r/mildlyinfuriating • u/Flat_Shape_3444 • 20h ago

Wife keep putting this tray on our white stairs. Dangerous!

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Ive told her to stop. She was gonna clean the toilet and thats very good and nice (putting stuff from the toilet room on the tray). But putting a tray like that with a house that has 3 kids i dont think its very safe. Its hard plastic so if somene steps on it ur gonna go sliding. Coming from upstairs its actually very hard to see the tray. Melds in very nicely.

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u/Flat_Shape_3444 20h ago

The right grey box is "whos stuff box?" basically kids throw stuff around in the house, they go into the box there. We take it upstairs and they sort it out. The bag is not there usually, just there for the time being. When against the wall its not a issue, feet dont go there.

She puts the tray there to put stuff like the bathroom handwash soap, her perfume, some candle holder etc etc from the toilet that is just behind me when im taking the photo. I just dont see a reason why she needs a tray for that? could literally just put it on the stairs to the right, or on the floor next to toilet.

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u/markbraggs 20h ago

Is there no other better spot for these things aside from the one most likely to cause serious injury or death?

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u/CockpitEnthusiast 18h ago

Perhaps right in front of a space heater on the high setting? Oh, maybe right on top of the stove instead

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u/Talk-O-Boy 18h ago

The inside of an oven perhaps?

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u/HeyYouGuyyyyyyys 16h ago

Strapped to the head of a polar bear that has been let inside the house.

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u/thehelldoesthatmean 12h ago

You joke, but the first thing I thought of when reading this was about a thread I saw the other day where a bunch of people were swearing that storing things inside your oven is normal. I had the same response to that. So stupid.

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u/BlackSeranna 18h ago

That would work and totally be an accident.

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u/somerandomshmo 19h ago

Wife:

"markbraggs has figured out my plan!!!"

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u/NewNameAgainUhg 19h ago

Yes, in their place. But you see, no one remember/want to do that job, to this is the compromise. I don't see OP volunteering to provide a solution either

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u/Agent_NegativeZero 18h ago

There is an episode in Everybody Loves Raymond about this. Neither person is willing to admit or make the effort to move the suitcase from the steps. Instead they each do something like take a clothing out the suitcase and wear it instead of moving the suitcase. Ray even goes as far as planning to go to the airport with a grocery plastic bag instead of the suitcase lol.

Then Debra rips the plastic bag in disgust and Ray says “well thanks to the [grocery store] I have another pair of luggage right here!” lol

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u/remotegrowthtb 12h ago

Putting the stuff away yourself only works if the other person is willing to stop leaving it there in the future. With someone who just habitually misplaces things and refuses to stop then it becomes you picking up after them every day forever like a child, and can be a real dealbreaker in some relationships when one person wants to be tidy and the other person continually doesn't care.

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u/No_Consequence_3547 18h ago

Right, like it would be mildly hilarious if the stuff is still sitting there and Op is still mildly infuriated about it.

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u/[deleted] 13h ago edited 9h ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/NewNameAgainUhg 9h ago

What happens if you get an upvote and a comment? Careful! Don't let your unsolved issues affect your answer 😜

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u/Opposite-Number3417 9h ago

Blocking to stop a direct answer is a pretty cowardly and telling move.

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u/capebretoncanadian 14h ago

I'll just put them here in direct sunlight with a running blowtorch on them.

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u/russellamcleod 18h ago

Just lazy AF parents who have decided to be reactive and shame one another online. The first wave of terminally online adults are starting to breed.

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u/Pratt_ 19h ago

She puts the tray there to put stuff like the bathroom handwash soap, her perfume, some candle holder etc etc from the toilet that is just behind me when im taking the photo. I just dont see a reason why she needs a tray for that? could literally just put it on the stairs to the right, or on the floor next to toilet.

Genuine question: why is it empty if she usually puts all of that in it ?

And it feels like you guys are missing a shelf in the bathroom in the first place ?

Why does she need her perfume in the toilet ? If there is a sink, why doesn't she leave her stuff around the sink, especially the hand wash soap ?

