Or, Can they?

 

People often ask, “How hard is it to clean for a living? Anyone can clean a toilet!” Well, the short answer to that question is yes, and no. Let’s spend a few minutes together taking a deep dive into the question, “Can anyone clean?”

At first, people don’t often value knowledge because they don’t understand the ramifications of their ignorance; they especially are not aware of the damage they are causing, which is evident when it comes to housekeeping. As an educator and a 35-year industry professional specializing in household operations, I see the same unfortunate mistakes repeated over and over again.

 

BATHROOM

Now, let’s continue exploring and make our way to a standard bathroom. In this example, let’s not worry about the finishes, but more importantly, let’s focus on the process.

Throughout my career, I have seen countless housekeepers in hotels, private homes, and yachts always start with cleaning the toilet. Doing so makes sense, as it is often the one item we least want to clean, so starting there might make sense.

If you agree with me so far, that’s great – because you fell into my trap! Starting with the toilet is wrong and is, in fact, the LAST item in a bathroom that should be cleaned. But if you say this to someone, they might shrug you off and say “whatever!” and not think it is a big deal, but in fact, it is a very big deal!

Statistically, the toilet has the most bacteria within the room, so starting with the toilet increases your chances of spreading the bacteria through cross-contamination. So, this is why cleaning the toilet last is considered a best practice.

 

MARBLE

When it comes to marble care, people often think that marble can be cleaned with anything because it is stone and, therefore, very durable. Well, nothing could be farther from the truth. Just because it is a hard surface doesn’t mean that you can use any cleaning agent to clean it.

When cleaning marble, we must be aware that, in fact, it scratches, dulls, and is a porous material. But these characteristics are not evident at first. If you tell someone not to use vinegar when cleaning marble, they don’t necessarily understand why. In fact, if they clean it with vinegar and don’t see an instant change, they don’t think twice about what they are using because stone damage happens at a snail’s pace.

So here is why you should never use vinegar when cleaning marble: vinegar is an acid that, when used over time, will damage the polished finish on marble surfaces.

As an acid, vinegar will react with calcium carbonate to form a water-soluble salt, which, as the name suggests, can be dissolved in water and washed away. Marble is virtually 100% calcium carbonate, so when we clean marble with vinegar, we are literally dissolving it and washing it away.

So, it is based on my professional experience when I say that we do need to learn how to clean, and knowledge is power. Empowering yourself and your staff to understand “the why” is the number one reason we need to educate ourselves, and this helps us make sense of why we do things in a certain fashion.

 

VACUUMING

When it comes to vacuuming, the objective is to remove dust and small particles from a surface, such as floors and carpets. Some theorize that the greater amount of suction a vacuum uses means the vacuum will clean better, but this is just not true.

While higher suction does improve a vacuum’s ability to pick up dirt and debris, excessively high suction could be counterproductive. For example, if you have wall-to-wall carpet or Persian rugs on your floors, using a very high suction power is harmful to carpet fibres. The finer the fibre, the more susceptible they are to suction damage.

 

EDUCATION

So when it comes to education, what is important is not always teaching the “What” or the “How” but, what I believe is the most critical component, which is the “Why?”. Understanding why you do something helps you understand both the reason for using a particular cleaning technique and specific chemical agent.

In 2024, my company launched an online testing platform for testing general knowledge within the private service industry. We started with the role of Housekeeping, which launched in December. The Housekeeping Quiz is based on 25 random questions pulled from five different cleaning categories, a question bank of 312 (currently) possible questions, with a passing grade of 80%. When I launched this Housekeeping Quiz, I anticipated that the majority of test takers would be housekeepers. I mean, to me, this was a logical deduction.

Let’s look at the results and a few interesting facts.

• In the first 8 weeks, 456 participants took the quiz.
• 41% of participants were Estate Managers, Household Managers, and Personal Assistants.

I am willing to bet that this entire group said to themselves, “How hard can this be?” before taking the quiz. Well, this is the shocking outcome:

• Of the 187 people in this group, the majority failed the quiz.
• The very people who are supervising, managing, and instructing housekeepers what to do in the homes they are managing were not able to pass a basic housekeeping quiz.

So what about housekeepers?

• 27% of participants were Housekeepers, Executive Housekeepers, and Laundresses.
• I am also willing to bet that most of the people in this group said, “How hard can this be?” and then proceeded to take the quiz.

Shockingly, this group didn’t do much better.

• Of the 123 people in this group, the majority failed the quiz.
• These are the very people who are actually doing the cleaning in our principals’ homes. They are responsible for maintaining the integrity of items and finishes while ensuring that families do not get sick from improperly cleaned rooms such as the kitchen and bathroom.

 

MORE FACTS

So, let’s continue with a deep dive into what I learned.

• Average Group Score: 53% (passing score: 80%)
• Highest Individual Score: 88%
• Lowest Individual Score: 8%
• Average test-taker time: 10 minutes, 15 seconds
• Shortest Completion Time: 7 minutes, 16 seconds
• Longest Completion Time: 19 minutes, 54 seconds
• The test comprises 25 questions from 4 housekeeping categories & 1 laundry category
• The question bank consists of 312 questions
• The busiest day – the highest number of tests taken — was Monday, January 27, 2025

As we continue to dig deeper into the data, here are the average grades by category,

• 56% Cleaning Agents
• 56% Basic Laundry Skills
• 58% Cleaning Equipment
• 66% Cleaning Definitions
• 67% Cleaning Techniques

 

CONCLUSION

So, what does all of this teach us?  I mean, the purpose of doing a quiz was not just to try for a passing grade or to pass the time but for us to learn something about ourselves and our industry.

This is what I learned,

• When it comes to housekeeping, there is a much lower general knowledge base than I expected
• There is an arrogance held by people within our industry who think that they “Already know everything,” yet this quiz proves that they don’t.

Remember, knowledge is power; knowledge keeps us safe, and knowledge builds our self-confidence, which I believe, leads us to personal (and professional) happiness.

So, have you taken the Housekeeping Quiz? How do you think you will do? Whatever the outcome, don’t be afraid. Knowing what you know and what you don’t know is what matters because it is with this knowledge that you can do something about it. You can choose to improve yourself and become an expert in your chosen field – Household Management. Being a professional is all about knowledge, attitude, and sharing your knowledge with others.

Lastly, if you want to make more money, be respected, and do your job professionally, there is an easy answer: you need industry-specific knowledge.

 

HOW TO TAKE THE QUIZ

This is easy: click this link, and you are a simple 25 questions away from knowing your knowledge level for housekeeping.

I believe in you. I know some of you will do better than you anticipated, while some of you may not, but knowing where you stand will allow you to take action and better yourself.

By Charles MacPherson

Founder + President

Charles MacPherson Associates

© 2025 Private Service Alliance, all rights reserved

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