The quest for hotel chains to one-up one another in their quest to provide guests with a good night’s sleep is bad news for many housekeepers. The problem is that housekeepers are being forced to clean the same number of rooms per shift even as the beds grow bigger and the more elaborate pillows, comforters and bolsters require more time to change. Housekeepers are hurting themselves keeping up.
Most housekeepers must clean 26 beds per shift, each having 5 to 7 pillows, a duvet and an assortment of other accessories. Each bed takes 14 to 15 minutes leaving just 15 or 16 minutes to vacuum, dust, mop, clean, scrub, and replace linens and toiletries..
Across the country in 2004, housekeepers and maids suffered 17,980 injuries that led to days missed from work, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
I work as a housekeeper on the North Slope of Alaska and yes it is very hard on my back so bad that I had a hard time finding a comfortable position to sleep in. My doctor, besides pills, told me to try a body pillow to help with my sleep position and it works.