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What is a housekeeping/laundry and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
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Do you enjoy making beds and cleaning? If you have an eye for detail, lots of energy, and enjoy working as part of a team, then you may clean up with a career in housekeeping/laundry. Working in housekeeping is one of the best-paid jobs in hospitality that comes with low stress-level, good work-life balance, and solid prospects to improve and get promoted. Housekeeping is a steady profession that offers you a chance to perform practical and hands-on indoor work in a friendly and non-competitive environment. As a housekeeping/laundry specialist, your duties may vary widely depending on your employer but, usually, you'll perform cleaning and steaming laundry, ironing and folding clothes, changing bedding, organizing items, and a variety of light cleaning duties. Maintaining and overseeing the cleaning operations, you'll also ensure that the environment meets the sanitation requirements and is welcoming and comfortable for residents.

You don't necessarily need any formal training or qualifications to become a housekeeper/laundry, but earning a high school diploma or GED may help build your resume. Experience isn't a criterion when it comes to the housekeeping job. It might be useful to have some previous experience in a similar role or a social care and hotel setting. Most of the time, you'll get on-the-job training to develop your skills and knowledge. Generally, employers prefer to hire an individual who has a high school education and gained experience working in small hotels or motels. He/She or she must acquire an attention to detail, passion for perfection and personal touches, dedication, and a team-oriented individual who thrives in a variety-filled environment. Working as a housekeeper may bring you promising job opportunities to work in a variety of areas such as hotels, resorts, tour and travel agencies, restaurants, lodges, guesthouses, private residences, and other commercial establishments. As for your working hours, typically, you'll work in shifts, but part-time hours may also come with this job. Occasionally, you might need to work on weekends or holidays.

Being a housekeeping professional, you may take the role of a linen keeper, laundry master, executive housekeeper, or associate housekeeping manager in one place. Not only that, but the housekeeping job gives you a chance to make a successful career and accomplish diverse heights in management up to the role of general manager. You can expect to earn a median annual wage of $51,000 and $24.82 an hour. In addition to this, you may receive tips from guests, free meals during working hours, paid vacations, some paid holidays, health insurance, retirement benefits, and a lot more! On top of all that, the employment rate for housekeeping jobs is incredibly high - as the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts an increase of 12.8% in housekeeping jobs by 2022, those who choose this sector will do well.

ScoreHousekeeping/LaundryUS Average
Salary
2.3

Avg. Salary $29,777

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity
5.5
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.46%

Asian 5.42%

Black or African American 9.76%

Hispanic or Latino 19.77%

Unknown 4.51%

White 59.09%

Gender

female 84.02%

male 15.98%

Age - 50
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 50
Stress level
4.9

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level
6.7

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
8.2

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Housekeeping/laundry career paths

Key steps to become a housekeeping/laundry

  1. Explore housekeeping/laundry education requirements

    Most common housekeeping/laundry degrees

    High School Diploma

    54.1 %

    Diploma

    16.9 %

    Associate

    12.3 %
  2. Start to develop specific housekeeping/laundry skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Fold Laundry38.27%
    Public Restrooms26.91%
    Guest Rooms3.66%
    Patient Rooms3.02%
    Infection Control3.01%
  3. Complete relevant housekeeping/laundry training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New housekeeping/laundries learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a housekeeping/laundry based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real housekeeping/laundry resumes.
  4. Research housekeeping/laundry duties and responsibilities

    • Maintain linen room in clean and orderly condition and examine laundered items to ensure cleanliness and serviceability.
    • Used hand and power tools such as dollies, floor polishers, vacuum cleaners and mops.
    • Disinfect equipment and supplies, using germicides or steam-operate sterilizers.
  5. Prepare your housekeeping/laundry resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your housekeeping/laundry resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a housekeeping/laundry resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable housekeeping/laundry resume templates

    Build a professional housekeeping/laundry resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your housekeeping/laundry resume.
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    Housekeeping/Laundry Resume
  6. Apply for housekeeping/laundry jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a housekeeping/laundry job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first housekeeping/laundry job

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Average housekeeping/laundry salary

The average housekeeping/laundry salary in the United States is $29,777 per year or $14 per hour. Housekeeping/laundry salaries range between $23,000 and $37,000 per year.

Average housekeeping/laundry salary
$29,777 Yearly
$14.32 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do housekeeping/laundries rate their job?

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Housekeeping/laundry reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2022
Pros

I enjoy cleaning up and making things neat as possible

Cons

I love everything


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A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2020
Cons

Am fine with everything


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A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2020
Pros

Work at my own pace, talking with patients, residents, keeping busy, and dayshift.

Cons

There isn't much that I dislike that I can think of besides the pay.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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