Head Housekeeper's Checklist

Businesses, hospitals and hotels rely on housekeeping staff to keep their rooms and common areas clean and tidy. The head housekeeper is responsible for all housekeeping duties as well as reporting back to the property management. A checklist will help the head housekeeper keep adequate supplies on hand, track room cleaning, and schedule employees more efficiently.

The head housekeeper’s checklist should include information on daily and weekly cleaning requirements that will allow her to schedule enough employees. Employees should be scheduled at least a week in advance to give them enough time to adjust their personal schedules accordingly. Employee productivity can be tracked to help schedule employees more efficiently, which will reduce labor costs. In times of reduced staffing, the head housekeeper should fill in and clean areas as needed.

Supplies are critical to a housekeeping operation as they are essential to cleaning and stocking a building with toiletries. The head housekeeper should maintain a supply inventory checklist to prevent running out of anything. Cleaning supplies needed include glass cleaner, disinfectant, bleach, air freshener, carpet spot remover and floor cleaner. Toiletry supplies include toilet paper, facial tissue, hand towels hand soap and facial soap. Cleaning tools inspected regularly and replaced as necessary -- including vacuums, mops and dusters -- will help them clean more effectively.

The head housekeeper must perform routine site inspections throughout the day to ensure areas are up to the company’s cleanliness standards. This includes checking to ensure that all trash is removed from rooms, floors are cleaned and free of debris, all toiletries are stocked and bathrooms are sanitized. Hotels must perform a check-in inspection to ensure all guest rooms are ready for new guests. The head housekeeper needs to keep track of all complaints to ensure the housekeeper responsible is made aware of her mistakes to prevent them from happening in the future.

Reports help a head housekeeper keep track of expenses and report them to the property manager. Reports should be routinely updated to track all necessary data, including labors hours, supplies used and total area cleaned. A daily cleaning report tracks employees, the rooms they cleaned and hours they worked.