What types of housekeeping can an au pair do?

In addition to active and passive childcare, au pairs can perform light housekeeping duties that are directly related to the children. These duties may include cleaning the children’s bedrooms, making their beds, doing their laundry and putting their clothes away. This can also include tidying areas of the home that the children have been using or cleaning up the kitchen after the children eat. This must not include general housekeeping that is either related to the host parents or other adults living in the home.

The au pair cannot solely be responsible for general cleaning of the common areas of the home. For example, vacuuming and dusting the entire house would not fall within the scope of the au pair’s work. That said, as a member of the host family, au pairs can be expected to “pitch in” just like any other family member to keep the house running smoothly. This means the au pair can help out by occasionally emptying the dishwasher or helping clean up after a shared meal, as long as these are not tasks that are the responsibility of the au pair alone.