Housekeepers
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Jan 2006
We've been having some trouble with housekeepers for quite some
time (having gone through 3 in 3 years)and are wondering whether
we are just too rigid, or whether some housekeepers just push the
limits. We've had housekeepers who chronically break things, pull
the towel bars and toilet paper holders off the walls, break
mirrors, break collectibles, ruin things and even those who've
been caught alone in our bedroom in compromising situations (they
were fired immediately). So you can see we've developed some
sensitivities around housekeepers. Nonetheless, we really
appreciate the regular help, and wonder whether our new
housekeepers are pushing the limits. We have a company now, that
provides 2-3 people on a given day to clean our 2+ BR-BA home in
Berkeley. Question is, is it unreasonable to expect to know what
hours they are coming? And exactly who will have access to our
home? Sometimes more than two (up to five) converge at our place
for lunch and the place turns into a cafeteria of sorts. They use
our dinnerware and good knives, appliances, etc. Then they leave
everything clean, but out on the drainboard for us to put away,
hence we know exactly what's gone on, in addition to coming home
ourselves for lunch and being displaced. They also feel free
using our telephone, and recently left the handset off the
charger and in the 'on' mode, so when we came home, the battery
was dead and the home 'station' was beeping looking for the
handset. They also repeatedly torture the window blinds, leaving
them dented and in a disarray (this has been an issue with every
housekeeper.) Are we being unreasonable to expect better service?
Unreasonable?
Have you complained to the housekeeper's employer (the one who sends
them to you and I presume, the one you pay money to)? If so and you
still have trouble, stop using them! You shouldn't have to put up with
anything like what you described in your post.
I work for someone who went through several housekeepers and nannies
before she found a gem in each dept. Your stories are unfortunately not
uncommon. Keep looking and make your needs and wants a priority (while
being sensitive to the housekeepers needs of course but not letting her
run the show). I wish you the best of luck.
used to be a housekeeper who knew how to do it right
I'm sure you'll get many responses to this one. Your current
housekeepers' behavior doesn't sound acceptable to me. I wouldn't want
service people eating in my house or using my dishes and flatware,
especially without asking first. If they asked I would say no--it just
doesn't seem appropriate to me. It doesn't seem like a big hardship for
them to eat their lunch in the car or at a park or restaurant--I've done
it many times for my own jobs, because I knew I couldn't bring food into
my workplace. Also, using your phone is unacceptable.
We have a company service (Cooperative Cleaning Company) which we've
used for many years, and none of the cleaning people has ever done any
of the same type of thing, as far as I know. When we've had (minor)
issues, the management has always been very responsive and, no pun
intended, cooperative. I hope that's not the same company you use--if
it isn't, give them a try.
Glad I don't have your cleaners
I've found that agencies or housekeeping businesses generally
provide much worse housekeeping services, than an individual.
Seems that in the Bay Area you do not consistently get the same person
from the agency, instructions are not passed from one house cleaner to
the next, hours are inconsistent, etc. My mother lives in another state
and always gets the same team from Merry Maids, I got a different crew
each week. I went ballistic the day I came home and found a stranger
Hoovering my antique Persian carpet, high powered upright vaccuuming
being contrary to my very specific instructions. I tried working with
the management, without much success. I've have much more
success with individuals. I get the same person every time,
at the same time, they follow my instructions, and breakage is
rare. I'm committed to my housecleaner and trust her enough
that I have her clean when we're away, the extra stuff that doesn't get
done on the weekly cleaning. After all, she's counting on the income.
The downside is no insurance, some rescheduling to accommodate
appointments, and they leave for entended trips to third world countries
to visit their families. There is also the language issue, but I've had
both agencies and individuals, and overall I've been much happier and my
house is cleaner with an individual. ''let me show you''
helps with the language differences. My housekeeper does eat
lunch when she arrives, but doesn't leave her dirty dishes for
me.
happy with my housekeeper
You are not nuts.You have every right to expect and get good service. I
have had the same housekeeper for 12 years but I went through a lot of
them until I found what I wanted. I finally put an ad in the paper and
interviewed a ton of people.
I also asked anyone I knew for a referral. I offered the benefit of paid
sick days after a certain period, vacation days etc. I clearly set out
expectations as well....(and none of what you have put up with would be
included). My housekeeper turned into my nanny/housekeeper and I ended
up hiring her full time. I have been very blessed but I had to kiss a
lot of frogs first! Hang in there and wait for what you want!
the wait is worth it
You do not sound unreasonable at all! That is ridiculous to have
someone you hire to take advantage of you like that. We are really
happy with our service ''Molly Maids'', there is 2-3 women who come out
and although they pass the time while chatting with each other, are very
efficient and clean very well. We were using another service which had
5 people come and we were very disappointed with the results, it seemed
they cleaned in a way that would require a quick return visit (probably
to ensure work for them). Whoever you chose I think it is important to
tell them that you have gone through serveral houskeepers and state your
expectations and ask them if they are willing and able to meet those
expectations. Tell them that you want their best people (if using a
service), I would get names if you are uncomfortable (besides you are
letting them into your home). I ask for approximate times and ask how
many jobs are before you to give you a better idea. I hope this helps.
anon
Never use a housecleaning company. We have ALWAYS had bad experiences
with them. They pay their employees a fraction of what you pay and have
high turnover.
