Donna, a Co-Founder and VP of Operations here at Care.com, is in her third trimester and just went on maternity leave. She told me the other day that she's looking for help a few times each week with dishes, laundry, cooking, and household management throughout the rest of her pregnancy and after her new baby arrives. She posted a job on Care.com and is already interviewing some folks from our housekeeping and Care Gigs services.
Donna's not alone in needing a hand around the house. Quite a few of my friends and relatives are about to have babies, too. We looked into the Census stats and saw that the birth rate spikes from January through April, so that's not a surprise. If you're looking for help in the home, check out these tips that Donna put together for us. Here's what you need to know before you hire a housekeeper and what questions you should ask when you do.
Decide if a housekeeper is right for you
Does clutter pile up because you're too busy to organize? Are you lagging behind on basic errands? Can you write your name in the dust on your bookshelves? Has takeout become part of the routine because you're too busy to cook? A housekeeper can help you keep things together around the home.
There are plenty of reasons to hire a housekeeper. The one you really need to figure out, though, is NEED. Do you need a housekeeper? For my family, I definitely need one now—there are some things I can't do with a baby on the way. But different families have different needs. Some people need extra room in their schedule because their work life keeps them busy. Others want to spend more time with their family and less time scrubbing. Figure out what your specific need is—if it's big enough to look for outside help, it's time to hire a housekeeper.
Know how much to pay
Trying to figure out the going rate for housekeepers is confusing if you've never hired one before, so be sure to shop around before you hire. There are plenty of housekeeping companies out there. It's sometimes easier to go with them, but their rates tend to be higher than going with a self-employed housekeeper.
Check out caregivers in the housekeeping section on Care.com. You'll see that each one lists their rate on their profile. Search through a few in your area and you'll have a good idea what you should pay.
Decide what you want done
Are you looking for someone to clean up from time to time or do you want to hire someone to literally keep house on a daily basis?
Before you interview housekeepers, make sure you know what kind of job you're hiring them for. They'll appreciate the foresight and you won't end up paying for more work than you'd planned.
When you find the person that's right for your family, write down their job description before they start working. In my case, I'm looking for someone to do the dishes and light house cleaning, prepare meals for my family, run errands, and keep track of a weekly budget. I want to make sure they know all of their requirements beforehand so there aren't any surprises a month into the job.
A list of questions for the interview
When you get to the interview stage, here are a few questions you should ask:
- How do they determine their pay rate (by hour or day)?
- How much do they charge?
- Do they have their own cleaning supplies or will they use yours? (If you have a preference on cleaning products, you should supply them).
- When are they available to work?
- Do they have restrictions on what type of work they'll do?
- Are they insured? (If they are, they may charge a higher rate to cover their costs.)
- Can you contact other clients for a reference?
- Consider running a background check. If they're going to be managing any household finances, you'll want to know their history.
If you end up talking to more than one housekeeper, send an email to the ones you don't hire. Although they might be disappointed, they'll appreciate the courtesy. You never know when you might need their services in the future.
When you do make a hire, you might want to try out your housekeeper on a trial basis, at first. I want mine to be a good fit, not only for the job, but also for my entire family since we'll be interacting with each other on a daily basis.
Good luck with your search for a housekeeper! We hope whoever you hire will make your life easier and leave your home sparkling.
I am wondering about how these housekeepers pay taxes. I wish there was a section on this website that would make that part of the arrangement more "user friendly". I'm unsure of what questions to ask, and I'm unsure if answers I'm receiving from potential housekeepers, like "I am an independant contractor, so you don't pay my taxes" is sufficient and won't end up getting me into trouble with the IRS.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Anna
Posted by: Anna | March 11, 2009 at 04:29 PM
Anna,
If you are going to hire an individual it is imperative that you hire someone who is bonded and insured if you want to protect yourself from any liabilities. If the person you hire doesn't have workman's compensation insurance and they get hurt in your home on the job, they can expect you, thier employer, to take care of their medical expenses, etc. If you don't want to be required to withhold taxes for them and pay workman's compensation insurance for them, you or your account need to file a 1099 at the end of the year to show what you paid them as an independent contractor requiring that they withhold and pay their own taxes. Hiring a legitimate Housecleaning company will relieve you of these burdens and liabilities, as the company will have insured and bonded all of their employee's for you. This is why legitimate cleaning services will cost more than hiring a freelance individual; they assume and pay for all taxes, risk and liability. A company can also control & guaurauntee the work delivered and have enough staff to replace yours if they are sick or on vacation, etc. So, there are many advantages to hiring a company with much less risk involved, but also more expense for theses advantages. But if hiring an individual is your preference, just do it right: request copies of their workman's compensation insurance and bond, always pay with a check for documentation, and give them a 1099 at the end of the year to protect yourself IRS. I also suggest running a criminal background check prior to hiring, why can typicially be done through your local police office for under $20.00 per report. Hope this helps!
