What Are the Main Types of Housekeepers?

To become a housekeeper means that you have to keep things in order and clean. They work in places like hotels and private homes, and all of them have different responsibilities and obligations. The main types of housekeepers are:

• Hotel Housekeeper: The hotel housekeeper is responsible for cleaning and keeping the guest rooms, corridors, and similar common areas of a hotel clean. They change sheets, make the beds, vacuum, dust, clean the bathrooms, and check to see that the rooms are ready for new guests and that the hotel’s cleanliness standards are being met.
• Residential Housekeeper: A residential housekeeper, also known as a domestic housekeeper, is a staff member who works in a private home. They clean and tidy the house, do the laundry, iron, and occasionally cook or run errands. They may have a long-term relationship with the family.
• Hospital Housekeeper: A hospital housekeeper cleans patient rooms, operating theaters, and other hospital areas to ensure they are clean and free from contaminants that might spread disease.
• Cruise Ship Housekeeper: Clean guest cabins, common areas, and public spaces on a cruise ship. Keep the boat clean and tidy while at sea. They work very long hours but get to see many different places.
• Resort Housekeeper: A resort housekeeper works in a holiday resort, cleaning guest rooms and keeping common areas tidy like a hotel housekeeper. Tasks include helping with laundry and other guest requests.
• Live-in Housekeeper: This position entails working for private citizens in their homes, often living in a residence on the property full-time. In addition to cleaning duties, they might assist with childcare, cooking, or even managing household staff.

What Does a Housekeeper Do?

The job of a housekeeper is to keep the spaces given to them clean, organized, and presentable. Their primary duty is to ensure these spaces are orderly, neat, and guarded from any disorders. Here is what a housekeeper’s responsibility entails:

• Clean and Sanitize Rooms: Attendants clean living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens, bathrooms, and common areas by dusting, vacuuming, sweeping, mopping, sanitizing surfaces, and removing trash.
• Change Linens and Towels: Housekeepers change the bed linens in hotels, guesthouses, or private homes and make beds and replace towels to keep rooms comfortable and tidy.
• Stock supplies: housekeepers must ensure that the guests’ rooms or bathrooms have adequate toiletries, towels, toilet paper, and cleaning products.
• Laundry: Some housekeepers handle the laundry by washing, drying, ironing, and folding clothes or linens. They might also clean drapes, bedspreads, and rugs.
• Put things away and keep things tidy: In residences, housekeeping involves tidying and organizing closets, pantries, and other storage spaces to keep them neat and usable.
• Check Rooms for Damages or Repairs: A housekeeper checks rooms or homes for damage or needed repair. A housekeeper might say, ‘Looks like the faucet is leaking again. It needs to be fixed.
• Special Requests: Depending on the establishment, in addition to keeping the guest rooms clean, the housekeeper might have to fill special requests from guests or the employer—from setting up rooms to doing personal laundry or assisting with events.

Average Housekeeper Salary

Housekeepers’ salaries in the UK can vary depending on the number of years of experience, the establishment, and the location. Those living in and working as housekeepers or in luxury hotels and private homes can command higher wages. Lower wages can be found in starting positions or part-time employment. Here is an overview of the average housekeeper’s salary:

• Entry-level housekeeper: Entry-level housekeepers can expect to earn between £18,000 and £21,000 per year. Part-time housekeepers or those working in smaller hotels may earn less.
• Housekeeper with years of experience: Housekeepers with years of experience can earn between £21,000 and £25,000 a year. They usually work in mid-sized hotels, resorts, or residential homes.
• Live-in Housekeeper or Senior Housekeeper: Live-in housekeepers or those in senior roles may earn £25,000 to £35,000 per year, especially if they take on additional responsibilities like managing other staff or overseeing household operations.

Housekeeper Skills

To become a housekeeper, you must have practical cleaning skills, attention to detail, and a sense of rhythm. You need to be able to clean quickly and efficiently, follow instructions, and keep the property neat and tidy. Find out more about the key skills you’ll need to launch a career as a housekeeper below:

• Attention to detail: Housekeepers must be detail-oriented to ensure immaculate and tidy spaces. The little details, like how pillows are organized or how towels are folded, make a big difference in guest satisfaction.
• Time Management: Housekeepers are required to clean more than one room in less than one hour. Housekeepers must be able to manage their time to complete the work accordingly.
• Physical strength: A housekeeper must be able to stand for long hours, lift heavy furniture or cleaning tools, and even bend and move objects around the house. Even short, one-hour cleaning jobs can be pretty strenuous, too. Therefore, a physically fit housekeeper can maintain good stamina throughout the day.
• Communication Skills: Housekeepers often communicate with their supervisors, other staff members, and in some cases with guests or homeowners. If communication is good, requests will be handled and issues reported as soon as possible.
• Organizational skills: Cleaning equipment needs to be kept in order and clutter cleared away, and in more significant properties, housekeepers need to keep on top of what they’re doing.
• Customer Service: In hospitality environments, housekeepers interact with guests. They should be friendly, welcoming, and accommodating to guest needs.

Housekeeper Tips

Here are some pointers for housekeepers dreaming of a career:

• Get Some Cleaning Experience: If you’re new to housekeeping, gain some experience by working in smaller hotels or doing cleaning work elsewhere. This will help you understand your role’s best cleaning techniques and products.
• Improve Time Management: Improve your ability to complete a job thoroughly but quickly, and consider how you can organize your workload to enable you to clean effectively and in a set time.
• Learn to use different cleaning equipment: Use different cleaning tools like vacuum cleaners, steamers, and specific cleaning products for surfaces like marble floors, wooden furniture, glass tables, rugs, steel kitchens, etc.
• High Standards: Cleaning standards should be maintained whether the room is a hotel or private residence. Work must be carried out to high standards and the satisfaction of the guests or employer.
• Be professional and discrete: as a housekeeper, you are likely to work in private areas such as bedrooms or offices, where you must always remain professional and respect guests’ or homeowners’ privacy.

