Do you think a housekeeper/cleaner should make the same hourly rate as a nanny?

[Anonymous]

It seems to me that cleaning is much more labor-intensive and therefore harder work. At the same time, trusting someone with your children is nothing to take lightly.

I always thought that cleaners made a higher hourly rate but judging the posts on here, perhaps that is not the case. What do you think?

[Anonymous]

No, they shouldn't be paid a higher wage, but they often are. When you have someone who "cleans" your house and is making $35 an hour, something is very wrong.

[Anonymous]

yes it is natural they make a higher hourly rate because it needs to account for the fact that the cleaners string together many jobs in any given week and so have time between appointments or just slots they may not be able to regularly fill that makes the weekly rate avg out to less. I also do not pay my house cleaner when she does not clean because if she decides she's had enough of occassional skipping and drops me, that's ok w/ me and it's very easy to find someone to replace her. I do however guarantee my nanny's pay since i do not want to lose HER, even if I could find another nanny to hire.

[Anonymous]

Yes, absolutely. I'm a nanny who hates cleaning and pay my once a month cleaner 50% more hourly than what I make hourly when working. It is definitely a harder and more physically demanding job.

[Anonymous]

Do you think someone working at Mc Donalds should make the same hourly rate as a housekeeper? I'm just asking because so many put childcare and housecleaning in the same category.

It almost feels like blackmail.. "You should pay a higher rate for your childcare because it's your children"

FYI, housecleaning sames more effort in a shorted time period so yes it's typically more (although McDonalds is pretty intense. You know, working infront of a hot stove, flipping burgers with two 15 minute breaks every 8 hour shift).

I know I jumped around in my response.

I wouldn't pay more then $12/hour for childcare but then again, I don't live near DC.

[Anonymous]

If it's a trust issue, you're also trusting someone in your house around your personal belongings, finances, etc. often when you are not in the home.

I think $20/hr is the max I would pay for a nanny who does intensive cleaning. Considering most registered nurses earn around $30/hr people who are paying their housekeeper or childcare giver $35/hr are being robbed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you think someone working at Mc Donalds should make the same hourly rate as a housekeeper? I'm just asking because so many put childcare and housecleaning in the same category.

It almost feels like blackmail.. "You should pay a higher rate for your childcare because it's your children"

FYI, housecleaning sames more effort in a shorted time period so yes it's typically more (although McDonalds is pretty intense. You know, working infront of a hot stove, flipping burgers with two 15 minute breaks every 8 hour shift).

I know I jumped around in my response.

I wouldn't pay more then $12/hour for childcare but then again, I don't live near DC.

How much would you pay for cleaning? Just to get an idea of the difference in pay for cleaning VS babysitting

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you think someone working at Mc Donalds should make the same hourly rate as a housekeeper? I'm just asking because so many put childcare and housecleaning in the same category.

It almost feels like blackmail.. "You should pay a higher rate for your childcare because it's your children"

FYI, housecleaning sames more effort in a shorted time period so yes it's typically more (although McDonalds is pretty intense. You know, working infront of a hot stove, flipping burgers with two 15 minute breaks every 8 hour shift).

I know I jumped around in my response.

I wouldn't pay more then $12/hour for childcare but then again, I don't live near DC.

How much would you pay for cleaning? Just to get an idea of the difference in pay for cleaning VS babysitting

There's a huge difference between a full-time nanny and occasional evening babysitter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you think someone working at Mc Donalds should make the same hourly rate as a housekeeper? I'm just asking because so many put childcare and housecleaning in the same category.

It almost feels like blackmail.. "You should pay a higher rate for your childcare because it's your children"

FYI, housecleaning sames more effort in a shorted time period so yes it's typically more (although McDonalds is pretty intense. You know, working infront of a hot stove, flipping burgers with two 15 minute breaks every 8 hour shift).

I know I jumped around in my response.

I wouldn't pay more then $12/hour for childcare but then again, I don't live near DC.

