Need details on maid's sleeping arrangements

[Listen to you all!]

From the ages of 18 when I went to uni to the age of 30 when I moved to Oz and could actually afford something bigger, I lived in London's bedsit land.  I swear the bedroom I have now is 4 times as big as some of the vile places I used to live in ... but that was the way it was, and preferable to living at home with Mum & Dad.  Out in the real world, making money!  I don't feel guilty at all asking my maid to live in a tiny room - hell, I did the same for 12 years, and not nearly as comfortably.  She knew the deal before she got over here.

[jens]

What are you saying? Because some locals treat their domestic help badly, yours should be lucky you're providing her with a bed to sleep on?? Why do you have one then if stuff like finding a suitable bed for her is becoming such a big deal??

No, I am not saying that at all.  You completely misunderstand me.  I didn't say they treated their domestic help badly.. their views on what are acceptable are DIFFERENT. For example, I have a friend at work who has three kids.  At night, he and his wife sleep in a bed, and the three kids sleep on a mat on the floor so that they can all be in a room with air con - keeping all of the family in the same room saves money on electricity bills.  Another friend, who is Malay, also sleeps on a mat on the floor, rather than a bed, because it is cooler.   These are not poor people - they are professionals in great jobs - just their approach to sleeping arrangements is culturally different to ours.. ie, my Malay friend has an air con unit but does not like air con so does not use it..   Given this, you see, they recommend that the maid also sleep on the floor since THEY are doing the same and find it comfortable and acceptable.  For me, it would be a little like camping, I guess.  For them, this is how they grew up, and they don't find it unusual.  I did not mean to imply, at all, that they abuse their help....   All of that said, I have provided my maid with a bed, because I would not choose to sleep on the floor in this country  (have slept on a futon when I was living in Japan and did not find that strange) - and I wanted her to have the same level of comfort as I would give myself...    Also, finding a bed was a big deal, because I THOUGHT the room was big enough for a standard bed.  It is 4 inches too short for a regular bed, which is why the dilemma...  

[jens]

I don't know HOW many times I've seen this post on this message board, as if it is not a well-trotted out Urban Legend. It appears about every 3 months!

Maybe it is the same maid?  Her name is Lillian - and to make it more humorous, she was wearing Megan's dress inside out so as not to get it dirty  

[bluetiger]

Jens - could be! Hadn't thought of that solution ie same maid dinner party routine over and over.
Next time, I'll ask the next poster if it's indeed a Ms L.

[grilled pumpkin]

Jens

I understand your dilemma entirely.  I measured the space between the walls and found a bed to fit at Ikea.  A real bed, with a real mattress because I wanted her to get a good night's sleep.  I'd not taken into account the skirting *** (tiles) on the bottome part of the wall and my husband had to do a real Blue Peter on the bed to make it fit.  The mattress squashed in nicely.

We got drawers and got creative in fixing hanging rails and Ikea spice racks on the walls.  She uses them to store bits n pieces.  I also got her boxes on wheels with covers to keep other stuff in under her bed.

She only uses the room to sleep in.  The rest of the time she has full access to the apartment or can go out.  She can watch TV with us if she wishes.  I agree with you that the ability to sleep well is the most important thing.

To hmmm, get off your santimonious soap box.  Some of us signed leases then found our personal circumstances changed so we needed a maid but still had leases to run.  We are all here trying to make the best of what we have available to us, and Jens is trying to get the most comfortable bed in the space possible.  Ask a  maid and the size of her room is less important to her than having privacy and being treated with respect.  Do YOU treat your maid like a member of the family, get to know her well and give her all the other things in Maslow's hierarchy of needs as well as somewhere to rest?

[newarrival]

Have read a number of postings and have my 2 cents' worth to add:

- when negotitating your apartment, try asking for a number of extras for the maid's room at the outset.  Many people seem to overlook this.  Most of these are very "do-able" and make the maid's life a bit more comfortable:

1.  Fan in the maid's room (can usually be fixed to the wall, high up in the corner).

2.  Cupboard on the wall (believe it or not, she actually does have some things of her own).

3.  Hot water heater in her bathroom (they can fit a very small one) which means that the maid won't have to have a cold shower.

4.  Blinds/curtains in the maid's room.

These are very small things but items that so many people just do not bother about or do not think to ask for.  They all make the maid's life more comfortable.  Think about it, would you like to live in a room with no airconditioning/fan, no curtains (so the moon shines through) and have to put up with having a cold shower every morning?