In this essay, I bring together the Swedish debate concerning tax subsidized household services – the so called RUT-deduction – with feminist care ethics, here represented mainly by philosopher Virginia Held. The first and main question asked, is how a care ethical argument against increased trade in housework can be formulated. The idea of the relational character of care as well as care representing an irreplaceable value, leads to the following argument: An increased trade in housework leads to less care and weakened care relations and this implies a loss both to individuals and to society. The second question posed, concerns the reach of the argument above: both with respect to what kind of housework that can reasonably be seen as part of the practice of care as well as within what type of relationships the idea of care practice applies. In this part I conclude that there is no ground for drawing a sharp line between housework which is, and housework which is not, part of care practice. The arguments presented are relevant for the discussion about what kind of gender equal society we should strive for. If justice is seen as a value superior to care, full time paid work for women as well as for men can be seen as a reasonable route towards gender equality. If the value of care and of care relations is placed alongside justice, other solutions than commodification of housework may be seen as needed.