60 English and Spanish Phrases for Your Household Staff (Free Printable Card)

Your new housekeeper is wonderful. She is careful, she is kind to the children, and she arrived ten minutes early. And for the first two weeks, half of what you say to each other is pointing, smiling and hoping.

It isn't anyone's fault. You know exactly how you want the kitchen kept. She knows exactly how to do it well. What is missing is a handful of short, clear sentences you can both rely on.

That is what this card is. Sixty phrases an owner says to staff every week, in English with the Spanish right underneath, on one page you can print and hang.

Why Short Phrases Work Better Than a Long Manual

Most homes that bring on help start with a long explanation on day one. It feels thorough. It rarely sticks, because nobody remembers a twenty minute talk in their second language.

Short phrases work differently. Each one is a single instruction you will say again and again, so after a week it stops being a phrase on a card and becomes the way you two talk. The card is a bridge for the first weeks, not a script for the rest of your life.

If you are building a full routine for your staff, our guide on how to train household staff to keep your home's standards covers the bigger picture. This card is the everyday part.

What Is on the Card

The phrases are grouped the way a real day runs, so you can find the one you need without reading the whole page.

Starting the day. Welcome, today's hours, the task list, where to begin, and what is urgent.

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Six lines cover most mornings. The blanks are for your own times.

The door and guests. Who to let in, when guests are coming, and locking up when she leaves.

Breaks. When to take a break, which food is hers, phones, and one line many families forget to say out loud: please don't post pictures of our home or children. If you are thinking about what else your staff should and shouldn't reach, our post on what access your household staff should actually have goes further.

Showing how we do it. Let me show you, use this product here, not on this surface, this goes here, and the most useful line on the whole card: if you are not sure, please ask me first.

When something comes up. If something breaks, please tell me, it's okay. That last part matters. People hide a chipped plate when they are afraid of the reaction, and hiding is far worse than the plate.

Laundry, the children and safety. Cold water, hang to dry, allergies, bedtime, the stair gate, never mixing cleaning products, and what to do if she smells gas. The emergency line has a blank for your number and a second person to call.

Shabbos, Yom Tov and a Kosher Kitchen

This is the part most phrase lists leave out, and the part that matters most in our homes.

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The Shabbos and Yom Tov lines were reviewed by our Rav before they went on the card.

The Shabbos lines are simple and practical: when Shabbos starts and ends, finishing the Friday tasks on time, not turning lights or appliances on or off unless you ask, and leaving the urn and the hot plate exactly where they are. Yom Tov follows with when the holiday starts and ends, and a heads up about cleaning before Pesach.

The kosher kitchen lines explain the basics without a lecture: meat and dairy are kept apart, this is the meat side and this is the dairy side, separate sponges, separate washing, and asking before using a pot or pan.

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Nine lines for the kitchen, including what to do if something gets mixed up.

The last kitchen line is the kindest one on the card: if something gets mixed up, please put it aside and tell me. Don't wash it or use it. It's okay. It tells her exactly what to do, and that she won't be in trouble for doing it.

Every home's practice is a little different. The card gives you the words, and the blanks let you fill in your own times and colors. For how your home handles anything specific, ask your own Rav. For getting the whole house ready before Shabbos and Yom Tov, our Shabbos and Yom Tov preparation guide walks through it step by step.

Ending the Day

The card closes the way a good day should.

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Thank you is on the card on purpose.

Please tell me when you finish. Thank you, it looks great. Thank you, we are happy you are here. See you next time. These are easy to skip on a busy afternoon, and they are a big part of why good people stay.

How to Use the Card

1. Print it on letter paper or 8 x 10 card stock. It fits one page. 2. Fill in the blanks in pen. Her hours, your phone number, when guests come, and what color your meat and dairy things are. 3. Hang it where you both stand. The inside of a pantry door or the side of the fridge works well. 4. Read a few lines together on the first day. Point to the line, say it, and let her read the Spanish. It turns the card into something you share rather than a list of rules. 5. Keep using the same words. The point is that "please start with this room" means the same thing every time.

A card like this is one small piece of a home that runs smoothly. If the bigger picture feels scattered, start with 10 common household management mistakes and how to fix them, or read what a household management system actually is.

Free to Share

The card is free. Print as many as you like, give one to a friend who just hired help, or send it to your housekeeper on WhatsApp so she has it on her phone.

Sort + Place is a professional organizing and household management practice serving families in Lakewood, New Jersey and the surrounding tristate area.