How to hire maids and housekeeping cleaners
A job description you can copy, interview questions tied to the real work, and what to pay. Free.
Job description template
Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.
[Job title] at [Company name] [City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range] About the role [Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.] What you will do • Carry linens, towels, toilet items, and cleaning supplies, using wheeled carts. • Clean rooms, hallways, lobbies, lounges, restrooms, corridors, elevators, stairways, locker rooms, and other work areas so that health standards are met. • Clean rugs, carpets, upholstered furniture, and draperies, using vacuum cleaners and shampooers. • Empty wastebaskets, empty and clean ashtrays, and transport other trash and waste to disposal areas. • Keep storage areas and carts well-stocked, clean, and tidy. • Replenish supplies, such as drinking glasses, linens, writing supplies, and bathroom items. • Sweep, scrub, wax, or polish floors, using brooms, mops, or powered scrubbing and waxing machines. • Wash windows, walls, ceilings, and woodwork, waxing and polishing as necessary. What you bring • [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any] • [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: No formal educational credential] • Working knowledge of customer and personal service • [Anything else you would really turn someone away for] Pay and benefits [Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $17.07 an hour ($35,510 a year). [Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.] How to apply [Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]
Interview questions for maids and housekeeping cleaners
Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.
- Tell me about a time you had to carry linens, towels, toilet items, and cleaning supplies, using wheeled carts. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to clean rooms, hallways, lobbies, lounges, restrooms, corridors, elevators, stairways, locker rooms, and other work areas so that health standards are met. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to clean rugs, carpets, upholstered furniture, and draperies, using vacuum cleaners and shampooers. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to empty wastebaskets, empty and clean ashtrays, and transport other trash and waste to disposal areas. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?
Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.
What maids and housekeeping cleaners do
- Carry linens, towels, toilet items, and cleaning supplies, using wheeled carts.
- Clean rooms, hallways, lobbies, lounges, restrooms, corridors, elevators, stairways, locker rooms, and other work areas so that health standards are met.
- Clean rugs, carpets, upholstered furniture, and draperies, using vacuum cleaners and shampooers.
- Empty wastebaskets, empty and clean ashtrays, and transport other trash and waste to disposal areas.
- Keep storage areas and carts well-stocked, clean, and tidy.
- Replenish supplies, such as drinking glasses, linens, writing supplies, and bathroom items.
- Sweep, scrub, wax, or polish floors, using brooms, mops, or powered scrubbing and waxing machines.
- Wash windows, walls, ceilings, and woodwork, waxing and polishing as necessary.
Education, experience and outlook for maids and housekeeping cleaners
- Typical education to start: No formal educational credential (BLS)
- Related work experience most have: Up to 1 month (O*NET)
- Training on the job: Short-term on-the-job training (BLS)
- Job outlook: +0.6% over ten years, little or no change · about 175,500 openings a year (BLS)
What to pay maids and housekeeping cleaners
Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:
| State | Median yearly pay |
|---|---|
| Hawaii | $51,600 |
| Nevada | $46,550 |
| California | $42,660 |
| District of Columbia | $42,260 |
| Washington | $42,180 |
| Alabama | $27,480 |
| Louisiana | $26,600 |
| Mississippi | $25,360 |
See maids and housekeeping cleaners pay in every state
Related hiring guides
- Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners
- Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers
- Locker Room, Coatroom, and Dressing Room Attendants
- Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers
- Dishwashers
- Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment
- First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers
- Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials
- Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers
- Fast Food and Counter Workers
Post this job on JAI Bot. Free to start: JAI Bot reads every applicant against your must-haves, shows the resume evidence behind each one, and helps you reply to everyone. People make every decision.
Post a job freePay by areaJob duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.