If they leave their home in such a mess that it requires cleaning up before you can resume regular duty, I would ask for extra money, since you are effectively having to add to your regular workload. For every part of an hour you have to spend cleaning up after the family (from the weekend, etc.), I would charge enough to make them rethink their decision to leave dishes in the sink and garbage not emptied. That could be $10 or $20 or more per hour, depending on the family.

However, if you have agreed to light housekeeping, then it wouldn't be unreasonable to assume that emptying and filling the dishwasher is fair game. As always, the best course of action is communicating your expectations clearly and without making any accusations.

Anonymous wrote:Ok, I may be missing something but does this really happen? I would NEVER leave my house in such disgust!!!

I fairly often go to use the restroom only to be greeted by an unflushed toilet- #1 and/or #2. I care for a baby, so it's not just a kid forgetting. So gross and disrespectful. I also come to work to find their dishes left in the sink, spoiled bottles that sat all night or longer, and MB's breakfast food (bread, egg carton, etc) still sitting on the counter for me to put away and wipe the counter.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I fear I am on the proverbial "slippery slope". I made it clear to my employers that I am happy to do any and all child-related chores. However I am not a jerk so when the occasional coffee cup was left in the morning I would, of course, wash it. Time has passed and I am not getting left all of the parent's breakfast dishes and their hand-washed dinner dishes from the prior evening to be put away. It does bug me but more than that it takes away valuable time from my charge in the morning.

Are they asking you to do these extra chores or are you just taking it upon yourself and then complaining? Why not just not wash their dishes and they will continue to take care of them like they normally would. If my nanny started vacuuming the house every day I wouldn't complain, but I have no expectation for her to do that.

I cannot just leave the dishes in the sink and sometimes do have to wait to wash them in the afternoon. I would like them to stop leaving them for me and should just tell them but I don't understand why they would push me like this. They know what my job entails and they know how demanding their child is especially in the morning.

I was a nanny for fifteen years and am now an MB. Going both ways (nanny to MB or MB to nanny) I have never understood why either cannot simply do the right thing. I hated having to reestablish job boundaries for my employers and I hate having to re-instruct our nanny now on arriving on time or limiting her phone use.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I fear I am on the proverbial "slippery slope". I made it clear to my employers that I am happy to do any and all child-related chores. However I am not a jerk so when the occasional coffee cup was left in the morning I would, of course, wash it. Time has passed and I am not getting left all of the parent's breakfast dishes and their hand-washed dinner dishes from the prior evening to be put away. It does bug me but more than that it takes away valuable time from my charge in the morning.

Are they asking you to do these extra chores or are you just taking it upon yourself and then complaining? Why not just not wash their dishes and they will continue to take care of them like they normally would. If my nanny started vacuuming the house every day I wouldn't complain, but I have no expectation for her to do that.

I cannot just leave the dishes in the sink and sometimes do have to wait to wash them in the afternoon. I would like them to stop leaving them for me and should just tell them but I don't understand why they would push me like this. They know what my job entails and they know how demanding their child is especially in the morning.

Anonymous wrote:I fear I am on the proverbial "slippery slope". I made it clear to my employers that I am happy to do any and all child-related chores. However I am not a jerk so when the occasional coffee cup was left in the morning I would, of course, wash it. Time has passed and I am not getting left all of the parent's breakfast dishes and their hand-washed dinner dishes from the prior evening to be put away. It does bug me but more than that it takes away valuable time from my charge in the morning.

Are they asking you to do these extra chores or are you just taking it upon yourself and then complaining? Why not just not wash their dishes and they will continue to take care of them like they normally would. If my nanny started vacuuming the house every day I wouldn't complain, but I have no expectation for her to do that.

Anonymous wrote:I fear I am on the proverbial "slippery slope". I made it clear to my employers that I am happy to do any and all child-related chores. However I am not a jerk so when the occasional coffee cup was left in the morning I would, of course, wash it. Time has passed and I am not getting left all of the parent's breakfast dishes and their hand-washed dinner dishes from the prior evening to be put away. It does bug me but more than that it takes away valuable time from my charge in the morning.

So do it in the afternoon.

I fear I am on the proverbial "slippery slope". I made it clear to my employers that I am happy to do any and all child-related chores. However I am not a jerk so when the occasional coffee cup was left in the morning I would, of course, wash it. Time has passed and I am not getting left all of the parent's breakfast dishes and their hand-washed dinner dishes from the prior evening to be put away. It does bug me but more than that it takes away valuable time from my charge in the morning.

Haha this is how my nanny family's house looks every afternoon when I get there! And the mom stays at home!!

I agreed to light housekeeping at hire, but this is not what I had in mind!

Anonymous wrote:Special tip from Nanny Biz Reviews

Tip: Parents, remember your home is also your nanny’s workplace. You don’t have to change the way you live, but a little consideration goes a long way. Don’t leave dishes piled up in the sink, don’t leave dirty clothes and shoes scattered all over the house, don’t leave the trash overflowing for your nanny to pick up and take out. The Golden Rule is the perfect guideline.

Funny how some people actually DO need to change the way they live.

Anonymous wrote:Ok, I may be missing something but does this really happen? I would NEVER leave my house in such disgust!!!

I arrive to a dishwasher full of clean dishes every morning and a sink full of dirty dishes. The trash is often overflowing by the time I get there, and I often have to hunt for my charge's clothes when I do laundry because somehow his parents never manage to get them IN the hamper. Oh, and I've cleaned up dog vomit on more occasions than I can count.

Nanny here it happens all the time. I agree to load and unload dishwasher just to make the kitchen look clean. Now the parents are leaving all the dishes from weekend too.


A huge lesson learned now I am never going to do anything besides the baby stuff.

Anonymous wrote:Ok, I may be missing something but does this really happen? I would NEVER leave my house in such disgust!!!

This has happened to me. It's ok if things are a mess if the kids are sick or if something major is going on with the family.
Day to day...not ok.
I had one family who regularly left diapers overflowing in the diaper pail (from the weekend), garbage heaped out of the can, last night's dinner dishes (not emptied) rotting in the sink and DB's dirty clothes strewn all over the place. I had to clean all this up before even being able to begin my day with the children. It's gross and inexcusable.

Oh gosh yes, it really happens. Not everyone does it, but some certainly do. It doesn't have to be perfectly clean when I get to work, but a decent level of upkeep is most appreciated.

Ok, I may be missing something but does this really happen? I would NEVER leave my house in such disgust!!!

Special tip from Nanny Biz Reviews

Tip: Parents, remember your home is also your nanny’s workplace. You don’t have to change the way you live, but a little consideration goes a long way. Don’t leave dishes piled up in the sink, don’t leave dirty clothes and shoes scattered all over the house, don’t leave the trash overflowing for your nanny to pick up and take out. The Golden Rule is the perfect guideline.