Paying Someone to do Laundry?

[StantonHyde]

To make a long story short, I am overwhelmed with laundry--I swear my husband manufactures the stuff not to mention the kiddos. I have an opportunity to hire someone to do it. There is a place where you can take your laundry for 2 cents a pound but I would have to haul it back and forth and they wouldn't use non allergenic soap so I think it would work best to have someone come to my house.

Our best baby sitter just quit her job at our daycare to go to nursing school full time. On Wednesday she does not have class and could do laundry while she studies. She is awesome at folding laundry (she took care of the kids for a week while we went on vacation and I almost cried when I saw how great my kids' clothes looked.) She would be welcome to do her laundry too (which is a savings of probably $5-10 for her). We have at least 10 loads a week. I have an HE washer and it usually takes at least an hour for a washload. So she couldn't really do that many loads in an 8 hour day. I don't mind washing some and having her fold it--maybe the sheets etc.

So what should I pay??? $5 an hour--approx $40 a week??? Any ideas here?? I don't want to short her but I don't want to pay some huge amount if I don't have to. Thanks for your input.

[kijip]

Since she can bring her own laundry and study, I would say $5-6 is fair, especially if she really gets study time. If she is folding what you have washed and then never gets a break to read, then I think $8-9 is more in order.

[wellyes]

Two cents a pound is ...... wow. I want to move to where you live! I'd never do laundry again.

The going rate here in the Boston area is more like .85-1.00 per pound for adult wash/dry/fold service (higher rates for baby clothes). We used to send our laundry out when we lived in an apartment, rather than spending several hours per week sitting in a grubby laundromat. Now we own a washer and I really miss the convenience!! It was *glorious* to just drop off bags of dirty stuff on the way to work and pick up bags of folded stuff on the way home. They do not use allergen-free soap but those industrial washers do an outstanding job of rinsing compared to home washers.

To hire your baby sitter, $5 is probably in the right range. I'd offer the minimum wage in your state . This will let her do her laundry AND be tax-free for her -- but then again, it's in-home service and you already know you can trust her, which is so important.

Either way, sounds like a great deal, I'm jealous!

[StantonHyde]

I like the $5 an hour for studying and running laundry. And I agree that I should bump it up to $8 when she is folding like crazy and not getting to study. Maybe I should try to wash as much as I can, pay her $8 an hour to fold and wash/fold what she can. The bottom line is that if she does not get enough study time, she can't do it--which I totally understand.

If anybody can think of a better way to figure a pay scale, that would be helpful. Thanks.