How much would you pay for cleaning? Just to get an idea of the difference in pay for cleaning VS babysitting

There's a huge difference between a full-time nanny and occasional evening babysitter.

You're useless. Completely useless.

[Anonymous]

A cleaner is an independent contractor who is self employed and must cobble together enough jobs each week to support herself. She (or he) should be paid more; she also sets her own rates so you are welcome to choose someone cheaper, but the "market" does allow them to charge $25-35/hr easily.

As far as a FT housekeeper, paid a regular steady wage by one family, I'm not sure.

[Anonymous]

We have a house cleaner who does a full 8 hour day at our house. She's paid the same rate our nanny was. The reasons are similar to what has been mentioned. She doesn't have any unpaid time that day getting from job to job. We also guarentee her time and give her some PTO. Plus, if she were doing two to three houses, shed be doing much more of the heavy physical cleaning tasks, whereas at our job she has some downtime, and time with lighter tasks ( like folding laundry)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have a house cleaner who does a full 8 hour day at our house. She's paid the same rate our nanny was. The reasons are similar to what has been mentioned. She doesn't have any unpaid time that day getting from job to job. We also guarentee her time and give her some PTO. Plus, if she were doing two to three houses, shed be doing much more of the heavy physical cleaning tasks, whereas at our job she has some downtime, and time with lighter tasks ( like folding laundry)

You're contradicting yourself. You are saying how much harder the cleaning job is, yet you pay her the same as the nanny?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, they shouldn't be paid a higher wage, but they often are. When you have someone who "cleans" your house and is making $35 an hour, something is very wrong.

Wait a second, so someone that doesn't want to clean their own toilet and wants to pay someone ELSE to come "clean their toilet, scrub the tub, clean the grout, wash down walls and baseboards, and clean ovens" can pay them the same amount of money that a person who is doing stuff like "reading a book to their child, singing them songs, and pointing out items and saying what they are" makes? Sure there might be some dirty diapers and messes from eating involved for the nanny, but nothing as labor intensive or icky as cleaning after adult and kids messes in the bathroom and kitchen. I would say that you could possibly find someone for the same rate, but just like with nannies, the ones that do a better job cleaning and don't cut corners and put all their energy into will usually cost more. Cleaning is hard work, if you aren't just doing light housekeeping. Doing cleaning AND taking care of kids makes for a long day definitely deserves a higher rate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, they shouldn't be paid a higher wage, but they often are. When you have someone who "cleans" your house and is making $35 an hour, something is very wrong.

Wait a second, so someone that doesn't want to clean their own toilet and wants to pay someone ELSE to come "clean their toilet, scrub the tub, clean the grout, wash down walls and baseboards, and clean ovens" can pay them the same amount of money that a person who is doing stuff like "reading a book to their child, singing them songs, and pointing out items and saying what they are" makes? Sure there might be some dirty diapers and messes from eating involved for the nanny, but nothing as labor intensive or icky as cleaning after adult and kids messes in the bathroom and kitchen. I would say that you could possibly find someone for the same rate, but just like with nannies, the ones that do a better job cleaning and don't cut corners and put all their energy into will usually cost more. Cleaning is hard work, if you aren't just doing light housekeeping. Doing cleaning AND taking care of kids makes for a long day definitely deserves a higher rate.

Nanny here and I agree. It's just the truth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have a house cleaner who does a full 8 hour day at our house. She's paid the same rate our nanny was. The reasons are similar to what has been mentioned. She doesn't have any unpaid time that day getting from job to job. We also guarentee her time and give her some PTO. Plus, if she were doing two to three houses, shed be doing much more of the heavy physical cleaning tasks, whereas at our job she has some downtime, and time with lighter tasks ( like folding laundry)

You're contradicting yourself. You are saying how much harder the cleaning job is, yet you pay her the same as the nanny?

No, I'm saying that cleaning a house entails some physically difficult work. To repeat that for several houses in one day would be much more difficult than mixing up the physically hard work (cleaning floors, scrubbing toilets) with physically easier tasks (sitting and ironing in front of the tv, for example)