Question

Ehrenreich states that one of the advantages of a corporate cleaning service compared to hiring an individual maid is that

a) hiring a corporate cleaning service is usually cheaper than hiring an individual maid.
b) corporate cleaning services do a better job of cleaning.
c) corporate cleaning services provide more flexible work hours to accommodate the customer's schedules.
d) corporate cleaning customers don't communicate with maids directly but rather with the management of a corporate cleaning service.

Answer 1

To maximize efficiency and free time, you should undertake the tasks of dishwashing and vacuuming, since you are faster at both. The imbalance of work may create a sense of inequity and friction amongst roommates, similar to how countries that do not specialize according to comparative advantage may face inefficiencies.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question revolves around the allocation of cleaning tasks within a shared living space to maximize efficiency and free time, taking into account different cleaning speeds. If you are 70% faster at doing dishes compared to your roommates and 10% faster at vacuuming, it is more time-efficient for you to take on the dishwashing, especially since this task benefit more significantly from your speed advantage. For vacuuming, where the difference is less pronounced, it is still ideal that you perform this task assuming you have the same number of hours as your roommates dedicated to cleaning. This leads to increased overall efficiency and consequentially, more free time for everyone. However, consistently being faster might create inequity since your roommates might feel less inclined to do their share, or you might feel taken advantage of over time.

A trade-related analogy would be specialization in international trade where countries focus on producing goods where they have a comparative advantage. By doing so, global efficiency is optimized because countries engage in production where they are relatively more efficient, which is similar to how cleaning tasks should be allocated based on individual efficiency.

There are also considerations for cleaning beyond what is required. Over-cleaning may lead to diminishing returns, where the effort and resources exceed the marginal benefits. Excessive cleaning could mean wasted time or resources that could be allocated to more productive activities. Conversely, the benefits of going beyond necessary levels of cleaning might include a better living environment, reduced spread of germs, or even mental clarity for the inhabitants.