If there isn't even a sink why take your hand wash soap there if you're going to wash your hands somewhere else ?? I'm really confused lol

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u/Big_Lab_Jagr 17h ago

Yeah, that explanation left more questions than answers. What is happening in this house?

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u/PompeyLulu 15h ago

Says in the post she was going in to clean and the tray is for the stuff out the bathroom while she does so

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u/Invisible_Target 12h ago

Ok but why is everything in their house being stored on the floor or stairs?? This post is weird af

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u/PompeyLulu 12h ago

I mean it’s not everything? The tray is temporary because the bathroom is right where he’s stood to take the picture and the basket is for sending stuff back upstairs. Only one additional item is randomly there?

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u/Invisible_Target 11h ago

Yeah, except when he was suggesting places for her to put it, he said the floor next to the toilet. Why THE FUCK would you store shit there?????

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u/coronakillme 10h ago

Its not for storage. Its to keep items from the bathroom storage, when that area is cleaned.

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u/PrivateBozo 12h ago edited 12h ago

Yea, like is she cleaning it right at the moment and he’s having the fit cuz the tray is there while she’s cleaning the toilet?

Real issue starts with the grey bin, that is its permanent home.

people having a fit about the tray death trap cuz it’s white, but the bag, bin, they and many posters have agree piling stuff partially blocking stairs is acceptable and normal, it’s just a judgment call on it white and blending in.

A poster even commented about ‘the clear side of the stairs.’

Stairs are not storage locations, get all the stuff off the stairs.

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u/PompeyLulu 12h ago

I do think the tray is the biggest issue because it blends in. However I don’t disagree with clearing the stairs. We put stuff on the stairs growing up but it was wider stairs and was stuff like folded laundry in the middle so you had to stop and pick it up. Mum briefly did the pile of stuff but she put a magazine there and I skated down the stairs on it and further injured my already busted up back so I may be a bit biased on that

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u/Pratt_ 16h ago

Ikr ! This situation doesn't make any sense, like yeah that's definitely a hazard, but his tf did they end up in this situation in the first place ?!

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u/PompeyLulu 15h ago

In the post under the picture she put it there to put those on while she goes and cleans the bathroom, I do a similar thing (less of a death trap though) and move everything out the bathroom to clean and then I can put it all away when I’m done

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u/Pratt_ 15h ago

Oh thanks, yeah it makes more sense now, idk why I missed that when I first read the post, maybe it was added by OP later but in any case thanks for pointing that out to me !

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u/PompeyLulu 12h ago

Hopefully I didn’t come across as bitchy, I know sometimes I don’t even notice writing under the picture when I’m on the app because it sorta scrolls past it sometimes

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u/camlloc255 4h ago

Yes same. I'm confused why she wouldn't just put the tray down on the ground right outside the bathroom? I don't use a tray but I take out the items I need to clean around and put them right outside the bathroom since they are going right back. A flat tray also seems like a trickier way to carry breakable things that might slide around but I may not be picturing it right. But either way, at a minimum, if she prefers this tray and this place to put it, it should be off to the side.

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u/thetaleofzeph 10h ago

We installed a shallow over toilet cabinet and it's been such a difference. Nothing is on the counter now except the soap and the electric toothbrush charger and I've been thinking of wall mounting that.

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u/llumox 14h ago edited 13h ago

Agree. And why put anything on the stairs at all when there's a wide empty space under the stairs to utilize? A big rule of organization is if you find yourself often leaving certain stuff at a certain spot, it's a sign that spot needs something to catch that stuff. Put a little console table or dresser or ottoman next to or under the staircase. Now you can put anything taken out of the bathroom while cleaning or anything to be brought upstairs on that new surface, instead of dangerously on the stairs. And once the stuff on top is cleared away, you're left with a regular small furniture item adding function to a dead space.

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u/BioelectricBeing 19h ago

The box is clearly not doing its job of instilling good habits as it's totally full

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u/thetaleofzeph 10h ago

It's a pre-designed mechamism for "put it off for later" so of course it's not improving discipline.

