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Paid childcare

Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

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Original poster

Should I pay for carpet cleaning?

61 replies

PrairieOyster · 08/01/2010 14:13

My son is 3 years old and still has some potty training issues. Recently some of his poo fell on a carpet (well a large rug really) at his childminders which she then got cleaned at a cost of £120. She has now presented me with the cleaning bill.

Should I pay it completely, or say that it is part of the reasonable expenses that a childminder should expect when they join the profession, or pay something towards the cost as a goodwill gesture, say. Or what?

Any ideas?

OP posts:

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doggiesayswoof · 08/01/2010 14:15

oh - I think that's a bit cheeky of her tbh. I wouldn't be keen to pay for it.

Has she never heard of Rug Doctor?

nancydrewrocks · 08/01/2010 14:16

I don't think you should pay. Any childminder who minds young children shoud expect this sort of thing.

And at 120 for cleaning a rug!

imaginewittynamehere · 08/01/2010 14:19

No you should't have to pay, if a childminder does't expect this at times& is that precious about their furnishings then they are in the wrong profession

Original poster

PrairieOyster · 08/01/2010 14:21

Apparently the carpet is quite expensive and she wanted it to be professionally cleaned. I think also that it had to be removed from the house to be cleaned. I never saw how messy it had got.

OP posts:

nancydrewrocks · 08/01/2010 14:24

IIRC I had my downstairs carpets professionally cleaned in August - sitting room, dining room, playroom and the cost was 120 not far from London. I cannot believe a rug costs that to clean!

bossykate · 08/01/2010 14:26

no i don't think you should pay. why wasn't she looking after him better?

shonaspurtle · 08/01/2010 14:35

It's seems pretty dim to have a rug that needs professionally cleaned in a room where you care for small children.

Or maybe not so dim if you're going to get someone else to stump up for it every time.

I don't think you should have to pay. Surely this sort of thing is par for the course when looking after children?

Also possibly tax deductible expense for the cm?

bigstripeytiger · 08/01/2010 14:44

I dont think that you should pay for this.
She was supervising your son at the time, and it isnt unexpected that a 3 year old who is potty training would have accidents.

Given the obvious risk of this sort of thing happening it seems odd for her to leave a rug like that in a room that the mindees can access.

Littlefish · 08/01/2010 14:48

No, I don't think you should pay it. Both childminders my dd has been to have had "hard floors" ie. tiles, wood etc. which have been easy to clean after the inevitable accidents.

henryhuggins · 08/01/2010 14:49

how ridiculous. pay nothing

FabIsGoingToBeFabIn2010 · 08/01/2010 14:51

A baby wipe would have got that cleaned.

Has she shown you the actual bill that shows it cost £120?

I wouldn't pay but if it happened at a friends I would have it cleaned for her (we have a wet carpet cleaner.)

DollyMessiter · 08/01/2010 14:55

No, you should not have to pay.
Occupational hazard.

And £120?!
Did she get a group of angels to gently fan the poo from the carpet with their shimmering gossamer wings?

I'd be looking for a new childminder too, as it is unprofessional of her to make you feel embarrassed and responsible for something that is simply part and parcel of having children around.

Original poster

PrairieOyster · 08/01/2010 14:58

Yes, I have seen the bill. Unfortunately I didn't know anything about it until she told me about the cost. Looking again at her note she has asked that we come to some kind of arrangement, so I think that she maybe doesn't expect me to pay the whole cost.

OP posts:

Strix · 08/01/2010 15:03

If you pay this, what else might you be expected to pay? I would expect a childminder to cover her running costs in the hourly rate which I pay her. Although, this point could result in her raising her hourly rate to cover these things.

But, really, this would be like the garage charging you because your car leaked oil on the floor.

Summersoon · 08/01/2010 15:04

Given how little childminders seem to be paid, I would personally offer to pay half.

Accidents happen and it is not reasonable to expect a CM to be able to prevent a 3-year old from having the occasional lapse. (If this was a 2-year old in the first week of training, I would have expected to move everything even remotely delicate out of "striking distance".)

henryhuggins · 08/01/2010 15:06

and if you are a childminder regardless of your mindees ages, anything delicate should be out of the way. accidents happen - juice, coffee, mud, whatever. terribly unprofessional of her to ask you to contribute.

don't childminders want to be seen as professional?
it really doesn't have anything to do with their salaries.

navyeyelasH · 08/01/2010 15:12

This is precisely the reason I have just bought a second hand rug for my playroom. I would not pay anything but say you are sorry it happened and gently suggest the rug is not in the same room as the mindees.

FimbleHobbs · 08/01/2010 15:42

LOL 'some of his poo fell on a carpet' - we need more info - was it a genuine accident or was it more of a 'little darling smeared it all in on purpose and jumped up and down on it' sort of situation?

Mind you either way she should have been watching him. Sounds like a daft thing for a CM to have - with 2 DC I don't own a rug worth £120 and we have our own carpet cleaner now.

BigBadMummy · 08/01/2010 15:45

£120 for one carpet?!!! She could have replaced it for that.

She had guests over Christmas and wanted to get it cleaned for them.

A can of Vanish Carpet Cleaner is £5.99. If you feel she is justified in anything, give her that. Otherwise tell her to get stuffed would be my opinion.

LaurieFairyCake · 08/01/2010 15:46

I think its cheeky because cleaning up a wee bit of shite can be done with a squirt of 1001 and a cloth - it's quite clear her rug was dirty from use anyway - I would offer £10 towards it as a good will gesture and wonder aloud to her if she will be asking other parents for contributions.

And I would then say that i didn't expect to pay anything for rug cleaning any more and ask her to move the rug.

doggiesayswoof · 08/01/2010 15:49

lol at Dolly

doggiesayswoof · 08/01/2010 15:50

Agree Laurie - if you do pay a token amount make it clear that it's a one off.

Blondeshavemorefun · 08/01/2010 15:54

babywipes and vanish work well getting poo out of carpets

if ithe rug is dry clean only and exspenisve then shouldnt be on the floor where children play

tell her to take it off her tax bill/put in exspenses

agree if you pay now, what else you may be billed for

BoysAreLikeDogs · 08/01/2010 15:58

blimey

no way should you pay

CM can put the cost through her expenses

PrettyCandles · 08/01/2010 15:59

She should have insurance for this sort of thing, and if she doesn't want to pay the excess, then she needs to consider it as a reasonable expense.

Besides, it doesn't cost £120 to clean a rug, not unless it's soemthing special - in which case it shouldn't be out when the children are in.

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