HOUSEKEEPING NCII

CORE COMPETENCY • PROVIDE HOUSEKEEPING SERVICES TO GUEST • PREPARE ROOMS FOR GUEST • CLEAN PREMISES • PROVIDE / SERVICE • LINEN AND GUEST CLOTHES

Housekeeping refers to the upkeep and maintenance of cleanliness and order in a house or a lodging establishment such as inn, hotel, apartelle, condominium, resort, dormitory or a hospital.

Housekeeper is the one who is responsible for administering housekeeping maintenance and for insuring that everything is in order.

Types of housekeeping 1. Domestic housekeeping is maintenance in a house. It covers bedrooms, kitchen, dining, receiving area, grounds and the surrounding area within the house. 2. Institutional housekeeping applies to housekeeping maintenance in commercial lodging establishments like hotel, resorts, inns and apartels. It covers the following areas: restrooms, hallways and corridors, lobby, public rooms and restaurant, offices, stairways, windows, stores, grounds, linen and laundry area.

Scope of housekeeping maintenance 1. Guest room maintenance 2. Public area maintenance 3. Providing linen and laundry service 4. Washing, issuance, repair and inventory of employees uniform 5. Installation, and maintenance of fixtures and facilities like furniture and appliances. 6. Provision of special services, baby sitting, polishing shoes etc.

Standards of ideal housekeeping 1. Cleanliness 2. Orderliness 3. Sanitation 4. Guest comfort 5. Eye appeal 6. Safety 7. Materials control and Preventive maintenance 8. Guest relations

Cleaning equipment 1. Vacuum 2. Floor polisher 3. Carpet extractor

Cleaning supplies and materials 1. Carpet sweeper 2. Room boy’s cart or trolley 3. Scouring pads 4. Dusting cloths 5. Cleaning towels 6. Polishing cloth 7. Hand brushes 8. Toilet bowl brush 9. with mop handle 10. Floor and window 11. Ceiling and cobwebs 12. Oilers 13. Tongs 14. Trash bags and plastic liners 15. Soft and stick broom 16. Sponges 17. 18. Insect Sprayer

Cleaning chemicals 1. Wood polish 2. Insecticides 3. Methylated spirit 4. Air freshener 5. Carpet remover/atomizer 6. Disinfectant/ Lysol w/ sprayer 7. Metal polish 8. Lacquer or paint thinner 9. Muriatic acid 10. Wax stripper 11. Degreaser 12. Emulsion wax 13. Polymer sealer 14. Solvent wax 15. Stone wax 16. Drain cleaner

General rules in the use of cleaning equipment 1. Check electrical appliances and equipment before use. Check if there are frayed wires, loose plugs and connections. Never use defective appliances. 2. Handle equipment with care and make sure it does not bump on hard surfaces. 3. Clean and store equipment in their custodial room immediately after use. 4. Empty dust bag of dry vacuum before they over load and after each use. 5. Follow manufacturers and operating instructions. 6. Schedule a regular check up of equipment to prevent serious breakdown. 7. To avoid electric shock or short circuit, do not expose equipment to rain or water. 8. Electrical equipment should never be used in wet surfaces.

Cleaning Standards 1. Sweeping 2. Mopping 3. Floor cleaning 4. Floor finishing 5. Vacuuming 6. Dusting 7. Window cleaning 8. Cleaning glass panels, mirrors 9. Waste disposal garbage containers 10. Cleaning of ashtrays 11. Cleaning of drinking fountain 12. Bathroom and washroom cleaning 13. Dusting/cleaning of furniture and fixtures 14. Ceiling cleaning 15. Grounds maintenance

Before using the 1. Check the voltage 2. Check the cord 3. Connect the appropriate nozzle

Types of nozzle 1. Combination nozzle 2. Brush nozzle - corners and sofas 3. Tip nozzle - wet and dry 4. Drape nozzle

Parts of vacuum cleaner 1. Switch 2. Power adjuster 3. Dust bag 4. Washable or disposable filter 5. Hose 6. Extension tube 7. Air regulator (nozzle)

Parts of floor polisher 1. Handle 2. Accelerator 3. Cord 4. Wheel 5. Brush handle 6. Handle adjuster 7. Pad 8. Plug

Guestrooms are serviced and maintained through the following services. 1. Maintenance of order and cleanliness 2. Safekeeping of lost and found items 3. Coordination with other sections on matter involving guestroom maintenance and servicing of guests needs complaints and concern. 4. Provision for other services 5. Attending to other guests needs and concerns

Various forms and documents installed in guestrooms 1. Where are you: Form 2. Customer feedback form 3. Acknowledgement receipt 4. House rules for guests 5. Safety instruction in case of fire

