Housekeeper Vs Maid: Is There A Difference?

Housekeeper vs. maid: are there any real differences between the two? The answer is yes, and once you find out the difference, you’ll likely never want to hire a cheap maid service again. Let’s discuss.

Housekeeper vs. Maid: Breaking Down the Differences

Despite the simplification of the terms, housekeeper and maid are not interchangeable. The specific skillset and professionalism that comes with hiring a housekeeper is often not found when hiring a maid.

What Does a Maid Do?

Close your eyes and picture your typical maid service. What does it include? Typical maid services hire their workers on the cheap. That means low pay and usually, no benefits. It makes sense then, that a big difference between a maid and housekeeper is that most maids don’t have the specialized skills and tact to be a successful housekeeper.

You might be thinking: well I don’t need an expert. I just need somebody to tidy things up in the house. Who you hire to clean your home is a personal decision, but remember that most maid services don’t train or vet their maids. At best, you could have somebody in your home who has never cleaned a house before. At worst, you could have somebody with a criminal record. It’s a risk you take when you use a typical maid agency or hire a cleaner on a contract basis. You can look for a maid’s services when you want simple cleaning. Just remember, you’re risking your home and your safety when you opt for the cheaper option.

Another big difference between a maid and a housekeeper: Legitimate housekeeping companies like Vella carry insurance to protect your home in case of an accident. When you choose to hire a cheap maid, you’re not protected should an item be broken.

What is a Housekeeper?

Housekeepers do similar jobs to those of maids but have the skillset and support to do excellent work and provide additional services. And that’s another big difference between a housekeeper and a maid: Housekeepers are the trustworthy, experienced cleaning crew you need for regular home cleaning.

The term “housekeeper” encapsulates what it really takes to keep a home. Housekeepers are trained to tackle each room systematically, making sure that no space is left incomplete. Unlike what a maid does, housekeepers know just what product to use for each specific mess (and they know how much product to use, too). They’re also trained to recognize delicate surfaces that can’t handle the same conventional cleaning products that most maids use – surfaces like marble, other natural stones, unfinished wood, and more.

Using a legitimate and trustworthy housekeeping service provides clarity. They provide regular cleaning with a defined list of tasks and rates. The housekeeping companies that offer reliable service with trained and professional cleaning crews are their first choice.

And another consideration in the housekeeper vs. maid debate: Housekeeping services are a bit flexible with the services they offer. They have a checklist of essential services that they provide but are open to their client’s suggestions or requests. You can always ask your housekeeping service if they might be able to complete a task that’s specific to you.

Book Vella Services

Vella is the largest independent housekeeping service in the United States, offering  reputable and trustworthy services. We call our staff housekeepers to acknowledge the specific skill and training it took for them to earn a spot on Vella’s team, creating a clear distinction between housekeeper vs. maid. In turn, we’re throwing out the term “maid” and Making Housekeeping a Profession™ with people who can provide the highest quality service and bring order to your home.

We have many satisfied customers, some of whom have been with us for almost a decade! If you want your home to look fresh and clean every day or week, here are just a few of the services that our professional housekeepers can provide.

Tidy Cleaning

A tidy clean is our most basic service. A team of two professional housekeepers will take care of the absolute basics so you can come home to a neat and tidy space.

During a tidy cleaning, our team will make your bed, take out your trash, wash dishes, and pick up any clothes or mess left out of place.

Basic Cleaning

Basic cleaning is great for when you want your home to look good and smell good. You can hire one of our trustworthy teams when you need your house cleaned. We always send a team of two professionals for all cleaning services, ensuring efficient and timely work.

Our basic cleaning crew dusts the furniture, and vacuums and mops the floors. They also clean the bathrooms, kitchen, cabinets, and drawers.

Deep Cleaning

Deep cleaning covers the Basic Cleaning checklist with a few more services. Our professionals bring all the supplies, ladders, and tools they need to clean your house from top to bottom.

Including the basic cleaning services, deep cleaning includes baseboards, underneath the furniture, scrubbing bathrooms and kitchen, and cleaning the light fixture. We are also open to special instructions you can share with us when you book an appointment.

Moving In/Out

Moving in or out of a house is extremely overwhelming. We make it easier by taking care of the cleaning tasks for you. From cleaning appliances to wiping the insides of cabinets and drawers, everything is covered in this cleaning service, including the deep cleaning checklist. We also use top-quality, eco-friendly products to protect the environment and your home.

Construction Cleaning

What’s the one thing that’s even more overwhelming than moving? Having construction and renovation done in your home. With Vella’s Construction clean, we’ll handle the stress and dust for you. With extremely thorough vacuuming to handwiping the insides of cabinets and drawers, everything is covered in this cleaning service, including the deep cleaning checklist. And as always, we’ll use top quality and safe cleaning products that will get the job done right without releasing toxins into your home.

Vella is a one-stop solution for your home cleaning requirements. Ready to hire our housekeepers for maid or housekeeping service? Contact us today to book your appointment.