How To Hire Household Help – 11 Time-Saving Services You Didn’t Know You Needed

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These days, we are all in need of more time —  especially parents! One study found that working parents have 18-hour days when you factor in caregiving responsibilities on top of work. That leaves almost no time for self-care. And it’s hard to show up present and energized for our kids when we constantly feel depleted. 

As you may already know, one of my favorite ways to gain more time as a parent is to hire household help. I’ve built a great support team and delegate tasks to my nanny, housekeeper, and personal chef (among a few others!). But nowadays, there are so many affordable, easy-to-use time-saving services for getting household help beyond the more traditional options.

Below are 11 of our favorite ways to hire household help that you might not even know existed. Many of the time-saving services on this list even have apps or virtual options that are pay-as-you-go, so you can test them out before committing to more regular household help. They're a great way to dip your toe in the water when it comes to delegating.

And if you do already have some full-time or part-time help at home, these services can provide extra support where needed. For example, I have my nanny use some of these time-saving services so she can take more tasks off my to-do list. (If you are not accustomed to asking your nanny for help with these types of tasks, check out our free guide: 6 Steps To Promoting Your Nanny Into A Family Assistant.)

While this post is focused on more modern and unique ways to hire household help, Proxy has vetted recommendations for an array of time-saving services, including full-time household help, like a nanny, housekeeper, or house manager. Learn more, here.

Household Help For Research & Booking Appointments

Researching things — like the best flight times and prices, a good plumber, or recipe ideas — isn’t usually the first thing that comes to mind when you think of household help, yet I often find it incredibly time-consuming. It can be so easy to get sucked into your computer reading countless Yelp reviews trying to find a reliable person at a good value. These kinds of tasks are the perfect thing to outsource to an assistant. 

A virtual family assistant can book your doctor’s appointments, call your insurance company to dispute a bill, order birthday party supplies, or research life insurance options. I’ve had our assistant fill out school applications, book spa appointments, and even source a window cleaning service in the area. Pretty much anything you need to research or book, they can do for you.

Through Proxy, we’ve vetted more than 6 virtual assistant companies, some of which were duds (AI bots with generic responses, no thank you!). But the ones we do recommend are amazing at saving yout time by taking research-based tasks off your to-do list. 

For a full review of all our favorite virtual assistants for families and how they each compare, check out my post on the 5 Best Virtual Assistants for Families.

Household Help For Assembling Furniture & Hanging Art

Anyone who’s ever spent hours trying to understand the cryptic pictures on a furniture assembly manual will appreciate hiring someone to help assemble their furniture.

For example, I used TaskRabbit to put together furniture that was delivered for my home office, and it was easy peasy. (Full transparency: my interior designer booked them to come to the house and coordinated the whole thing.) They showed up at the allotted time, put together the filing cabinet, and I tipped $20 in cash just because I felt it was the right thing to do. 

One of my friends had a similar experience when she hired someone from TaskRabbit to build a dresser for her. She said it was super easy to book through the app, and they put it together both faster and better than she could have done herself. The only downside was that her tasker overslept and showed up late, which was a little frustrating. It cost $55 and took about 2 hours. 

You can also use TaskRabbit to hang up your art, mirrors, shelves, and blackout curtains (super helpful for getting a baby’s room set up!) 

Household Help For Returns & Order Pickup

I bet you don’t think of Uber as household help, but you will now! Uber has added a “return package” feature where they will return up to five packages at a time. Drivers will pick up the packages for you and drop them off at either UPS, FedEx, USPS, or a designated Amazon dropoff location for Amazon returns. Pricing is based on distance, like with standard Uber rides. From my house, it’s around $10. 

To use this time-saving service, you need to package, tape, and print and attach a label for the item(s) that need to be returned. There’s also an option to upload a return QR code on the Uber app, which is great because then you don’t need to print anything. Not every vendor will have a QR code option, but Amazon does for most items. 

