HOUSEKEEPING

Part I. Housekeeping

Housekeeping means performing all the duties towards cleaning, maintaining orderliness, and
running a house or a business property. In case of hotels, the housekeeping duties involve
maintaining the hotel to the best possible state in terms of cleanliness, and keeping it at highly
desirable ambience.

The main objectives of hotel housekeeping are:

 To maintain overall cleanliness of the entire hotel at all times.
 To perform cleanliness duties most efficiently and effectively.
 To use good quality, safe cleaning equipment and chemicals.
 To manage laundry and linen.
 To control pests.
 To keep up the hotel with classy interior decoration.
 To take care of the furniture, fittings, and fixtures of the entire hotel.

Areas of Responsibility
The housekeeping department is responsible to keep the following areas clean and tidy.
 Guest Rooms
 Guest Bathrooms
 Public Areas such as Lobby and Lifts
 Banquets and Conference Halls
 Parking Area
 Sales and Admin Offices
 Garden

Room Abbreviations use in Housekeeping

DND Do not Disturb Privacy tag commonly put on the door,

which means that the guest does not wish to
be disturbed by the housekeeping
NC Not Cleared A vacant room not cleared, not ready for
selling
O Occupied
OC Occupied Clean
OD Occupied Dirty
ONL Occupied No Luggage
OOO Out of Order The room is not ready for selling because of
some problem such as clogged basin/toilet,
nonfunctioning shower or broken bed.
V Vacant
VC Vacant Clean
VD Vacant Dirty
 VCI Vacant Clean Inspected

Qualities of Housekeeping Staff

There are certain professional qualities the housekeeping staff is required to possess:
1. Personal Hygiene and Appearance
a. Be well-groomed with high degree of personal hygiene
b. Have trimmed nails and hair and clean uniform
c. Have a clean and pleasant appearance
2. Communication Skills
a. Conduct themselves with a cooperative attitude
b. Speak in friendly but sincere tone
c. Speak clearly in audible voice of moderate pitch
d. Maintain polite eye contact which interacting with the hotel guests
3. Interpersonal Skills
a. Possess right attitude
b. Have good listening skills to avoid miscommunication
c. Be a good team player
4. Personal skills and Traits
a. Be able to retain and pursue the demand of the guest until it is fulfilled
b. Be sincere and physically fit
c. Respect each hotel guest they are dealing with

Part II. Preparation of equipment

The housekeeping staff needs to clean various guest rooms, guest bathrooms, and a number of
public areas in the hotel. The staff needs to take the help of various cleaning equipment while
trying to keep the hotel premises to the highest standard of appearance.
Today, there is a wide range of cleaning products available in the market.

Advantages of Cleaning Equipment

The cleaning equipment are advantageous in multiple ways:
Equally effective for general as well as tougher cleaning tasks.
 High cleaning capability.
 Reduce work fatigue and increase productivity.
 Save the time of hotel housekeeping staff.
 High maneuverability. They can reach any corner or height of the room, which is
otherwise difficult to reach.
 Eco-friendly, widely available, and easy to operate.
 They give protection from injuries occurring while cleaning when they are handled by
using proper instructions.
Classification of Cleaning Equipment
1. Manual cleaning Equipment. They are used to manually keep the surfaces clean.
Abrasives. Sharpening stones or grit papers used to polish metal or wooden surfaces.
 Brushes. Handheld flat brushes with bristles to dust the plain surfaces as well as the
corners.
Housekeeping Trolley. This trolley is large enough to keep all guest room and guest
bathroom supplies in an organized manner.
Dustbins. They are used to collect daily garbage produced in the hotel.
Dusting clothes. Soft cloths used for wiping the surface dust.
Cleaning cloths.
Dustpans. Used to collect dust and garbage from the floor and putting it into the dustbin.
Mops.
Buckets.
Spray bottle. Used to spray water or chemical solutions on the surface that needs
cleaning.
2. Electric Cleaning Equipment. These are equipment which requires electrical power to
operate.
Vacuum Cleaner. Used for delicate as well as tough cleaning, which comes with suction
motor fit in a case, a hose, and various attachment.
Polishing Machine. Used to add a shine to the floors of most frequented areas of the
hotel.

