Hotel cleaning: how they work

The successful hotel is one that not only sells a bed to sleep, but a unique experience, made of courtesy and atmosphere. An atmosphere impossible to create without a thorough and professional cleaning.

In order to properly carry out hotel cleaning, the intervention of professionals specialized in this sector is required, and here the dilemma comes for the hotelier:

Hire Internal Staff For Cleaning Service Or Contact An External Company?

The choice obviously depends on the specific needs of each hotelier, but here are the advantages that can be obtained thanks to the second option:

Time Optimization: outsourcing allows the cleaning planning to be left entirely to the company, including the organization of shifts, holidays and periods of illness. The hotelier will have more time to devote himself to other activities related to the management of the structure.

Cost Optimization: the external company guarantees 100% coverage of all the activities necessary for optimal cleaning and the costs for materials and hygiene products.

What does the cleaning service in a hotel consist of in detail?

To ensure a professional cleaning service it is necessary to plan all the activities in detail . Let's see the main steps together.

The preparation of the trolley

An organized cart equipped with all the necessary materials is the basis for a truly efficient job .

It allows staff not to waste time and to avoid repeated trips to stock up on the necessary material.

The trolley must therefore contain the waste bag, the bag for dirty laundry, all the objects necessary for the preparation of the room and the products for the actual cleaning.

Particular attention must be paid to the choice of products to avoid damaging the surfaces to be cleaned and to safeguard the health and safety of guests and staff.

The organization of the rooms

What distinguishes the cleaning of hotel rooms is the order to be followed to clean the rooms: they must never be cleaned in order of numbering, but on the basis of urgency.

In practice, the order to perform the job depends on the list of rooms , which reports all the information on the situation on a daily basis.

By systematically checking it, staff can check hotel guests' movements and know which rooms to clean first and in depth.

The list of rooms must communicate the following information clearly and concisely:

·         Occupied room. The guest is expected to stay;

·         Free room. The guest has left;

·         Room that is about to break free. The day's departure is scheduled for the guest.

In any case, staff must avoid disturbing guests.

How are hotel cleanings done?

The practice requires that you start from the most personal areas of the customer, or the bathroom or the bed . Let's see how to proceed.

The bathroom

The first thing to do once you enter the bathroom is to remove all the dirty laundry.

Once the gloves are worn clean the cup .

It is necessary to clean the internal walls with a suitable liquid, using the brush to soap the most difficult parts to reach, then passing to the external ones using a cloth and detergent. Remember to replace toilet paper if necessary.

For optimal cleaning of the shower or bathtub, use a wet sponge on the internal walls, making sure to use the detergent suitable for the wall material.

The exact technique consists in starting from the top and rubbing the cloth downwards, to allow dirt and detergent foam to flow towards the base.

Do not forget to clean the soap dish , the tap , the water spout and the chrome parts. It is also necessary to remove any dirt from the drain hole. Finally, dry everything with a dry cloth.

At this point we move on to the bidet , then the sink , the mirror and the shelf , moving the client's personal items, being careful about containers and valuables.

It is also necessary to remove all traces of dirt from the ground, using a damp cloth to collect hair, hair and any marks or stains from the tiles. Finally the doors must be cleaned.

Once the cleaning of the bathroom is finished, the dirty laundry is removed and replaced with the clean one.

The bed

The first thing to do is strip the bed of dirty laundry.

A trick to reduce the volume in the cart: insert the sheets in the pillowcase.

Immediately afterwards, check that the mattress and the mattress cover are in perfect condition, checking that there is no dirt, dust, or some object forgotten by the customer.

To redo the bed in a workmanlike manner you need to lay the first sheet in the center of the mattress, so that it covers all four sides. The sheet is fixed starting from the left side: first the upper part and then the lower part. The second sheet must be laid upside down. At this point the flaps are folded under the mattress, to then lay the blanket and turn over the edges that are on the side of the headboard.

A small but important detail: before putting the pillowcase clean, the cushions need to be plunged, and then placed on the lapel of the bedspread.

Furniture

Regarding the cleaning of the furniture, we proceed differently if the customer has left the room or if he will still use it.

If the customer has left, first of all check that he has not forgotten anything.

Then wipe the edges and headboards of the beds, the shelves and the legs of all the furniture with a dry cloth. Finally you go to the wardrobe, cleaning the drawers and the mirror thoroughly.

If the customer has not yet left, the headboard and the furniture must be dusted and any stains and marks removed with a damp sponge.

In any case, check the lamps, the TV and the remote control to check for any malfunctions. These, including the telephone, should always be dusted.

Let's not forget about the minibar .

Once the correct functioning has been verified, the operations to be performed are the following:

·         Refill the missing bottles

·         Remove any open bottles (only if the customer has left)

·         Replace the glasses that show signs of use by the customer

·         Clean it externally

Finally you get to the floor cleaning , using the right products based on the material, including the carpets, and then move on to the door and the corridors.

Hotel: Deep cleaning

Periodically hoteliers are asked to organize deeper cleaning.

Thorough cleaning serves to remove dust and dirt that accumulate despite daily cleaning.

In-house cleaning includes operations such as:

·         The overturning of mattresses

·         Moving furniture

·         Cleaning the ceiling

·         Wall cleaning

·         Door cleaning

·         Window cleaning

·         Cleaning the chandeliers

·         Carpet washing

·         Wash curtains

·         Wash the bedspread.

·         All operations that must be carried out regularly, but not daily.

Since each hotel has different characteristics, the frequency and frequency of these operations depend on various factors , such as the type of hotel, the type of clientele, the high or low season period, the occupancy rate of the hotel, the quality of daily cleaning.