Sick kids coughing on my couch - what can I do?

[nmosur]

The cleaning lady brought her two kids with her - I found out just now that they are both sick - horrible coughs and don't know what else. I come into the living room and find out kids passed out on the loveseat and the other coughing into the cushions of the couch. I gently asked him to cover his mouth.

What do I do now - the couch is all fabric. DD will come back home at 3:00 pm - I would like to disinfect the couch by then. I can clean everything else after the kids leave - ironic, considering that they are the cleaning lady's kids.

TIA

[mommylamb]

Spray Lysol?

[hillview]

Here is an article on this
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/infectious-disease/AN01238
so it might be good to just keep them off the couch til after supper if that is possible

[BabbyO]

Spray Lysol?

:yeahthat:
Thats what I was going to say....

[KDsMommy]

Spray Lysol?

That's what I would do.

[mackmama]

I would be sooo annoyed! I'd use lysol and would also ask the house cleaner not to bring sick kids over again. That's really obnoxious imo.

[Green_Tea]

Here is an article on this
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/infectious-disease/AN01238
so it might be good to just keep them off the couch til after supper if that is possible

According to this article:


Germs generally remain active longer on stainless steel, plastic and similar hard surfaces than on fabric and other soft surfaces. Other factors, such as the amount of virus deposited on a surface and the temperature and humidity of the environment, also have effects on how long cold and flu germs stay active outside the body.

Is it cold there? Can you open the windows in the room where the couch is? Lysol couldn't hurt.

[HannaAddict]

In the spirit of the holiday season and someone trying to make a living, I would not get too upset about sick kids since your kids aren't even home. I would probably use a baby wipe on the couch if I was really worried (our interior designer swears by baby wipes for all things fabric) and know that the odds of your kids getting sick from the couch hours later, are far, far less than at school, the store, etc. I'm sure the week of thanksgiving when people need the house cleaned for guests is a terrible
week to cancel on clients and don't find her "obnoxious".

[boolady]

In the spirit of the holiday season and someone trying to make a living, I would not get too upset about sick kids since your kids aren't even home. I would probably use a baby wipe on the couch if I was really worried (our interior designer swears by baby wipes for all things fabric) and know that the odds of your kids getting sick from the couch hours later, are far, far less than at school, the store, etc. I'm sure the week of thanksgiving when people need the house cleaned for guests is a terrible
week to cancel on clients and don't find her "obnoxious".

:yeahthat:

[KLD313]

If you're really worried can you just put a sheet over it until tomorrow? Do the cushions come off where you can air them out outside?

[TwoBees]

If the cushions are removable, I'd air them out outside. Or open lots of windows and air out the room.

[JElaineB]

I think spraying with Lysol and covering with a sheet for a day or two would work.

[twowhat?]

If the sun is shining today, put the cushions outside in direct sunlight!

I'm with you though - I'd be a bit annoyed and though I understand she needs to make a living, it'd be nice if she had offered to cover your couch first and then sat her kids down with a big box of tissue.

[pinkflamingo]

I would be really upset- that is just disrespectful to have kids lying on your couch period... I would probably search for a new cleaning lady. And definitely cover with sheets and a blanket for a full 24 hours after lysoling

[JBaxter]

I vote nothing. Honestly wouldn't even cross my mind. Maybe hit it with a little lysol but she showed up cleaned your house even with her kids sick. Germs are everywhere I mean think about eating a a fast food place even if you wipe the table off with something you have no clue of a contagious person was just sitting there. Now if there were coughing in your kids face I would be upset.
But thats my opinion my kids are healthy and we aren't germophobes. But airing it out for days or covering it up just seems extreme to me.

[designermv]

I would haul it out into the yard and burn it.



Okay, not really. I wouldn't worry about it. A quick spray of Lysol just as a freshen-up, but that's it.

[legaleagle]

Is it really ok to spray fabric with lysol? I would think you'd have a good chance of staining it.

[elephantmeg]

I spray my couch with lysol when the sick kid that has been taking residence there is better! And wash the throw blankets that he/she has been using. It is the signal to the family that everyone is going back to school tomorrow!

[JBaxter]

Is it really ok to spray fabric with lysol? I would think you'd have a good chance of staining it.


Your not supposed to completely saturate it. Just mist over it.