The rest works like a normal Uber. You enter the pickup location and where you want them to drop it off (UPS, FedEx, USPS, or Amazon dropoff). The app shows where the driver is while they’re on their way and gives a pickup time. After they pick it up, it shows their route to the drop-off store, and then provides a picture of proof that it’s been dropped off after the task is complete. Our nanny met the driver outside for the first time to test it out, but says she easily could have left it on the porch. 

Uber also has an option for picking up prepaid store orders, though I haven’t personally tested this yet. You need to enter the store details, including your order confirmation number. There’s an option to upload a proof of purchase or receipt, too, if needed. This would be a great option when you need something last-minute and want to save yourself a trip to the mall or shopping center. 

We’ve also vetted another amazing return service through Proxy. The best part about this service is that you don't have to print the receipts or return tags if you’ve downloaded their app and connected your online store details. We tested this new service with Amazon, and it was a breeze.

Through their app, they will pull all the details automatically and securely, so you can leave your return item(s) in a bag on your front steps, and that's it! You don't have to look up bar codes, scan items, or even put them in a box. They handle all of that. 

Instead of relying on gig workers, they also have their own drivers and fleet and provide training to each of their employees, so they know how to handle the packages.

Household Help For Laundry & Dry Cleaning

I hate doing laundry. I usually have my housekeeper do laundry as one of their tasks. But if you don’t have a housekeeper or don’t want them to take on that chore, then Poplin is a great option. 

Carly Kennedy of The Fit Mom Method says Poplin is super simple to use: you log into the app, select how many bags of laundry you have, and the type of detergent you want used (scented, hypoallergenic, or supply your own). You can add special instructions, like if you want them to “hang dry” your clothes. They automatically separate light and dark colors and wash everything in cold (though you can request a hot wash if you want). 

You can choose if you want it next day ($1/lb) or same day ($2/lb), and then you select which Laundry Pros (aka the person who will be washing your clothes) you want to send your request to. 

“All my items have come back great,” says Kennedy. “I have one woman who goes above and beyond, and even organizes all the folded clothes by person, which makes putting away everything so much easier, so I always request her first if she’s available.”

Once your Laundry Pro confirms, they’ll let you know when they’re coming so you can have the clothes out for them. You just leave your clothes in a bag outside your door at the designated pick-up time. If you choose to leave your hamper outside the front door, then they will transfer your clothes to a disposable bag and leave your hamper behind. You can also use laundry bags, which they’ll return to you laundered. 

There’s a $20 minimum, which is about two hampers worth of clothes. Kennedy says she usually puts her clothes in a tall kitchen bag, which holds about one laundry basket’s worth of clothes. 

“About three full bags is typically 25-30lbs, so I usually spend about $30,” she says. 

Household Help For Organizing Your Closet & Home

We all love an organized home, but decluttering and reorganizing our closets, pantry, or garage isn’t something all of us enjoy doing or have the time for. Lucky for us, you can also hire household help for these dreaded tasks! 

I recommend outsourcing these types of tasks to a home organization service. Beyond saving you time, the benefit of using a home organizing expert is that they know what works. No more time wasted second-guessing yourself on what storage bins to get, or buying the wrong solution only to have everything a chaotic mess again several months later. 

We have a few home organizing solutions, depending on your location, available through Proxy. In order to get Proxy-Approved, they need to actually help you sort through your stuff and get rid of what you don’t need, and not just come in and try to organize one drawer in a pretty way. 

Beyond the in-person home organizing companies we recommend, there is also a remote option, which includes a consultation, design rendering, hyperlinked shopping list, and step-by-step instructions for you to implement it yourself. 

And we’ve also teamed up with Simply Luxe to offer a hybrid option where they complement their virtual assessment and organizational skills with local Task Rabbits to assemble or source pieces, organize everything, and pick up and donate junk. Basically, they’ll take care of coordinating the implementation, so you can use that time however you would like!

