Housekeeping refers to the management and routine support activities of running an organized physical institution occupied or used by people, such as a house, ship, hospital, or factory. It involves cleaning, organizing, and maintaining orderliness, as well as removing waste materials. Housekeeping can be categorized into different types, including:
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Domestic Housekeeping: This refers to the cleaning and maintaining of a private residence, home, or apartment. It includes tasks such as dusting, vacuuming, laundry, disinfecting surfaces, organizing and decluttering living spaces, making beds, and changing linens. Domestic housekeeping can be performed by a professional cleaning service or by the homeowners themselves.
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Institutional Housekeeping: This type of housekeeping involves the management of commercial institutions, such as hotels, restaurants, and hospitals. It includes cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, food preparation, and paying bills.
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Workplace Housekeeping: This refers to the ongoing process of keeping the workplace clean, hygienic, orderly, and free of extraneous objects and materials that may constitute hazards. It includes keeping work areas neat and orderly, maintaining halls and floors free of slip and trip hazards, and removing waste materials. Workplace housekeeping is a basic component of fire and incident prevention.
Housekeeping is not just about cleanliness, but also about maintaining orderliness and safety in the environment. Effective housekeeping is an ongoing operation that requires attention to important details such as the layout of the whole workplace, aisle marking, the adequacy of storage facilities, and maintenance.
