How much domestic help do you have?

[Logan Sapphire]

We have two young kids who are in daycare and we both work full time with long commutes that keep us out of the house over 11 hours. No help, hired or otherwise. The one thing about having daycare kids is that at least on the weekday, the mess they make is minimal compared to the weekend sice they're not home during the day.

I don't necessarily mind housework but the one thing I would outsource if I could would be meal planning, cooking, and food shopping.

 

[packrat]

I *am* the domestic. And I work full time. It's fabulous. I'm tired and bitchy all the time, stressed out, the house is a mess, and I've burst into tears on more than one occasion. I'm happier at work and most of the time I don't want to go home. I didn't get help after having the kids or any other surgeries, I sucked it up and did everything myself.

So, if you can afford to hire help, DO.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Would anyone mind sharing how much they pay for cleaning/services?

cheers--Sharon

 

[Bella_mezzo]

We live in NYC.

I have a demanding full-time job and am doing an MBA part-time (plus this semester I am TAing for a class). DH is in school full-time for premed and is a part-time EMT. We have an amazing 4 year old son.

We have someone coming this Saturday to clean and I am currently freaking out b/c it still looks like a department store blew up in our house. We had someone come clean once this summer and it was weird but lovely. I am hoping that this will be even better, but if they can't get to the floor b/c of the clothes that will be an issue

I am not a great housecleaner in the best of circumstances, but am great at cooking, budgeting, childcare, etc. We have coin-op laundry in the basement of our building (which makes it much harder to juggle doing laundry). If I have time, I like doing domestic things, but right now I don't have much time at all.

We have too much going on right now and if we had the money I would 100% hire someone to come weekly and help organize, clean, do laundry, and cook healthy meals. I would also hire someone to come and do personal training/in-home pilates with me after my son goes to bed. If we really had a lot more income, I would have a driver, a masseuse, and an accupuncturist on-call 24/7 .

Right now, our house is a mess, we have mountains of laundry, we eat way more take-out than our waists or wallets can afford, and we are very tired. But, I love being a mom and would not trade that part of the equation for anything.

Off to fold clothes and sort clothes and excavate clothes, and in general unearth our room...

 

[Missy]

HI:

Would anyone mind sharing how much they pay for cleaning/services?

cheers--Sharon

Hi Sharon, we pay our cleaning person $150 for our Brooklyn apt (2400 sq ft) and the cleaning people $200 for our beach house (3200 sq ft).
HTH!

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Would anyone mind sharing how much they pay for cleaning/services?

cheers--Sharon

Hi Sharon, we pay our cleaning person $150 for our Brooklyn apt (2400 sq ft) and the cleaning people $200 for our beach house (3200 sq ft).
HTH!

Hope you are well Missy!!!

Thanks for the info....would you, etal, mind sharing the details....rate/hour, per sq/ft....etc?

cheers--Sharon

 

[Supers]

I pay my cleaning lady and her partner $50 a week. They are here for about 1-1.5 hours.
They vacuum and mop (I hate both those things), tidy up the kitchen if there are dirty dishes, clean the toilets and shower, and also iron if there is any to be done.

DH and I both work full time, and we would rather spend our time relaxing. During the week we do other chores (dishes, tidying up, laundry) anyway.

As Dreamer says, do what works for you - it sounds like you have lots on, so use help if you need to.

 

[Missy]

HI:

Would anyone mind sharing how much they pay for cleaning/services?

cheers--Sharon

Hi Sharon, we pay our cleaning person $150 for our Brooklyn apt (2400 sq ft) and the cleaning people $200 for our beach house (3200 sq ft).
HTH!

Hope you are well Missy!!!

Thanks for the info....would you, etal, mind sharing the details....rate/hour, per sq/ft....etc?

cheers--Sharon

You're very welcome Sharon! We are doing fine. Still waiting for our bulkhead to be repaired before we can fix the mess that is currently our backyard. Thank you for asking! I hope you and your family are doing well and enjoying the holiday season! You must have snow by now-I love how pretty the snow is when it first falls. So pristine.

There is no hourly rate. We pay a flat rate and the cleaner(s) themselves set it when they came to inspect our homes. The cleaning person who cleans our Brooklyn apt is by herself and while I am not there while she cleans I estimate she is there about 5-6 hours. But that is my guess. Our apt is 2400 square feet. 4 bedrooms, 3 and a half bathrooms.