3. Cleaning Agents or Chemicals. Aside from water and regular detergents, the
housekeeping staff also uses cleaning chemicals, which are often in the form of liquids,
blocks, and powders.
Bathroom Cleaners. Usually comes in liquid form for easy cleaning. They clean, descale,
and disinfect bathroom walls, bathtubs, bathroom flooring, sinks and showers.
Degreaser. Mainly used to remove marks of grease that cannot be removed by traditional
washing of glasses and cups. This also restores the surface shine and transparency of
glasses and bowls.
Floor Cleaners. These are used to restore the look and shine of floors.
Surface Sanitizers. Water-based sanitizers that can be used on surfaces without damaging
their appearance.
Toilet Blocks. Deodorize the toilets and leave them with a fresh smell.
Toilet Cleaners. Removes stains and plumbing scales easily and restore the shine of the
surface.
Vinegar. Used to remove light stains in the bath
Baking Soda.

Part III. Clean and prepare room

Cleaning is conducted to remove harmful bacteria present in the dust deposited on the hotel
property because of air pollution. This may cause unhealthy effects on the working staff as well
as the guests. Cleanliness reduces the threat of any infections and offers comfortable stay to the
guests in the hotel

Set up equipment and trolleys

a. Cleaning agents
b. Vacuum cleaner
 c. Mops
d. Brushes
e. Buckets
f. Carpet sweeper
g. Cleaning and polishing cloths
h. Gloves
i. Brooms
j. Dust pans
k. Squeegees
l. Garbage bags

1. Knock three times and say “Housekeeping.” You may repeat twice before coming inside
the room using your key/keycard.
2. Leave the door open, and put your cleaning warning sign to alert others that the room is
being cleaned.
3. Wear your personal protective equipment (gloves, masks).
4. Open window curtain, as necessary. Check if guests left any personal belongings, report
to FO as necessary.
5. Remove all the garbage both in room and the bathroom.
6. Flush thrice before putting in the toilet cleaner. Proceed to the sink and spray with
cleaner.
7. Wet the bathroom walls before applying the bathroom cleaner.
8. Strip the bed linens.
9. Make up bed. (Fitted sheet, first linen, comforter, second linen, pillows)
10. Proceed with dusting the furniture and fixtures.
11. Wipe the glasses
12. Scrub the bathroom walls, then the flooring. Once done, scrub the toilet and the sink.
13. Wash with water and dry using chamois.
14. Wipe the glasses and mirror.
15. Replace amenities like tissue, toilet block, shampoo, conditioners, towels.
16. Replenish room amenities.
17. Spray room air spray.

Cleaning and Hygiene Principles

Carry out the cleaning procedures in sequence: sweeping, dusting, mopping, vacuuming,
disinfecting, air freshening
Must be careful while cleaning and polishing in order to avoid damaging various surfaces
and hamper their appearance
Should start cleaning from extreme inner end towards the exit
Protect body from harmful chemicals by wearing thick gloves
Must use caution sign to mark wet floors

Part IV. Make up bed

 First put on your gloves before stripping the bed.
 Remove soiled bed linen from the bed, making sure that the soiled linen doesn't touch
your body. This includes the duvet cover, flat sheet, fitted sheet, pillowcases, etc.
 Look at the mattress pad/mattress protector to see if it is stained, torn, or damaged. If it is
not straightening make sure the mattress and box spring are even.
 Pull the bed a little away from the headboard.
 If the mattress pad is stained then remove it straight away.
 Get a clean mattress pad and place it on the mattress
 Put the bed pad
 Spread the first sheet ride side up.
 Tuck the top and bottom ends. Start tucking the right side. Do not forget to put the
45degree miter.
 Put the second sheet, wrong side, on the edge of the bed.
 Place the blanket, right side, 6 inches away from the edge of the bed. Fold together with
the second sheet twice. Tuck the ends, apply 45 degrees miter on all corners.
 ASSESSMENT

Specifications YES NO
Select and use protective clothing where necessary
Barricade or warning signs placed in the work area to reduce risk both to
colleagues and customers
Select correct cleaning, supplies and equipment required for servicing rooms
and prepared for use
Strip beds and mattresses, pillows and linen and check for stains, damages in
the rooms. Check whether guests left any valuables
The bathroom was scrubbed, cleaned and wiped dry.
All amenities are replenished.
Replace bed linens in accordance with establishment standards and
procedures
Clean room in correct order and with minimum disruption to guests

Table Setting and Table Service

Table Setting is setting the table with table wares such as utensils used for eating and
serving.

Components of place Setting

Dinnerware. Plates, cups, bowls, saucers, platters, other service pieces
Flatware. Butter and dinner knives, salad, dinner forks, soup, dessert and dinner spoons
Glassware. Water goblet, wine glass, sorbet glass

Table service is a term may mean presentation of food to patron by waiters or the place
settings present on the table. It is also a style of food service where the diner sits at the table
served by a waiter or waitress.