Classification of guestrooms A. According to number of beds 1. Single room 2. Twin room 3. Double room 4. Double-double 5. Triple 6. Quadruple 7. Family room 8. King room B. According to price, layout and facilities 1. Economy room 2. Standard room 3. Deluxe 4. Studio room 5. Connecting room 6. Suite-junior, penthouse, executive & hospitality

Types of beds 1. Single bed - 36 inches x 75 inches 2. Double bed - 54 x 75 3. Queen bed - 60 x 80 4. King bed - 78 x 80 5. Roll - away bed

Making up a bed

1. Bed skirt 2. Bed pad 3. First bed sheet (bottom) 4. Second bed sheet - wrong side 5. Blanket 6. Third bed sheet 7. Pillow with slip and case 8. Bed cover

Room status 1. OC - occupied clean 2. VC - vacant clean 3. VD - vacant dirty 4. OOO - out of order 5. OOS - out of service 6. OD - occupied dirty 7. BLO – blocked 8. NS - no show 9. SO - slept out 10. DND - do not disturb 11. VR - vacant ready

Terminologies used to describe various types of guests 1. VIP well known guest, high ranking officials or executives 2. V-VIP very VIP dignitaries, ambassadors, presidents 3. FIT free independent traveler or foreign individual tourist 4. Joiner

Preparations for quality housekeeping 1. Prepare for the job 2. Prepare the required tools, equipment and supplies 3. Set priorities

A. Secure a room status report from the supervisor B. Prioritize rooms cleaning as follows: 1. First - check out room 2. Second - rooms with make- up request of guest 3. Third - occupied rooms without request and without make-up sign 4. Fourth - vacant rooms that need follow up.

List of room amenities in commercial hotel A. Bedroom amenities 1. Door signs DND do not disturb 2. Door signs MUR make-up room 3. Closet with at least 6 hangers 4. Beds-single, double, queen, king 5. Bed linen a. bed skirting or flounch b. bed pad c. bed sheets d. bed covers e. pillow w/ pillow case 6. Shoe horn and shoe cloth 7. Luggage rack 8. Dresser table w/ vanity mirror and dresser lamp 9. TV set 10. Night table 11. Guest folder or compendium 12. Dresser chair 13. Coffee table w/ 2 easy chair 14. Floor lamp 15. Service tray w/ thermo bag 16. Side table 17. Room service menu 18. Directory of hotel services 19. House rules 20. Telephone w/ in house telephone directory 21. Safety handbook 22. Fire exit directory B. Bathroom amenities 1. Bathroom linen- bath, hand & face towel 2. Bath mat 3. Hair shampoo and conditioner 4. Shower cap 5. Soap 6. Toilet tissue 7. Facial tissue 8. Garbage can underline w/ plastic linen 9. Laundry bag 10. Pressing and laundry kit 11. Morning kit 12. Shaving kit 13. Sanitary bag C. Luxury amenities 1. Bubble bath 2. Sewing kit 3. Hair dryer 4. Water heater with/ 2 cups, teaspoon & sachet of coffee, tea, cream and sugar 5. Bath robe 6. Body scrub 7. Hand and body lotion and cologne 8. Slipper 9. Fruit basket

Fundamentals of Customer relations 1. Before entering a room, knock on door and wait. 2. Make -up or clean a room only when the guest is out, unless it is impossible to service the room otherwise. 3. Do not remove any of the guest property no matter how insignificant. 4. Be courteous in all guest contact, no matter how annoying the guest maybe 5. Be considerate of the guest. 6. Straighten the room, but do not reorganize it. 7. Fulfill any routine guest requirements. 8. When working alone in a room leave the door ajar and leave the cart in the hall or in front of the door. 9. Report anything unusual to other housekeeper or security immediately. 10. As general, smile or keep quiet while some guest wants to talk, others do not.

Entering the Guest room 1. Check the room assignment sheet 2. Confirm the room number 3. Determine the room status 4. Not any request and guest name if it is provided 5. Check door to see if guest is ready to have room made up, return later if DND sign or night lock is on 6. Knock on the door with the knuckles not with the keys, wait a moment and knock again if there is no answer 7. Announce yourself (“housekeeping” and wait for a moment) 20 sec. 8. If guest answer (sorry to disturb you, this is housekeeping when would you like me to make- up your room? If the guest would like the room made up later, record the time when the room should be clean 9. If no one answers, unlock the door and open it carefully in case the door is chain is in use. Contact your supervisor if there is no sign of the guest and the door is chained; enter the room slowly saying housekeeping. If the guest is in the room but does not respond (asleep or in shower) leave the room. If the guest is not in the room place cleaning supplies in the room, place the cart in front of the guest room door to create a partial barrier or keep the door shut and keep “Room being serve sign”.