[HannaAddict]

I would be really upset- that is just disrespectful to have kids lying on your couch period... I would probably search for a new cleaning lady. And definitely cover with sheets and a blanket for a full 24 hours after lysoling

Wow. Bah humbug. I can just see the posts if the cleaning lady cancelled because of kids with a cold. I can see a freak out if they threw up on it or had swine flu, but am saddened by some of the harshness and willing to take away a job over this. Must be nice to have paid sick leave and a SAHP or inexpensive or free (family) child care options.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

I vote nothing. Honestly wouldn't even cross my mind. Maybe hit it with a little lysol but she showed up cleaned your house even with her kids sick. Germs are everywhere I mean think about eating a a fast food place even if you wipe the table off with something you have no clue of a contagious person was just sitting there. Now if there were coughing in your kids face I would be upset.
But thats my opinion my kids are healthy and we aren't germophobes. But airing it out for days or covering it up just seems extreme to me.

:yeahthat:

yeah, these are my thoughts too. but then again, i'm the type to take my kids out to grocery stores, restaurants, parks, let them play on the swings, etc and i don't wipe down or sanitize everything my kids touch, and my kids are rarely sick.

[minnie-zb]

I'm sorry, I don't care who it is, I would be grossed out by a stranger coming over and coughing and hacking on my sofa. I wouldn't fire the housekeeper, but I would tell them next time I would prefer them not to come if their child is sick. It is not fair to the sick child and it is not fair to the homeowner. This does not make me a bad person.

[squimp]

I'm sorry, I don't care who it is, I would be grossed out by a stranger coming over and coughing and hacking on my sofa. I wouldn't fire the housekeeper, but I would tell them next time I would prefer them not to come if their child is sick. It is not fair to the sick child and it is not fair to the homeowner. This does not make me a bad person.

I agree with you. Sick kids coughing into a fabric couch cushion is just plain gross. I feel bad for the kids. I might have paid her and said it was time to go.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I like the sheet idea. I don't own Lysol.

[LMPC]

I might have paid her and said it was time to go.

This is me, too. I would do this -- not because I would be grossed out -- but because I would find that I had compassion for a woman who in all likelihood NEEDS to come to work despite the fact her kids are sick.

[Kindra178]

In the spirit of the holiday season and someone trying to make a living, I would not get too upset about sick kids since your kids aren't even home. I would probably use a baby wipe on the couch if I was really worried (our interior designer swears by baby wipes for all things fabric) and know that the odds of your kids getting sick from the couch hours later, are far, far less than at school, the store, etc. I'm sure the week of thanksgiving when people need the house cleaned for guests is a terrible
week to cancel on clients and don't find her "obnoxious".

This. Unless your kid is immuno suppressed, I would not think twice. I even have three asthmatics.

[ChristinaLucia]

I would be more worried about Lysol than the germs on the couch. I might take the kids for errands after school and keep them off the couch until the next day if it isn't a big deal.

I would generally prefer someone call and ask me regarding bringing sick kids to the house.

[chozen]

I'm sorry, I don't care who it is, I would be grossed out by a stranger coming over and coughing and hacking on my sofa. I wouldn't fire the housekeeper, but I would tell them next time I would prefer them not to come if their child is sick. It is not fair to the sick child and it is not fair to the homeowner. This does not make me a bad person.

:yeahthat:

[chozen]

I think spraying with Lysol and covering with a sheet for a day or two would work.

:yeahthat:

[Ceepa]

I'm sorry, I don't care who it is, I would be grossed out by a stranger coming over and coughing and hacking on my sofa. I wouldn't fire the housekeeper, but I would tell them next time I would prefer them not to come if their child is sick. It is not fair to the sick child and it is not fair to the homeowner. This does not make me a bad person.

:yeahthat:

[Cam&Clay]

Wow. Bah humbug. I can just see the posts if the cleaning lady cancelled because of kids with a cold. I can see a freak out if they threw up on it or had swine flu, but am saddened by some of the harshness and willing to take away a job over this. Must be nice to have paid sick leave and a SAHP or inexpensive or free (family) child care options.

:yeahthat:

[Cam&Clay]

This is me, too. I would do this -- not because I would be grossed out -- but because I would find that I had compassion for a woman who in all likelihood NEEDS to come to work despite the fact her kids are sick.

I would pay her and send her home, too.

[ChunkyNicksChunkyMom]

This thread makes me a little sad. My grandma was a cleaning lady to a group of women who treated her with such love and compassion. Whenever I was sick and missing elementary school she would take me to work with her. (my mom was divorced and could not miss work). I remember one of those homeowners making me a little bed with her afghan on the couch and bringing me something to drink. I think those compassionate women *got* that my mother or grandmother would have much rather have been at home with a sick kid, but financially this was not an option. I would hope that if the same happened in my house today I would spray a little lysol and count my blessing that I was in a position to have a housecleaner.

[SnuggleBuggles]

This thread makes me a little sad. My grandma was a cleaning lady to a group of women who treated her with such love and compassion. Whenever I was sick and missing elementary school she would take me to work with her. (my mom was divorced and could not miss work). I remember one of those homeowners making me a little bed with her afghan on the couch and bringing me something to drink. I think those compassionate women *got* that my mother or grandmother would have much rather have been at home with a sick kid, but financially this was not an option. I would hope that if the same happened in my house today I would spray a little lysol and count my blessing that I was in a position to have a housecleaner.