Hire a single individual that you can develop a relationship with and
pay a reasonable rate. Treat them fairly and with respect, but be clear
and firm on what you expect.
Your requests are not unreasonable or rigid. Hire someone based on word
of mouth, not from a flyer. We have had excellent relationships with
housecleaners hired in this way -- for many years!
Good luck.
Sounds like you've had really bad luck! We've had the same housekeeper
for about 15 years. In that time I think she's broken something twice.
She would never let a bunch of people eat at our house and if she did we
would never know because everything is put away when we return. I think
you should keep looking. If you use a service you might tell them about
what happened and ask them what you can expect.
I would suggest you find someone who comes recommended or interview
different services.
Amy
Oh my goodness, I can't believe the experiences you've had with
housecleaners! I do not think that using the phone is ok, and the
damage to the blinds is terrible service. Why would you continue to
employ them?
You mention that the cleaners are part of a service. So the cleaners
have a boss that is someone other than you??? That sounds like a bad
deal for you and for them (since there's a
middleman.) Do you know if they make a living wage?
Have you ever hired someone on your own? I have only had two
housecleaning teams (one a husband and wife, the other a mother and
daughter) ever, and they were both referred by close friends.
I negotiated the pay with them, and they work for me. I tell them what
I want and expect, and give them feedback on their work. If they were
to intentionally do the things you mention, I'd stop employing them.
But they wouldn't, because we have a relationship with communication.
(BTW, BPN has many recommendations for housekeepers in the Household
Digest newsletter.) happy with clean home
It sounds like the company you hired is still quite unprofessional. I
would not accept this kind of behavior. We have had two different
housekeeping companies over the past 7 years (we also live in Berkeley),
and neither of them did things like this. We now use Natural Home
Cleaning
(www.naturalhomecleaning.com) and have been quite satisfied. They are a
worker-owned cooperative and use non-toxic cleaning products. They have
been very responsive to any requests or concerns we have expressed and
are extremely professional. They come every two weeks and still call the
night before to let us know when they are coming, even though we have a
regularly scheduled day and time. If I were you, I would either be very
explicit with your current cleaners as to what you would like (or not
like) them to do, or hire someone else.
Kara
I would say that you have gone above and beyond! I had the same
wonderful housekeeper for about 6 years, she is now doing a mission in
another country. For the past two years, I've had about 5 different
people/agencies. After carpal tunnel surgery, I tried a new agency that
charged by the hour. While cleaning a worker asked me to come clean up
some glue that spilled in my daughter's room. I promptly called the
agency and pointed out the situation. The next time they cleaned all
the on/off decal markings off the gas stove. We didn't think it was a
big deal, until the babysitter (a college graduate student) almost blew
up the house because she left the gas on! That was the last straw!
We are now with a better group, although not perfect, much better. I
never have them clean when I'm not here and they
arrive at the same time every two weeks.
anon hardworking mom
Hi-
I've never used a housekeeper before (too picky about the way things are
done to turn it over to someone else), but what you describe sounds like
bad service to me. I do not believe it is unreasonable to expect your
home to be respected, feeling displaced if you come home for lunch
because there are 5 people using your home as a cafeteria/using your
dishes, bent blinds, wanting to know who will be working in your home,
etc. I wish I had more advice for you, but I would look for a new
housekeeper/service. Try the BPN network/newsletters as a place to
start. I really don't think you are being unreasonable.
kukana
Pushing the limits? I'd say YES. Are these people crazy? I've
never heard of such a thing. Fire this company immediately and
call the women at Natural Homecleaning Professionals. They have
been working for me for over one year and I love them. I get a call the
day before my appt telling me exactly what time to expect my cleaners
(and they are the same ones each and every
time) and the ladies arrive exactly at that time. (And, no, they do not
use my dishes to eat their lunch!)
http://www.naturalhomecleaning.com/
Happy mama
Try not hiring someone through a company. We hired a housekeeper who we
found through our neighbor. She has worked for us for over 2 years and
we've never had a problem. Word of mouth recommendations are often the
best. Good luck.
anon
I am totally appaled to hear about your experiences. we have had a
housekeeper for over 7 years and tried to use ''independent
contractors'' who were women that basically advertised for themselves.
I wasn't throughly satisfied, sometimes I would find things broken and
then left there or places completely ignored (like the shower!!). When
we moved to our current house, I started using Vickie's Cleaning Team.
They are fabulous! I have the same housekeeper every 2 weeks who
arrives at the same time on the same day of the week for the last 4-5
years. You should be notified when someone is coming and no, it is not
unreasonable to have them come at the same time every time (unless they
made prior arrangement, say a bigger job before yours that lasted
longer). She comes in for
3 hours, brings all of her own supplies, rags, and vacuum & mop, she
never uses my supplies unless I specifically ask her to. If she fell
ill on my scheduled day I have the option of having someone else sub or
having my regular on a different day
when she is back to health. The housekeepers get benefits and
vacation time. We have never had an issue with them breaking anything.