At the beach we have 2 women who clean (they used to belong to a service and they broke away to start their own business) and they bring their own equipment and supplies. They also charge us a flat rate and that is $200. Our home at the beach is 3200 square feet and they are there about 4 hours or so. Again it's an (educated) guess because the first time we were out cycling and they called us to let us know they were finished and it was about 4 hours or so. 4 bedrooms, a study and 3 and a half bathrooms.
Most of the time we are not even there when they come to clean.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Would anyone mind sharing how much they pay for cleaning/services?

cheers--Sharon

Hi Sharon, we pay our cleaning person $150 for our Brooklyn apt (2400 sq ft) and the cleaning people $200 for our beach house (3200 sq ft).
HTH!

Hope you are well Missy!!!

Thanks for the info....would you, etal, mind sharing the details....rate/hour, per sq/ft....etc?

cheers--Sharon

You're very welcome Sharon! We are doing fine. Still waiting for our bulkhead to be repaired before we can fix the mess that is currently our backyard. Thank you for asking! I hope you and your family are doing well and enjoying the holiday season! You must have snow by now-I love how pretty the snow is when it first falls. So pristine.

There is no hourly rate. We pay a flat rate and the cleaner(s) themselves set it when they came to inspect our homes. The cleaning person who cleans our Brooklyn apt is by herself and while I am not there while she cleans I estimate she is there about 5-6 hours. But that is my guess. Our apt is 2400 square feet. 4 bedrooms, 3 and a half bathrooms.

At the beach we have 2 women who clean (they used to belong to a service and they broke away to start their own business) and they bring their own equipment and supplies. They also charge us a flat rate and that is $200. Our home at the beach is 3200 square feet and they are there about 4 hours or so. Again it's an (educated) guess because the first time we were out cycling and they called us to let us know they were finished and it was about 4 hours or so. 4 bedrooms, a study and 3 and a half bathrooms.
Most of the time we are not even there when they come to clean.

Missy:

We are well, or rather we will be soon....when my son is finishes with his 6 course University term! OH MY!

I believe it is colder and whiter here than you might like!!! I think of you and your neighbours in what might be very difficult circumstances...I know it wasn't life changing, but I did (and many others I know) donate to Red Cross......

Thanks for the info! It is interesting to learn what rates are in parts of the country...universe.....

cheers--Sharon

 

[Missy]

Thank you Sharon- that was/is very kind of you and your friends to donate. And much appreciated. There are many people in terrible conditions right near us still. I know they all appreciate everyone's kind and generous actions. We were very fortunate as our damage was all to the outside mainly but there are so many in very life changing circumstances now and it's heartbreaking.

Good luck to your son! 6 courses is a whole lotta courses!! Hope he does amazingly well- and with you as his mama he cannot lose!

Stay warm! I like the white snow but not the cold that comes along with it that is for certain.

 

[Dee*Jay]

I am so impressed by those of you with jobs and kids and everything else that manage to take care of your own homes!

I live alone and I have a cleaning person who comes in every two weeks. (Dee hangs head in shame... ) Wow, do I feel guilty...

My job is pretty 9-5, and I'm taking two night classes with a lot of homework, but it's the weekend travel that really gets me--I go somewhere probably three weekends a month. If I had more time, I try to lie to myself that I *would* clean, but who am I kidding?

 

[Haven]

We don't have any domestic help. We did have a landscaper for a while, but we stopped using his services several months ago because DH decided he preferred to do everything himself. We had a cleaning lady come to the house to do a deep cleaning twice during my pregnancy, and while it was very nice to have a clean home, it was very uncomfortable for me and I didn't like it.

My husband is a bit of a clean freak, so we keep the house very clean ourselves. We both work full-time, but we don't have any kids yet. Our baby is due to come in a few weeks, so we'll see how it works out when we're parents. We might sing a very different tune in six months. We do have two dogs and three cats, so that adds some cleaning and maintenance time to our schedules, but right now everything is very easy for us to manage ourselves. We've reached a place in our professional lives where we no longer have to work for insane amounts of time every week, so that helps, too. There was a time when I worked seven days a week, one FT job and several PT jobs, and I definitely wouldn't have been able to keep up with the house during that period of my life.

DH grew up with a regular housekeeper. I did not. I'm uncomfortable with it, and he thinks nobody else cleans as well as he does, so I don't think that's in the cards for our future. I'll be home with the baby until mid-August, and then once I go back to work a good family friend will be caring for the baby, so that will be help. I don't foresee us using any other type of help, though, but we shall see. Time has a way of changing our lives, doesn't it?