:applause:

[Tondi G]

I would give the couch a spray with Lysol .... if you are still worried cover it with a sheet till tomorrow. I would not have been happy having sick kids coughing in my house 2 days before a holiday.

[hillview]

This thread makes me a little sad. My grandma was a cleaning lady to a group of women who treated her with such love and compassion. Whenever I was sick and missing elementary school she would take me to work with her. (my mom was divorced and could not miss work). I remember one of those homeowners making me a little bed with her afghan on the couch and bringing me something to drink. I think those compassionate women *got* that my mother or grandmother would have much rather have been at home with a sick kid, but financially this was not an option. I would hope that if the same happened in my house today I would spray a little lysol and count my blessing that I was in a position to have a housecleaner.

:yeahthat:

[JBaxter]

This thread makes me a little sad. My grandma was a cleaning lady to a group of women who treated her with such love and compassion. Whenever I was sick and missing elementary school she would take me to work with her. (my mom was divorced and could not miss work). I remember one of those homeowners making me a little bed with her afghan on the couch and bringing me something to drink. I think those compassionate women *got* that my mother or grandmother would have much rather have been at home with a sick kid, but financially this was not an option. I would hope that if the same happened in my house today I would spray a little lysol and count my blessing that I was in a position to have a housecleaner.

Have I told you I Love you Susan?

[Melaine]

It seems like at this time of year, we are all tired and stressed with the holidays and somewhat innocent threads end up taking a turn for the worse.

If would be very unhappy if I came home to find sick strangers coughing into my couch. All the OP did was ask what to do to clean her sofa. I could be wrong, but I don't think she was looking for ways to retaliate against the cleaning lady.

I hate lysol, but I like the idea of putting a sheet on the couch and airing the room out. I would ask her not to bring her children if they are sick next time. I have no idea if the OP would be obligated to pay her under those circumstances, but I don't think the cleaning lady should have let her kids just lay on the couch while sick either.

[barkley1]

I've sprayed my couch with Lysol several times for that reason. It didn't leave a mark at all!

[LMPC]

This thread makes me a little sad. My grandma was a cleaning lady to a group of women who treated her with such love and compassion. Whenever I was sick and missing elementary school she would take me to work with her. (my mom was divorced and could not miss work). I remember one of those homeowners making me a little bed with her afghan on the couch and bringing me something to drink. I think those compassionate women *got* that my mother or grandmother would have much rather have been at home with a sick kid, but financially this was not an option. I would hope that if the same happened in my house today I would spray a little lysol and count my blessing that I was in a position to have a housecleaner.
Compassion. Love it!

[kellij]

I don't understand. Do the people who are totally freaked out about someone coughing in their home just not go into public? I mean if there is phlegm or something, that's one thing, but people are sick around us every single day if you're in public and you either catch it and probably build up an immunity, or you don't. I do think it would have been nice for her to let you know in advance, especially if your kids were going to be home, but I still don't think it's that big of a deal. Granted, if they had a stomach virus and had been throwing up, I would have been concerned about that. Also, I feel differently if someone in your family has a compromised immune system. So I guess my question is, what do you typically do when someone goes to your house and coughs? Then apply whatever that answer is to your couch.

[pinkflamingo]

I am confused- you guys would be ok with coming home to find strangers lying on your couches? I would be very upset by that. Especially sick strangers.
.This is exactly why I clean my own home... One person's standard of cleanliness is definitely not another's...and this is not fair to the kids either. If they have the flu, they need to be home.

[AnnieW625]

In regards to the above question I might be a little puzzled by it, and I might have wished from a call from the house cleaner letting me know that she would be bringing her two kids with her, but yeah I probably would have been okay with it if she couldn't reschedule. I would probably make sure they had the TV on as well. I mean this is this woman's income and her job, she is no different than you or I if we had sick kids and had to take them somewhere in a dire situation. I feel awful having to take my kids into Target or another store when they are sick, but if we need stuff and either DH and I are home alone with them on a weekday and what we need is there and we need something stat. then we just have to grin and bear it and take them with us.


In the spirit of the holiday season and someone trying to make a living, I would not get too upset about sick kids since your kids aren't even home. I would probably use a baby wipe on the couch if I was really worried (our interior designer swears by baby wipes for all things fabric) and know that the odds of your kids getting sick from the couch hours later, are far, far less than at school, the store, etc. I'm sure the week of thanksgiving when people need the house cleaned for guests is a terrible
week to cancel on clients and don't find her "obnoxious".