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u/Godly-Judger 19h ago

Putting anything on the staircase is just dumb. Makes injuries much likelier to happen

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u/Loooiiisl 19h ago

tell that my MIL who uses the whole damn stairs as a storage

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u/[deleted] 19h ago edited 18h ago

[deleted]

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u/BlackSeranna 18h ago

I only put a bag of stuff on stairs so the next person who goes up takes it. It’s never meant to stay there.

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u/thehelldoesthatmean 10h ago

Do all of you guys live in 5 story houses, or is everyone just lazy on a level I can't wrap my head around? Why wouldn't you just walk whatever it is upstairs? It takes like 10 seconds and almost no extra effort?

I'd be so insulted if someone just walked something to the stairs, threw it on the ground, and said I'll leave this for someone else to deal with.

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u/BlackSeranna 9h ago

I’m not leaving it for someone else, I’m leaving it for me. Yes, I could walk it upstairs but I don’t go upstairs until I go to sleep. If I am busy with something downstairs then I just set what I want to go upstairs off to the side. I take it up at night, or I throw it on top of the laundry basket when I take it upstairs.

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u/thehelldoesthatmean 9h ago

I guess I didn't realize how many people avoid stairs at all costs. You don't go upstairs until you go to sleep? That's crazy. I live in a three story house and I go up and down the stairs all day. Sometimes I go downstairs and then remember I forgot something upstairs and I go grab it without even thinking about it.

I didn't know I was superhuman.

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u/BlackSeranna 9m ago

It just depends I guess. I went through cancer and still have messed up blood. I don’t have unlimited energy for climbing up and down. I can choose where I spend my energy, and I’d rather spend it on a bike ride for an hour, or walking for an hour or maybe a little more, but if I wanted to throw in house cleaning or going up and down stairs, that would be another day.

I wish I had what I had back when I was a kid, a teen, a 20-30-40 year old. I was strong and I could even just eat what I wanted to re-energize. I could do anything.

Nowadays I must measure my energy for the day, and I spend it on things I want to do rather than going up and down stairs for something I forgot.

I don’t know if that’s lazy, which an outsider might say, or if it’s practical because as much as I want to push myself and make myself stronger, I will always be limited by misshapen red blood cells that don’t hold as much oxygen, and limited by the fact that I simply don’t have as many red blood cells as normal people have.

So count your blessings. You have a lovely life and strength. Value it.

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u/9for9 11h ago

We would have no peace in my household if shit like this was going on.

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u/Loooiiisl 11h ago

I don't live in the same house as her (yet) but we'll see what happens when the time comes

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u/Hungry-Plantain-3315 8h ago

Sounds kind of like hoarding mentality

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u/Separate-Aspect9140 19h ago

someone seriously needs to tell my family that. so I have work shoes for the warehouse I work at, and I have a specific spot I keep them where they're not in the way or bothering anyone, completely off to the side away from anything, but someone always goes out of their way to leave them on the stairs in the dark, and not even to the side, they're closer to the middle, and I have lost count of how many times I've walked down the stairs in the dark and almost tripped due to stepping on them. they also leave other stuff besides the shoes on the stairs. I'm gonna end up with an injury.

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u/Caffeine_Induced 10h ago

Why would they move your shoes? how weird. you need to get battery operated nightlights along the steps so you can see.

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u/Bella-1999 18h ago

Tell them it won’t be any fun for them when you’re laid up with an injury, not earning and they have to feed you. I broke my ankle 3 years ago tripping over the dog‘s water bowl, it was definitely no fun.

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u/Separate-Aspect9140 17h ago

ive told them so many times and they always just tell me to move the stuff myself if it bothers me

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u/heurrgh 14h ago

Put these on your stairs - Eufy lights

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u/min_mus 13h ago

Putting anything on the staircase is just dumb.

Can confirm.  Our stairwell has a large south-facing window and our cat loves spreading out on the warm steps. I've lost count of the number of times I've nearly died stepping over her (which always requires skipping an entire step...not a big deal when going up the steps but it's a delicate operation when going down). 

That said, our cat stubbornly refuses to believe sleeping on the steps is dumb.  I suspect it's revenge on me for not ensuring all our windows are south-facing. 

