Hiring a housekeeper can change your life! They keep your house clean when you don’t have the time and leave it looking and smelling great. But did you ever think about what she can do beyond basic cleaning?
Many housekeepers today are expanding their options in order to appeal to more people. They can provide you with other services to make your life easier and simpler. Here is a list of ways (beyond cleaning) a housekeeper may be able to help out.
Keep in mind that if you ask a housekeeper to perform additional tasks, you should pay her more. Rates may also differ than what you’re used to paying for basic cleaning.
Does your housekeeper go above and beyond with additional services? Share them in the comments section below.
- Organizing
An organized house makes your life easier. Your housekeeper could help by organizing your closets on a regular basis. This could involve aligning things neatly, organizing by color or attire, packing away seasonal clothes and refolding linens and clothes. She could also help organize spots in your home that have gotten out of control, like your attic, basement or playroom. - Shopping for Groceries
Grocery shopping can be time consuming and when there is no fresh food in the house, you are more likely to eat out, spending more money and making less healthy choices. Ask your housekeeper is she is willing to go grocery shopping. Spend some time writing out a menu and a grocery list, and hand it off. You can also create a list of food staples — such as pasta, tomato sauce, canned goods, coffee and rice — and ask your housekeeper to make sure the pantry is always stocked with the items on the list. - Performing Pet Care
Your housekeepers could take over time-consuming pet maintenance duties, such as cleaning fish or reptile aquariums, taking the family dog for a walk or scooping out the litter box regularly. - Maintaining Inventory
Create a spreadsheet with cleaning supplies used in the house and put the housekeeper in charge of replenishing the supplies as needed. The spreadsheet can also include things like batteries, light bulbs and paper towels. Specify brand names if you have a preference. - Gardening
Not every homeowner has a green thumb — but maybe your housekeeper does. If she would be willing to take over some simple outdoor chores, like weeding or mowing the lawn. - Running Errands
Errands can be time-consuming and add more stress to your life. Ask your housekeeper to perform errands like picking up dry cleaning, mailing packages or dropping off donations. - Packing
Are you moving to a new house? Is one of your kids heading off to camp or college? A housekeeper may be able to help with the annoying duties of packing and boxing up belongings. - Decorating Your House for Holidays
A festive house puts you in the spirit of the holidays, but taking out and putting away all the seasonal decorations can be a headache. Ask your housekeeper to handle it. Make sure you have clearly labeled boxes and instructions as to where you want certain things go. At the end of the holiday, ask your housekeeper to clean the decorations and repack them.
You already appreciate your housekeeper for keeping your house clean. Think about adding additional tasks to the list to make your life a bit easier and allow your housekeeper to take home more pay.
Andrea Lee lives in Silicon Valley, Calif. and is a part-time college instructor and a full-time mom of two boys one in college, the other in preschool. Her work can be found here.