The towel twister

Living in Bangalore, I reside in a long-term rental, which is close to my job, and picked initially, partly on commuting distance reasons. The staff that work here have treated me very nicely, and all know me by name. I am sure they know me well for several reasons (i.e. there was the omelette incident, I will not bore you). But overall, I feel as if they like having me here (whether they are paid to make me feel this way or not, (and I actually feel they are genuine) it is the ultimate outcome that really matters), and so I like living here. A good situation as I am here for an entire year. I have a bedroom, bath, and living room with a mini-fridge. I have plugged in my Nespresso, and am very content. No stove and dishwasher, but I eat out all of the time, and have enjoyed not cleaning. So…the guy who has worked so hard as the cleaner of my space, bringer of fruit, creator of towel animals, and occasional part-time therapist, has left as of yesterday. He has a great opportunity (back in his hometown) and I am sure there will be another excellent replacement here. This past week, I worked here one day and was able to really observe what he was doing. I have 2 glasses and 2 coffee mugs that I use regularly, with those being the only dishes in here. I usually use one glass a day, as I am out most of the time. I have thought…..that this glass was being taken out of the room every day to a dishwasher somewhere and cleaned in the most scalding of water. I watch him pick up the used glass and head into my bathroom. I think to myself....”Oh creator of the beautiful swan-shaped towels, what, praytell, are you taking this glass into the bathroom for?” I do not say anything, but I wait…..I hear water running. He brings the glass back out and places it back in the pantry. I know, from experience that the water does not get hot at all in that sink. No scalding capabilities whatsoever. Also, he is carrying that same rag as he uses to wash mirrors, etc. At this point, I know....that I am going to have to have a fireside chat regarding microbe management with this oh so nice towel twister. This is going to be fun, as 1) we meet in the middle on language, but we are never quite sure what the other has said, and 2) I don’t want to make him feel bad. He has told me that I am his “top 3 favorite guest ever” so I have a reputation with him to maintain (aside from wondering what other 2 guests could have possibly beat me!) and yet, at the same time, I need to express my overwhelming distress at the potential bulk of bacteria that is still on the glass. I smile. I always start out a re-direction discussion with a smile. I have to maintain this “top 3 guest of all time” status! Never mind why. I let him know that the water is just not hot enough in my bathroom sink to really get the glass clean. He says “No problem! We will begin replacing them!” I know that a trip to buy paper cups is in my immediate future. Oddly enough, and a final note…I have been in Bangalore for almost 60 days, and so far...not one GI bug. Maybe he has some cleaning secret procedure “in my bathroom” that I do not know about….