 

[mary poppins]

DH and I prefer to do our own cleaning and split chores - a little bit daily as necessary. We do big cleans every so often when we see a need and also before we have company. Historically we have had a cleaning person come in one or twice a year to thoroughly clean the entire house all in one day. Although we can afford to have it done more often, we're not too fond of doing hiring cleaning people for various reasons and haven't done it this year.

However, if I had kids, lack of time, minimal help from DH, and sufficient funds, I would definitely hire someone to clean on a regular basis. Life's too short to stress about cleaning.

In addition, I think the previous suggestion of hiring an organizer for the spare room is great.

 

[Rosebloom]

HI:

Would anyone mind sharing how much they pay for cleaning/services?

cheers--Sharon

We pay $20/hour and it takes 5 hours to clean our four bedroom, 2200 square foot home. These ladies work so efficiently they do in 5 hours what would take me at least 10!

OP - my husband and I joke that while the house cleaner isn't cheap, it's cheaper than marital counseling! We are extremely happy together so that is a joke but if we canceled the housekeeper we may find out it wasn't such a joke after all!

I do most everything else solo though. My DH has an extremely demanding job with crazy long hours. And we have a severe food allergy situation in our family which means I cook absolutely every bite me and the kids eat (hubby buys his lunch at work though). For me, I love to cook, to organize, to do laundry, to run errands, to handle the finances, to be with the kids. But I HATE scrubbing toilets. So, I delegate and stay sane! A good family friend once told me "it's not really a problem if money can solve it." I think there's a lot of truth to that!

 

[mandasand]

I am thankful every day that my honey is military...he's very tidy and he even cleans the bathrooms and does his own laundry!

 

[justginger]

I am the domestic help. And I work.

Me too!!! My 'staff' must have walked out one day when I wasn't paying attention.....

I try to enlist my 2 kids that are still at home to at least vacuum upstairs and clean their rooms/their shared bathroom - but you'd think I'd asked them to reshingle the roof in 140F weather, hot sun, naked, no water... they look at me and glaze over when I ask for help! Do I not speak english to you??? do you not get that you have to help? That living at home for "free" with the 'rents, means you still have to help out?? Apparently not...

OMG... I don't recommend teenagers/young adults as hired help

It's not until I started living in a proper household (not a sorority house!) that I realized HOW HARD my mother worked. I was the only child in the house from age 5 and up, and I did very little to help. Mom did my laundry, vacuumed, cooked, did the dishes, changed my sheets, did all the shopping, etc, etc, etc.

DH and I split our house duties. He feeds the pets in the morning, I handle the evenings. He cooks and cleans the kitchen (he enjoys cooking), and I did all of the other housework. Laundry, vacuuming, mopping, cleaning the toilet, cleaning the shower, cleaning a million litterboxes and taking care of the foster kittens, etc. I don't have children to worry about, but I do work full time (plus 5-20 extra hours on the weekends/evenings).

I have considered getting someone in to do a deep clean about every other month or so. I think it would make me feel really good, perhaps worth the money.

 

[Haven]

DH and I prefer to do our own cleaning and split chores - a little bit daily as necessary. We do big cleans every so often when we see a need and also before we have company. Historically we have had a cleaning person come in one or twice a year to thoroughly clean the entire house all in one day. Although we can afford to have it done more often, we're not too fond of doing hiring cleaning people for various reasons and haven't done it this year.

However, if I had kids, lack of time, minimal help from DH, and sufficient funds, I would definitely hire someone to clean on a regular basis. Life's too short to stress about cleaning.

In addition, I think the previous suggestion of hiring an organizer for the spare room is great.

I completely agree with this. It sounds like getting some extra help would really alleviate a lot of stress for you. If I were in your situation and felt the way you do, I would go for it.

 

[stargurl78]

None, which is why my house isn't the cleanest! It's not dirty, but it's messy.

My mom helpfully suggested we get a cleaning person to do our bathrooms and kitchen! Apparently she isn't impressed by our cleanliness level.

Same here! Every time my mom comes over, she is always try to tidy up and do the dishes We have no extra help and I don't think I could ever convince DH that it was worth the cost for our small home. And while dirtiness bugs me, I don't care that much if I don't take care of messiness right away. DH and I both work full time and I'm going to school so the mail builds up, laundry sits for a while, and things like dusting, sweeping, and vacuuming don't happen as often as they should.