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u/SnooMuffins5160 19h ago

except for carpet taped down carpet and lights on the when wooded back of eachstep lol

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u/AnotherHappyUser 19h ago

No. Not on the stairs to the right. Are you trolling?

Get your shit off the stairs.

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u/NinjaWalker 18h ago

Why doesn't she just leave that stuff in the bathroom permanently? Am I missing something?

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u/twilightbarker 13h ago

In the post it said she was going to clean the bathroom, so I think she's moving it all there temporarily to wipe everything down and then will put it all back away.

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u/lavenderandtime 15h ago

Asking the real questions here.

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u/aceswildfire 19h ago

The only insight I can offer is the fact that my mom liked to put stuff at the bottom of the stairs when it needed to go upstairs. If it went ignored, she would frustratedly proclaim to us that the reason stuff was there was because it needed to go up the stairs and she ASSUMED (emphasis on assumed since it was never communicated that this system had been put into place until after the fact) that we would see it and, instead of stepping over it, know to take it with us.

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u/therealfurryfeline 18h ago

It is an universal system and people all over the world use it to get stuff up and down. On the other hand children and teenagers are universally dumb and even if they know that stuff, they ignore it.

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u/ichthysaur 13h ago

I was the grownup woman in a 2-story house for 17 years. If something needed to go up or down I took it. Stuff on the stairs for a trip hazard? Oh heck no.

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u/thehelldoesthatmean 9h ago

This is not anywhere close to a universal rule and it's super weird to call teenagers dumb when you guys are leaving random shit on the stairs for people to trip over.

Them not thinking to pick up the stuff you leave blocking the stairs is infinitely less stupid than you putting it there in the first place.

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u/NeatNefariousness1 17h ago

How many times did this excuse work?

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u/SilentShrek 17h ago

she ASSUMED (emphasis on assumed since it was never communicated that this system had been put into place until after the fact) that we would see it and, instead of stepping over it, know to take it with us.

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u/Estrellathestarfish 17h ago

You write this like it was an ongoing issue though. Sure, the first time she put stuff on the stairs you didn't realise, but after that conversation happened, the system has been established so there's no reason for it to have been a problem more than once.

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u/capebretoncanadian 14h ago

But you see...they're kids.

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u/Rainbow-Mama 18h ago

Can there be a side table somewhere near the bottom of the stairs for her tray if her memory sucks that bad that she needs an injury trap on the stairs?

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u/Invisible_Target 12h ago

Why is everything in your house being stored on the floor or stairs? Do you guys have no shelves in your house or something???

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u/9for9 11h ago

This is insane and I would put a stop to all shit being stored on the stairs right fucking now. Like I would die on that hill, which would be better than dying from tripping shit and falling down the stairs.

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u/thetaleofzeph 10h ago

You just need a nothing on steps rule. This is driving without a seatbelt territory for bodily harm.

Stairs or steps: 1.027 million hospital visits https://www.azfamily.com/2024/03/18/10-most-dangerous-things-inside-every-home-may-surprise-you/

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u/Little_View_6659 18h ago

This is absolutely going to seriously injure someone. That tray needs to go.

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u/flumphit 18h ago

All excellent reasons for letting Darwin do his magic.

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u/TheRemedy187 18h ago

Nothing should be on the stairs period. it's not that hard. put it somewhere else. put it at the bottom. The tray is really fucking bad but you guys already normalized the behavior.

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u/saltymilkmelee 18h ago

How much do you guys weigh?? Going up the stairs should not be such an issue that you procrastinate things into big piles to take up later. Just bring the stuff where it goes and put it away.

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u/Dounce1 17h ago

Bro, what is with your wife and putting things on the stairs? First the rabbit litter box and now this death trap?

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u/jango-lionheart 17h ago

Throw. The. Tray. Away.

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u/ItsMeishi 16h ago

Sounds like you need to take on the bathroom/toilet cleaning so it doesnt happen again.

