Will nanny be bothered by our scruffy house?!

[AshGirl]

We are looking at finding a nanny for our DS. DH and I are both nervous about having someone in our house as we are quite private people, not very tidy, and our house is pretty scruffy with a lot of clutter.

The hours we need mean it is unlikely we will find a CM instead so I think that a nanny is our best option.

We have a cleaner, who comes weekly, but I feel like we will need to be more on top of things if we find a nanny as it is not fair for their workplace to be messy.

We would obviously do things like put our breakfast things in the dishwasher etc but the whole house is a bit rough round the edges.

We are not mega rich and I feel like most nannies will expect a nicer house to work in.

Is this likely to be a problem? I'd appreciate any advice!

They can always say no?

I've worked in a house like that and found it drove me mad as I'm a naturally tidy, organised person, but other nannies may not have a problem with it. The nanny will see what your house is like at interview and then make a decision whether it's something she can work around if she's offered the job.

Make sure they see the house before taking the job? How rough around the edges is it op? Would it make looking after a toddler much harder?

Thanks all.

It's the kind of scruffy where, if you were buying it, you would budget to replace all the carpets and flooring, redecorate and put in a new kitchen. You would also worry that there isn't enough storage as it is very cluttered.

I think that it probably would annoy a very organised / tidy person.

It's more noticeable at the moment as our cleaner hasn't been for a few weeks and DH and I struggle to keep on top of things. Also, one of the nannies I have been talking to lives in a much nicer area than us so I am worried that our house will look down-at-heel compared to hers!

I think all we can do is de-clutter as much as possible and then it is up to the nanny whether she can put up with it!

I’ve worked in some absolute tips and I won’t do it again. It’s a nightmare!

I’m incredibly organised as you have to be as A nanny. Im not to spend my time keeping a play area neat and tidy if parents let the kids trash it for example. So it’s a non starter for me I’m afraid.

Scruffy as in could do with redecorating and new carpets is fine.

Crap everywhere/trip hazards/can never find anything/dirty kitchen - not ok.

I dont think its a reason not to look for a nanny, but you will have to keep on top of it if you are employing someone to work there. If they had an accident and could prove it was hazardous, could you get in trouble?
I also have a scruffy house btw

Have you thought about paying your cleaner extra and together working on decluttering? I find our cleaner is good at helping me organise things sometimes!

Also once you've De-cluttered perhaps you might be happier improving the house for you all?

The nanny would of course have to see the house.

We have many nannies in our area - they do tend to be the wealthier families at our school that can afford them so they do have nicer houses! All the nannies I've met are very down to earth and very private people - they never talk about our friends/their homes etc

What @GleamInYourEyes said

I think there is a difference between messy and dirty. I'm a nanny and a cluttered house wouldn't bother me at all as long as the house itself was clean (kitchen, bathroom etc).

I'm thinking of the lady who Ross dated in friends. If your house is nothing like that then your fine.

As long as you don't expect the nanny to clean up after you I don't see there being a problem. I use to work for a family who would leave their breakfast dishes in the sink each morning or on the breakfast table, food on the floor underneath the dining room table from dinner time the night before, dirty clothes on the stairs etc, you get the gist! It always me that had to clean up after them every morning and it drove me insane!

The nanny should keep the house clean and tidy whilst she's working anyway but shouldn't have to clean up mess that was made when she wasn't there. Good luck x

I think we are closer to what @GleamInYourEyes describes than the girl who wanted to do it in the mess!

We can put more effort into making sure that the main areas are clutter free and then hide the mess in our bedroom

Thanks all!

Finding a nanny is about compatibility. You need to find someone who will fit with your family which includes fitting in with how the home looks.

Carry out interviews at your home, then they will get to see it as it is normally.

Don't suppose you are in West Surrey/Berkshire border, I'm job hunting.

Thanks @nannynick

We are quite near Farnham so it might be a bit off your patch. We are also only offering part-time hours.

Send me a PM if this might suit you. (And I will try to work out how to access PMs...)

Messy is fine, dirty is not. I've worked in some messy homes and some immaculate homes. I prefer a bit of mess so I don't feel like I have to stop the kids touching everything! You need a nanny that's the right fit for your family and that means they take you as you are

Might give you a good incentive to de clutter. The toys only grow as the children do!