Honestly, I think people back in the day had more time to clean their own homes because they weren't spending so much time on the internet!! I swear, facebook, pinterest, and pricescope take up much more of time than I'd like to admit

 

[Missy]

None, which is why my house isn't the cleanest! It's not dirty, but it's messy.

My mom helpfully suggested we get a cleaning person to do our bathrooms and kitchen! Apparently she isn't impressed by our cleanliness level.

Same here! Every time my mom comes over, she is always try to tidy up and do the dishes We have no extra help and I don't think I could ever convince DH that it was worth the cost for our small home. And while dirtiness bugs me, I don't care that much if I don't take care of messiness right away. DH and I both work full time and I'm going to school so the mail builds up, laundry sits for a while, and things like dusting, sweeping, and vacuuming don't happen as often as they should.

Honestly, I think people back in the day had more time to clean their own homes because they weren't spending so much time on the internet!! I swear, facebook, pinterest, and pricescope take up much more of time than I'd like to admit

I think you have a valid point stargurl! I just said to my dh a few weeks ago that I cannot remember what I did with my down time before I discovered the internet. Keep in mind that I was late to the party because I was resistant to this for a long time. I did not own a mobile phone till 2004 and I did not learn how to use or get a computer till 2006!!! But anyway, I just cannot remember what I did with my spare time before I started my love affair with technology! It's good but it's bad too. I am definitely reading less books I think for one and probably making less real life connections with friends for another. Uh oh, I feel a new year's resolution coming on (JK-I don't make New Year's resolutions)

 

[iheartscience]

None, which is why my house isn't the cleanest! It's not dirty, but it's messy.

My mom helpfully suggested we get a cleaning person to do our bathrooms and kitchen! Apparently she isn't impressed by our cleanliness level.

Same here! Every time my mom comes over, she is always try to tidy up and do the dishes We have no extra help and I don't think I could ever convince DH that it was worth the cost for our small home. And while dirtiness bugs me, I don't care that much if I don't take care of messiness right away. DH and I both work full time and I'm going to school so the mail builds up, laundry sits for a while, and things like dusting, sweeping, and vacuuming don't happen as often as they should.

Honestly, I think people back in the day had more time to clean their own homes because they weren't spending so much time on the internet!! I swear, facebook, pinterest, and pricescope take up much more of time than I'd like to admit

HA ditto all this-are we the same person?! I also go to school on top of working full time, and of course there is so much internet to play on! The internet is probably the main problem, but honestly I'd rather have messiness than less free time. My mom always tells me how "filthy" her house is and I just laugh. Filthy to her means something VERY DIFFERENT than it means to me.

My husband wouldn't be opposed to getting cleaners but I would feel super awkward about having someone clean. I don't like people touching my stuff! I learned this when we had packers for a move. I was so excited, and then I couldn't stand to be there when they were working! I basically closed my eyes and ran out the door to work while my husband stayed at the house with them.

Plus I would worry that a cleaner coming in while I wasn't there might let the cats out.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

For those of you working and struggling to get everything done at home, my advice is...you deserve some cleaning HELP!!!

I have had someone come in to clean every 2 weeks for years. I mean like 25 years at least. During some of that time I was teaching (mostly part-time but a few years fulltime) and I quit two years ago when we moved but I kept my housecleaner! I still tutor a little and I use some of that money to pay the maid. Why? Because I enjoy teaching a child how to read more than I enjoy cleaning a big house! She does all the cleaning and changes sheets every other week. I pay her $65. I do laundry and cooking, all the shopping and household finances, etc.

For anyone's husband that is afraid to have a stranger in the house, I have always found that it was safest to get recommendations from others who have had the person awhile. I have never had a problem in those 25 years, but I think I have only had two maids in that time! I'd turn alllll the cleaning over to him and let him decide if some help should be hired!

amc80...with your hubby being a deputy sheriff, you are probably the last person who needs to worry about a stranger in your house!

Dee Jay...NO guilt, girl!!! You work hard and can afford the help! So why not???!!!

 

[Missy]

For those of you working and struggling to get everything done at home, my advice is...you deserve some cleaning HELP!!!

