It may depend what part of the country you are in...not sure if this will help. I got mine from my neighbor across the street. If anyone on your block has somebody coming in I would suggest talking to them first.

Mine are Russian and in my area there are a lot of Russians that have cleaning services. They often leave little handmade flyers in the mailbox. I have found them very thorough cleaners. The woman who runs the operation drops them off at your house and they are there for half a day (4 hours) until she picks them up. But you might get different people, and they don't all speak english.

YMMV

I was at a party where one of the guests was a fixer. A PA or similar with a head full of contacts. She was passing out post-its as party favors. (Not literally, but so it seemed.) To me, she gave a placement agency with top quality, screened workers. The first one was good, but didn't work out after a couple of weeks. The second one has been with me for years and now works for my folks too. The fees were worth every penny (my folks hired her through the agency too, as a matter of ethics).

I gave birth to them. :)

countrygal--touche'

I found mine in college...

Word-of-Mouth is the best way. Ask your friends and neighbors  the people who think like you. My best friend is just like me, so I knew I could trust and be happy with the person she uses  and I am.

I just went through this  and it has been an eye opener. There is also a long thread over in the "Cleaning Tips" Forum (might have to search for it now). What surprised me is the cost! I donÂt want something for nothing  but $20-$40 per hour? This is unskilled labor and under the table for the most part.

Are there any colleges nearby? A school near us offers a list of students interested in part-time work; it can be obtained through the career center. College students usually have fairly flexible schedules and are always looking to make a little extra money...

I got a referral from someone in my neighborhood. I've had this individual now for probably 15 years. She is delightful and has become a friend of our family. Good individual housecleaners are expensive where I live. I think this may be due to the fact we do not have a large population of immigrant people doing this work - at least none that have ever been referred to me.

My housecleaner has a key to my house and I'm never there when she is. I'm willing to pay a premimum for someone I can trust in that situation who also does a great job.

ROFL, countrygal! I make my children do their chores especially well before my friend who cleans for me comes over.

I didn't really know her before she started cleaning for me, but our children are on the same swim team and I overheard her saying one day she had to go to work and I asked her what she did. She gave me a card and about 6 months later started working for us. She cleans DH's office too.

Agreed, word-of-mouth is the best way.

20-40 must be pretty much the norm. We pay $75 for about 3 hours.

I married mine! (Kidding!) I am the housecleaner and I do it for free!

The hourly rate is less if you're paying for a whole day, and the daily rate is less if you're paying for a whole week.

Also, straight cleaning costs less than housekeeping (tidying, laundry, etc.), which costs less than full charge (includes errands, supervising of staff, possibly some cooking or childcare).

If you're employing someone directly, instead of paying a service, it costs a lot less, but then you do have to fill out the Social Security forms and send in the SS taxes for both employer and employee contribution. It's not hard, but required. You don't have to do withholding until you meet a minimum annual salary paid, which is usually more than one day a week.

I think doing the paperwork and having a single, reliable employee who does things the way you like them is worth doing the paperwork.

Me too, fleur!

But I just donÂt get it! $20-$40 net for unskilled labor - in this economy? (Shaking head) Â I just donÂt get it...

Recommended by someone in church. She is trustworthy and has a key. She can make her own hours. I pay $60-$80 for about 3 hours.A good cleaner is worth their weight in gold. When you walk through that door and your house is clean and polished the feeling is priceless. Cleaning is not an easy job; (well, not for me!! - plus I work a busy full time job). I always feed my cleaner nice lunches and she does not drive so I offer her rides wherever she is going when she is done.

Ours had an 'ad' posted on the bulletin board in a nearby corner store. We were looking for someone at the time, so we called her, 'interviewed' her, had her do some spring cleaning and then decided that we liked her. She's been cleaning for us on a regular basis ever since and we are delighted with her work.
She quoted a price to do the work that we want, so its on a job basis rather than an hourly basis.

I do my own too....but DH "pays" LOL, although he is so willing to pay that I am not SURE this is seen as a debt he hates.

I used a payed person, actually a woman and her daughter...this would have been 1992 or so...they stole 3 kittens and my kids rock collection which contained several arrowheads that had been authenticated . We were all so bummed that I have never let another person in my home to clean. Noone does it like I do and since it is just the 2 of us in 4000 sq ft I divide up the house into parts and do them in sequence. Works for now.

I know people that pay $10 per hr to illegals who do not speak English...no comment on this as it would get me removed from the GW...

I do my own too....but DH "pays" LOL, although he is so willing to pay that I am not SURE this is seen as a debt he hates.

I used a payed person, actually a woman and her daughter...this would have been 1992 or so...they stole 3 kittens and my kids rock collection which contained several arrowheads that had been authenticated . We were all so bummed that I have never let another person in my home to clean. Noone does it like I do and since it is just the 2 of us in 4000 sq ft I divide up the house into parts and do them in sequence. Works for now.

I know people that pay $10 per hr to illegals who do not speak English...no comment on this as it would get me removed from the GW...

>>>If you're employing someone directly, instead of paying a >>>service, it costs a lot less, but then you do have to fill >>>out the Social Security forms and send in the SS taxes for >>>both employer and employee contribution. It's not hard, >>>but required.

Yup, and you're also required to pay use tax/sales tax on items that you buy on the Internet and out-of-state :-)

We got ours word of mouth from a friend. She is definitely worth her weight in gold as another poster put it. She is efficient and meticulous. Wipes all surfaces, climbs on stool to reach what is out of reach, washes sheets/makes beds, floors,takes gas range apart,picks up, folds, dusts, rugs - about 5hrs every other week for $90 - Seems like we have a bargain based on what I read above. I also give her gently used items that would otherwise go to Goodwill
If we are away I give her a key, she cks the house, waters the plants