cleaning lady
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cleaning lady
A woman whose job is to clean rooms in private homes, offices, or public buildings. The term is often used in everyday language; 'Reinigungskraft' (cleaner/cleaning staff) is considered a more formal term.
Unsere Putzfrau kommt immer mittwochs und macht die ganze Wohnung sauber.
Our cleaning lady always comes on Wednesdays and cleans the whole apartment.
The word is a compound made up of the verb 'putzen' (to clean) and the noun 'Frau' (woman). So it literally describes a woman whose job is to clean.
Wir suchen eine zuverlässige Putzfrau für unser Büro.
We are looking for a reliable cleaning lady for our office.
The term 'Putzfrau' is very common in everyday language and is not felt to be negative. In more formal contexts, such as job ads or official documents, however, more neutral job titles are often preferred.
Ich habe unsere Putzfrau gefragt, ob sie auch bei meiner Mutter putzen könnte.
I asked our cleaning lady whether she could also clean at my mother's place.
Common verbs used together with 'Putzfrau' are 'haben' (to have), 'suchen' (to look for), or 'einstellen' (to hire), to describe the employment relationship.
Seit wir eine Putzfrau haben, ist die Wohnung viel ordentlicher.
Since we have a cleaning lady, the apartment is much tidier.
housewife
'die Hausfrau' and 'die Putzfrau' can be confused because both words have to do with household work. A 'Hausfrau' mainly manages her own household and does not have paid employment. A 'Putzfrau' cleans rooms professionally, for example in apartments or offices. So the most important difference is: 'Hausfrau' describes a role in one's own home, while 'Putzfrau' describes a paid job. If you only mean cleaning as work, 'Putzfrau' is more precise; in more formal language, people often say 'Reinigungskraft' (cleaner / cleaning staff).
Nach dem Gespräch im Büro hat die Putzfrau den Besprechungsraum gereinigt.
After the meeting in the office, the cleaning lady cleaned the conference room.
Meine Tante war viele Jahre Hausfrau und kümmerte sich um den Haushalt und die Kinder.
My aunt was a housewife for many years and took care of the household and the children.