Housekeeping & Laundry

Taking the time to understand and respect people’s personal wishes about the cleanliness of their rooms and clothes is a central part of the work of our housekeeping and laundry teams.  

Watch our short film with Michelle and Dolores explaining their roles in housekeeping.

We take the greatest of care to attend to our residents’ needs and feelings.

Residents rightly expect their bedrooms to be their own private space so our housekeepers take the time to understand and respect people’s personal choice to organise their clothes and lay out pictures, ornaments and other items of property as they wish.

Communal spaces such as lounges are also attended to and cleaned with the highest standards of care so that residents’ feelings are respected.  

In-home laundry teams make cleanliness their top priority as they ensure residents’ clothing, bed linen and towels are kept fresh and changed regularly.  A professional service is provided to meet requests for personal clothing to be carefully cleaned, ironed and returned promptly.

Housekeepers also make certain that residents’ rooms and communal areas are spotlessly clean and the environment fresh.

The Housekeeper and Domestic Supervisor work closely with their teams to ensure everyone in each home has the right equipment and products.  We follow a thorough, ongoing audit process to ensure that our cleaning and laundry services are delivered to the highest of standards. 

What skills will I learn?

You will learn how to provide professional standards of cleaning and housekeeping services so that you can maintain a beautiful and comfortable living environment for our residents.

You’ll discover how important it is to work well as part of a wider team, not only with Laundry Assistants and Domestics, but also with the care teams.

You will develop excellent customer service skills as you warmly greet and chat with our residents, their relatives and guests.

You will understand how to use cleaning products and machinery safely, efficiently and take pride in your work. 

You will learn how to attend promptly to the small details that mean so much to residents about their clothes and personal effects.  You’ll also pick up new skills such as mending and sewing.

As a Housekeeper or Domestic Supervisor you will learn how to co-ordinate, motivate and train the domestic and laundry teams not only to meet high standards of cleanliness but also our high standards of customer care.  

What do I need to work in Housekeeping and Laundry?

No previous experience is needed.  Much more important are your personal qualities and values.  You will be friendly, kind, honest, reassuring and an effective communicator.  You will enjoy working quickly and efficiently, at the same time paying attention to the small details that can matter so much to people. 

Previous experience of working or volunteering in a care or hotel setting would be helpful. 

You could also gain entry into a Housekeeping or Laundry position through a suitable Apprenticeship scheme with one of our partner Colleges and other education providers within the Dorset and South Hampshire areas.

What can I aim for?

As a step up from Laundry Assistant or a Domestic you could work as a Supervisor or Housekeeper, where you will be managing a team and taking responsibility for planning and organising cleaning across the whole home.  We will assess your potential for completing an appropriate QCF Level 3 qualification to enable you to develop the appropriate skills for a supervisory position. 

As an alternative you could try a spell as a Healthcare Assistant and climb a different career ladder, perhaps even leading to a career in nursing or management.