Claudia Kahn’s interactions with clients have changed markedly since California went into COVID-19 lockdown. Early on — when owners of pricey L.A.
homes laid off or heavily purged housekeeping staffs to create environments with fewer people — Kahn, owner of The Help Company, was on the phone constantly with clients, giving them tips on doing their own cleaning. "We've been having wonderful conversations about domesticity, though I may have been responsible for selling more Shark and Bissell floor washers than anyone else this year," says Kahn.