Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved. HOUSEKEEPING MANAGEMENT SECOND EDITION ︳ MATT A. CASADO

Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved. CHAPTER Main Concepts 5 Characteristics of Housekeeping Equipment and Supplies Housekeeping F.F.&E, Software, and Department Equipment Purchasing Cleaning Supplies Housekeeping Chemicals Hazardous Communication (HazComm) Non-Reusable Guest Supplies Reusable guest Supplies Uniforms Bed Linen, Bath Linen, and Napery Characteristics Linen Cost per Use and Par Levels Linen Control

Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved. HOUSEKEEPING FURNITURE, FIXTURES AND EQUIPMENT (FF&E) Lodging establishments must maintain interior design consistency throughout the property. Furniture should be solidly built, easy to maintain, functional, and attractive. Surveys consistently show that guests put comfortable mattresses as top guest amenities. – Mattresses should be protected with mattress covers and rotated often to avoid contour formation.

Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved. HOUSEKEEPING FURNITURE, FIXTURES AND EQUIPMENT (FF&E) (CONT.) Fixtures in guestrooms and public areas should complement the overall décor. Carpets should match their color, texture, and pattern with the design of the area. Carpets should be dense to the point of not showing the backing when bending a piece with both hands. The quality of carpets is ascertained by its face weight (number of ounces of yarn per square yard).

Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved. HOUSEKEEPING FURNITURE, FIXTURES AND EQUIPMENT (FF&E) (CONT.) Guestrooms should be equipped with technology features, such as: – High-speed wireless Ethernet with private VLAN. – TV with access to movies on demand and video games for kids. – TV with Internet access – Sufficient outlets for charging cell phones, cameras, and laptops. In-room strongboxes are necessary for guests to safeguard personal belongings.

Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved. HOUSEKEEPING SOFTWARE These are the depreciable fixed assets that are not furniture or equipment, such as bedspreads, mattress covers, blankets, pillows, and window coverings. Bedspreads should complement the motif, color, and design of the room. Fabrics made of 100% polyester are soil resistant and easier to clean than polycotton. Blankets should be good insulators and manufactured of fire retardant material.

Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved. HOUSEKEEPING SOFTWARE (CONT.) Pillows should feature fills of good quality so they spring back into shape easily. Lumpy, heavier fills are indications of inferior grade. The synthetic covering of pillows should be fire retardant, stain proof, and able to withstand frequent washings. Feather pillows should be provided to guests on request. Window coverings must be resistant to direct sunlight.

Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved. HOUSEKEEPING DEPARTMENT EQUIPMENT Housekeeping carts must be light and maneuverable to be pushed by one person from floor to floor and into and out of service elevators. Carts should be contoured with rubber bumpers to protect walls and wall corners. Vacuum cleaners must be heavy-duty and capable of providing one-pass cleaning. Besides vacuums to service guestrooms, the department should have large-area, wet/dry, and back vacuums.

Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved. PURCHASING CLEANING SUPPLIES The main factors to consider when buying cleaning supplies should be: – Quality, product availability, purveyor service, and price. Bulk purchasing of chemicals is usually cheaper, but may actually be labor intensive and therefore more costly. Pre-measured chemicals do not require much handling but are quite expensive. Chemical dispensers can be a good alternative to both bulk and pre-measured products.

Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved. HOUSEKEEPING CHEMICALS Three major purposes of chemicals used in housekeeping are to: 1.remove dirt 2.destroy harmful microorganisms 3.beautify furniture, fixtures and surfaces The strength of cleaning chemicals is measured on the pH scale. The pH scale goes from 1 to 14, 1 indicating very acidic and 14 very alkaline solutions.

Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved. HOUSEKEEPING CHEMICALS (CONT.) Restroom and bathrooms require strong acidic cleaners to remove lime and rust deposits. Strong alkaline cleaners are as effective as degreasers. Disinfectants are germicidal chemicals that kill microorganisms and prevent them from multiplying. Antibacterial liquid hand soap is important in fighting infectious diseases and should be used in back-of-the-house areas.

Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved. HOUSEKEEPING CHEMICALS (CONT.) Floor care chemicals generally used on floor surfaces are: – Strippers, sealers, and finishes. Carpet shampoos should be soil-retardant to protect against dirt and stains. Spot removers should be used on carpets to remove tar, grease, lipstick, and graffiti.

Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved. HAZARD COMMUNICATION (HAZCOMM) The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires that employees handling chemicals are informed of the risks these chemicals pose, that the employer provides appropriate training, and how to use them safely. The manufacturer’s Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) and labels for each hazardous chemical must be displayed in the workplace.

Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved. NON-REUSABLE GUEST SUPPLIES Also called amenities, non-reusable guest supplies are items that guests are expected to use up. The higher the room rate is, the more luxurious amenities should be.

Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved. REUSABLE GUEST SUPPLIES Unlike non-reusable guest supplies, reusable guest supplies can be used multiple times. The quality of reusable guest supplies usually varies with the type of lodging establishment; while economy properties offer the bare-essential items, luxury establishments’ are in most cases quite sophisticated.

Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved. UNIFORMS Uniforms for housekeeping personnel should be functional, good looking, comfortable, and able to stand frequent washings. It is important to establish an adequate par of employee uniforms. Often, the housekeeping department is in charge of processing the uniforms for all the property’s departments.

Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved. BED LINEN CHARACTERISTICS The fabric for bed linen and pillowcases is usually a blend of 50% cotton and 50% polyester. All other factors being equal, bed linen fabrics are better when their thread count is higher. Muslin is a carded type of fabric while percale is made of combed material. Plain-weave textiles are made by interlacing the vertical with the horizontal thread. Twill has an extra diagonal pattern, making the material stronger.

Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved. BATH LINEN CHARACTERISTICS Towels, washcloths, and bath mats are usually made of a 100%-cotton pile fabric called terrycloth. The quality of terrycloth is determined by the weight of the item.

Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved. NAPERY CHARACTERISTICS The housekeeping department is usually in charge of processing the F&B department’s napkins and table cloths. Momie cloth is the least expensive material. It is usually a plain weave 50/50 cotton/polyester blend. Damask is a twill-woven fabric with a glossy, silky appearance. The drape of a tablecloth should be level with a chair’s seat or fall at least 12 inches below the table’s edge.

Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved. LINEN PURCHASING Linens can be purchased directly from the mill or from regional or local brokers. Minimum standards for linens have been established by the federal government regarding shrinkage, strength, and so on. The main factors to consider when purchasing linen are: durability, laundry costs, and purchase price.

Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved. LINEN COST PER USE The cost per use is arrived at by multiplying the total number of washings expected of the item (its life expectancy) by its weight in pounds, times its pre-established laundry cost per pound, plus the purchase price of the article, divided by the same life expectancy.

Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved. COST PER USE FORMULA Weight in pounds × laundry cost × life expectancy + purchase cost Life expectancy

Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved. LINEN PAR LEVELS The amount of linen needed to outfit the property at 100% occupancy is defined as one par level. Usually, lodging properties require between 2.5 and 4 par levels. Each establishment should calculate the number of pieces of linen to have in stock at all times.

Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved. LINEN CONTROL Physical inventories of linens should be conducted regularly to ascertain losses and to bring the stocks to their original levels. When taking inventory, all items in all locations should be counted.

Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved. LINEN CONTROL (CONT.) A sample inventory form can be summarized as follows: Beginning inventory + purchases for the month - documented discards for the month - current physical inventory = losses