Cleaning the Guest room 1. Turning on the light, ventilate the room. 2. Check the luggage. Treat found luggage and other found items. 3. Remove loaded items if the guest is finished the item. 4. Dispose of garbage carefully. 5. Disinfect garbage cans and replace garbage bags. 6. Remove dirty items and ensure that no guest belongings are in the soiled linens, when you remove soiled linens. 7. Make beds. 8. Clean bathrooms. 9. Dust and check functioning of room features. 10. Disinfect telephone and ice-. 11. Look for items left by the guest under the bed on in the drawer. If you find anything you should bag and wrap or label items for lost and found. Inform your supervisor immediately when valuable items are found. 12. Check furniture for damage holes, tears, burned or stained in upholstery, drapes or carpets. 13. Notifies supervisor and indicate room assignment sheets if any furniture or items is missing. 14. If there is extra furniture in the room, return to its proper place, request assistance if reduced. 15. Check walls, carpets, windows and doors softly clean if required. 16. Replenish guest room supplies amenities. 17. Vacuum or sweep the floor. 18. Before you leave check the overall condition of the room. 19. Turn off the light and lock the door.

PROVIDE VALET/BUTLER SERVICE

Roles and responsibilities 1. Gives personal services 2. Attends to request according to guest satisfaction 3. Provides courtesy communication

Types of personal service 1. Lady guest - Bathroom assists, grooming assists, dressing assists, polishing shoes and bags and fixing cabinet dresser and luggage. 2. Gentlemen guest - parking of cars or limousine assist, receiving luggage, closet keeping, fixing necktie, cufflinks and the pin, polishing and keeping shoes. 3. Concierge’s service 4. Limousine or traveling services

How to pack luggage 1. Fold the clothes properly 2. Check the luggage if it has damage 3. Insert first the pants 4. Jackets 5. Upper clothes- pop, t-shirt 6. Top is underwear/handkerchief 7. Make sure that the luggage is not overload. 8. Close luggage properly and carefully

LAUNDRY AND LINEN SERVICE

1. Valet Runner - pick up and deliver guest laundry 2. Sorter/marker - sort, classify and label laundry items 3. Linen attendant - does the recording, storage and issuance of linen 4. Washer - responsible for washing and drying laundry items 5. Flat ironer - does the 6. Steam presser - performs steam pressing 7. Dry cleaner/spotter - assigned to and spot removal 8. Seamstress - does mending of guest laundry or employees uniform

Basic wash steps 1. Flushing 1-3 minutes 2. Breaking 3-7 minutes 3. Sudsing 5-8 minutes 4. Bleaching 5-8 minutes 5. Rinsing 1-3 minutes 6. Sour and soft step 3-5 minutes 7. Extracting 1-12 minutes 8. Interdictor extracting 30 seconds- 2 minutes

Segregate items by 1. Color 2. Classification 3. Extend of soilage

Washing with automatic washer 1. Select appropriate load S,M,L 2. Add washing detergent (powder or liquid, , , alkali 3. Adjust the water temperature - hot, cold, warm 4. Segregate the soiled linen by classification 5. Select the right wash cycle and time 6. Follow manual instruction for precautionary measure

Laundry equipment 1. Washer 2. Dryers 3. Spotting table 4. Hydro extractor 5. Flat work iron 6. Steam presser 7. Laundry cart 8. Ironing table/Iron (steam and dry)

Basic Steps in ironing 1. Wash hands 2. Gather materials 3. Sort/segregate 4. Check/clean iron and iron board 5. Wear comforter clothes

Ironing Polo 1. Inner collar 2. Outer collar 3. Cuff 4. If there’s liner 5. If there’s pocket 6. Front side of cloth (lapel) 7. Back 8. Sleeves 9. Hemline

Ironing pants 1. Waist line 2. Pocket 3. Hips 4. Legs 5. Hemline (laylayan)

Packaging and presenting guest laundry by 1. Folding 2. Wrapping 3. Labeling 4. Providing report

Make up room procedure • Place the cart in front of the door and knock • Active doorbell or knock gently (identify yourself and ask permission. Say “may I make up the room now) • Empty all trash cans/baskets • Replenish the soiled linen • Make up the bed • Clean/vacuum the floor • Dust the furniture and fixtures, then polish the mirror • Replenish other guestrooms supplies • Make up bathroom: 1. Empty trash bag/cans. 2. Flush toilet bowl first at least 2 times before you open it. 3. Pour the toilet bowl cleaner to disinfect and deodorize all areas including the hidden surfaces. 4. Leave the toilet bowl cleaner to soak and make it easier to remove. 5. Start cleaning from the top to bottom (ceiling, tiles, shower down to the bath tub). 6. Clean the toilet bowl and remove all hidden dirt under the rim. 7. Flush it again to rinse the bowl. 8. Clean outside part then dry and polish to prevent water marks from forming into surface. 9. Replenish bathroom amenities like toilet tissue, liquid/bar soap. Paper towels and sanitary bags. 10. Mop to dry before you leave.