I have had someone come in to clean every 2 weeks for years. I mean like 25 years at least. During some of that time I was teaching (mostly part-time but a few years fulltime) and I quit two years ago when we moved but I kept my housecleaner! I still tutor a little and I use some of that money to pay the maid. Why? Because I enjoy teaching a child how to read more than I enjoy cleaning a big house! She does all the cleaning and changes sheets every other week. I pay her $65. I do laundry and cooking, all the shopping and household finances, etc.

For anyone's husband that is afraid to have a stranger in the house, I have always found that it was safest to get recommendations from others who have had the person awhile. I have never had a problem in those 25 years, but I think I have only had two maids in that time! I'd turn alllll the cleaning over to him and let him decide if some help should be hired!

amc80...with your hubby being a deputy sheriff, you are probably the last person who needs to worry about a stranger in your house!

Dee Jay...NO guilt, girl!!! You work hard and can afford the help! So why not???!!!

Huge ditto to everything DiamondSeeker wrote!!!!
Especially to those whose husbands don't want some stranger cleaning their house. Then turn the job over to him and let's see how long they feel that way!
And guilt is an energy drainer for sure. You work hard Dee Jay and deserve all that you work hard for yanno? That's not to say others don't deserve the help but you feeling guilty isn't going to change their situation. For this holiday season I hope that everyone who needs and wants help gets it!!!

 

[Dee*Jay]

For those of you working and struggling to get everything done at home, my advice is...you deserve some cleaning HELP!!!

I have had someone come in to clean every 2 weeks for years. I mean like 25 years at least. During some of that time I was teaching (mostly part-time but a few years fulltime) and I quit two years ago when we moved but I kept my housecleaner! I still tutor a little and I use some of that money to pay the maid. Why? Because I enjoy teaching a child how to read more than I enjoy cleaning a big house! She does all the cleaning and changes sheets every other week. I pay her $65. I do laundry and cooking, all the shopping and household finances, etc.

For anyone's husband that is afraid to have a stranger in the house, I have always found that it was safest to get recommendations from others who have had the person awhile. I have never had a problem in those 25 years, but I think I have only had two maids in that time! I'd turn alllll the cleaning over to him and let him decide if some help should be hired!

amc80...with your hubby being a deputy sheriff, you are probably the last person who needs to worry about a stranger in your house!

Dee Jay...NO guilt, girl!!! You work hard and can afford the help! So why not???!!!

Huge ditto to everything DiamondSeeker wrote!!!!
Especially to those whose husbands don't want some stranger cleaning their house. Then turn the job over to him and let's see how long they feel that way!
And guilt is an energy drainer for sure. You work hard Dee Jay and deserve all that you work hard for yanno? That's not to say others don't deserve the help but you feeling guilty isn't going to change their situation. For this holiday season I hope that everyone who needs and wants help gets it!!!

Thanks DS and Missy for making me feel better

When I had the "what do you want for xmas" conversation with my dad I told him I didn't need one more single thing--but if he happened across a house elf, I'd gladly take it! He said he had no idea what that was, but he'd look on the internet and see what he could find... If I open that box from my dad and a little gnome hops out with some windex in one hand and a mop in the other..........

 

[woofmama]

I have always worked and have two sons. When my oldest was a baby/toddler I would spend every Saturday, all day, cleaning. My sister would call to see if I wanted to do things with her and her son & I would often turn it down even on a glorius day
I look back on that time in my life and am filled with regret. I wish I had enjoyed more time with my young son. He'll be 21 in January and we don't do things together now. He lives at home and works at my business but we don't hang out. I kinda of feel like I wasted opportunity to forge a really deep bond.

In my 2nd marriage, after I had son number two I hired a twice monthly cleaning service. Best money I ever spent. We had to stop having them come when I quit my job to open my biz 5 yrs ago. House is a bit of a mess, we get the kids to help with chores and DH does loads of laundry, washes floors, cleans one of the bathrooms, loads/unloads dishwasher. Teen son is responsible for garbage, sweeping, dusting but has to be nagged. Older son does his own laundry & any other chores asked of him without much trouble.
My goal is to budget for a cleaning service again by next spring. I want time to enjoy life!

 

[woofmama]

I *am* the domestic. And I work full time. It's fabulous. I'm tired and bitchy all the time, stressed out, the house is a mess, and I've burst into tears on more than one occasion. I'm happier at work and most of the time I don't want to go home. I didn't get help after having the kids or any other surgeries, I sucked it up and did everything myself.