Housekeeper Requirements

Although no formal qualifications are needed to become a housekeeper, employers often seek people with previous experience taking care of cleaning duties or experience in the hospitality industry. In some cases, employers may provide training on the job, especially in larger hotels or resorts. Here are the main requirements to become a housekeeper.

• Basic literacy and numeracy skills: Domestic workers need to be able to read and write well enough to follow instructions (both written and verified products correctly) and record any issues and the supplies needed.
• Experience as a Cleaner or in the Hotel Industry: Experience as a cleaner or in another line of hospitality work is valuable. Many housekeepers gain experience as cleaners or in other hospitality jobs before working in housekeeping.
• Physical Fitness: As housekeeping is a physically demanding job, employers may ask candidates to undergo a medical test to be in good health and be able to lift, bend, and stand for long hours.
• Attention to Detail and Work Ethic: Employers are looking for detail-oriented housekeepers who would be an asset to their team. They want someone highly dependable, motivated, efficient, and able to follow instructions.
• Training in Specific Settings: Some housekeepers are trained in specific settings, such as infection control (especially in hospitals), health and safety, or how to use specialized equipment.

How to Become a Housekeeper

Here’s a step-by-step guide to becoming a housekeeper:

• Get essential cleaning experience: Start by working in cleaning roles in hospitality jobs such as hotels or as a domestic cleaner. Here, you will learn how to use cleaning materials and equipment.
• Use Cleaning Equipment: Be familiar with the equipment used in the industry, including vacuum cleaners, floor polishers, and industrial cleaning chemicals. Learning to use these appropriately and safely is essential to this role.
• Develop Good Time Management Skills: Being a housekeeper will involve cleaning rooms or spaces in a certain amount of time. If you can manage your time effectively, you can stay on track at work.
• Housekeeping Jobs: Apply for jobs in hotels, hospitals, private homes, or on cruise ships. Write a CV emphasizing any cleaning experience, attention to detail, and work ethic; many entry-level jobs require no qualifications.
• Training on the Job: You’ll likely be trained for the specific workplace. For example, you’ll learn hotel cleaning expectations, how to use cleaning products, and health and safety regulations that apply to your work.

Get Qualified as a Housekeeper 

Housekeeping for Safety: Essential Practices, Accident Prevention: Effective Housekeeping Techniques, Housekeeping Essentials, Ensuring Safety and Accident Prevention, Housekeeping Diploma Program

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Should You Become a Housekeeper?

Becoming a housekeeper can be a rewarding career if you enjoy working independently, maintaining cleanliness, and ensuring that spaces are welcoming and comfortable. Housekeepers play an important role in hospitality and healthcare, ensuring that environments are clean, safe, and comfortable for guests or residents. The role offers flexibility, with part-time and full-time options available, and opportunities for advancement in hospitality or household management.

Is Being a Housekeeper a Good Career Choice for You?

Do you like to pay attention to details? Are you a self-starter? Can you take pride in a clean and neat space? Working as a housekeeper can provide a satisfying career with stable employment. Work can occur in hotels, private homes, hospitals, and cruise ships. Being on your feet all day requires good health.

Housekeeper Salaries

In the UK, a housekeeper’s salary will depend on their experience level, location, and the type of establishment where they work. Newly recruited housekeepers can expect to earn as little as £18,000 to £21,000 per year. However, more experienced or specialist housekeepers earn as much as £21,000 to £35,000 annually. Live-in housekeepers or housekeepers in luxury hotels or private homes may be paid more because they receive either board and lodging or are provided with expensive accommodation.

Which Qualifications Can Help with a Career as a Housekeeper?

No qualifications are needed, but a Level 2 Certificate in Hospitality and Catering Principles or a Cleaning and Support Services Skills qualification can help, as can certificates in first aid, health and safety, or infection control if working in a hospital or other healthcare setting.

Do I Need Experience to Get Started as a Housekeeper?

Most housekeepers have yet to gain experience when they start. In entry-level positions, there aren’t many specific educational requirements. However, any former cleaning or hospitality experience will make you a more attractive candidate in the job market. Some employers also offer on-site training that introduces new workers to the skills they need.

Housekeeper Career Outlook

There will never be a shortage of demand for housekeepers—in hospitality and healthcare; as travel and tourism increase, hotels, resorts, and cruise ships will need housekeepers; and the demand for housekeepers in residential settings (particularly in higher-income neighborhoods) is growing. The job is stable and can be a launching pad for a broader career in hospitality or home management.

Housekeeper Hierarchy and Progressing Within the Role

You could be promoted to a supervisory or management role like Head Housekeeper or Executive Housekeeper, primarily if you work in a more prominent hotel or resort. In this type of position, you’d supervise a team of housekeepers, coordinate cleaning schedules, and ensure that the property and its rooms are kept clean and tidy. In private homes, long-time housekeepers might be promoted to household manager roles, where they oversee other staff and manage the organization of the house.

Housekeeper Exit Options and Opportunities

Housekeepers move into hotel management or guest services or become event organizers. With more training, they might move into facility management or healthcare cleaning and sanitation. They might move into the private sector as PAs, taking on more household management responsibilities.