Laundry is the chore that shows up in the first week and nobody plans for. The family pictures a caregiver who will help around the house, then finds the hamper in the upstairs hall filling faster than the one washer in the basement can empty it. Before you agree to a number of hours, size the wash to the house you actually have.

Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.

Step 1: Count what goes in the hamper

Walk every room and write down the people and linens that produce laundry in a normal week. Fill in each line.

Adults living in the house: ____
Bed sets to change each week: ____
Towel sets used each day: ____
Other washable items (blankets, cushion covers, aprons, cloth napkins): ____

Step 2: Map the machines and the route

Note where the washer and dryer sit, how many steps lie between the bedroom hamper and the machine, and whether the dryer is a stacked unit, a shared closet, or a unit with a vent that needs clearing.

Washer location: ____
Dryer location: ____
Trips from the bedroom to the machine: ____
Does the dryer need a vent check before use: yes / no

Step 3: Divide the work in writing

Ask the agency or the direct caregiver each of these questions and write the answer next to it.

Do you wash, dry, fold, and put items away, or only some of these? ____
Do you change bed linens, and how often? ____
Do you handle delicate or hand-wash items, or send them out? ____
Who buys detergent and fabric softener, and who keeps the supply? ____
Do you bring your own supplies, or use the ones in the house? ____

Listen for a specific list with item names and a clear yes or no on each one. Those answers belong in the written plan. An answer such as 'we will see what needs doing' is not a plan, and neither is a blanket yes that never says how many loads.

Step 4: Set the load count

Look at the machine. Write how long one wash and one dry take, then how long the folding takes. Work out how many loads one visit can finish from start to finish, and write that number on the line below. If your weekly count from Step 1 is higher than that number, the hours you plan must grow, or some of the laundry has to move to a family member or a service you choose yourself.

Loads one visit can finish: ____
Loads your house makes in a week: ____
Gap (loads to move, add hours, or assign to the family): ____

Step 5: Name who changes the list

Houses change. A grandchild stays over, a new bed arrives, a parent starts sleeping in a different room. Ask who updates the laundry duties when that happens, and how the change gets written down. The answer should name one person, not 'we will talk about it.'

Signs to walk away

Walk away from any arrangement where the caregiver refuses to say what laundry is included, where the answer changes depending on who you ask, or where the load count is never written down. Walk away also if the plan depends on a washer that the family has not yet checked.

What to write down before the first shift

Keep the completed Steps 1 through 5 with the signed start paper. Put a copy of the machine map by the hamper. Date the sheet on the day you write it so it is easy to compare with the next version. For the broader comparison of agency and direct arrangements, the main page has the questions in order: Hire a Caregiver in St. Louis: Agency or Direct.