When life is too busy and your schedule doesn’t allow you the time to clean your home, guest house, or bed and breakfast, you may need a housekeeper. Housekeeping services will maintain cleanliness in a home or commercial building. There are always housekeepers in hotels, however, they can also work in residential accommodation facilities or private houses.
Having a housekeeper is a sufficient way to ensure that specific tasks are performed regularly to maintain a clean, healthy environment; every morning you and your guests will wake up to a fresh and safe environment. In this article, we’ll explain some key differences between housekeeping and cleaning, what a housekeeper or housekeeping team does, and the two types of housekeeping.
Housekeeping Or Cleaning?
The main difference between housekeeping and cleaning is that cleaning services mainly focus on specific cleaning, and improve the cleanliness of an area or home. Housekeeping, on the other hand, is a lot more in-depth and includes regular tidying up, and making sure a place looks inviting at all times.
Here are some more differences between the duties of a housekeeper and the duties of a domestic worker:
- Domestic workers include scrubbing the sink, mopping the floors, wiping down the walls and cabinets, knowing how to clean an oven, the fridge, and other such appliances, when learning how to clean a kitchen. A housekeeping service would do the same and a little bit more. Extra tasks include putting away shoes left around the house, loading the dishwasher, and replacing tea towels with new ones. A housekeeper would also make sure all of the items on surfaces are clean and well-organised for everything to be easily found.
- In the living room, a domestic worker will vacuum and dust furniture and carpets, as well as knowing how to clean windows and blinds. A housekeeper will also do that, in addition to poofing the pillows on the couches, folding and placing any blankets back into the cupboard, and ensuring that all photo frames and artwork are hanging straight on the wall.
- For bedroom cleaning, a domestic worker would also vacuum and dust the room, take the laundry to the washing machine, and make the bed. A housekeeper will change the bedding and remake the bed to perfection. In an en suite bathroom, they will organise all of your amenities in a neat, orderly fashion.
Housekeepers spend a little more time on the finishing touches with attention to detail, which is why commercial accommodations like hotels, resorts, and guest houses, need to have housekeeping.
Responsibilities Of A Housekeeper
Housekeepers have the role of cleaning the residence as well as reporting safety hazards to the homeowner or hotel manager who is in charge. Daily housekeeping services are focused on cleaning and freshening up the entire space while guests are out during the day. Good housekeeping requires a unique set of skills.
They must complete daily tasks, including vacuuming, sweeping, emptying trash cans, dusting shelves, and cleaning the windows and floors. Some housekeepers will also wash the dishes and take care of ironing and laundry.
In a hotel, a housekeeper will have a small space of time in all of the guests’ rooms, and do the following:
- Clean and wipe down all surfaces
- Replace the towels
- Make the beds
- Restock toiletries and beverages
- Empty the garbage bin
- Clean major messes or spills
- Dust and wipe
- Clean the bathroom
- Take the dirty dishes away
- Thoroughly vacuum carpets and mop all floors
They are expected to do this to a very high standard throughout multiple rooms every day, usually from about 10 am to 2 pm.
Housekeeper Skills
Housekeepers have to be responsible, hard-working, trustworthy, flexible, honest and reliable, as well as being able to pay attention to detail. They are on their feet for long hours, and must also squat, kneel and bend to complete tasks. Housekeepers should also have good communication skills and stick to the standards, policies and procedures of where they are working.
The Two Types Of Housekeeping
There are two types of housekeeping – institutional and domestic. Institutional housekeeping is maintenance that’s done in commercial buildings, like hotels and holiday resorts. It is also needed in hospitals and healthcare centres, where housekeepers dispose of waste, and disinfect consultation and examination rooms. They will also have to clean and disinfect medical equipment, and launder scrubs, gowns and blankets.
Domestic housekeeping is just as important and provides employment opportunities due to the demand for housekeepers. It may be ideal for those homeowners who want their lives to be easier at home, or for people who don’t have the time to do the cleaning themselves.
Conclusion
Housekeepers mainly work with residential property owners, guests, and other housekeeping and maintenance departments. Usually the housekeeping manager or supervisor will report any safety hazards to an owner.
With a housekeeper, your home will always be fresh and clean. All rooms will be safe environments for your children, and you won’t have to worry about basic cleaning and maintenance. Housekeepers are ideal for large homes that need regular cleaning or for those who work long hours and have kids to take care of as well. Book a housekeeping cleaning service from our range of cleaning services at SweepSouth to experience the quality of the best in the business.