She does all the regular cleaning of my house and then if time allows,
she finds a different ''special needs'' area to concentrate on each
time. They are quite pricey - $88 for 3 hours every other week, but I
am very happy to pay for a consistent clean house every time, with no
surprises. By the way, she even puts away all the things on my sink
drainboard so not one item is left there when she is gone. I recommend
you call them. they had a change in ownership last year (or was it
two), and I am sure it hits some bumps in the road, but I never noticed.
They are really easy to work with.
Kerri
Wow- I am stunned by your report of what your housecleaner is up to and
how your house is treated!
I have been cleaning houses for 2 years and have never even considered
using any of my clients household items or taking a lunch break inside
the home. My clients know the exact time I will arrive and leave at. I
never bring anybody else into the home. I treat and clean their homes as
if they are my own.
Get rid of your current service!
A responsible cleaner
I have had a housekeeper for 3 years and haven't had near the problems
you described. Just had one or two small things broken. Also, think
you would have better luck with one person as opposed to a service.
Would expect that providing feedback on issues would be acted upon more
promptly if you found the right person and kept the housekeeping group
to no more than two. If you want contact info on my housekeeper please
let me know.
PLEASE tell your housekeepers THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE and find yourself a
new crew to clean your house. Are you kidding me!!
THis is absolutely ridiculous. Why do you feel like you should be
accomodating and ok with such unacceptable behavior.
Remember, YOU PAY THESE PEOPLE TO CLEAN YOUR HOUSE - that is it. They
can eat their lunches in their car or in the street, not in your
kitchen.
Annoyed
You are not being unreasonable at all! We have never used a
housecleaner ''company'' but have always hired individuals. So we don't
have any issues about knowing who is coming, although the person we have
now does sometimes bring different helpers -- we don't know ahead of
time if it's going to be her husband, her sister, etc., but she is the
one responsible for them and we've never had a problem with a crowd.
Stuff gets broken once in a while, but no more often than we break stuff
ourselves, or would if we were moving stuff around to clean. I can
think of only two or three things in the last 7 or 8 years, nothing too
important. I doubt our cleaners ever eat lunch in our house; if they do
they certainly don't leave any trace. And while there are sometimes
last-minute changes in the time they are coming, they do let us know
more or less when we can expect them.
Feeling fortunate
Nov 2005
How many hours would you expect a housekeeper to work if you
paid them $60.00? I'm usually not home when my housekeeper
comes and was surprised one day when I was that she only works
two hours. Does that sound right to folks? I don't want to
talk to her about it if that's appropriate and I fully admit
that I might not know what is. Thanks!
Curious
If your housekeeper comes once a week and is able to really keep up on
the cleaning, 2 hours should be fine to keep everything tidy. We have a
once a week cleaner and we pay her $100 (she charges $80 and we tip
$20). She works about 2 hours sometimes a bit more. If she misses a week
then it usually takes her 3 1/2 hours to clean. We keep the house picked
up so that she can focus on the scrubbing of all surfaces. SHe doesn't
have to pick up after us so it saves time for the actual cleaning.
anon
I pay $60 for a 1000 sq ft house. I could care less how long she's
there...as long as it's clean. That said, the woman who cleans our house
needs nearly 3 hours, but we're messy.
If she's not doing a good job, then you need to talk to her. If you want
to pay her hourly, then you need to talk to her. But if you're
satisified with her work and your house is as big or bigger than mine,
you're getting a deal. What's $60...tappas and drinks at Fondas?
--happy someone else does the cleaning
Curious,
Usually you pay someone per house, not necessarily per hour. It all
depends on what your initial agreement was with your cleaner.
My housekeeper charges me a flat rate based on the size of my town house
and the task she needs to do. So at times based on her dayly work load,
she might bring a helper and is finished sooner, but the results are the
same, as if she would have come alone and lasted 4 hrs. What size is
your place for which she charges $60.
I guess the qts is: Are you satisfied with the work that she does?
Whether it be 2 hrs or more?
Ginelle
Hi,
I pay our housekeeper $80 per week (for a 4 bedroom 2 story
house) and for that she mops and vacuums floors, cleans bathrooms and
kitchen spotlessly, changes bedlinens, puts away toys and ''straightens
up'', and throws a load of laundry in.
Occasionally she cleans the oven or sweeps the patio, when needed. It
usually takes her 2-3 hours, depending on how dirty the house is :-) I
figure if the house is clean (and it's always spotless when she leaves)
she's doing her job. How fast or slowly she does it isn't really my
concern.
anon
I pay my current housecleaner $70. She works with another woman and I
believe they get our small 2 bdrm/1 bath house clean in under 2 hours.
I don't look at it as an hourly rate, but as a ''per house'' rate. I
don't care if they take 2 hours or 2 minutes - as long as they get the
job done decently.
If your housecleaner is like the majority of housecleaners, she's
unlikely to have a full schedule of homes. She's also probably illegal,
has no health insurance, no retirement plan, no car, is sending money to
family in another country, and not necessarily ''raking in'' $60k or
more a year.
