Housekeeping Notes Sem. 1

Computers are now being used in housekeeping department for room management, inventory control, linen management and so on. Many software packages are available in India that provide specific applications for housekeeping operations. Computers can now being linked to the telephone system in each guestroom. This technology greatly reduces the cost of individual wiring in each guestroom. Computers are now being used in housekeeping for:- 1 .Room management :- ·         Arrival and departure as well as occupancy figures ·         Occupancy forecast ·         VIP and other special arrivals ·         Guest history and other special requests. ·         Out of order record giving reasons. ·         Room change ·         Complimentary room ·         Inter connecting rooms sold ·         Sleep out guests ·         Walk out guests ·         Overstay guests ·         Occupancy status of rooms ·         Number of persons in a room ·         VIP in house ·       

 No individual department in any hotel can work in isolation .Within the room division ,housekeeping coordinates with the front office and maintenance . ( A.) COORDINATION WITH FRONT OFFICE :- Rooms are of chief concern to the front office and housekeeping departments .It is important for departments to exchange information on room status .The front office is not allowed to assign guestrooms until the rooms have been cleaned ,inspected and released by the housekeeping department .Each night , a front office assistant produces an occupancy report also called the night report. This report lists rooms occupied that night and indicates guests who are expected to check out the following day .As guests check out ,the front office notifies housekeeping .A flow of information in the reverse direction is also necessary by way of room status report .The front office must be informed about rooms that are ready for occupation and those which are out of service . The room status report is

(A)  METALS :-   Metals form a whole or a part of many fixtures , fittings and furniture. The most commonly used metals are silver, steel, copper, brass, bronze, aluminium and iron. (a)   Silver :-   This metal has a brilliant shine when polished. Silver is unaffected by pure water, pure air and majority of food stuffs. Composition :-   The two forms in which silver is most commonly used are sterling silver and silver plating. Sterling is an alloy containing about 92% silver and rest is mainly copper. Table silver is made of silver plated alloy. Care : - To prevent pitting , silver cruets should be fitted with glass liners and spoons not be kept in salt for long time. Cleaning : -   silver need to be cleaned and polished on a regular basis. (i)   Regular cleaning : - wash the silver in a hot water of detergent scrubbing with a piece of cotton cloth. Rinse in clean boiling water. Wipe the silver. Store silver that is not in use wrapped in tissue paper and place in air tigh

(A)   GENERAL CRITERIA FOR SELECTION :- The use of cleaning agents is meant to save time, efforts and money. If selected well ,all the three objectives may be fulfilled. The following points need to be considered when selecting cleaning agents. (i) The type of soilage . (ii) The type of surface (iii) Composition of the cleaning  agents (iv) Easy to use , saving of efforts and time (v) Toxicity or side effects (vi) Odour (vii) Range of action or versatility (viii) Shelf life (ix) Packaging volumes and quantities (x) Cost effectiveness (B) CLASSIFICATION :- Cleaning agents can be defined as natural or synthetic substances that are use to assist cleaning process . various kind of cleaning agents are discussed below : (a)    Water :-   it is the prime agent in cleaning process .it is not a sufficiently effective cleanser to meet standards  most hotel required. For water to be effective in cleaning . it must be used with other cleaning agents. (b)     Deterg

A.)PRINCIPLES OF CLEANING, HYGIENE AND SAFETY FACTORS IN CLEANING:- (1)  All soil should be removed.                    (2) Soil should be removed without harming the surface. (3)The surface should be restored to its original state after cleaning process. (4) The cleaning process should be efficient, using minimum equipments , agents , labour and time. (5) The simplest method should be tried first. (6) The least harmful cleaning methods should be used. (7) While cleaning an area, start with cleaner surfaces and then go for cleaning more heavily soiled surfaces. (8) While wet cleaning or polishing the floor, the cleaner should walk backwards. (9) Suction cleaning should be preferred wherever possible. (10) Noise levels should be kept low as far as possible while cleaning. (11) Stains should be removed as soon as they occur. (12) The cleaner should take all safety precautions while cleaning. (13) After cleaning process is over, all equipment should be washed o