This would be me too, but then I am not really a germophobe either. I figure we are all likely to get sick one time or another and honestly I'd much rather get sick closer to Thanksgiving than Christmas.

Good luck, I hope you, and your kids don't get sick.

[Green_Tea]

I am confused- you guys would be ok with coming home to find strangers lying on your couches? I would be very upset by that. Especially sick strangers.
.This is exactly why I clean my own home... One person's standard of cleanliness is definitely not another's...and this is not fair to the kids either. If they have the flu, they need to be home.

I wouldn't consider my house cleaner's kids to be "strangers", per se. If my own kids were at school (where they are exposed to who knows what) it wouldn't bother me if my house cleaner brought their own kids and parked them on my couch so she wouldn't have to lose a day of pay. It would never occur to me that my own kids would get sick by sitting on the same couch several hours later - my kids sit on couches/chairs at the mall and Ikea and the pediatrician's office. Heck, my own kid has a hacking cough and has been sitting on our couch, and neither her brother or sister has gotten sick.

I say open the windows, air the room out, and call it a day. If you have Lysol and it makes you feel better, use it.

[StantonHyde]

This thread makes me a little sad. My grandma was a cleaning lady to a group of women who treated her with such love and compassion. Whenever I was sick and missing elementary school she would take me to work with her. (my mom was divorced and could not miss work). I remember one of those homeowners making me a little bed with her afghan on the couch and bringing me something to drink. I think those compassionate women *got* that my mother or grandmother would have much rather have been at home with a sick kid, but financially this was not an option. I would hope that if the same happened in my house today I would spray a little lysol and count my blessing that I was in a position to have a housecleaner.

:yeahthat:

[Pear]

My DH us immunosuppressed. Even family we love dearly knows not to come over with anything but the most mild of colds and they warn us if we are coming to visit them. That definitely influences my response.

I would not be ok with someone bringing sick children into my home.

For going out we are very careful. Lots of handwashing and if someone starts coughing or sneezing we try to move away while I silently think to myself that I wish people could be more considerate. Even with taking what measures we reasonably can, without becoming shut-ins, DH has already had 6 miserable weeks since the end of the summer. The little colds that DD and I catch make him so ill.

[HannaAddict]

:yeahthat:

That is a sweeter way of saying what I mean. The whole compassion thing. :)

[PZMommy]

My 15 month old was a preemie and has respiratory issues. He was hospitalized four times last cold/ flu season, two of which required nearly a week in the PICU. As a result, we are very careful about exposing him to even a common cold. I would be furious if someone showed up at my house with their sick children. What may just be a cold for them could be life threatening for my baby. Obviously we can't have him live in a bubble, but we can try to avoid exposing him to germs as much as possible.

[swissair81]

I would be upset, but only because my mom is getting chemo and I have a newish baby. Getting sick here has some repercussions.

[nmosur]

Thank you for all your replies - I typed out my reply yesterday but couldn't finish it and post.

I aired it out and laid a sheet on it.

I can see where I come out looking like some crazy gremophobe but I don't want DD or any of us to catch something during the holidays. And this seemed to be a sure shot way of catching something. I have no problem offering the boy the guest bed if he had to nap - I can wash the sheets after he is done. And which 12 year old coughs into the cushions of a sofa?? I am talking about putting his face into the cushion and coughing (sorry tmi) - I would have no problem if he was coughing into his sleeve.

My cleaning lady knows that if she has the kids she has to reschedule - she time and again choses to ignore it and brings her kids - she is one of those people who will decide that she doesn't understand instructions if she doesn't like them. These are kids I choose not to have in my in my house - don't follow rules of the house, shoes on the ouch, eat in the living room and drop crumbs everywhere, fight with each other, have no respect for DD's toys (she is six, the boys are 9 and 12 I think - don't really have any interest in her toys), etc etc. I haven't ever turned her back when she brings her kids - DH has suggested that I give her 10 bucks for gas and send her away because of the issues with the boys.

[hillview]

thanks your post gives more context and I given that I don't blame you for being upset.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Ugh, there are bigger issues. The only reasoning I could think wrt coughing into the couch is they might have thought it was better than coughing into the air, from a germ standpoint. Elbow is best but maybe they weren't taught that.

[flashy09]

If she must bring the sick kids, could you ask her to put a mask on them? Maybe that sounds extreme, but you could tell her it's no fun to have sick kids over the holidays and that's a lot easier on you than washing/spraying/airing/avoiding. I know there are germs everywhere when you go out, but I can understand wanting to keep the cold and flu out of the house, especially when it's so avoidable (i.e, not your mother on christmas day type of thing). The mask seems the best solution to the cleaner still getting a paycheck and the kids not making everyone else sick.