I was recently interviewed for Cookie Magazine and one of the questions was how Ron (my husband) and I divide up our chores and other family responsibilities. We don’t always agree, but after 18 years we’ve gotten into a routine. However, I do still hear these sorts of funny comments from girlfriends (keeping all sources anonymous, of course!):

 

“My definition of clean is just different from my husband’s.”
“I really have two jobs—at work and a special title at home: Chief Household Officer.” 
Says one working mom, “I wish I had my own ‘housewife… No, house-husband!”

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.

Ron used to say that we could find a way to get all the house cleaning done ourselves, but my definition of "clean" was different from his—call it a difference of perspective. In the past, we've had our nannies help out with some of the house cleaning, but it was always more important for us to have them focus their full attention on the kids and the dogs. So, we finally took the plunge and hired a housekeeper. It wasn't an easy decision, and the costs and benefits had to be weighed, but in the end, it has given us such peace of mind and so much more time as a family, and for that alone I think it's been worth it.

But hiring a housekeeper or cleaning service isn't for everyone. If you're weighing the decision, but need to draw up a pros and cons list, here are some things to think about:

• Nature versus Nurture
  Are you a natural "clean freak," or do you have to force yourself to clean because you know you should and you feel guilty about it? Real Simple magazine published a great chart last year, The Elements of Clean, which outlines all the basic house chores that need to be done and how often. If it seems overwhelming, or comes as a complete shock, you might consider calling in a professional (for whom it's second nature).

• Helping Hands
  How much help do you have from other members of your household? Is it always a struggle (or even a fight) to get your spouse or the kids to do their share of the chores? There are two things every couple argues or stresses out about: chores and money. Wouldn't it be nice to rid yourself of one of them? Hiring a housekeeper can be a literal relationship-saver for some people.

• Time
  How many hours a week do you spend cleaning? If the answer is more than 4 or 5, then you might consider calling in reinforcements. 5+ hours a week of cleaning becomes a part-time job. You would certainly spend time weighing whether or not a part-time job was taking you away from your family too much of the time. The same should be true if the chores become too intense! This great Time Value Calculator from MSN Money can help you quickly do the math to figure out how much your time is actually worth.

• Cleaning Products
  On average, how much do you spend each month on cleaning products? Add up all the paper towels, Windex, scrubs, sponges, etc. If the total is more than $50, then hiring a cleaning service or housekeeper might be more affordable than you think. Try looking for a housekeeper in your area who includes cleansers in their weekly or monthly rates and do the math.

These were just some of the contributing factors to my family's decision to hire Adriana, our housekeeper. If you decide to continue to go it alone, however, check out my favorite manuals from the housekeeping gurus:

Real Simple: Cleaning

Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook

How Clean is Your House?

And, if you've decided that hiring a housekeeper is the right decision for your family, be sure to check out these new articles from the Care.com Editorial Team to get started:

The Cost of Care: Housekeeping

Care Options: Housekeeping

Finding Care: Interviewing a Housekeeper

Have a story about or tips and advice on housekeeping? Share it with the Care.com community by posting a comment!

Cheers,
Sheila