Maids: Helping Hands When You Need Them

Just a few decades ago, the typical American home employed a maid or two. In fact, many larger homes used several maids to keep the home running smoothly and in good order. In today's American culture, most homes do not have live-in help. If they do employ help, she might visit the home once or twice a week to help maintain order and take care of seasonal tasks.

Maids are very proficient at their jobs. Some cook, most clean, and all take pride in their work. This individual used to be looked at as a second-class citizen or as a person that could not do anything else. That stigma is no longer true. These days, a cleaning lady is someone who is usually contracted through a service and comes to your home while you are off at work or taking care of other things.

Hiring a outside cleaning help is also different today than it used to be. You can hire one directly or you can go through a service and have them select the right person for the job. There are definitely benefits to both options. It is important to consider both methods of hiring and decide which is better for you.

When you hire help directly, you will need to take the time to interview each candidate, review resumes, check references, and complete a background check. The person that you hire will be trusted to be in your home alone and you should be able to put your utmost confidence in her. You would not want someone in your home that you could not trust to treat your home with care and respect. Additionally, this person needs to be trusted with your valuable possessions. Completing the hiring process can take a lot of time, but if you want to personally select the person that will be taking care of your home, then this is the perfect option for you.

Hiring someone indirectly takes a lot less work and considerably less time. Many companies act as contractors for maids and will match the perfect person to your home and lifestyle that they think will work best. The company takes the time to interview, check references, complete background checks, and even train the individuals that they hire. One major benefit to these types of services is that there is a measure of protection that comes with their service. The maid that shows up at your home will be a fully trained, reliable, and trustworthy individual.

What can you expect? All of that depends on what you need to have done around your home. Typically she will perform routine housekeeping tasks. On occasion, you can have her help with other more time-intensive or difficult things like oven cleaning, but you should be willing to increase her wage for more laborious tasks. Having someone to clean for you is a wonderful luxury that more Americans wish they could afford. This kind of service makes a great Christmas gift or Mother's Day present.