Maybe I Should Clean Houses
Jan 15th, 2007 by Greg Bulmash
So, while my wife was in the last months of her pregnancy and for a few months after the baby was born, we decided to get a housekeeper in twice a month to scrub the floors, toilets, sinks, etc. We still did our own laundry, dishes, and straightening up. But the stuff where there was strain or chemicals, the housekeeper did.
We went with a housekeeping service called Dana's, and the rates were fairly reasonable... around $18 an hour, part for the housekeeper, and part for the agency. We'd have someone in for 4 hours, every other week.
We got used to it, and since the price was reasonable, we kept on.
One of the housekeepers we grew to like. But when she had a knee problem (and got it fixed), Danas let her go as a liability, even though her knee was now better than before she got the issue fixed. We decided to let Dana's go and keep on with her. And for a number of months everything was great.
Around Christmas, she disappeared. On our regular schedule, Christmas day would have been our next appointment, so when she didn't show then, we didn't worry. It was a holiday. And we couldn't reschedule for the next Monday, because that was also a holiday.
A few days before Jan 8th, when we expected her to come again, I gave her a call to make sure that everything was hunkey dorey.
Her phone was disconnected. And on Jan 8th, she didn't show. A week later, she didn't come again and her phone is still disconnected. So I've been calling around to other services, getting quotes.
The average price for most of these services like Merry Maids, Maid Brigade, and even a local independent... $33-39 per person per hour. An average of $36 per hour... for a freakin housekeeper.
If you had a 40-hour a week job, making $36 an hour, you'd be earning close to $75,000 a year. SEVENTY-FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS per year. Now, I know that doesn't include travel time and the agency takes a cut, but $75,0000??? There are people with law degrees, who passed the licensing exam, and have to work 80+ hours a week to make $65,000 a year.
At the rates most of them are estimating, we'd pay between $3000 and $4000 a year more for them than we were paying for Dana's. That's ridiculous. But if I could find enough suckers... I mean clients... and charge them the same rates, I could make more cleaning houses than I could on a contract job that requires a college education and 5-10 years of experience in my field.
Sheesh.
First of all, have you ever tried housekeeping? It is an extremely physically strenuous and dangerous job. Do you honestly think that a person could clean houses for 40 hours a week?
It is physically impossible for one person to do that kind of work and not end up in the hospital.
I started my own cleaning business 4 years ago... oh and I clean the houses myself... and I have a bachelors degree... yeah, a "freakin housekeeper" has a degree. Is it ok with you that I enjoy doing this service for people who appreciate it?
Now, because of this business, I have bursitis in my knee, fibromyalgia of my entire back and neck, and asthma caused my spray cleaners. And I use all natural non-toxic cleaning products, no chemicals!
And do you think a COMPANY, that employs housekeepers and does all the things necessary to get YOUR house clean, does not deserve to make that kind of money? Is a degree and experience only acceptable for CERTAIN kinds jobs?
So, for whatever business you're in... you sound like a real freakin idiot! and a snob... people like you make this world difficult. you suck
@Michele,
Maybe if you took an economics class during the course of your Bachelor's degree, you would know why your post is a rant rather than a cogent argument. And maybe you'd have been able to find work that paid more and damaged your health less.
You're proof that a degree is not all it takes.
But in this economy and society, mere housecleaning is considered unskilled labor and unskilled labor does not command a premium.