The Laundress/Housekeeper position is a great opportunity for someone who enjoys doing laundry, gains satisfaction from making spaces neat and tidy, simplifying the lives of others, and enjoys a supportive, challenging, and fun work environment.  This position is responsible for household laundry, house cleaning, and organization of assigned interior areas of a private residence. The successful team member must be honest, trustworthy, a good communicator, self-directed, and skilled with laundry, cleaning, organizing, and maintaining tidiness.

This position will be located at a private residence in Ada, Michigan. The schedule for this position is flexible based on candidates’ needs. May work 3-6 hours/day, 2-4 days/week, and no more than 12-16 hours total/week - primarily September-May with the flexibility of summers off.

Laundress Duties

• Gather articles to be laundered, pressed, and/or steamed from closets and other laundry stations and sort by color, fabric, and family member. Carefully adhere to clothing care instructions on individual clothing and product labels. 
• Consult with Head Housekeeper when questions arise regarding care and treatment of clothing and household articles. 
• Launder, iron, and hang bed linens on specified days and ensure linens are rotated appropriately. May be asked to change bed linens on occasion.
• Maintain orderliness and safety of laundry area.  Ensure laundry products, iron, and other laundry related items are properly maintained and stored.
• Adjust washing and drying machine settings to ensure efficient and safe temperature, water level, and duration of operating cycle.  Determine appropriate cleaning products and amount of product necessary.  Empty lint screen in drying machine and cleans interior of washing machines as necessary.  Reports machine repair problems to the Household Manager.
• Remove articles from washer; sort items for dryer or manual hanging; load dryer or hang items to dry as appropriate.
• Sort, iron/steam, hang, and/or fold dried articles.  Inspect clothing articles and report damaged items to the Household Manager.
• Monitor and maintain laundry supplies (i.e., fill laundry detergent bottles, keep drawers/cupboards clean and organized, report any needed products to the Household Manager).
• Return clothing and household items to appropriate storage areas.  Maintain organization and orderliness of the closets and drawers. 

Housekeeping

• Clean, tidy and organize children’s bedrooms and play areas, including closets, drawers, cabinets, bookshelves, children’s toys, etc.
• Exercise great attention to detail when vacuuming, dusting, cleaning fixtures, window coverings and reachable windows and windowsills.
• Work collaboratively with a team of housekeepers, including assisting in performing housekeeping duties and projects as needed.
• Ensure readiness of assigned interior areas for entertainment or special events. 
• Exercise open communications with household staff.
• Perform special projects including, but not limited to completing spring and fall cleaning tasks as assigned.

• 2+ years laundry, housekeeping and organizing experience preferred.  Some hospitality and/or customer service experience a plus.  Willing to train right candidate.
• Responsibilities are conducted in the homes of the client of RDV.  While an employer/employee relationship exists, it is important that employee is genuinely committed to being part of the household staff team whose goal is to positively contribute to a respectful home environment.
• Preservation of a quiet and peaceful household atmosphere is essential.  Cleaning of the home must be conducted around family’s activities, with sensitivity to privacy of family members at all times.  This requires flexibility to determine which rooms to clean at what time in order to be least intrusive to presence of family, i.e. if bedrooms are occupied by family members.
• Equipment will be provided by employer, i.e. iron, steamer, brooms, dusters, vacuums, cloths, gloves, step stools, ladders, etc. 
• Must be responsible, flexible, dedicated, and dependable person of highest integrity; neat and tidy in appearance; organized and reliable; positive in attitude; and one who demonstrates pride in service which he/she provides. 
• The family’s privacy is of critical importance, and the highest level of confidentiality must be exercised at all times.

• Ability to work at a physically demanding pace.
• Ability to lift twenty (20) pounds.
• Ability to remain standing on feet for lengthy periods of time; climb steps and stairs; stooping, bending, and kneeling.
• Ability to stand on small step stool in order to accomplish cleaning tasks.
• Ability to operate household maintenance equipment for lengthy periods of time.