I have Carmen and her crew come into the apartment every two weeks to clean for an hour or so, and my wife says she’s never seen a crew that cleans so well. There are four of them, all women now, (the men found other work) and scrupulous.
They used to have Arnoldo, a cheerful guy, whom I loved to greet with a hearty “Buenos dias!” I found out later that he was all thumbs – he was probably the guy who broke our light switch. He found work later with a construction firm.
They work for $85 every two weeks (we’re in our eighties), but it’s worth it for my wife, and I’m generous with the tips. I don’t have a big pension, but, hey, how long am I going to be here now?
Civilization 