Insects and Pests and their Control Measures

At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:

 Identify the insects and pests and their control measures
 Identify the different types of pesticides
 Determine the defects and need to repair in the hotel room

It is recommended that the hotel works with a professional partner in implementing a pest
control program to safeguard the hotel’s reputation. As American investor, industrialist, and
philanthropist Warren Buffet said “ It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to
ruin it.

Pest control is program used to eradicate pests. Pesticide is a chemical used to kill and control
pests. Below are the types of pesticides.

 Insecticides are used to control ants, flies, moths, cockroaches, and termites.
 Herbicides are used to control weeds or other unwanted plants.
 Fungicides are used to control fungi that are pathogenic or disease-causing.
 Rodenticides are used to control rats and rodents.

Insects and pests include:

 Ants
 Moths
 Cockroaches
 Flies
 Mosquitoes
 Spiders
 Mice
 Bed bugs

Supervisors and staff who work in the housekeeping must be alert of any signs of infestation.
Part of their job is to regularly inspect the place for signs of pest on a daily and monthly
basis. They are also expected to inspect situations that may support or encourage pest
infestation. They should keep a record of the inspection done, the findings, and any action
taken to treat an infestation. They are also expected to remedy situations as soon as possible
to minimize the spread.

Whenever infestation is identified, appropriate treatments should be done as soon as possible.

Always use professional pest control inputs. If the pest infestation happened in the
guestroom, it should be taken out of service and the pest control contractor should be called
immediately. If there are guest occupying the room, they should be relocated to another
room, ideally to the same floor are to prevent the spread of infestation. Both areas are
occupied by the guests should be treated by the pest control contractor as the guest may have
transferred the infestation through their clothes, shoes, and luggage.
 Hotel Room Defects and Repair

Housekeeping staff’s work is not limited to cleaning. They are also responsible for
maintenance checking as they are the ones who see the situations of their assigned floor area.

They check the room for maintenance and report their findings to control desk. The control
desk in charge will record it in the room checklist and the maintenance department will take
charge of the repair.

Defects that could occur in a guest room include:

 Missing or broken light bulb
 Breakages
 Malfunctioning equipment
 Carpet stains
 Deliberate damage caused by guest
 Broken tiles
 Broken socket
 Procedures in packaging and presenting guest laundry

Learning Objective: After reading the Information Sheet, you must be able to enumerate the
Hotel codes and regulations

Introduction: Guests have a certain expectation when sending their clothes for laundry, that
it will be done efficiently and competently. Also, you need to ensure that the guest’s laundry
is delivered back to them according to their expectations with no damage or loss will occur.
referred to as the finishing process and that’s involve.

 Checking for stains-when guest laundry has been washed. It is

important before it is pressed and dried that it be checked to ensure
all stains have been removed .Pressing can sometimes permanently
set stains. If items are found to be stained, they should be sent for re-
processing.

 Checking repairs have been carried out. It is important that

requested repairs to guest items have been completed before the
pressing process. Once repairs are completed then the item should be
pressed.

 Pressing. There are many different types of presses in a laundry

environment but the pressing process for both linen and guest clothing require that the
items are usually damp. Where items have been dried (dry cleaning machine) these
are pressed using steam.

 Drying. It is usually only toweling that is dried in the tumble driers. Once dried they
are then sent to be folded.

 Record. Make sure that the correct number of pieces on guest laundry list is ready to
be returned. Follow complete records and billing information in accordance with
enterprise procedures.

 Packaging. Most guest clothing is packaged before delivery

back to the guest. Shirts can be folded and placed into a bag or
box or they may be pressed and placed on hangers (this is usually
at the request of the guest). The coat hangers and plastic covering
are provided by the hotel and protect the garments in transit from
accidental soiling. Suits, trousers and dresses would also be
placed on cost hangers and covered in plastic wrapping.

 Storage. In some cases where hotels have regular guests, laundry

and dry cleaning may have to be stored until the guest’s next
visit. This must be secured and a note made on the guest account so that the cleaned
 laundry may be placed into the room before his next arrival. The accounts department
will also need to be notified so that the late charge is handled appropriately.

 Delivery. All items need to be delivered to the relevant area. Deliver the guest’s
laundry at the correct times according to your instructions and in an efficient and
friendly manner.

Procedure in Storing Guest Laundry

Learning Objective: After reading the information sheet, you must to be able to enumerate
the procedures in storing guest laundry.

Introduction: storing an art and doing it correctly can help us to become organized. It helps
to prevent garments from wrinkling and therefore it can also avoid re-ironing, re-washing and
drying. Before yon start storing, the garment must be flat and wrinkle-free, and the fabric
must remain nicely spread out throughout the storing process to keep garments free from
dust.

 Cleaning regularly even if things are not dirty, will prevents your closet from dust
and maintain your clothes and linen clean and
neat
 Hang like sorting every items together, pants
should hang in their respective section as should
tops. Like wise, women should group skirt
together and pieces should hang together in a
section for suits. Use sturdy hanger design
specifically to hang both pieces of a suit.
 Organize accessories, hang scarves and
handbags if female guest, hang on the side of
closets wall the neckties and belt and caps.
Compact under wear, put all together in the
drawer of the closets. Depends on the
instruction of the guest.
 Orderliness of every thing for faster and easy
future use .in addition to hanging like item
together, within the section you can also group clothing by color or by function
depending on what work best for the guest, keep all the dressy tops together, the
casual tops together and so forth. if the guest prefer, sort your black tops your red
tops, your white tops and your light-colored tops, then do the same to your bottom.

Procedures in Delivery of laundry items

Learning Objective: After reading the information sheet, you must to be

able to enumerate the procedures in Delivery of laundry items

Introduction: Once all guest clothes have been processed, packaged,

checked for stains and all the guests’ instructions have been followed, the
items must be delivered back to the guest room.
Always follow your property’s guidelines when delivering items back to the
guest room.

 Guests expect laundry to be delivered within the promised time frames.

 Deliver the guest’s laundry at the correct times according to your
instructions and in an efficient and friendly manner.
 When delivering laundry to a room, use the knock and enter routine.
 Always knock on the door (or ring the bell) and identify yourself in a loud
and clear voice (the guest may be resting or working)
 If the guest is in the room, greet the guest politely .
 Check that the items you are about to deliver match the room number
you are in. It is easy to make an error in delivery, particularly if there are
many parcels for the same floor.
 Place the items in the room according to your property’s guidelines and
leave the room making sure the door is locked. Folded laundry is usually
placed on the bed and clothes on hangers are placed in the wardrobe
leaving the wardrobe door slightly open so that the guest can see this.
 Ensure that the correct billing procedure has been followed according to
your organisational requirements.
 Process the account, e.g. pass it on to the correct person, according to
your organisational requirements.
 Any undelivered laundry must be stored securely in a clean, neat and
tidy area to prevent soiling, loss or damage.
 If the room has a “Do not disturb” sign on, you may need to return later.
In some hotels, a card may be left under the door advising the guest that
an attempt was made to deliver his laundry and to call when he is ready
for delivery.