So, this may get me branded as irredeemably bourgeois, but does anyone know somebody that does cleaning service in the South Bay? I know two people who work doing that in the East Bay (one of whom I used to have in once a month in Berkeley, and she did a very good job), but nobody in the South/Peninsula area. Currently I'm vacuuming and sweeping about half as often as I should; with the cats, I really should be doing both at least once a week, possibly more, and instead I'm getting to it about twice a month. Also on the list of things that don't happen often enough: cleaning the bathroom, wiping down the stove and countertop, or mopping (or otherwise cleaning) the kitchen floor. I'm not a slob; in fact, my place is still probably neater than some of my friends. But it's still something that bugs me, and I figure I could spare a few bucks a week to cover it. If I'm going to have weekly service for at least the vaccuuming/sweeping thing, I'd really prefer to have it be somebody who's part of my social network, rather than some anonymous service with minimum-wage (or lower, if they're illegal immigrants*) interchangeable drones. If they're going to need to be able to get into my house when I'm not there, in the middle of the week (which seems likely), I'd rather be handing my key to somebody for whom I have some level of trust.
* Note: I have nothing in particular against undocumented workers as human beings; I'm sure they have their reasons for doing what they are, and I think we should reform our immigration system so that more people would be able to come here legally. I do, however, have a lot against the companies that hire illegals so as to evade taxes and ensure that their employees have no bargaining power. This lowers the bar for legal residents too. And don't tell me that "American citizens don't want those jobs." There is no shortage of unskilled labor in the US; the workforce participation rate has been falling, and wages have been stagnant. If you offered the same job, but with the pay and benefits required by the law -- which would still be below a living wage around here -- somebody would take it, even if it was their second job. </rant>
BTW, what's the going rate on such services these days? The person who was cleaning my place in Berkeley charged $10/hr, and was usually around for about two hours to cover the whole apartment...
busy