17 Little Secrets Your Hotel Room Cleaner Wish You Knew

HouseKEEPIN' IT REAL KIDS

1. You can chill when we're in your room

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The best thing you can do when housekeeping is working their magic? Not much at all, tbh. It can be awkward getting cleaned around, but trying to help out or feeling compelled to make small talk won't make it less awks for either of us. Relax! That's why you're on holiday, right?

2. Housekeeping does notice thank you notes...

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And yes, they do make our day. There's not much feedback in cleaning, so it's always great to get those lil' affirmations!

3. ...and yes, we notice other stuff, too.

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We're usually too busy to stare at your stuff, so don't worry that we're going to judge everything you own! But that cardboard 1D cutout from home? Those luminous Crocs? Yeah... we def see those.

4. It's the little things that help

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You can save housekeeping a ton of time by just keeping the basics in mind!

5. You don't have to make the bed super neatly when you leave

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This is a cute AF gesture, and no housekeeper is going to be mad at you for making that extra effort. But honestly? It's not necessary! We have to strip and wash your sheets when you go, so you don't have to worry about laying those sheets down perfectly!

6. Ask the hotel what to expect from housekeeping

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If you have specific cleaning requirements, it's worth asking what the basic schedule is! Hotels can usually accommodate adjustments if you need them, but cleaners can only do what's on their list.

7. We almost definitely didn't take that thing you're missing

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You have every right to keep an eye out if something sus is going down, but remember your cleaner would be pretty much guaranteed to lose their job if they took something from your room. Most housekeeping staff are assigned rooms, so managers know every room your cleaner has entered and when. Add hotel CCTV and it suddenly looks like a pretty terrible heist plan, right?

8. In fact, most of the time we can't touch your stuff at all

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A lot of hotels forbid cleaning staff from touching any of your stuff at all! It can be hard to work around clothes and other things that might be lying around, so pick your stuff up if you want that perf vacuumed carpet (we aren't allowed to).

9. Ask what foreign appliances do before using them

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New country, new appliances, new rules! It can be genuinely confusing to work out how to use stuff that doesn't exist in your home country, and that can lead to problems for staff (hot tip — UK kettles are not teapots). Feel free to ask if you're not sure!

10. We waved goodbye to those tiny shampoos when you checked in

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Help yourself to the little soaps and shampoos that cleaners leave in your room. That's why they're there!

11. There's a difference between messy and dirty...

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Even though we might not be able to clean around your stuff, at least your clothes go with you when you leave. Stains, spills, and smudges are much harder work though, so keep your cleaner in mind after that awesome hike!

12. ...but we won't hate you for a reasonable amount of either

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It's always a good idea to empty your room when you leave, but you really don't need to worry about dusting, polishing, or vacuuming. We have to do that anyway, no matter how perfect you left your room!

13. If you loved the housekeeping service, let the hotel know!

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It can be hard to figure out how to thank housekeeping for good service, because part of the job is trying to be invisible! It's never a bad idea to let the hotel know if you had a great experience, though, because shout-outs to good cleaners don't happen often enough.

14. And if you didn't, you should let them know, too

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Housekeeping is super important to a hotel, so it matters if staff mess up. Whether it's a result of bad scheduling, poor time management, or just shoddy work, you'll be helping the hotel by letting them know about any icky issues!

15. Some things just aren't in our job descriptions

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Housekeeping can't help you with room service, checking in or out, or basically anything that isn't cleaning. Sorry about it!

16. It takes a lot to make us talk about you

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Cleaners see hundreds, sometimes thousands, of guest's rooms in a month. I'm not saying we never talk about THAT guy, but honestly? It can take a lot to surprise a cleaner. If you're fairly reasonable and basically respectful, you have nothing at all to worry about.

17. Most of us just want to make your stay better!

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Our job is to help you! A hotel is a place where you shouldn't have to think about the little details of living, so let us do our thing so you can have the time of your life, baby.

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