Working Woman
I work alongside a housekeeper in my current job as personal assistant
and nanny.
She works for the family two days a week, 8am-4pm. She is paid $100 a
day (possibly under the table).
The family aren't at home to know when she comes and goes, but she
rarely leaves early and even then she makes sure her work is complete.
She does laundry, low windows, ironing, as well as vacuuming, dusting,
kitchen clean up, stripping and remaking beds and cleaning out the frige
(of old leftovers & wiping it down). So she has a lot to accomplish in
two days which makes leaving early a rare option.
Perhaps your housekeeper doesn't have enough to do and when she is done
she leaves? Check with her about this! Maybe paying in a different way
(besides hourly) is the way to go.
good luck!
I'm sure there is a wide range in what different housekeepers charge,
but I pay my housekeeper $50 to come once every 2-3 weeks and clean our
1 bedroom apartment and she stays for 4 hours.
I pay $70 for cleaning every other week. Our house is 3 beds/2 baths.
No pets and two kids. I am a stay at home Mom so I am kind of in and
out as she works. Most days she comes at 9 and leaves around 2:30. I
know she takes a lunch break, but my guess is that it isn't longer than
1/2 an hour, so she basically works pretty darn hard for five hours.
Julie
I pay for results, and don't care how long it takes. Are you happy with
the results? If not, then I would definitely say something -- point out
what you'd like clean that isn't getting clean. But if your house is
clean to your satisfaction when she's done, then I would let it go.
Anne
For $60, you should be getting AT LEAST 3 hours of work. (I pay my
cleaners $20 per person per hour, but I suspect that's on the high end
of the going rate.) I don't know anyone who pays their cleaners
$30/hour!!!
Sara
My housekeeper works about 2 hours every other week and we pay her $100.
My previous housekeeper did the same for $80.
anon
We also pay our housekeeper $60 and she is supposed to stay 4 hours, but
I think she
rarely does. And our person is not thorough, so for us her shorts stays
are a problem.
Does your person do a thorough job? If she is just super efficient and
high energy I
don't think you necessarily have a problem on your hands. If she is
really staying only
2 hours and is not doing a thorough job it would be reasonable for you
to ask her to
stay longer.
anon
I clean houses and I charge about $25/hour. It's really okay to
ask your housecleaner what her rates are based upon. If she's
good and you feel that you're getting your money's worth, then
it shouldn't matter if she waves a magic wand and it's done in a
second! (if only I could do that!) If you feel that you're not
getting your money's worth, talk to her. Also, if there are
specific things you want done, most people (myself included)
really apprectiate a written list. Best of luck!
cleaningdetail
For $60.00 your housekeeper should be working from 3-4 hours,
depending on her hourly wage.
If she's there for 2 hours....is she alone, or working with
someone so actually 4 hours of work is getting done.
In 2 hours (or whatever time it is) is she doing a good complete
job? That's really the question at hand. If she quoted you
$60.00 per time to do specific jobs and she's doing that, then
she can work for 15 minutes, if she can get it done as agreed on.
Hope this helps,
anon
I'd recommend that you think about this as a salaried service,
as opposed to an hourly wage service. If for $60 your home is
as clean as comparably sized homes for which their owners pay
$60 per cleaning, then the price is right. If you are not happy
with the quality of the work, or you're paying a lot more than
others you know whose houses are about as big, then you may be
paying too much. I don't think it matters how quickly your
housekeeper works, if s/he is providing the service you expect.
Otherwise, you're penalizing her/him for her/his efficiency.
Until recently, we had a housekeeper who took about 6 hours to
clean our house. The quality was fair. We recently switched,
and now have someone who does a better job, always does
some ''extra'' task, and does all of this in a little more than
1/2 the time it took our former housekeeper. I'm delighted to
pay more on an hourly basis for better service.
Lisa
We pay our wonderful housekeeper $100/week. We take taxes out,
pay into social security, etc., we give her a few paid weeks
off each year and give her an annual bonus. She works about 3
or 4 hours each week. I think $60 for two hours is probably
pretty standard.
Anon
Try to look at it this way: You are contracting for a service.
How long it takes your expert contractor to perform such service
is none of your business, assuming they perform adequately.
Why should an efficient businessperson be penalized for working
faster than the average schmoe? Think about it - if you required
a certain number of hours for this, perhaps they would give you
the same work, but just find a way to do it slower. That's
ridiculous, and isn't treating your housekeeper like the
professional s/he is. You only have cause to discuss it if the
work is shoddy or not up to par.
Good luck
Jan 2005
I currently pay $55 every two weeks for our cleaning lady to
clean (surface only, not in depth, no sheets/bed making) an 1100
square foot home (2BR 2BA). I've been paying that for 3 years,
at least, and wanted to find out what the going rate for
something similar would be. I don't believe she will ever ask
for an increase, yet I want to be fair and give one if
appropriate. What do others pay?
