What Does a Housekeeper Do?
A Housekeeper is employed in homes or facilities such as hotels to clean rooms, wash bedding or clothes, iron, dust, mop, hoover, empty bins and many other everyday tasks.
A Housekeeper must keep a cleaning schedule to keep on top of tasks and keep an eye on their cleaning supplies, restocking when necessary. It is important to organise your time and cleaning supplies appropriately to keep productivity high.
Use good communication skills to discuss what the client needs when performing household tasks.
If you are interested in other facilities and cleaning jobs, you can find them here.
Dress Code
A Housekeeper is expected to look professional, wearing clean and ironed clothes such as dresses, pants, shirts or tunics. Wear suitable non-slip shoes that are comfortable for being on your feet for an extended time.
Housekeeper Duties
A Housekeeper’s duties can include cleaning, laundry, cooking and errands. Depending on the type of employment, you may also be expected to take care of children and pets.
Housekeeper Tips
Focus on developing your time-keeping skills, as performing tasks quickly is important for high productivity.
Have good attention to detail; it is important to notice things that the client or supervisor hasn’t, and cleaning areas that have been neglected is an important part of the role.
Key Housekeeper Skills
To be a successful and efficient Housekeeper you will need good organisational skills, good time management skills for visiting multiple residents in a day, and you will need to have knowledge of cleaning techniques.
Organisation
A Housekeeper must be able to prioritise tasks and keep track of their cleaning supplies. It is important to have a routine for cleaning that is time efficient and have access to the proper cleaning products and tools when they are needed.
Organise your cleaning products efficiently so that they are tidy but also easy to find. Replace the products when necessary to stay on top of your tasks.
Time Management
Performing tasks on a schedule is important for a Housekeeper to keep them on time and productive. Have a routine prepared based on the place you are cleaning so that you can complete tasks quickly and efficiently. A Housekeeper should have a routine for each room, house or premises.
Sometimes, a Housekeeper will need to deal with unexpected tasks outside of their routine, you will need to be adaptable to perform these tasks when necessary.
Knowledge of Cleaning Techniques
There are a few techniques that a Housekeeper should know to be proficient in this job, such as creating a plan for repeated tasks over days, weeks or months, decluttering rooms by tidying away or throwing away items. A Housekeeper should dust regularly to keep dirt to a minimum and make sure they dust in corners and hard to reach places.
There will be proper tools for Housekeepers to use such as extendable feather dusters, varnishing cloths and microfibre cloths that will be used for different tasks
Housekeeping Job Responsibilities
Housekeeper responsibilities include cleaning houses including all rooms, restocking their cleaning supplies, and maintaining a time efficient schedule.
Tidying Rooms or Premises
A Housekeeper will tidy all rooms of a household or other premises, including washing clothes, hoovering, dusting, organising items like children’s toys and washing floors and surfaces.
It is important to have a routine for performing everyday cleaning responsibilities. The plan should prioritise rooms and tasks in a time efficient way. The size of the premises may vary which is why it is important to have a schedule for each place of work.
Restocking Supplies
It is important to keep a list of supplies that is consistently updated so that you don’t run out of cleaning products. It will be necessary to restock the products you need regularly, as running out will be a setback in productivity. Organize the products in a way that makes it obvious when items are low in stock or about to run out.
Make sure you know which supplies you need for each residence, as some clients may request certain products, such as fragrance or bleach-free cleaners.
Maintaining Schedules
Maintaining a schedule is crucial for maximum productivity. Take the time to study each room and its cleaning needs and speak to clients about what they require from you as a Housekeeper.
If you are required to wash clothing, do this at an appropriate time while completing other tasks. When working in a larger facility, it is important to be vigilant, as supervisors will expect rooms to be cleaned within a time frame.
Housekeeper Career Path & Advancement
Gaining enough experience in Housekeeping can help you learn the skills to progress into Supervisor or Management roles or Private Household Housekeeping
Advancing to Supervisor or Management Roles
To advance into a supervisor or management role you will need to learn leadership skills. It will be important to use your learned skills as a Housekeeper to delegate work, organise resupplies and organise schedules.
A supervisor or manager might also perform inspections to make sure that the Housekeepers are performing to the required standards of the facility. It is important to have good communication skills when speaking to the housekeeping staff to explain things clearly if improvements need to be made or if they have performed to high standards.
Private Household Roles
Becoming a Housekeeper in a private household means taking on all cleaning responsibilities inside that house. This might also include cooking, animal or childcare, washing dishes and buying groceries or running other errands.
Look into taking a housekeeping course or gaining certification in hospitality. It is important for a private Housekeeper to be discrete and reliable to build a good reputation with the client.
FAQs on Becoming a Housekeeper
What Are the General Working Hours of a Housekeeper?
The average working week of a Housekeeper is between 38 and 40 hours. This can include working evenings, mornings, weekends and holidays.
Is Being a Housekeeper Physically Demanding?
Being a Housekeeper is considered a physically demanding profession as it involves a lot of bending, reaching high places, repetitive movements and standing
How Much Does a Housekeeper Earn?
In the UK, a Housekeeper can expect to earn around £19,000 per year, which varies depending on location, hourly rate and hours worked.
