The Cleaning Function

2. 7 The Cleaning Function • Guestroom Cleaning • Bathroom Cleaning • Lost-and-Found Procedures • Do-not-Disturb Procedures • Inspection of Rooms • The P.M. Room Report • The Evening Shift • Public Areas and Back-of-the-House Cleaning • Surface Cleaning

3. Guestroom Cleaning • Early in the morning, distribution of work in the housekeeping department is based on a report provided by the front desk. • The report specifies the status of all guestrooms. • Each team supervisor is given a list of the status of guestrooms in his/her sections. • The team supervisors provide each section housekeeper with a list with the status of rooms in his/her section.

4. Guestroom Cleaning (Cont.) • As soon as possible, the A.M. room check is conducted by all teams entering the rooms (except those with DND signs) at or about the same time. • The purpose of checking the status of the guestrooms is to verify the accuracy of the front desk report received early in the morning. • Any observed discrepancy is communicated to the front desk immediately.

5. Guestroom Cleaning Procedures • Step-by-step procedures for guestroom cleaning should be clearly defined in the department’s standing operating procedures. • All section housekeepers should be trained to follow these procedures exactly.

6. Bathroom Cleaning • Section housekeepers should wear gloves when cleaning the guestrooms’ bathrooms for chemical and germ protection. • Procedures to clean bathrooms should be well specified on the department’s SOPs.

7. Lost-and-Found Procedures • All guest items found should be controlled by the housekeeping department. • All found articles should be tagged, logged, and kept in a safe location. • It is customary to give articles not claimed to the employee who found them or a charitable organization.

8. Resolution of Do-not-Disturb Rooms • Just before the end of the morning shift, the status of the DND rooms should be ascertained. • It is important to verify what is inside a DND room should a guest be in need of help or unable to use the phone. • Procedures for checking the status of DND rooms should be clearly specified in the department’s SOPs.

9. Inspections of Rooms • Once cleaned, guestrooms should be inspected by a qualified staff before they are handed over to the front desk for renting. • A guestroom inspection form should be used to conduct the inspection. • The person who inspects rooms should be well trained to detect errors and make sure everything is in perfect order.

10. The P.M. Housekeeping Report • Prior to the end of the morning shift, all section housekeepers conduct a check of all rooms simultaneously. • The reports of all section housekeepers are recorded and delivered to the front office. • The front desk will compare the housekeeping room status with the status kept in the front desk computer. Any discrepancy is quickly investigated and corrected.

11. The Evening Shift • After the morning shift ends, one housekeeping team conducts the evening activities. These activities include: • Turndown service • Cleaning day-rate and late-checkout rooms • Filling guest requests • Restocking service carts • Processing soiled linen

12. Public Areas and Back-of-the-House Cleaning • Public and employee areas are cleaned by public areas attendants scheduled to work regardless of the property’s occupancy. • Special attention must be given to the foyer and lobby where guests get the first impression of the property. • Public restrooms must be constantly checked, cleaned, and stocked. Special germicidal and disinfectant products should be used to minimize the spread of disease.

13. Surface Cleaning • The first step to redo floors is to remove the worn-out finish using a stripping solution. After the floor dries, porous surfaces are treated with a sealer to protect them from wear and tear. The last step is to apply a finish to give the floor a glossy, shiny look. • Synthetic rubber floors are non-porous and only require mopping to keep clean. The cleaning solution used should be pH neutral. • Vinyl floors are non-porous and resistant to most chemical spills. Daily mop-and-rinse will remove most dirt and grime.

14. Surface Cleaning (Cont.) • Wood floors are porous and must be well sealed to prevent stains. These surfaces can be treated with a combination sealer/finish made of waterborne polyurethane. • Carpets should be vacuumed daily to prevent gritty soil tracked by guests from destroying the pile fabric. Marks and stains can be removed by bonnet cleaning. Placing walk-off mats in doorways and plastic runners over high-traffic sections will lengthen the life of carpets. • Upholstered surfaces can be spot-cleaned with most of the same products used on carpets.

15. Surface Cleaning (Cont.) • Ceramic floors are resistant to water spills and easy to clean. These surfaces are cleaned by sweeping and damp mopping. Ceramic floors can be quite slippery when wet. • Marble/Terrazo floors are very sensitive to oils and acid and alkaline cleaners. A mild detergent is all that is needed to keep them clean. These type of surfaces are porous and must be sealed after stripping. • Epoxy floors are non-porous, and an alkaline compound diluted in water is all that is needed to keep them clean. Epoxy surfaces can be kept shiny with a light finish application.

16. Surface Cleaning (Cont.) • Concrete floors are porous surfaces that should be sealed to prevent liquid stains from seeping in. • Walls and ceilings: • Painted surfaces: clean with mild detergent water. • Plastic laminate: requires damp-wiping as it is non-porous. • Fabric materials: spot-clean with chemicals rather than water and detergent to avoid shrinkage. • Vinyl covering: durable and easy to clean with mild detergents. • Most wallpaper coverings: cannot be cleaned with water.