what do you call a Japanese housemaid?

What do you call a japanese housemaid that cooks and cleans for you. I thought these particular types of maids were referred to as a samisan, or perhaps even sami-san, but I'm afraid I'm wrong, so what are they called?

"o-tetsudai-san" would be the right word. It comes from the verb "tetsudau" (to help, in this case to help around the house), and is the term used.

AK, is there a distinction between that and Kaseifu? I have a recent Japanese Drama in my brain.

Oenophile Angler,

I think I know what drama you are thinking of :)

"Kaseifu" is more of a matter-of-fact term, you might use it when you are referring to different occupations. And (maybe this is just me but) "kaseifu" sounds like she has some authority to run the household affairs.

"O-tetsudai-san" is a friendlier, as you can tell from "-san" at the end. This can be casual helper, for example who comes just once a week and cleans, etc.

"kaseifu" is referred to a more formal home helper & often , not a nurse, for a sick person who is fed, bathed, cleaned, administered medicines, etc. She may stay for an extend period.
On the other hand, "otetsudaisan" is more of a casual hourly house cleaning/cooking helper. Some places in Japan may interchange the words.

At least to me, kaseifu and otetsudai-san both refer to the same thing. Some might refer to it as "kaseifu-san."

But the thing is, not many people hire housemaids in Japan. At least no Japanese I know in person has hired them in perhaps the last 5 decades or so. So you don't really get a chance to hear anyone talking about real-life housemaids.

I sometimes notice busy celebrities talking about their housemaids on TV and they would use strange expressions like "there is this lady that helps us around the house." I suppose the celebrity calls this "lady" by her name all the time, and when it comes to talking about her in public (s)he sort of gets lost trying to find the right term for this lady.

I think Uco san is right....calling someone by their name is surely the most appropriate if you are addressing them directly or talking about them to someone who knows them. Calling someone by their job might seem a bit snobby and distant.

I think the OP was asking how one would refer to this sort of person without mentioning her name and that's what I was trying to answer.

A few of my acquaintances in Tokyo do hire a housemaid to help with laundry and cleaning when they are very busy, and when they are telling me about it they simply say "meido-san," using the English word "maid" plus "-san" for politeness.

And what about the waitresses in a maid cafe? :-)