Thank you
Jennifer
We used to live in an 1100 sq foot cottage (2 bdr/1 ba) in
Berkeley, until recently. Our cleaner charged us $65 for
dusting bookshelves, walls and furniture; throughly cleaning
bathrooms; kitchen(even appliances incl fridge); windows;
blinds; mopping all floors and vacumming all area rugs; putting
sheets in the dryer and then on the beds; and taking out the
garbage and recyling.
anon
We pay $60 for a comparable job -- our house is a little larger
overall but has only one bathroom. The cleaner we had before
the current one charged us $70.
anon in Albany
Our housecleaner (a man) charged us $85.00 per time (two times
per month) to clean about 1400 sq.' of house. He recently raised
his prices (after 2 years) to $112.00 per time. That seemed a
bit high, but we loved and trusted him. AFter about 3 months of
paying the new rate we had to let him go...it was just too much.
We're now trying to do it ourselves, along with the kids
helping. As soon as it gets to be just me, we hire someone else.
Seems like $65.00 to $85.00 is about the going rate, depending
on size of house.
anon
We pay our housecleaner $110(she comes every other week). Our
house is 2000 sq ft, 2 1/2 bathrooms. It takes her about 5-6 hrs
each time and we have 2 young messy boys. She has been working
for us for 4 years. She is excellent and wonderfully reliable.
anon
I notice many ask the going rate for housekeepers / services,
hoping to pay as little as possible. I have an alternate idea.
Why not consider how many hours a person works for X number of
dollars, and figure out what sort of life they can lead based on
that? This may sound confusing, but the point behind it is this:
Why is it okay for us to pay as little as possible, many times
slave wages where people can barely support themselves, and yet
we indulge ourselves in our own lives? This is not a judgment of
those struggling financially; instead it is food for thought for
those who can afford life's extras. Regardless what someone's
expertise is, they deserve to be able to support themselves.
Don't you think? Do you think it's really okay that someone works
full-time but still must live in poverty? If those who have
plenty do all they can to undercut others, how can we create
balance and loving in this world? For our children and future
generations.
It is hard for me also to part with my money, but instead of
trying to pay ''competitive'' wages [which is code for ''only as
much as I have to in order to hire you''], I endeavor to pay fair
and living wages. I pay as much as I can afford, while trying to
be fair to everyone involvd.
Best of luck to all who are unsure what to pay for services.
anon
April 2004
I wasn't able to find any current information on
housekeeping rates in the archives, but I was curious to
know if $100 for a 2 bedroom/2 bath home seems like a fair
deal for cleaning. Two people can clean our 1,900 square
foot home in 2 hours. This also includes ironing. I thought
this was a little high, but just wanted to see what you
think. Thanks!
$100 seems a bit high to me. I pay my house cleaner $80
for my 3 bedroom 2 1/2 bathroom house. It is also about
1900 square ft. She does not do ironing but folds clothes. Anon
Last time I checked around, less than a year ago, the going
rate for individual cleaners was in the $15-$25 per hour
range. I got quotes of between $60 and $100 for my 2+
bedroom, 1 bathroom approx. 1200 square foot Albany home
(no laundry or ironing).
Cleaning services or larger companies tend to charge more.
I pay $75 for one housekeeper to clean our ~1800 sq. ft. 4
bdrm/2 bath house (2x/month). She does an excellent job
(usually stays about 4 hours) and even does extras at
times (of her own accord) like windows, pulling out
furniture to clean under it, etc. $100 sounds a bit high
to me. My housekeeper, Jeannette, is looking for more
work, so contact me if you'd like her contact information.
julie
I have a 3 bedroom/3 bath in about 1900 s.f. in
Piedmont. I have an excellent housecleaner who
cleans top to bottom bi-weekly for $70 a pop. I used to
use her once a month for $85 a pop. It takes her about
4 hours to clean the whole house solo. We loooove her.
She dusts even the highest shelves which we would
never see. Last week, she cleaned out every little circle
in our XL rubber bathmat. To be honest, $100 sounds
high for a 2 BR/2BA in the same space.
$100 for a 2 bedroom/2 bath seems a tiny bit high but not
unreasonable for a legit service. If you live between S.
Richmond and N. Oakland, I recommend our service, Natural
Home Cleaning, http://naturalhomecleaning.com, 510 - 532 -
6645. Our 3BR/2BA 1600 s.f. house is $90.
David
June 2003
I recently hired a housekeeper just for a one-time trial.
She works for my neighbor and was looking for a few extra
hours. She charged me for 3 hours though she worked 2 1/2
dusting, mopping, vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom and she
stopped to chat frequently. She did a pretty good job, but
didn't entirely clean up after herself. Since I've never
done this, I'm wondering what is standard protocol. Am I
being overly fussy? And what is the going rate for work
like this?
Thanks in advance!
Kate
we pay our housekeeper $20/hr. for a 3 hr. clean up. some
people charge by the job, but i like to pay by the hour,
and that way i can ask her to do whatever we need done
within a time limit. seems fair for both of us.
We pay our housekeeper $12/hour and it takes her 5 hours to
clean our house, for a total of $60. I think that's about
average based on what friends say they pay.
