Nanny/ nursery duties/ cleaning up after the kids.

[Ihavethislittlesister]

How do you clean around nanny? I like my home to be clean and I feel like I'm doing a lot more cleaning than she is in the common areas.

I can't afford a cleaner too. Please tell me how you work it ?

By common areas I mean dining area and kitchen particularly.

As a nanny, I clean the kitchen throughout the day as I use it, I'm also quite happy to empty dishwashers and vacuum if we make a mess.

I wipe the table down after every meal/after activities.

I care for a 5.5, 3.5 and a 1 year old if it matters.

Be specific about what she has to do, although your nanny isn't a cleaner and you can't expect her to do the amount of cleaning that you would do during the week. Unless she has a significant amount of free time when your children are at school/nursery and you've also discussed it beforehand.

I say as a general rule I expect the house to be as tidy in the evening as was when I left it in the morning. I expect the dishwasher to be emptied and hovering/mopping to be done only if the children make a mess, so the kitchen floor would only be swept after a meal or mopped if something is split.

She should also be happy to look after your children's bedrooms, changing sheets, hovering that area too.

Is she live in or out?

In general you can expect your home to be in the state you leave it in. If things like mopping the floor rather than sweeping are important you need to spell this out. Work surfaces should be left clear and tidy, dishwasher stacked and draining board clear (unless she's just washed up) if that's how you leave it in the morning. The lounge should be free from toys unless they're actively playing and near but it's unreasonable to expect daily hoovering.

You just need to sit down and talk about it and make your standards clear.

A nanny is there to look after the children, not to do housework. Obvs, I would expect her to wash up if she makes lunch, and tidy up toys that have been played with etc, but she isn't a cleaner.

I do children's bedrooms, empty dishwasher, clean up the kitchen after use, ie sweeping under table and cooking area. Would only wash whole floor if we had made a mess. After bath , bath cleaned. Tidy and sort toys.
If for example living room carpet is messy when I arrive will be same when I leave, unless I suddenly have no charges,and have had my break (don't usually manage this).

Thanks for your helpful replies. I know the nanny is there for Childcare not my cleaning !!

I have been doing loads but feel I am doing her jobs. Clearly this isn't on!

I will stop and have a nice chat

Maybe the nanny doesn't had same standards as you and this can be hard

I will leave the home as i find it / but I also Expect it to be tidy and clean

Last family I worked for were so messy and drove me insane. Mess and stuff everywhere and they had a fab cleaner so tue when she came house looked nice

Wed am when I arrived at 7am messy again :(

Nannies should keep areas they use tidy ie wipe down kitchen surfaces and floor and possibly Hoover playroom - basic nursery duties with children ie their washing and beds

As others have said a nanny is not a cleaner and as I said at the beginning she may have different standards to you

Thanks Blondes. I think its a standards thing rather than anything sinister etc.

I know nannys are not cleaners and I wouldnt give her standard house jobs ever, i just want her to clean up after kids and herself- she has been doing an ok job but I want to ensure we are all clear on what needs doing or I will be picking up the slack on my only day off. I will clear up mine and DH's mess so dont expect that to be done.

as a side point, i have thought about the nanny cleaning because "its not their job". In my job and all other jobs I've done, you do what you are asked and it can be all sorts of things. You just do it if you want to get on. I wouldnt be looked on favourably if I refused to do something menial because it wasnt my job- but then it wouldnt happen all the time i guess.... I suppose cleaning for nannys could be slippery slope for some people who take the piss

Cleaning is definitely a slippery slope for nannies. Often families start out well and then realise the nanny is picking up everything and so stop putting stuff away anyway and that's without 'cleaning' being specified as part of the job. I've seen a few funny stories about nannies giving their slatternly bosses a shock by just not tidying up after them bosses one day and leaving the previous night's dirty dishes etc and you can totally see why if that can happen in a standard job nannies are very unwilling to start taking responsibility for 'real' cleaning.

Is cleaning or any other child are duties part of a nanny role?
When you draw up the contact it is usual to list the requirement of the role. I have had a other non nanny jobs and there is always a job description.
Nannies are professional people who have studied childcare and child development. If they wanted to work as cleaners then they would choose that as a career.
I agree a bit of give and take is fine. But expecting a nanny/housekeeper role when you employ someone as a nanny is not.

Sorry meant to say non childcare duties ...

nomde oh my gosh.

both families I currently work for (one I've been there just over a year the other 6 mo or so) They are so messy. Second one is awful.

I started doing alot of tidying and cleaning even though its not part of my job description as per contact. - but how am I supposed to get child dressed if the clothes have just been shuvved in the draws in a ball!? or worse. .cook when there are no pots, pans..plates or clean and clear worktop space.

I clean till its sparkling and return a day later with it all left again. I don't know what to do. I can't bare to say anything. Can't bare to leave it. Can't work properly if I do.

it actually made me cry one morning.

I look after three children who when. I Started were two, twins and three.I did all duties that applied to the children cleaning ,hoovering their rooms ,bedding ,their bathroom,the playroom and the living room and kitchen would be left tidy .when they went to scHhol I was lucky that the family kept me on.I now do the family ironing,I don't mind ironing and I will whizz the Hoover around the house,but as all have said we are not cleaners but we are there to do all that needs for the children.
Intangible,I've worked for a family like that and it really got me down. Met a friend who ran a nanny agency in a car park one day. Who asked if I was happy in my job..before I knew it I had and interview that weekend and got the job gave my notice on the Monday.My boss was stunned.

I think its worse because the family are complete gems wnd I adore them. . but I do struggle with this aspect. I've never seen anything like it.

im actually moving city next year so leaving them anyway. lll miss them like crazy. just not the fecking cleaning

woops nc!