Household Help For Grocery Shopping & Meal Planning

Having groceries delivered is one of the best time-saving services! I use Amazon Fresh as my grocery delivery service. It saves me up to 3 hours each week since I don’t have to spend time driving to the grocery store, wandering around the aisles, and waiting in line. Before we hired a personal chef, we ordered Amazon Fresh + Whole Foods every Monday afternoon, and would schedule it to arrive on Tuesday when our nanny is working and can help unload everything. 

Orders over $100 are free if you’re a Prime member. Otherwise, Amazon charges a $6.95 fee for orders between $50-$100, and $9.95 for deliveries under $50. If you’re not a Prime member, you’ll be charged between $7.95-$13.95, depending on basket size and the delivery window selected. 

If you have a specific grocery store that you like getting items from, Instacart is another good option, since they partner with dozens of local grocery stores. You can also order items from places like Costco and Sam’s Club, even if you don’t have a membership. InstaCart delivery fees start at $3.99. There’s also a service fee that varies based on factors like location and the number and types of items in your cart. I’ve paid between $7 and $20 for the service fee. 

Beyond time saved at the actual store, using a grocery delivery service also reduces the mental burden of having to remember what items are needed for each week, since it has an option to save recurring items, so you can easily remember what to buy. 

“We have a saved list for the essentials, which makes it really easy,” says pharma CEO, mom, and time-saving expert, Hitha Palepu, who uses Fresh Direct for her grocery delivery. 

If you want to further reduce the mental load that comes with feeding your family, I also recommend the meal-planning app eMeals. Each week, they provide suggested weekly meal plans that you can further customize to your needs. The app then creates a grocery list based on what you select that can be auto-uploaded to your preferred grocery delivery service. It’s ideal for anyone who falls into a rut with what to cook each week.

Household Help For Cooking

Feeding your family healthy and nutritious meals is definitely one of the most time-intensive tasks as a parent and can easily take upwards of 15 hours each week. That’s why it’s one of my favorite chores to hire household help for. Beyond grocery shopping and meal planning, you can also outsource cooking your meals. 

I break down 6 different ways to outsource meals in my blog post How To Feed A Family, including the cost of each one, how it works, and the pros and cons — you might be surprised how affordable a meal prep chef can be!

My personal favorite way to hire household help for meals is a full-time private chef, but below are a few highlights of other services we recommend that are available across the country:

• Private chefs that are pay-as-you-go: We’ve tested and recommended three different companies that offer on-demand, pay-as-you-go private chef services. The companies vet private chefs who can come to your house for a variety of purposes, including weekly meal prep. You coordinate with the chefs on a menu, and then they’ll arrive at your house with the grocery shopping done and leave you with a clean kitchen and prepared meals for the rest of the week. It’s a great option if you aren't ready to commit to having a full-time personal chef or want help with cooking for one-off special events or occasions.

• Meal delivery service for adults: There are a lot of prepared meal delivery services out there, but we’ve found the best one! Our Proxy-Approved option has thoughtful packaging with minimal waste, a generous menu selection to choose from, and very tasty meals.
  
• Meal delivery service for kids: We’ve also found an amazing organic meal delivery service for kids (ages 0-8). Whether it's baby food, finger foods, or full plates of food, this service was designed specifically to support busy parents who care about what food they are putting in their children's bodies, but don't have the time to shop, prep, and cook every single item themselves.

Household Help For Restocking Household Basics

Setting up recurring deliveries for household basics is another unique way to get household help. This kind of subscription is not only free, but also often provides discounts. On top of that, I save time by not going to the store, and it clears up mental headspace because my partner and I don’t have to think about whether we are almost running out of Kleenex or paper towels.

I use (and love) Amazon’s Subscribe and Save for everything from dog food to laundry detergent. Every household item our family needs is tracked and automated by Amazon. At first, it takes some guesstimating to figure out how often you need things restocked. It’s better to go in with some padding and err on the side of overestimating (no one wants to run out of toilet paper mid-poop. Yuck!). 

Worst case, you guess that you need toilet paper bi-monthly, and then too much arrives and you have no extra room under your sink to fill it. That same day, you can log in and change it to a monthly delivery instead.

