By Amy Blakeslee
Mar 1, 2010
That does it! You have walked into your home for the last time to find it looking like a small scale invasion started or ended there. You walk past drifts of discarded shoes and socks, book bags, books and other items on your way to the kitchen and then wish to your very soul that you never went into that room. You are exhausted from putting in a full day at work, your spouse works just as hard and apparently the kids are allergic to pitching in at all. It is time to bite the bullet and get a professional on the job. Finding the right housekeeper is a matter of finding the perfect blend of right for the family, right for the task and right for the budget.
Where to start looking
There are two main ways to find the right housekeeper: through a service and through your own research. With a service you have the advantage of having pre-screened applicants. However, you should keep in mind that even the best agencies are not failsafe and you will have to do your own interviewing. If you are doing your own search, you can do so through a newspaper ad, on a community bulletin board or through word of mouth. Make sure that before you start searching, you know what tasks you are hiring for, how much you will be offering and how many hours a week you need a housekeeper for.
The right housekeeper for your family
The housekeeper is not always a warm and loving part of the family, regardless of what you see on television. Keeping that in mind, you should also know that unless this person works hours when everyone is gone, there is bound to be some interaction. If the housekeeper is absolutely not what you can tolerate or scares the children every time she looks their way, it might be time to consider a change in household help. On the other hand, if you love the way that the home feels and smells and you can’t get enough of her warm cinnamon buns in the morning, then you might have to work out a compromise.
The right housekeeper for the task
Hiring a young and fairly inexperienced person to do menial tasks around your home is safe; however, if you have crystal, silk and fine linens, you might want to have someone with more savvy skills instead. The more expensive items that are in your home, the more carefully you must work when you hire someone to care for them.
The right housekeeper for the budget
Before hiring a housekeeper, you need to figure out exactly how much you can afford to pay and how many hours you need them to work each week. Do research so that you know what the going rate is for the area that you live in before you start interviewing. If you only need someone for a few hours each week, consider hiring a student who could do the basic tasks that will help to keep the home clean. A bonus with the student might be the ability to negotiate a lower wage than you would have to pay a professional.
A final consideration
When you hire someone to come into your home, you are entrusting them with your family as well as your belongings. No matter how sweet they seem or how great their resume looks, always do the background-check and trust your gut if something does not feel right.
Also, know what you are planning to do for holidays as well as for days when the housekeeper is sick.
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