Strip and remake the bed
Pull off the used sheets and pillowcases, then make the bed up again with fresh linens.
Career profile
Housekeeping Cleaner
Housekeepers clean and tidy, change bedding and restock supplies in homes, hotels and other buildings.
Each made bed, clean floor and room ready for use shows your work, but can you keep that care up in every room, all shift?
A day in the life
Clean and restock the bathroom
Wipe down the bathroom surfaces, swap in fresh towels and top up the toiletries kept there.
Vacuum carpets and dust furniture
Run a vacuum over the carpets and dust the furnishings, shelves and tables.
Report what cleaning cannot fix
Tell your supervisor about a leaking tap or damaged furniture, and hand in anything someone left behind.
Quick facts
Learn on the job
United States · 2025
$35,510 a year
United States · May 2025
0.6% projected growth
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
Learn on the jobTypically no formal educational credential or related experience; short-term workplace training. Employer requirements vary.
Pay
$35,510 a yearNational median for maids and housekeeping cleaners, equivalent to $17.07 an hour.
Outlook
0.6% projected growthAbout 175,500 openings a year are projected across the occupation, including replacement openings.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You like finishing something you can see.
- You can repeat a routine without letting small details slide.
- You notice what still needs attention before calling a room finished.
Things to weigh
- Repeated bending, standing and hand movements can make a shift physically tiring.
- Time pressure can make careful work harder. Dirt and cleaning products are regular parts of the environment.
Where AI may help
In hotels using room-management apps, you can see which rooms need cleaning and which have guests waiting, then update a room's status.
What people still lead
You still change linens, clean surfaces and notice problems while working through the room.
What we can’t predict yet
As more coordination moves onto screens, the open question is whether it means fewer interruptions or tighter pacing through the same physical work.
Pay in context
Earnings
The national median is a reference point, not a starting offer. Compare the hourly rate and the hours you would actually work.
The middle and the spread
The median was $35,510 a year, or $17.07 an hour. The 10th-to-90th-percentile span was $27,640–$48,570 annually, or $13.29–$23.35 hourly. These are wage percentiles, not career stages.
Compare the actual workplace offer
A Washington, D.C., hotel room-attendant role advertises $22.68–$30.25 an hour. A residential cleaning company in Overland Park, Kansas, advertises $16–$19 based on performance. These local ranges do not establish a national hotel-versus-housecleaning pay gap.
Openings exceed net growth
Employment is projected to grow 0.6% during 2025–2035, with about 175,500 openings annually. Openings include replacing workers who leave; they are not all newly created jobs.
Getting started
Join a hotel housekeeping team
- What the route involves
- Learn the room routine and safety procedures with a supervisor.
- What it can lead to
- Room-attendant work preparing guest rooms.
- What to check
- Some roles accept applicants without a diploma or previous experience; check each hotel's requirements.
Train with a residential cleaning company
Paid
- What the route involves
- Join a company offering paid training and learn its cleaning sequence alongside a team.
- What it can lead to
- Work cleaning customer homes on the company's routes.
- What to check
- Some employers require a driver's license and background check even when cleaning experience is unnecessary.
You can usually learn through employment. A college program is not the typical entry requirement.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization.
Build a dependable routine
Learn a room sequence and keep your cart stocked so missing supplies do not interrupt your work.
Handle more kinds of cleaning
Ask to learn carpet care with a shampooer as you become comfortable with everyday cleaning.
Move toward leading or training
With experience, look for team-lead, trainer or quality-checking roles. These add responsibility for how other cleaners work; promotion depends on the employer.
Where you can work
Hotels
Guest privacy controls when you enter. Arrivals and waiting guests can change which room needs attention next.
- Indoors
- Physical demands
Residential cleaning companies
You may travel between homes with a team. Some companies offer weekday daytime routes, so check the schedule and driving expectations.
- Indoors
- Travel
- Physical demands
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
Reset your own bedroom: change the sheets, dust accessible surfaces and vacuum. Use a short checklist, then inspect the room again. Notice what you missed and how you feel about repeating the routine.
Stay safe: Use familiar household equipment and leave heavy furniture in place.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational projections and worker characteristics, 2025–2035. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- O*NET OnLine. 37-2012.00 — Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- O*NET OnLine / U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. National Wages: Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Marriott International. Room Attendant — Washington Marriott Georgetown. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Molly Maid of Greater Kansas City. House Cleaner — Full Time | No Nights or Weekends. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Molly Maid of Towson / Bel Air. Housekeeper / Cleaner. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Oracle. Oracle Hospitality Hotel Mobile User Guide — Housekeeping. Accessed 2026-10-03.