Downloadable housekeeping checklist for your cleaning crew

Guests might review the great food and stylish decor of a hotel, or the wonderful facilities and friendly staff. However, it’s a safe bet that housekeeping rarely gets a mention, unless it’s to comment on defects. The quality of a hotel’s housekeeping is expected as a given, with cleanliness and order the norm. In this post, we discuss the importance of a housekeeping checklist and give you itemized lists for different room types. You can also download this list and customize it for your own hotel’s needs.

The benefits of having a checklist in housekeeping

Why do you need these checklists in the first place? Cleaning checklists are essential in hotel housekeeping to ensure consistency, efficiency, and quality. They standardize cleaning procedures, ensuring every room and area meets the same high standards, which is crucial for guest satisfaction and the hotel's reputation.  It also simplifies the supervision and quality control processes, as standards are clear itemized, and easy to follow.

Now that we established that housekeeping checklists are essential, let’s see the itemised lists by room type:

• Checklist for the bedroom area
• Checklist for the bathroom area
• Checklist for the main living area

If you'd like to download these housekeeping checklists, you can submit your information here, and you'll be able to download printable checklists that you can distribute to your staff. You'll also be able to find an empty, fully customizable template that you can fill out yourself :

Housekeeping checklists by room type

Housekeeping checklist for the bedroom area

1. Open windows, air out the room
2. Always check in, around and under the bed for any forgotten belongings - better to discover those missing spectacles before you crunch them underfoot!
3. Ensure that the mattress and mattress cover are clean and free of hair or other residues
4. Check and replace the curtains if necessary.
5. Use a surface cleaner or glass cleaner for mirrors, glass tables, and window
6. Clean, sanitise and polish bedside tables, nightstands, and other furniture
7. Clean and sanitize doors and door handles
8. Clean and sanitise the bedside telephone
9. Remove and replace sheets, bedlinen, pillowcases, and covers, smooth everything out
10. Make the bed
11. Check that bedside lights are working and either replace defective bulbs or report to maintenance
12. Vacuum, and ensure that there are no cobwebs anywhere in the room
13. Restock amenities, and small signature gifts
14. Close the windows
15. Mop the floor
16. Document any changes or discrepancies

Housekeeping checklist for the bathroom area

1. Check for any left items, anything found should be tagged and given to reception at the earliest opportunity
2. Air the bathroom by opening windows
3. Replace used towels and mats
4. Empty the trash bin, clean its surfaces, and replace the bin liner
5. Clean and sanitise the washbasin, toilet, bidet and surroundings
6. Clean and sanitise the bath and/or shower
7. Clean and polish mirrors
8. Remove limescale from all surfaces
9. Replace toothmugs and any other cups or glasses
10. Top up or replace liquid soap containers, complimentary body washes, shampoos, and any sanitary products, ensuring that all items are present and correct
11. Check that electrical outlets are functioning, and that all lighting and ventilation is working correctly - reporting immediately to Maintenance if not
12. Vacuum, ensure that there are no cobwebs anywhere in the room
13. Pay particular attention throughout the bathroom to the complete removal of hairs
14. Mop floor tiles, paying attention to the cleanliness of the grouting
15. Close the window

Housekeeping checklist for the main living area

1. Open the window to air the room
2. Check for left items
3. Ensure chairs and sofas are clean and free of hair or other residues.
4. Dust all surfaces - including shelves, furniture
5. Clean mirrors, glass tables, and windows
6. Replace cups and glasses that come with the room, and clean the coffee maker
7. Replenish any main area supplies, such as coffee and tea sachets, biscuits, and bottled water
8. Check all electrical appliances, including lights, AC, heating, kettle, microwave, iron, etcetera, and TV, etc (also ensuring that the batteries in the hand control are functional)
9. Ensure that information flyers, brochures or maps are complete
10. If a management welcome letter or welcome gift pack is usually supplied, ensure that this is displayed in the appropriate place
11. If a minibar is provided, ensure that it is correctly stocked according to your specific minibar checklist
12. Vacuum, ensure that there are no cobwebs anywhere in the room
13. Empty the trash bin, clean its surfaces, and replace the bin liner
14. Close the window
15. Mop the floor 

On leaving the freshly cleaned guest room, take the same overall super-critical look around. Pause at the entrance and view the areas as a guest will on arrival. Have you achieved everything necessary to make them feel special, and comfortable during their stay? 
Oh, and please don’t forget any personal items or equipment!

Housekeeping checklists for hoteliers

The amount of detail you decide to list in a housekeeping checklist is very much down to your own experience, and that of your housekeeping staff, but never assume that everyone will know or remember everything. By its very nature housekeeping is a repetitive process where it’s quite easy to forget a step, which could be a dealbreaker for a guest. So err on the side of caution and provide comprehensive checklists for your staff that are not open to ‘interpretation’. Clarity is always best. 
Checklists are easy to alter and update - after all, they are only a simple set of descriptions of things to be done. For example, until recent times towels were changed on a daily basis, but on environmental grounds many hotels now leave that to the discretion of guests. If that’s now your hotel’s policy, then change the housekeeping checklist accordingly.

The technical dimension

How often should a housekeeping checklist be updated? As often as is necessary, but a significant factor is that with modern Property Management Systems, it’s possible for checklists to be available to cleaners and maintenance personnel through their own mobile device, so that updates are easy, and dynamic. This also means that staff can be diverted to rooms which are free earlier than planned when guests have checked out, or sent to ‘problem’ rooms that might require more intensive cleaning or even repair. The process is not just one-way either, as staff can use the app to report issues, such as lost property or damage to the room, providing a much faster and more responsive environment.
We know about the technical dimension because we are SabeeApp, and for over eleven years have been supplying PM Systems to the hospitality industry, covering every aspect of the guest journey, and the needs of hotels. We care about the success of all our hospitality clients, and that’s why we’ve created a simple, downloadable checklist for you to share with your staff. 
It’s also well worth checking out our PMS and Smart Solutions for hoteliers, and in addition seeing some of the fine detail around how we can help with housekeeping scheduling and duties.