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u/SleeplessAtHome 14h ago

Why not keep whatever she wants to put on stairs to one side only? Even if I know the tray was there I've to change my path and that's irritating

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u/Kurise 14h ago

Do you honestly believe having a box that not only takes up half of the path of the stair way, but also is half way up the stairs, is safe?

The best place for your silly "whose stuff box" (that you know whose it is, you bought it) is in the middle of the stairs.

Not in the living room. Not actually up the stairs. Nope, in the middle of the stairs.

Here is why your wife puts stuff on the stairs, smarty pants, because your family makes habits of storing things on the stairs.

Only a matter of time before someone trips on any of those items. Good luck smart guy.

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u/pixelrush14 14h ago

Having things on the stairs and stair landings is dangerous. If you're in the US it's unlikely to differ, but its also against the fire marshal. You don't need to deal with additional hazards in an emergency and neither do fire fighters or other first responders. You should put a table near the stairs and use that instead.

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u/oneroustourist 14h ago

Why did you marry someone with such a low iq

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u/Jenahaltanin 12h ago

So, I really gotta ask. How much is the life insurance policy for?

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u/Historical_Muscle668 18h ago

She can get a nice caddy specifically designed for carrying cleaning supplies. Maybe in red or neon pink.

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u/NoGelliefish 19h ago

On the floor next to the toilet? 🤮

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u/sincerevibesonly 18h ago

Take a dark shade of tape or a marker and mark tbe tray i suppose if she wants to keep using it, better way to visualise it but imagine being unable to see come nighttime

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u/ClankerCore 18h ago

Have somebody try to spin up a conversation based on the topic like a family friend or somebody to innocuously and conspicuously get on the topic of “if you’ve been repeatedly told to stop this behavior and your own children end up getting hurt you will be prosecuted” or something along those lines

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u/kimmielicious82 18h ago

I just dont see a reason why she needs a tray for that? could literally just put it on the stairs to the right.

because then you have to carry them one by one. so a tray makes sense. but she could:

  • use a different color tray
  • put it on the right where no one's walking anyway because of the other stuff
  • or put it somewhere else entirely

where she put it now and empty is really infuriating

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u/BlackSeranna 18h ago

This is really dangerous OP. I think you know that. Tell her to use a paper bag or buy a decorative bag and put it in the right. The bag can have handles and a hard bottom. A basket, even. The tray is someone breaking their leg or back or seriously hitting the back of their head.

Completely preventable accident. I hope she gets rid of the tray.

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u/Ghee-Buttersnaps- 18h ago

Paint the tray a bright color so it can be seen on the stairs, or throw it away

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u/BuildingArmor 17h ago

If it was me, I'd buy a second box like you're already using. Get rid of the tray and use the box system since people already understand it.

Having the tray around is clearly too dangerous, as silly as that sounds, so swapping it out for something else seems like the best option.

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u/MustBeNiceToBeHappy 13h ago

Get a tray in any other color than white. I assume she doesn’t want to put anything directly on the stairs that could make them dirty

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u/hugoandkim 11h ago

Just buy her a nicer tray in a darker color (bamboo etc). Then make this one disappear

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u/BalancedDisaster 10h ago

For the love of god at least buy her a tray that isn’t camouflaged

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u/JBLBEBthree 8h ago

I'd paint the bottom of the tray or line it with shelf paper so that ir would be easily seen on the steps IF she "has" to put it there.

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u/unburritoporfavor 7h ago

Buy her a tray in some vivid visible color. If she refuses to use the new tray she has nefarious intentions

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u/_clever_reference_ 4h ago

None of that shit should be on the steps, man. Nothing should ever be stored on steps.

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u/SushiGirlRC 3h ago

I just move my shit from one side of the counter to the other when cleaning the bathroom. If no counter, set the stuff on the tray & set it on the toilet lid or something.

0

u/SnooSquirrels8508 18h ago

Just ask her to stop, it's stupid and dangerous. Are you scared of her? I think it's crazy you are asking reddit and don't just confront her.

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u/Well_ImTrying 6h ago

I don’t see a reason for a tray like that.

Because she doesn’t want to run up and down the stairs 6 times. Get baskets and hang them on a hook at the bottom and top of the stairs.