To be honest, the best nannies can demand the best working environment and thus if you want the best childcare for your DS you probably will have to sort

Definitely declutter the areas your nanny will be in. I do think certain standards have to maintained for nannies, however much faff it is. It is their permanent working environment, and they are in it far longer than cleaners are.

We now have to clean up much more than we did before we had a nanny. Hallway, kitchen etc have to in fairly good shape and floor clean. We do leave dirty dishes in the sink if the dishwasher is clean and unstacked.

There’s definitely a difference between messy and dirty I could never work In a dirty house. But saying that I’m a naturally very tidy and organised my person but my bosses aren’t. It does my head in how cluttered the house is definitely couldn’t work for an unorganised family who have lots of stuff, but that’s Just a personal opinion

@AshGirl have sent you a PM. I expect finding a nanny to work part-time may be more of a problem than finding a nanny who does not expect an immaculate home.

Scruffy fine.

I’ve worked for the pristine / don’t want to touch anything Incase leave a fingerprint

And worked for the very messy

And the very messy did drive me insane

It’s our work space

I have clutter. I like clutter 😳 but maybe you need to start decluttering and tidying up

I know it’s drives df Insane

So declutter And storage. Hide things

TBH, yes it might bother some people, but as people have said, you'll find the right person.

We had a lady from school looking after the kids on a Friday when they were younger and she had to admit to me that, if we were out late and asked her to make dinner, she didn't like cooking in our kitchen because it wasn't clean (DH at the time tended to make a cooked breakfast and wouldn't have time to wash up before work, so TBF it could be quite messy in the afternoon), so we'd give her money and let her buy it in the local cafe. I felt a bit embarrassed but couldn't really blame her, though I know we just didn't have time to clear it before going to work.

Now we have au pairs and we ask them to wash up all the breakfast stuff so it's clear for the evening (we do all the other washing and clearing up in there though)

Really useful to hear both from nannies and from employers. Thanks everyone!

It's quite hard to hear that people might not want to work with us, but I knew that we needed to up our game 

@DustOffYourHighestHopes This what I had expected. I have already told DH that we will need to be more on it and leave everything tidy so that the nanny has a clear space to work.

I have earmarked some time this weekend for decluttering so this has been the kick up the bum I needed!

I to some extent disagree with the common view here. A nanny is also there to help you. They are not housekeepers unless that's what you advertise for, but most people who need nannies work long hours with long commutes and will obviously not have time to hose down the house every night. I finish kids bedtime at 8, then have to make dinner, and in my case I then have to wash up all the dishes from the kids meals and the high chair that the nanny apparently couldn't be arsed with. So I'm not really down with the idea that I somehow need to bow down to the nanny. Which I guess is why I'm soon quitting work altogether, sorting out the house and will be done with all the aggro.

I'm a nanny currently working with a family like this, and although I'm naturally a scruff myself, it really stresses me out! Today I had to point out that the baby was crawling towards the bleach which had been left on the fucking floor!! It's a nightmare because the chances of the little one/s injuring themselves are so much higher in a messy, cluttered house and no nanny wants that to happen on their watch (or at all, obviously, but it's unfair on her if the child cuts themselves on something sharp that was hiding under a pile of papers on the coffee table, or pulls something heavy down on themselves that's leaning against the wall, because you left them there and the nanny didn't know/feel within her rights to move them!). It also makes a nanny feel pretty fed up to have to do parents' dirty work for them - being the bad guy who insists the children have to tidy up before they get anything else out, picking up rubbish the parents have dropped on the living room carpet because she didn't want to baby to choke on it, etc.

It's one thing to be naturally untidy and scatty (as I say I am myself) but declutter as much as possible before taking anyone on, ask for suggestions on organisation, make sure the place is reasonably tidy and hygienic before she arrives, back her up by insisting the children must put their rubbish in the bin/shoes on the rack etc, but it's quite another if you intend to keep going as you are and have her just go with it.

Your nanny should be clearing up after feeding the children. Eg tableware washed or in the dishwasher, high chair clean, floor swept. How do you leave it in the morning ?
I arrive at my job mid breakfast so happily clear up and am happy to clear parents bits too. They dont expect this and dont take advantage, so happy for give and take. However I have experienced families who leave worktops covered and the evening before washing up in the sink, which is rude.