I noticed several posts recently regarding paying the housekeeper
by the hour or by the job. I think its important to clarify why you
need to pay a housekeeper by the job. If you pay your
housekeeper hourly, she becomes your employee! If she is paid
by the job, she is an independent contractor. As an independent
contractor, she has a job to perform and gets paid the same
amount, whether it takes her 1 hr or 3 hours. You put yourself in
murky waters by insisting on paying her hourly. In the event that
something goes wrong, she has recourse to file a complaint with
the Fair Employment and Housing, and then you have trouble with
having not paid her taxes, social security contributions etc. . .
Someone who has learned
some examples of pay from 2001 newsletters, most in Berkeley...
"Mine cleans a 3000 square foot house (the bottom floor being all
hardwood) for $80, every week. It takes a good person about six hours to do the
job right "
"We pay $70 for our two-story, medium-size house twice a month"
"she charges $60 to clean one bathroom,
kitchen, living room, dining room, two bedrooms, one small study"
"I
pay her
and her helper $50 for 4 person-hours of cleaning (2 people working 2 hours)"
"she cleans our small house once a week for
$40."
"She normally
charges about $50 for 4 hours work"
"I pay $50 every week for about 2 1/2 hours of work"
1999
I feel that unfortunately, the $50.00 for one day is too little.
You may be able to find someone for that amount if you keep looking.
Due to the fact that you only want them for
one day, you are more than likely finding that you need to pay an
additional premium. Most of the people doing this type of work want
stability and want to work as many days as possible. There is no
incentive to come to someone's house for only one day, for there are
also travel expenses incurred if nothing else. If you have friends who
are also looking for day housecleaning services, perhaps you can join
together and offer several days of employment at your desired rate,
rather than just one day.
AH
I've found reliable housecleaning for our not very big 3 bedroom place
costs $70-$85. I figure with transportation time (since most of the house
keepers end up on public transport), the time cleaning etc, I am
paying about $12 an hour, which is fair. Add to that the inconvenience
of us only wanting housecleaning once every two weeks, I want to be generous
enough for it to be worth it for the house cleaner to come regularly, when
she can probably get a job every week for that day.
Myriam
July 2002
My husband and I currently share childcare responsibilities -- I
stay home with our 4-month-old in the morning and he's on duty in
the afternoon. My husband's studio is behind our house, and my
studio is 10 minutes from home. We are both self-employed and
consider ourselves pretty lucky to have flexibility in our
schedules to allow this, which helps to make up for not having a
paid maternity leave.
With project deadlines recently, I've been working swing shift
hours -- 1pm to 9pm-ish. The total number of hours I work is not
likely to change, although I can usually get in an hour in the
morning when baby is napping and put in one or two hours at home
in the evening. This schedule actually suits me okay, but it means
that hubby and I don't really hang out together since we're both
trying to work whenever we can. It also means that there isn't a
whole lot of laundry and cleaning getting done. It can also get
pretty stressful when we both have meetings or such and we have to
pass the baby back and forth. I will sometimes bring my son to my
office -- but it makes for a very unproductive work day.
We need help, but I don't know what kind of help. Neither of us
wants to give up our designated childcare hours. I don't want to
hire someone to be with our baby just so that I can catch up on
the laundry. I *think* that hiring someone to do the chores sounds
like a better solution. But aside from my middleclass guilt, I
don't know whether this would work.
I understand from a recent thread here that some nannies are
willing to also do chores. So, a combo is a possibility. How is a
''mother's helper'' different from a nanny or housekeeper? I would
love to hear from anyone who has been in a similar situation.
Hae
A dear friend taught me to delegate to my babysitter some of my
load of light household chores (laundry, setting the table,
grocery shopping, making a salad, making kids lunches for school
days) so I can spend my non-working hours with my kids. I would
much rather pay her to wash my dishes than to stand there at the
sink doing dishes while she enjoys playing with my darling
kids. After all, they are my kids. I do not think it is okay
to ask a sitter to do ''heavy'' chores or cleaning, but you can
hire a separate cleaner every other week to do that, or set
aside a non-babysitting day, and pay the going rate for
housecleaners, if your sitter is willing and good at cleaning.
The most important thing (other than getting over the middle-
class guilt) is to be clear up front what the job will entail.
Some sitters consider it below them to do any housework that is
not directly connected to the baby (like they'll fold baby's
laundry but not adults'). Best to find this out before you hire
someone. Be clear that the job is going to be 25% or 50% or
whatever light housekeeping, and spell out the chores you'll be
asking her to do. Especially if you pitch in once in a while
when the sitter can see, I think it's perfectly fine to ask your
nanny to do tasks that otherwise take you away from your kid(s)
when you are caring for your child.
Suzanne
My situation was slightly different than yours, but my husband
and I had the same desire to do as much as we could on our own
during my daughter's first year. Our daughter was a high-need
baby & a catnapper, which meant there were no reasonable or
reliable stretches of time to get stuff done when we watched
her. We went the mother's helper route, hiring a college
student who would take turns doing chores and holding the baby.
The student would do straightforward chores like laundry,
changing sheets, running errands or washing dishes. My daughter
would only nap in the sling, so sometimes I would get the
student to wear her down and nap so I could do other kinds of
chores. My daughter didn't really put up with being with
anybody besides mom or dad when she was awake, though, so having
the flexibility to trade off like that was ideal.