Fun Fact: Amazon can also refill your prescriptions and mail them right to your doorstep, saving you a trip to the pharmacy. I use this service, and it saves me at least 30 minutes each month by not having to drive to pick up a new prescription. I’ve signed our kids up for it too. With that said, if you need any prescriptions day-of, like an antibiotic, it's best to have it sent to your local pharmacy to ensure the fastest fulfillment. Amazon Pharmacy is built for recurring prescriptions. 

Household Help For Cleaning Car Seats

I don’t think anyone fully understands how gross car seats can get until they have kids. Crumbs and potty training accidents mean car seats need to be cleaned regularly. This task can take 1-2 hours and really deplete your energy, so it’s a great area to get some household help!

I personally delegate this chore to my nanny, but we’ve also vetted BabyQuip, an amazing time-saving service that will come to your house to pick up your car seats and return them vacuumed, with all hard surfaces wiped down, cleaned, sanitized, and treated for heavy stains within 48 hours. 

They charge a $40 service fee for pick up/drop off, which you absolutely want to do, so it’s one less thing you have to do yourself. We also recommend paying the $25 additional fee for overnight service, so that you can be more mobile faster.

Bonus Tip: Don’t just stop at car seats! BabyQuip can also clean strollers, high chairs, pack ‘n plays, play yards, swings, bouncers, rockers/gliders, toys, car seat bases, carriers, etc.

Household Help For Running Errands & Other Chores

If you’re not ready to invest in a full or part-time nanny, hiring household help for errands and some extra support around the house can be a great place to start. Through Proxy, we’ve vetted seven different companies that offer this type of household help across the country with options to fit a variety of needs, from pay-as-you-go to ones that require you to book in 4-hour blocks of time.

They’ll provide background-checked helpers who can handle all of those low-joy tasks at home that you would normally do yourself, including tidying up, snack prep, putting away laundry, vacuuming, helping with the dishes, transferring dry cleaning onto cloth hangers, etc. They can also run errands for you, like picking up dry cleaning, running to the grocery store, or returning packages to the UPS store. The options are limitless. 

To be clear: they are not house cleaners and will not be scrubbing toilets. They are there to help handle tasks that you would be otherwise doing yourself around the house or driving around town to do. 

Household Help For Taking Care Of Your Houseplants

We have a company that comes every two weeks to water our interior plants in the house. Of course, I’m capable of watering plants by myself, but this task is done while I’m at work, so it becomes one less thing for me to think about when I come home to spend time with my family. Plus, they are experts, so there’s no more accidentally killing your houseplant or second-guessing whether your plant needs less water, more sunlight, or something else entirely. 

The need for this type of household help is real! The New York Times recently wrote about all the companies popping up to address this need. There was a lot of skepticism in the comments, but my belief is: You are allowed to enjoy plants, and not be the one who cares for them. It’s okay to appreciate beauty and not maintain it every day yourself. 

If you already have a nanny or housekeeper, you can also add taking care of your houseplants as another one of their duties. Your nanny can water the plants with the kids as an activity or do it while they nap. Simply print a picture of each plant around the house with instructions for your nanny or housekeeper to follow. 

The Perks Of Hiring Household Help

We know one of the top fears of hiring household help is that it’s not worth the cost. But research shows that spending money on reclaiming time for yourself is incredibly valuable. Ashley Whillans, a Harvard professor who studies the relationship between time, money, and happiness, found that the boost in happiness you get from investing in household help can often outweigh the financial cost. She also found that people who spend their money on creating more time for themselves are happier than those who spend it on material possessions.

“The less control you feel you have over your daily experience, the less happy you feel,” she says. “Money is a tool that allows you to purchase that control.”

A lot of the time-saving services we mention above are great for getting started on hiring household help and delegating tasks, since many of them are pay-as-you-go or can be purchased as one-off services for special occasions. 

Ready to buy back some time and hire household help? Take our free quiz to get your personalized support plan. We only recommend services that we'd hire in our own homes.