Posted by: Monika | March 22, 2009 at 10:31 AM
I adore my housekeeper. Thank you Care.com!
Posted by: Lesley | April 02, 2009 at 03:04 PM
I have wondered how to advertise my bookkeeping skills for those that use care.com services and those that provide the services. I am not sure where to list those! Also, there may be someone that needs a bookkeeper to enter the checks, do the Bank Rec. etc. Any ideas? I have two masters degrees in accounting and just want to slow down a bit!
-Lynne
Posted by: Lynne Corenbaum | June 24, 2009 at 08:29 PM
I have worked with families before so I am familiar with household chores and tasks I would be given, I speak some english, my language is spanish. thank you
Posted by: Daisy | June 25, 2009 at 09:47 AM
clean guest rooms make beds, clean bathrooms scrub,mop,dust,vaccum, enjoy interacting with people. Neat and clean appearance and pleasant personality and can adapt to changing situations.
Posted by: carolina | July 01, 2009 at 03:47 AM
At what point are you considered an employer vs someone employing contract services?
Posted by: John | July 15, 2009 at 01:41 PM
i have been cleaning empty buildings houses for ten years i do a really good and i do it very well and fast.
Posted by: brenda huth | July 17, 2009 at 10:09 AM
Are the housekeepers listed for employment with Care.Com bonded and insured by your company and do they have workman's comp?
If you ask a potential employee if they're bonded and insured and they say "yes" -- how can you be sure they're telling you the truth?
Posted by: priscilla | August 20, 2009 at 10:08 AM
I am looking for a housekeeper. I live in a one bedroom condo. I own two cats, and a puppy. I need someone who can walk the dog. Someone who is comfterable with pets. I need someone to do laundry, make the bed, clean the kitchen (counters, fridge, cabinets, stove, microwave) dust everything, organize, clean up after the pets, sweep and mop the floors, and possibly run some errands from time to time. I forgot to mention, cleaning the bathroom (everything)Someone who has their own transportion, doesnt smoke, has experience.
Posted by: Stacey ONeill | August 27, 2009 at 09:42 PM
I am a housekeeper. Insured and Bonded. I am comfortable with pets. I clean anything you need cleaned. I use my rainbow vacum and my new Haan steam cleaner.
Posted by: Becky Stoll | September 09, 2009 at 04:51 PM
Thanks for the sharing tips.
Posted by: hire staff | September 11, 2009 at 06:18 AM
well i really agree
Posted by: DELORIS | October 05, 2009 at 01:09 AM
I'm a licensed and experienced housekeeper, please give me the opportunity to
clean your home or office, I'm comfortable with pets and will bring my own supplies, Daily, Monthly, Weekly, Bi-weekly or just a one time cleaning service.
Very responsible,friendly,detail oriented and I charge a reasonable fee, according to your home size
Posted by: Maria | October 14, 2009 at 10:15 AM
Unlike those traditional cleaning companies today, I am a Cape Cod Green Cleaning Professional, using only Green Seal Certified house cleaning products, and in many cases, using every day household products; baking soda, and vinegar to name just a few. Our fully bonded and trained expert green cleaning professionals use only micro fiber cleaning cloths and as a company, we provide Dyson HEPA filtration vacuum cleaners to each one of our cleaning teams. We take pride in providing a healthier, alternative to cleaning with no sacrifices to quality in the process. In fact, you do not have to invest any extra money to begin the step to green cleaning when you choose our company. We believe that every one should “Go Green” with Green Cleaning.
Posted by: Karen | November 15, 2009 at 06:35 PM