Supplies and Equipment
Need for Sufficient Supplies
A well supplied linen and supplies stock room is an essential part of any hotel to effectively service the guest rooms.
Items needed must be identified accurately and at the right amount in order to properly service the rooms. Time will be wasted if a Room Attendant would have to go all the way to the housekeeping office to get supplies.
In some establishments, storage rooms on different floors may contain different stocks. For instance, floors for VIP rooms require more expensive supplies.
Depending on the hotel, some supplies are stored in assigned linen rooms or stored directly on the trolleys, which will be explained in this lesson.
Equipment
Several equipment are needed to clean a guest room.
The necessary equipment is usually stored on inside a housekeeping storage room located on every floor or sometimes in a central location where they can be accessed easily by the Room Attendant.
Some of these are:
Housekeeping trolley
The housekeeping trolley is sometimes called a “Maids’ trolley.”
The Room Attendant should inspect the trolley if it is clean, presentable, and safe. No jagged edges should be protruding from the trolley that could cause possible injuries. The wheels should also be freely rolling without any hint of resistance.
The trolley and the equipment listed hereafter are placed in a floor housekeeping store or linen room. That same room also contains other stocks needed for the trolley. such as give away items, spare light globes and toiletries
Standard industry practice suggests that anything other than the original design of the trolley should be hanging from it. Therefore, things like plastic bags or any other bag is not allowed to hang on the trolley. Doing so may not only cause possible safety hazards but also makes the trolley less appealing to the eyes. Instead, the trolley should be fitted permanently with two (2) large bags. One is for used linen and the other for trash.
Remember to lock the housekeeping store after taking out the trolley and supplies.
Vacuum cleaner
Make sure that the vacuum is empty before going to the rooms to clean. Spare bags must also be available and ensure that the vacuum is operational and no damages to the cord. Check also that the vacuum attachments are complete before heading out.
Mops
The appearance of the mops should not be overlooked. A dirty mop might create a wrong impression to guests that the entire hotel is dirty. The mop must be sanitized to kill harmful organisms.
There are two (2) kinds of mops, a wet mop which is used for washing and a dry mop which is for polishing is used for polishing.
Brooms and brushes
The number of brooms and brushes must be sufficient enough. They must also be clean and bristles should be thick and rigid for efficient cleaning.
Some common types of brooms/brushes:
Carpet brush
Scrubbing brush
Sink brush
Silk brush
Toilet brush
Wall brush
Soft broom
Hand brush.
Shoe brush
Please note that not all of the mentioned brushes are required to be in the trolley at the same time. It will depend on the rooms or facilities to be cleaned.
Brooms and brushes should be partnered with a dust pan and brush set.
Buckets
Ensure that buckets do not have any leaks and that the handle won’t give out when lifted at full weight. Buckets used for wet mopping should also be odor free.
Buckets may be used either for wet mopping or as storage containers of cleaning supplies placed in the trolley. This allows the Room Attendant to carry multiple supplies without having to go back and forth to the trolley.
Protective gloves
Ample supply of disposable gloves should be stocked on the trolley. However, there are cleaning activities that require more protective non – disposable gloves for handling chemicals for cleaning. Consider the type of cleaning activity to determine the type of gloves to be used.
Housekeeping uniform
The housekeeping uniform is considered as protective clothing and for identity
Cloths / Rags
Cloths or rags are used for cleaning, dusting, and polishing. The Room Attendant's trolley must have plenty of cloths, which may be made of fabrics or disposable materials
Dust pan
This is an important tool to collect dust, dirt, and other small trash
These are used to perform different tasks and clean different surfaces.
Depending on what surfaces or materials are in each room, the GRA may be required to have the following:
Polishes
Detergents
Glass cleaner
Multi-purpose cleaners
Oven cleaners
Stainless steel cleaners
Leather cleaners
Porcelain and ceramic cleaners
Toilet and urinal cleaners
Dish washing detergent
Sanitizer
Disinfectants
Deodorizers and air sprays
Pest control sprays and similar.
In some establishments these chemicals are stored in the floor housekeeping stores while others place them at a central location.
Most of the chemicals used for cleaning do not require the Room Attendant to have physical contact with it. This is known as a “closed system.” These chemicals are also color-coded for easy identification. Be sure to read and understand the instructions on each container to know where the chemical can be applied and how to use it properly. In some establishments, the Room Attendant are trained on how to dilute chemicals based on needed purposes.
Bedding
Clean linen including different sizes of sheets, pillowcases, and towels, are needed to service rooms allocated to the GRA.
Trolleys are loaded with clean linen and are stored in the floor housekeeping store or a central store.
Again, these items may vary depending on the types of room per floor but would always include:
Pillows
Pillow slip
Pillowcase
Blankets
Duvet filler, duvet jacket, , duvets
Bed sheets
Bed pad
Bed runner
Towels (face towel, hand towel, bath towel, bathrobe,)
Floor mats
Toiletries
These may include:
Toiletry that are considered as giveaways varies from establishment to establishment. Trolleys are usually stocked with one of each variant. There is usually a standard number of giveaway items to be placed in each room.
This may include the following items:
shampoos
conditioners
soaps
lotions
dental kit
vanity kit
shaving kit
sewing kit
laundry bag
bedroom slipper
Stationery
The most common type of stationery in a hotel is a simple notepad and a pen. Sometimes they also provide a small notebook. These are usually placed on a desk beside the telephone.
Paper products
When we say paper products, we mean disposable paper products such as toilet paper, kitchen towel, facial tissue, and the laundry bag.
Promotional and informational material
Service related materials such as doorknob cards, breakfast menu, and newspaper.
Do not Disturb and Please Make up Room cards
Directories
TV program guides
Menu card
Brochures containing hotel available services and facilities
Bags
Laundry and dry-cleaning bags must be present in the room. These bags are collected either by request or on a regular basis. Laundry items are taken to the laundry for sorting and washing
Give away items
These items may include:
Bottled water
Coffee
Sugar
Artificial sweeteners
Creamer
Tea
Replacement Items
New batteries to replace worn out batteries of TV and aircon remote controls
Ordering and Receiving Supplies
Linen stores and trolleys are replenished either at the beginning or end of each shift. It is recommended however for them to be restocked at the end of the shift so that they are already prepared for the next shift.
When supplies in the floor housekeeping store are significantly low, more supplies can be brought from the housekeeping department office where there is most likely a central store dedicated solely to housekeeping supplies.
In ordering supplies, one is usually required to accomplish a Requisition Form.
Requisition form
This is an internal stock ordering form that a Room Attendant fills in and submits to the Head Housekeeper or whoever is in charge for supplies store room
It contains:
Name of requesting person
Type of items
Quantity of items
Date
After the form is completed, it is submitted to the Head housekeeper or the person assigned. The requested items then would have to be restocked on the proper housekeeping store room.