week. Used cat litter isn't some sort of hideous hazardous material that requires special equipment to clean up, just use a bucket (with water from your indoor sink) and scrub brush as recommended up-thread and clean it up, then cover your furniture from now on.

Honestly, this is no big deal, it's just adult life that everyone deals with. Spend an afternoon cleaning it up and get on with your day. If you truly are unable to keep your patio area clean, then I'd recommend moving to a 2nd or 3rd floor apartment where they only have a balcony and all the garbage and leaves will blow off by themselves.

 

[roseaster]

Look, I would be annoyed by cat litter on my patio, especially if I thought it was coming out of a used litter box, no one is saying "just accept it." The point is you handled it poorly.

You should have actually cleaned your patio, not just shoved the litter and leaves and trash into the parking lot for someone else to deal with. (not to mention, that was hardly environmentally friendly) This is like me telling my 10 year old to clean his room and he shoves all the mess under his bed and in his closet. That isn't cleaning, that is just rearranging trash.

You should have been more mature and actually spoke with your neighbors. They, clearly, weren't doing anything malicious like dumping litter onto your patio. They probably didn't even realize that there was an issue.

You have now made this "official" by running to management to tattle and caused bad blood with your neighbors. A simple 5 minute adult conversation could have saved you what will, probably, be years of bad feelings.

Maybe you should invest in some simple things like garbage bags and gloves (you can get them at the dollar store) and keep your own area neat on a regular basis. How did you not know that there was a pumpkin out there rotting since Halloween?

BTW. You can rent a power washer.

 

[pfalcioni]

BTW. You can rent a power washer.

Power washers require a water source, the OP says there is no water source on the patio.

 

[Snap Crackle Pop]

Sometimes being an adult is doing things you don't want to do.

 

[roseaster]

Power washers require a water source, the OP says there is no water source on the patio.

You know they do make portable ones with tanks?

 

[NHdisneylover]

OP---all the advice I gave upthread is advice I would give ANYone in your situation.

That said, if I am remembering correctly (and I have not gone back and searched so my apologies if i have you mixed up with someone else), you have a bit of a history of not getting along well with your peers. I seem to recall prior threads about there being issues at work with your coworkers in a retail environment and before that with fellow interns and some issue with all driving together.

If I am remembering correctly, it seems you are often quick to be annoyed by others and take their actions personally and to report them to some sort of higher up (whether that be the apartment management or the boss at work, etc). At the same time, you often seem unaware of how actions you take (like sweeping the leaves and TRASH under the fence) are inappropriate and inconsiderate of others.
I see a pattern in your threads of you posting to complain, most respondents feeling that you are making mountains out of molehills and often also feeling that you are doing something wrong yourself. The pattern continues with you defending your own actions and explaining how others also validate them as a way of "defending" yourself and you also tend to ignore all advice to deal directly and in a mature fashion with whoever is annoying you and go right to higher ups anyway,which only exacerbates the issues you have getting along with the people you are reporting.

I am not trying to be mean here (though I suspect the post may sting a bit, sorry)---but I hope you can calmly go back through and look at the various threads, and read over the responses and see that pattern for yourself-----once you are able to recognize it you will be able to make changes to stop yourself from repeating this type of thing over and over again and i believe that if you can do that you will find yourself having much better relationships with those around you and ultimately be happier with your neighborhood, job and even life.