Category Archives: Laundress

Employment Guide For Domestic Workers

YOUR RIGHTS: How the Laws of the United States and Maryland Protect You Whether or not you have legal immigration status, you are protected by most federal and state labor laws. Almost all of these laws are the same for everyone, whether you are a citizen or you are here without papers. You do not have to accept lower wages because of your immigration status. Wages and Hours You are entitled to:
  • A minimum wage of $6.15 a hour (in the state of Maryland, as of February 16, 2006)
  • Payment for all hours worked
  • Payment of wages in US dollars once every two weeks, or twice per month
  • Overtime pay of 1.5 times your regular hourly wage for every extra hour you work over 40 hours in a week.
Benefits
  • All employers in Maryland who have one or more...

Hiring Domestic Couples

For some families, the ideal household staffing arrangement means hiring a domestic couple. Almost always married couples, the traditional roles of these positions have stayed constant over the years.  Experienced in working together in fine homes or on estates, they work as a team. Customarily, they are live-in and the responsibilities are delineated by male and female roles.

The female duties include maintenance of the inside of the residence, including housekeeping, laundry, ironing, household errands and cooking. The male duties include all exterior maintenance of the property, the heavier housekeeping duties inside the residence, and some gardening and handyman duties. They may work as part of a larger domestic staff or be your primary household employees.

They should have an agreeable manner, a calm demeanor, the ability...

How to Hire a Laundress

When you have a need for someone to take special care of your clothing, linens, and other fabrics beyond simply laundering, or you have a large estate or family, a laundress is an excellent addition to your home’s staff.  Experienced in the care of fine fabric and clothing, her duties include washing, hand washing, ironing, pressing, stain-removal, maintenance of closets, picking up of dry cleaning and minor clothing repairs.

A professional laundress will be familiar with luxury brands of clothing and linens as well as the fabric care products and tools required to care for them. For example, she will know how to use a rotary iron, a steamer, and other specialized equipment as well as be familiar with the brands and use of top quality laundry care products....