A housekeeper is a person who is hired to provide professional domestic services such as cleaning, laundry, and sometimes cooking and errands. Usually only wealthy households employ full-time domestic workers such as housekeepers, though many dual-income upper and middle class families hire the services of a housekeeper for periodic household cleaning.

Considered a luxury by many, employing a full-time housekeeper may involve providing room and board in addition to a weekly or monthly salary. A full-time housekeeper usually does not have any involvement with children in the household, but rather is responsible only for keeping the house clean and orderly. A full-time housekeeper may or may not be employed to shop for and prepare meals.

Part-time housekeepers on the other hand do not work for a single household, but rather visit several different households throughout the course of a week. A part-time housekeeper may work for an agency or company who places them with interested clients. Households that hire a part-time housekeeper might request their services weekly, biweekly, or even monthly. Typically a housekeeper working part-time is responsible only for routine, thorough cleaning of the home.

Typical duties of a housekeeper include vacuuming, dusting, mopping, kitchen and bathroom details, along with surface cleaning. The exact duties of a housekeeper are worked out between the employer and the housekeeper when discussing employment terms. In addition to private households, hotels, nursing homes and extended care facilities also hire staff specifically for housekeeping.

A housekeeper’s salary depends on location and duties and ranges from an hourly rate to a weekly or monthly salary. A full-time housekeeper is usually paid a salary while part-time housekeepers and those employed by businesses are generally paid by the hour. If a household wishes to employ a housekeeper who also works as a nanny and cares for children, the expected salary is generally higher than that of a housekeeper alone. In the United States, the salary for a full-time, private housekeeper averages between $500 and $1000 US Dollars (USD) per week while the average hourly rate is between $10 and $15 USD. However, actual pay rates vary depending on location and defined duties.