Chapter-5 :-Composition, Care and Cleaning of Different Surfaces

(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 tight containers in dry place.

(ii)  Silver dip:- A silver dip solution is used when tarnished silver is to be cleaned. The silver should remain in liquid for a very short time. The articles should be washed with warm water and dried. It is fastest method.

(iii) Polivit method: -  silver articles are immersed in a hot soda solution containing sheet of perforated aluminium for 10 minutes. The articles are removed, rinsed with boiling water and dried.

Polishing procedures:-

(i)    Proprietary preparations:-The polish is rubbed on the article allowed to dry and removed by buffing. Silvo is an example of silver polish  available in market.

(ii)  Plate powder:- The pink powder should be mixed with the methylated spirit to make smooth paste. The paste is rubbed thoroughly onto article with clean cloth and left to dry. It is rubbed off with rags. The article should be rinsed in boiling water and buffed with clean cloth.

(iii) Burnishing machine:- A burnishing machine consist of revolving drum with a safety shield. In this drum polish steel balls are immersed in a detergent solution with silver article. The machine rotates and friction from steel balls polish the silver. The article are rinsed in a hot water and dried. It is used to polish large quantity of silver article.

(b)    Steel:-

·   Composition:- it is an alloy of iron. The alloy mainly contains iron and carbon.

·  Cleaning:-  stainless steel is washed in a hot solution of detergent using a soft nylon scrubber rinsed with clean water and dried with linen cloth. Steel is wiped or washed with detergent solution, stains removed with soft steel wool, articles rinsed with clean water and buffed with linen cloth. For cleaning greasy stains, sodium bicarbonate can be used on all types of steel.

(c)    Copper:-

· Cleaning:-  Copper is washed in warm water and rubbed with mixture of salt, sand and vinegar and clean with rags. Rinse and dried. In case of heavily tarnished copper, a weak ammonia solution will be used.

(d)   Brass:-

·  Composition:-  Alloy  of copper  and zinc.

·  Cleaning :- Dust the brass and rub it with paste made of flour , salt and vinegar . A mixture of 30ml oxalic acid and 300ml soda solution will also remove tarnish. Corroded brass should be treated with hydrochloric acid  and rinsed. Polish with brasso using damp rags or cotton.

(e)  Bronze:-

·  Composition:- Alloy of copper and tin. It does not tarnish easily.

·  Cleaning:- Wash with water and apply a mixture of one part muriatic acid and two parts water. Allow solution to dry and polish it with vegetable oil.

(f)   Aluminium:-

It is not tarnished by air. It scratches and bends easily

· Cleaning:- wash in hot solution of detergent using soft steel wool to scrub.

(g)   Iron:-

· Cleaning:-iron should be washed only when necessary and thoroughly dried. Rust can be removed from galvanized items with pre steel- wool dampened with oxalic acid.

(B) GLASS :-

· Composition:- Transparent and brittle material made from silica and sand.

· Cleaning:-

(a) Flat glass:-glass require frequent cleaning. Dusting should be done daily with lint free cloth. Light soiling  and greasy fingerprints should be wiped with a solution of vinegar and water. For cleaning large surfaces, a small window squeeze may be used. Newsprint contain an effective solvent, therefore newspaper can be used to remove marks from windows. Use lint free cloth to dry glass surface.

(b) Hollow glassware:- Hollow glassware should be cleaned using a soft nylon brush. Abrasives should be avoided.

(c) Chandeliers:- chandeliers are taken down, dismantled piece by piece and dipped into warm solution of synthetic detergent. Each piece is gently cleaned with nylon scrubber and rinsed in warm water. Polishing glass with damp chamois leather or simulated skin also gives good result and is cheaper.

(C) LEATHER:-  It is made from skin of various animals like sheep, goat, pigs , cattle etc. The skins are treated in various ways to give different varieties of leather ranging from soft flexible type to tougher types. Leather can be dyed in variety of colours and is used for belts, gloves , shoes , purse , wallet , upholstery , desktop , book binding etc. leather is expensive and should be kept properly to prevent cracking. Leather also picks up oil and grease rapidly. General cleaning of leather involves daily dusting or suction cleaning. in case of soiling, wipe the leather with a soft cloth using mild synthetic detergent. Follow with damp dusting with clean water and dry thoroughly. Solvents should not be used on leather.

(D) PLASTIC:-  It is used in making furniture, wall covering, floor covering, cleaning equipments, utensils etc.

· Cleaning:- plastic is easy to clean and maintain. Daily lamp dusting should be done. Light soilage can be removed by wiping with a warm solution of synthetic detergent followed by rinsing and air- drying. Textured surfaces need mild scrubbing with a soft brush.

(E) CERAMICS:-   ceramics are made from sand and clay. Ceramics are used for making sanitary fittings, drain pipes, vases, tiles, utensils, crockery etc. ceramics should be handled with care since they are prone to cracking and chipping.

· Cleaning:-  ceramics should be handled with care during cleaning since they are easily cracked and chipped. Extremely hot or too cold water should be avoided a warm synthetic detergent solution should be used. The articles must be rinsed and dried with a lint duster.

(F) WOOD:- Wood is hard, compact, fibrous and porous. It absorb water as well as dust. It is prone to fungal attack and pest attacks.

·  Protective treatment for wood:- wooden surfaces required extra protection since they are mostly porous and absorb moisture. They also tend to get stained and scratched. The most common treatments are listed below-

(a) Beeswax-This is the comb material secreted by bee. It is applied to solid wood furniture and floors. It should be allowed to dry.

(b) Varnish- This is a clean and pale solution. On drying varnish forms a hard and transparent film on the wood surface.

(c) Lacquer-It is a durable finish applied to solid wood furniture. It is damaged by water , heat and solvents.

(d)  Paint-Paint is made up of pigment dissolved in organic binder. The function of paint may be to provide protection or décor or both. It is damaged by abrasive and heat.

·  Maintenance of wood:-wood damage in contact with excess of water. The least possible amount of water should be used for cleaning wood. Always dry dust the surface first with a mop or a vacuum cleaner. Wooden floor surfaces need to be buffed with a floor polisher. Spills and stains should be removed from wood surfaces.

(G) FLOOR AND WALL FINISHES:- A variety of natural stones are used as hard surfaces in hotel. The popular ones are marble, sandstones, granite, slate etc. stones are used as floor finishes and  wall surfaces. Stones such as marble are often used as flooring and on walls in luxury bathroom and foyers.

Natural stones are in use :-

· Marble:-It is available in many colours and patterns. It can be given a finish.

· Sandstone:-It is composed of sand.

· Granite:-It is a granular stone.

· Quartzite:-It is a granular stone made of silica.

 MAINTENANCE AND CLEANING: -The stone surfaces may be cleaned using synthetic detergent and hot water. Stains may be removed using fine abrasives. For large areas , a wet pick up vacuum cleaner may be used. Use of acids and alkalis should be avoided.