Definition
The management of household tasks and maintenance, or in an organization, the routine maintenance work that keeps things running smoothly.
Etymology
From 'house' (Old English 'hus') and 'keeping' (Old English 'cepan'). The term emerged around the 1600s to describe the domestic management work that happened within a household.
Kelly Says
In science and medicine, 'housekeeping genes' are genes present in almost every cell that keep it functioning—they're the essential maintenance work at a cellular level. Scientists borrowed the housekeeping metaphor to describe cellular processes!
Translations
ARالعربية
خدمة المنزل
khid-mat al-bayt
BNবাংলা
গৃহ পরিষ্কার
gri-ha pa-ri-s-kar
CACatalà
neteja de la casa
ne-te-ja de la ka-sa
DADansk
hus rengøring
hus ren-go-ring
DEDeutsch
Haushaltsführung
ha-us-halts-fyu-rung
ELΕλληνικά
καθαριότητα
ka-tha-ri-o-ti
ESEspañol
limpieza del hogar
lim-p-ee-e-za del o-gar
FAفارسی
سرپرستی خانه
sar-par-sti kha-neh
FISuomi
kotisiivous
ko-ti-si-i-vus
FRFrançais
ménage
ma-nazh
GUGU
ઘરનું કામ
ghar-nuu ka-am
HAHA
aiki gida
a-iki gi-da
HEעברית
התחזוקה
ha-ta-kha-za-ka
HIहिन्दी
घर की सफाई
ghar kee sa-fai
HUMagyar
házimunka
ha-zi-mun-ka
IDBahasa Indonesia
pembersihan rumah
pemb-er-sihan ru-mah
ITItaliano
pulizia
poo-lee-t-za
KKKK
жайылым үй
jay-yl-um uy
KMKM
ការប្រើប្រាស់ផ្ទះ
ka-ar-pra-se-p-t-ah
KO한국어
주택 청소
ju-taek cheong-so
MRMR
घरातील काम
ghar-a-teel ka-am
MSBahasa Melayu
pembersihan rumah
pemb-er-sihan ru-mah
MYမြန်မာ
အိမ်စောင့်
a-im-sa-ung
NLNederlands
huiswerk
huis-werk
NONorsk
husvask
hus-vas-k
PAPA
ਘਰ ਦਾ ਕામ
ghar da ka-am
PLPolski
sprzątanie
spz-a-na-nie
PTPortuguês
limpeza
lee-m-pee-za
RORomână
curățenie
cu-ra-țe-nie
RUРусский
уборка
oo-bor-ka
SVSvenska
husstädning
hus-sta-d-ning
SWKiswahili
kuzima nyumba
koo-zi-ma nyum-ba
TAதமிழ்
வீட்டு சுத்தம்
vee-ttu su-th-am
TEతెలుగు
గృహ శుభ్రత
gri-ha shu-b-ra-ta
THไทย
การทำความสะอาดบ้าน
gaan-tam-kwan-sa-at baan
TLTL
paglalabas ng bahay
pa-g-la-la-bas ng ba-hay
TRTürkçe
ev temizliği
ev tem-iz-li-gi
UKУкраїнська
прибирання
pri-bi-ran-nya
URاردو
گھر کی صفائی
ghar kee sa-fai
VITiếng Việt
dọn dẹp nhà
don-dep nha
YOYO
ṣeṣẹ àwọn ẹ̀kọ
she-she aw-on ek-o
ZUZU
ukususa izindlu
oo-ku-su-sa iz-in-dlu
Ethical Language Guidance
Gender History
'Housekeeping' has been historically coded as feminine domestic labor and undervalued economically. In tech, 'housekeeping' describes necessary maintenance but risks trivializing essential infrastructure work by metaphorically linking it to devalued gendered labor.
Inclusive Usage
In technical contexts, use 'maintenance', 'system upkeep', or 'resource management' to describe the work without gendered association to domestic service.
Inclusive Alternatives
["maintenance","system upkeep","resource management","administrative workflow"]
Empowerment Note
Professional housekeepers and facilities managers perform complex, skilled work that has been historically excluded from 'skilled labor' categories; reclaim dignity by naming the role precisely rather than metaphorically.