Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance · Holland code RC
Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners
Perform any combination of light cleaning duties to maintain private households or commercial establishments, such as hotels and hospitals, in a clean and orderly manner. Duties may include making beds, replenishing linens, cleaning rooms and halls, and vacuuming.
Also called: Environmental Services Aide, Environmental Services Worker, Housekeeper, Housekeeping Laundry Worker, Chambermaid, Cleaner, Cottage Attendant, Guest Room Attendant (GRA).
O*NET 37-2012.00
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $35,510
- Middle half earn $30,350 to $39,590. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Most common education
- Less than a High School Diploma
- 45% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 2 of 5
- Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- Keep storage areas and carts well-stocked, clean, and tidy.
- 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.
- Disinfect equipment and supplies, using germicides or steam-operated sterilizers.
- Empty wastebaskets, empty and clean ashtrays, and transport other trash and waste to disposal areas.
- Sweep, scrub, wax, or polish floors, using brooms, mops, or powered scrubbing and waxing machines.
- Observe precautions required to protect hotel and guest property and report damage, theft, and found articles to supervisors.
- Replenish supplies, such as drinking glasses, linens, writing supplies, and bathroom items.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Active Listening2.8 / 5
- Speaking2.8 / 5
- Critical Thinking2.8 / 5
- Monitoring2.8 / 5
- Reading Comprehension2.6 / 5
- Writing2.1 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Customer and Personal Service4.0 / 5
- English Language3.2 / 5
- Public Safety and Security3.2 / 5
- Administration and Management2.9 / 5
- Chemistry2.5 / 5
- Education and Training2.4 / 5
Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic85
- Investigative0
- Artistic6
- Social25
- Enterprising8
- Conventional60
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- hotel butler · DE Hoteldiener/Hoteldienerin · FR majordome en hôtellerie
- domestic housekeeper · DE Hauswirtschafter Privathaushalt/Hauswirtschafterin Privathaushalt · FR gouvernantes/intendants à domicile
- domestic butler · DE Butler/Butlerin · FR majordome
- house sitter · DE Haussitter/Haussitterin · FR gardien de maison/gardienne de maison
- building exterior cleaner · DE Fassadenreiniger/Fassadenreinigerin · FR agent de nettoyage des extérieurs des bâtiments/agente de nettoyage des extérieurs des bâtiments
- domestic cleaner · DE Reinigungskraft in Privathaushalt · FR aide ménager à domicile/aide ménagère à domicile
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Hospital porters (9262)25,200 employed
- Window cleaners (9221)22,400 employed
- Elementary cleaning occupations n.e.c. (9229)14,000 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Service and sales workers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Belgium | €32,957 |
| Sweden | €32,596 |
| Netherlands | €29,198 |
| Austria | €29,068 |
| Germany | €27,471 |
| Ireland | €26,978 |
| Italy | €24,995 |
| France | €24,971 |
| Spain | €18,303 |
| Portugal | €10,656 |
| Poland | €7,579 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
Exposure to AI
This occupation sits in the lower third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -1.48. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.
Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.
Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (37-2012).
Related careers
Is it a fit for you?
Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.
Take the career interests test