-- Ilana
I think what you need is a housekeeper who can do a little
childcare, rather than a nanny who can do a little cleaning(or a
mother's helper, who doesn't do big cleaning stuff). When my
baby was born, I discovered my housekeeper (who was already
working for me) was great for ''pitching in'' with childcare - I
wouldn't have hired her as a fulltime nanny (her English was
almost non-existent and my Spanish totally non-existent) - but
she loved babies and filled in here and there on more than one
occasion. I happily left the baby with her while I ran errands,
or when my nanny had to leave work early for a doctor's appt,
she could take over. She also did evening sitting for us. If I
were you, I would interview housecleaners and ask them if they
would be willing to do some childcare sometimes. Your
housecleaner might not have the childcare experience you'd want
from a nanny but if she has children of her own and/or some
common sense, it should work out fine. You may even find a
housecleaner who would love to gain some ''professional''
childcare experience. The big rule in hiring anyone, a nanny, a
housecleaner, a marketing director, etc. is to make your
expectations VERY clear in the INTERVIEW. Stuff may still go
wrong but at least you can tell yourself (and the employee!) ''I
told you!!'' FYI, my housecleaner charged $10 per hour for
housecleaning and that's what I paid her for sitting too. That
may be a little low - this was a few years ago. I made it clear
she didn't have to do both jobs at once - if she was cleaning,
she didn't have to watch the baby - and if she was watching the
baby, she didn't have to clean. A few times it worked out that
she would clean in the morning and then mind the baby and while
he napped, she napped. I was happy to be able to go out, and
both she and the baby were happy to sleep, so it worked out
great for all of us!
Fran
What should be expected in a housekeeper?
2001
I have an awkward situation in which my housecleaner has become a
friend, and yet I'm not completely satisfied with her work. I'm new to
having a housecleaner, so I am hoping to get some advice from others who
have had more experience, and can help define what general expectations
should be. I would like to know this before deciding whether to say
anything, as I don't want to seem demanding or petty. I like this
housecleaner because I trust her (she works at the building where I
live), she is really friendly with my child, and if she sees me with too
many grocery bags she helps carry them, etc.
In the last 2 months I've had her clean the floors once a week, and the
rest of the place once a month. She does a good job on the floors
except that I find areas she's missed. This past time she didn't shake
out the bathroom rugs or clean under the portable pantry. Am I being
picky or looking too closely after she leaves? However, she did a
wonderful job on the inside of our fridge. If this info. helps, we live
in a 1,050 sq. foot loft -- it takes her 1 hour to do the floors, and
1.5-2 hours to do the overall (incl. floors). I pay her $20 for floors
(vacuum and mop), and $50 for the overall. She will not accept tips,
and tells me instead to take the tip and buy something for the baby.
Thanks in advance for any tips on what should be expected from a
housecleaner.
If you're paying by the job you might have to pay more for deeper cleaning. If
you are willing to do that, your discussion with your housekeeper about doing a
more thorough cleaning shouldn't be taken as criticism. Since I pay by the hour,
I have never hesitated to ask for something to be done differently and no one
has ever taken it as criticism. As far as being picky: everyone has their own level
of tolerance for dirt (for some people, it's a real health issue) and it's your right to
ask for something to be cleaned the way you want it.
-Fran
I don't think you are being too picky or cheap. I have done a lot of researching of
housekeepers in the area, and you are being way more than generous. I've found
that, if you break it down hourly, they charge about $10 to $16 per hour. Most
want to do it by the job. Mine cleans a 3000 sf house (the bottom floor being all
hardwood) for $80, every week. It takes a good person about six hours to do the
job right (or two people three hours), which is about $13 per hour. I give her very
detailed instructions on what I need to have done, and, if she misses something,
I just ask her to do it. She is not offended--she wants to do a good job. Paying
someone what is, in essence, $20 to $25 per hour for housecleaning seems
incredibly steep. Heck, I might clean your floors for that kind of money!
-Lawson
Have you tried writing a list for your housekeeper of what you'd like done each
time? She may need to have something visible in front of her as a reminder. My
housecleaners sometimes run out of time and can't get everything done. Some
weeks they do a better job in the kitchen, other weeks a better job in other areas.
If I have to say something I usually make it sound like I'm really picky, rather
than that they aren't doing the job I expect. Good luck. She sounds like a kind
and caring person.
June
I would suggest being honest with yourself first. How important is this to you? If
your known for being nit picky, demanding or petty, you should consider your
motive before you would speak to her. If not, then feel guiltless in your approach.
Be honest with your housekeeper, and keep in mind it is not always what you
say, but how you say it. :o) Oh and don't leave out the prayer, prayer before a
tough situation and belief in prayer working makes a good comfort to a difficult
situation.
Paying your housekeeper when you go on vacation
2001
We have a housecleaner who comes and cleans our small house once a week for
$40. We quite often go away for a couple of weeks at a time and when we do
we give her the full amount for the weeks we are away, but tell her that
she doesn't need to come. (We figure that since she has committed that
time slot to us, it's not fair not to pay her for it even if we don't use
it, since she can't easily make up her income.) This summer we are going
away for 6 weeks and one of us is having second thoughts about paying her
for the whole time we're away, even though, obviously, the above reasoning
still holds. I am curious to know what other people do in this situation.