So, if you can afford to hire help, DO.

Packrat I hope you find a way to hire some help. Even once a month would be a huge stress reliever for you. I feel for you!

 

[stargurl78]

I think you have a valid point stargurl! I just said to my dh a few weeks ago that I cannot remember what I did with my down time before I discovered the internet. Keep in mind that I was late to the party because I was resistant to this for a long time. I did not own a mobile phone till 2004 and I did not learn how to use or get a computer till 2006!!! But anyway, I just cannot remember what I did with my spare time before I started my love affair with technology! It's good but it's bad too. I am definitely reading less books I think for one and probably making less real life connections with friends for another. Uh oh, I feel a new year's resolution coming on (JK-I don't make New Year's resolutions)

I used to be very into doing crafts but now I hardly ever have time for that anymore. And I used to cook and bake a lot. I really need to set a limit for myself for how much time I spend on the internet when I'm at home.

I saw this quote somewhere once (probably when I was wasting time on pinterest ) - "The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time". I think I'm going to use that as my excuse

HA ditto all this-are we the same person?! I also go to school on top of working full time, and of course there is so much internet to play on! The internet is probably the main problem, but honestly I'd rather have messiness than less free time. My mom always tells me how "filthy" her house is and I just laugh. Filthy to her means something VERY DIFFERENT than it means to me.

My husband wouldn't be opposed to getting cleaners but I would feel super awkward about having someone clean. I don't like people touching my stuff! I learned this when we had packers for a move. I was so excited, and then I couldn't stand to be there when they were working! I basically closed my eyes and ran out the door to work while my husband stayed at the house with them.

Plus I would worry that a cleaner coming in while I wasn't there might let the cats out.

[/quote]

I definitely agree with the bolded above. I need relax time even if it's at the expense of having messiness. And my husband isn't that tidy so it works out just fine for us Not only are we the same person, but our mothers must be too! My mom is always saying what a mess their house is but every time I go over there, it's SPOTLESS. She spends an unhealthy amount of time cleaning.

 

[SB621]

I have someone come each week for about 4 hours. She does floors, dusting, changes beds, helps with any laundry I haven't gotten to and cleans the kitchen. DH and I both work demanding jobs and travel...though not enough it is enough. We also have a 1 year old and a 2 year old so they can't exactly run off and play. DH loves to cook so that is his department. I clean when I can but without our cleaning person it would put a serious strain on us and our time with our kids.

 

[luv2sparkle]

I don't have any now, but I have in the past. I found that I cleaned before the cleaners came. Heaven forbid, they couldn't see my house dirty! Now, I just do it myself with the help of two older kids. When I was growing up, my mom had a little metal sign hanging in the kitchen that said,"my house is clean enough to be healthy and dirty enough to be happy". I don't know why that has stuck with me all these years but I try to make it my motto. It takes a load of pressure off.

 

[monarch64]

We don't use a cleaning service. My husband is super helpful and we actually enjoy cleaning. Neither of us is messy, so things stay tidy in general. We both work full time and have a 6 month old who is NOT in daycare. My mother comes up once a week to watch her, and about twice a month I take advantage of that time and do a deep clean while she's around keeping the kiddo entertained. My mother's visits also keep me from slacking off on the housework and especially on things like keeping the refrigerators/freezers clean and free from expired food. She's a neat freak and I don't want her judging me, haha! We also have people over for drinks/games frequently, or neighbors will drop by for a chat and a beer, so that motivates us to keep things clean as well.

My mother had some bad experiences with cleaning people and repairmen when I was growing up re. theft and I think that has stuck in my mind all these years, so I'm not very comfortable with having strangers in my home with access to my stuff licensed/bonded/insured or not.

 

[Dreamer_D]

We pay our cleaning person $25/hour. ETA: This is her rate that she requested, and we also give her a holiday bonus of appreciation.

I do not feel guilty about having help like that because not only do I need it, but I am providing gainful employment to a woman with kids who works part time. She could never find another part-time job with flexible hours that paid her that amount of money. It is, in my opinion, a very good wage. Not to mention the write offs for running her own business. Anyways, far from feeling like it is a luxury to feel guilty about, paying my cleaning lady means I am providing gainful employment to someone, and that is a good contribution to society.

ETA2: I have had cleaning people for the past 6 years and both came recommended by friends, its the best way to find good people. I also work from home in the start when they are around to get the "feel" for their personality and habits.