I think you probably don't like your nanny's personality and what you deem as wasteful is part of a bigger picture. (it is okay to not like someone)

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/food-poisoning/20070124/microwave-kills-germs-sponges

Unless I'm microwaving the sponge for four minutes (which is a waste of energy and time), I would prefer to just throw it in the laundry.

Anonymous wrote:It is a minor thing, yes. And, it costs money yes. honestly as MB I can chaulk it up as a few extra dollars a day spent in childcare. (And nannies note, this is where the money goes next time raises are under discussion). The underlying issue why it would bother me is that I am pretty sure the nannies are not like this at their own homes. It is about treating others as you would like to be treated. And, they have control in their day a human being and I think this characteristic would apply to treating other people's children as you would like to have yours treated. Having very little ones, who cannot express how they feel or what went on during the day, this kind of behavior would eat away at the trust I have for the nanny. I had the pleasure and luck of nannies who took the job seriously, worked hard and would never be so careless and thoughtless. I have had one nanny who was wasteful. It is something to consider and in the long run, I do not think you should have this kind of nanny around. You can do better for yourself and for the children.

I do the same things at work that I do at home. Dishcloth is for washing dishes by hand, immediately goes into laundry once I'm done. Dish towel is the same. If I use a baby washcloth, it immediately goes into the laundry after wiping hands, face and if necessary, chest. I don't play around with germs, but I also make sure the children get limited exposure so that they build up a decent immune response.

Anonymous wrote:See, the paper towel waste to the tune of a roll a day would bother me. I'd sit down with her and address each example and give her alternatives to her waste, such as containers for kinetic sand and broken crayons, etc.

I'd get a stack of washcloths for washing herself and baby and dishcloths and sponges for kitchen cleaning. Everyone knows a sponge is easily disinfected for a few seconds in the microwave and she can throw a dishcloth into the laundry pile daily.

There is no excuse for such waste except ignorance, so, OP, you need to teach her better habits. If she is a very good nanny, there is no reason to replace her.

Old wives' tale, no it's not. The only way to clean a sponge is to throw it in the laundry with hot water and bleach.

Anonymous wrote:Dish towels are absolutely filthy, and the best way to spread illnesses throughout a house. I'll continue to dry my hands with 1 paper towel each time I was them.

Precisely why I teach my charges not to use dishtowels. However, I don't like wasting paper towels, so we use a small stream of water, let the water drip into the sink, shake off the last few droplets and go, no paper towel necessary.

Get un-paper towels people! I agree that it's unsanitary to keep a kitchen towel lying around for hand-drying, but just like your have a towel hanging in the bathroom to dry hands, you can have separate kitchen rags & hand cloths, and you can change them as frequently as you feel is warranted.

Anonymous wrote:Seriously? We are discussing paper towel usage as a reason for termination?

Yep. Unstable parenting at its finest.

It is a minor thing, yes. And, it costs money yes. honestly as MB I can chaulk it up as a few extra dollars a day spent in childcare. (And nannies note, this is where the money goes next time raises are under discussion). The underlying issue why it would bother me is that I am pretty sure the nannies are not like this at their own homes. It is about treating others as you would like to be treated. And, they have control in their day a human being and I think this characteristic would apply to treating other people's children as you would like to have yours treated. Having very little ones, who cannot express how they feel or what went on during the day, this kind of behavior would eat away at the trust I have for the nanny. I had the pleasure and luck of nannies who took the job seriously, worked hard and would never be so careless and thoughtless. I have had one nanny who was wasteful. It is something to consider and in the long run, I do not think you should have this kind of nanny around. You can do better for yourself and for the children.

Seriously? We are discussing paper towel usage as a reason for termination?

Anonymous wrote:You need to learn proper hygiene, 12:56.

You are an idiot. You can wash and santiize dish towels and rags. It's not that hard, you don't need to be using a roll of paper towels a day.

You need to learn proper hygiene, 12:56.

See, the paper towel waste to the tune of a roll a day would bother me. I'd sit down with her and address each example and give her alternatives to her waste, such as containers for kinetic sand and broken crayons, etc.

I'd get a stack of washcloths for washing herself and baby and dishcloths and sponges for kitchen cleaning. Everyone knows a sponge is easily disinfected for a few seconds in the microwave and she can throw a dishcloth into the laundry pile daily.

There is no excuse for such waste except ignorance, so, OP, you need to teach her better habits. If she is a very good nanny, there is no reason to replace her.

I'm the pp with the nanny who goes through paper towel more than I'd prefer. She goes through about a roll per day and other than picking up messes they make, she does no other cleaning. I suspect she just grabs a bunch and takes more than she actually needs and sometimes uses them in place of dishes.

So like I said. It's annoying but not worth talking to her about. She's an excellent nanny and I have no desire to create issues over something this minor.

Anonymous wrote:Dish towels are absolutely filthy, and the best way to spread illnesses throughout a house. I'll continue to dry my hands with 1 paper towel each time I was them.

Exactly. If correct hygiene is wasteful to you, don't employ a nanny. Do your penny pinching on your own.

I won't touch a dish towel in anyone's home, but my own.