I agree that you should pay your housecleaner while you are away; she
certainly counts on the income and can't make it up easily without giving up
your "slot" to another family. The way we handle it is by asking our
(wonderful) housecleaner to do a BIG clean while we are away for long periods
(usually one month, once a year), top to bottom, more than the usual....
i.e., inside the fridge, accessible windows, baseboards, fans, venetian
blinds, carpets, whatever really needs doing that isn't done as part of
weekly cleaning. We make up a list jointly in advance. She usually comes
twice while we're gone to get this done.... so she is being paid for two
visits for no work (getting a much needed and much deserved break) and, in exchange,
we come home to a sparkling house.
-Dm
It is unreasonable to expect that your housekeeper would keep your
"space" in his/her schedule if you are not willing to pay for it. If
you do not pay, he or she should be free to find someone else to work
for -- permanently if need be. You pay for the continuation of
service, and in appreciation of the working relationship you have
established. -Dana
Recommendations for Houskeeping Services
See also:
Hispanic Referral Services (formerly, Manos)
Note:
The recommendations below apply to cleaning services only.
Many Parents Network subscribers have recommended individuals as well,
but these are not archived
to the website in order to protect peoples' personal information.
Please use the web form to seek and give recommendations for
individual housekeepers.
2001
I would like to recommend my current housecleaner who is simply excellent.
He has very reasonable rates and cleans extremely well which makes him an
excellent value. Also, he is very good with following advice. If he forgets
something and I remind him he is very receptive to the same. His spouse is a
doctoral student at U.C. Berkeley. He lives in Albany in the UC Berkeley
married student housing. He is very reliable and conscientious. His company
is called Royal Cleaning company and their license number is #2044374. The
website address is http://ourworld.cs.com/royal732
Sharmila
1999
From: Debbe
I just hired someone this past weekend to clean parts of my house in
Richmond View, and she did a pretty good job and was very reasonable. Her
name is Eva of Eva's Cleaning Service. To clean
my kitchen and bathroom, which took a little less than 4 hours total, she
charged me $35.00
I did use an agency (Dana's Housekeeping
Service, actually a big, possibly even national, company) for several
months, but it was very poorly run, had high turnover, and cost a bit more.
In the end the agency ended up being a lot more trouble than it was worth.
The obvious advantage to the agency is that they find you a housekeeper and
can provide a substitute if that person is ill or quits. Also, if they
send someone over you don't like, you can avoid the unpleasant task of
"firing" someone by telling the agency you'd like them to find you someone
new. However, in my experience the high turnover meant that I was breaking
in a new person every few months and often had to cycle through a few
housecleaners before I found another one I liked. If you can find someone
reliable and stable you're likely to much
happier than with an agency.
I think you can find people/agencies who will bring their own cleaning
supplies, but I like to provide my own so I can be sure the products being
used are appropriate to the task and not too nastily smelly or toxic.
My husband and I feel that cost of professional housecleaning is some of
the best money we've ever spent and when measured against the increased
time we have to spend with each other and our daughter is worth much more!
1997
One of the best gifts my parents have given us is that they pay for someone
to come to our house for 4 hours once a week. I can highly recommend our
current employee, but I won't put her name and phone number on a public
mailing list (I'll send it to you privately). I found her through an
organization called Manos. They train people and make referrals
and the nice thing is that they are available on phone to translate to/from
Spanish in case you need them. (They also do other things such as
gardening and painting I think). You pay the person they send $9/hr if
it's a one-time thing and slightly less if you plan for it to be regular.
However, they have to give some of this to the agency so what I usually do
is try someone out and then if I like them ask them to come on a regular
basis, bypassing the agency. (I think they changed the rules as the agency
used to take a flat fee and then give free referalls which makes more
sense). You can feel the person out for how good their English is and for
trustworthiness as well as how thorough they are. You have to provide all
the cleaning supplies which stay in your house. Most of the people are
good, decent, hard-working, etc. The only problem I've ever encountered is
late- or no-shows without calling, which is when I'd try someone new. The
better a person's English the more likely they are to call.
I recently read a couple of requests for house cleaners. I have some
information that may be useful to the group. I recently used a group
called the Fruitvale Latino Employment Cooperative. From
their brochure: "The Fruitvale Latino Employment Cooperate is a nonprofit
community organization dedicated to increasing the job skills and
employment availability for Central American and Mexican immigrants and
refugees in Oakland. We offer our members job placement and training in
exchange for their membership and participation."
If you are interested in a house cleaner, either one time, short term, or
regular, just call, describe the job duties, indicate whether or not you
need some English language skills and how much you can pay, ( I believe the
scale is $8-12 per hour). They will send someone to your house via public
transportation. The worker will come with a contract and a Spanish
translation list of typical housecleaning duties. You pay the worker
directly (checks ok).
RE: Housecleaner recommendations: a good cleaning service, which will
assign a regular individual cleaner to your home is Busby's of Berkeley,
524-0459.
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