Is Housekeeping the Same as Cleaning: Differences and Hiring Help

Ensuring that a home is neat and tidy takes a lot of work, skill, and special care. If you are looking to hire domestic help, it is important to know that different professionals specialize in different kinds of tasks to maintain your rooms.

This Pavillion Agency article explores “Is housekeeping the same as cleaning?” to help you make the best hiring decision for your home

What Is a Housekeeper?

To begin with, what is housekeeping? Housekeepers are generally responsible for the overall upkeep of a home, which may include cleaning, managing, maintaining, and organizing. It is common for housekeepers to do more than just clean and also sort drawers, run errands, or fold laundry.

There are various kinds of housekeeping services available for homeowners to handle dusting, upholstery, vacuuming, appliance cleaning, clean-up after kids and pets, and deep cleaning projects. A laundress is a cleaning professional who specifically handles the cleaning and care of clothing and fabrics.

It is also possible to hire a live-in housekeeper to stay in your house full-time and keep up with cleaning tasks on an ongoing basis.

What Is a Professional Cleaner?

On the contrary, professional cleaners strictly focus on only cleaning and are only responsible for making a house beautifully cleaned, sanitized, and disinfected. Cleaners excel at challenging and deep cleaning tasks that take advanced skills, tools, and knowledge.

Homeowners and businesses commonly hire cleaners to handle floors, carpets, kitchens, bathrooms, and other tough cleaning jobs. You can also hire a cleaner to polish floors, clean windows, and prepare a space for moving in or out.

Who Requires Housekeeping vs. House Cleaning?

Housekeeping is common in hotels, vacation rental properties, workplaces, and residential homes. Homeowners often hire housekeepers on a regular basis, such as every week, to handle specific cleaning jobs that they don’t have the time, energy, or desire to keep up with on their own.

When things get particularly messy, people who only need a seasonal deep-clean or sporadic cleaning service often hire professional cleaners to come in on an as-needed basis. This is an effective solution for tackling serious grime and starting fresh with a clean space after you’ve let it go for too long.

Is Housekeeping the Same as Cleaning for a Hotel?

There are distinct differences between cleaning and housekeeping in a hotel.

Housekeeping services are tailored to hotel environments because they offer a fast and efficient way to turn over hotel rooms to rotating guests. Within just a few hours between guest stays, hotel housekeepers must quickly clean and restage all the rooms to create a space that looks inviting, sanitary, and on-brand with the hotel’s theme.

However, hotels may hire professional cleaners if a particularly challenging situation occurs in one of their rooms, such as if a pet gets sick in a room or a guest is diagnosed with an infectious disease.

Do You Need a Housekeeper or a Cleaner?

For your personal household needs, consider whether you need someone to manage the day-to-day cleaning and organization of your rooms or if you only need an occasional deep clean once in a while. A housekeeper can help you with ongoing cleaning and maintenance on a regular schedule, while a professional cleaner can come for big one-and-done jobs when you need extra support.

We hope you’ve found this discussion of “Is housekeeping the same as cleaning?” helpful and now have a better sense of the type of professional you need.

Pavillion Agency can connect you to skilled domestic workers to help you take the best care of your home. Please call us at 212-889-6609 or contact us online to discuss your cleaning needs. We can then get you the help you need to feel comfortable and happy in your home.

Category: Housekeeping Services