When it comes to hotels, there is nothing more vital than a quality hotel cleaning service to ensure your guests feel right at home. From fresh bedding and fluffed pillows to vacuumed carpets and clean windows – the following guide will walk you through everything you need to do, and even offer some housekeeper tips, to provide your guests with the quality hotel housekeeping service they’re expecting.

Duties of House Keeping

Quality housekeeping can be the difference between a good stay and a nightmare stay. And because guests typically only notice when things are below expectation, it’s important to provide a certain standard of cleanliness each and every time. Potentially hundreds of guests could stay in and given room during a year, and nobody wants their room to have that lived-in feel. That is why it’s important for your housekeeping staff to ensure that when the job is done, there is no sign of the room’s previous guests and that every inch of the room is thoroughly cleaned.

On any given day, the housekeeping staff is responsible for cleaning rooms, turning down beds, along with replacing any dirty towels and replenishing any other amenities. On days when a room needs to be prepared for the arrival of a new guest, housekeeping is expected to complete an extensive clean and completely change the bedding. These housekeeping teams are generally managed by a floor manager or supervisor, and a different manager oversees each floor. Management is responsible for organizing shifts, inspecting the work of housekeeping attendants, re-ordering supplies, and reporting any issues with guest rooms to the proper person. Linen room assistants and laundry porters also assist to make sure there’s always fresh bed sheets and clean towels available.

Create a Housekeeping Strategy

An effective housekeeping strategy is imperative in order to get your guest’s rooms as clean as possible. This would entail figuring out how many staff you will need per shift and creating a checklist for housekeeping attendants to follow in order to ensure expected cleaning standards are met. It is also important to know how many workers you’ll need during varying hotel capacities. It takes approximately 45 minutes for a housekeeping attendant to properly clean a room. Mind you, if only a basic turn-down service is needed, the length of time should lessen. When factoring in breaks, an attendant should be able to clean roughly 10 rooms during an eight hour shift, depending on the size of the room. If you divide the number of occupied rooms by 10, you should have a good idea of how many employees you will need at any given time.

How to Clean a Hotel Room

Below is an easy-to-follow walkthrough that outlines proper cleaning of hotel bedrooms and bathrooms that you can use to help formulate your own customized checklist. Remember – different rooms types will require different checklists. The honeymoon suite will likely have different cleaning requirements than a general economy room. Attendants should implement the following house cleaning tips and tricks when it comes to cleaning a bedroom:

1 – Air out the room: first things first, open any windows and balcony doors. This will help usher in fresh air while also preventing lingering cleaning solution smells. The attendant should also leave the main door open while cleaning as this will assist with ventilation.

2 – Strip the bed: Remove bed linen and place in laundry bin. If the room is occupied by the same guest on consecutive nights, this isn’t always necessary. Simply neatly remake the bed and prepare for guests’ return. This is known as turndown service. Some hotels leave a card that the guest can place on the bed or doorknob to request a full linen change.

3 – Remove garbage: Empty the trash cans and remove any garbage from the room. Replace trash can liners.

4 – Remove used cups: Switch any used cups and mugs and replenish the hot drink supplies.

5 – Dusting: Dust all surfaces in the room, starting from the top and working downwards to the floor. Ensure to get all light fixtures, headboards, under the bed, and on top of wardrobes and cupboards.

6 – Vacuum Furniture and upholstery: Vacuum any upholstered furniture with a specialized attachment to remove any dust and dirt. Curtains can also be vacuumed with this attachment.

7 – Clean all surfaces: Clean and sanitize all surfaces. If any of the guest’s belongings are in the way, carefully move to the side and neatly replace them after.

8 – Change the bed: Examine the mattress for any damage or wear, and report any issues to management. If things look good, replace with fresh sheets and pillowcases and neatly make up the bed as per hotel instruction. Replace any decorative pillows and blankets.

9 – Sanitize and dust electricals: Wipe and sanitize any electrical equipment like phone and tv. Screens have a tendency of getting rather dusty so make sure to wipe with dry cloth.

10 – Clean the floor: Cleaning the floor last ensures you aren’t creating more work for yourself after dusting. Hard floors should be swept and mopped, and carpets vacuumed.

11 – Close windows and perform one last check: Close any open windows. Adjust thermostat to default temperature and perform one final sweep of the room to ensure nothing is missed.

Deep Cleaning

From time to time a basic clean won’t cut it, and you’ll need to utilize some deep cleaning equipment. The following should be performed every few months:

Deep clean carpets with steam cleaner
Deep clean upholstery furniture and curtains with steam cleaner and special attachment
Use floor polisher to shine up hard surfaces and tiles
Vacuum matters and take all covers and protectors to laundry. Rotate mattress according to label
Wash pillow protectors every month, replaced every two years or when out of shape.

How to Clean Hotel Bathrooms

Open any windows
Remove towels and mats
Empty the garbage
Tidy guest belongings
Clean the shower and bath area
Clean sink and taps
Clean toilet
Dust
Wipe the towel rail
Restock all amenities and toilet paper
Replace towels
Clean floor

Equipment, Supplies, and Cleaning Products

In order to do their jobs properly, your housekeeping crew will need the proper cleaning and room care supplies and a cart to transport them.

Your housekeeping cart should be loaded with the following supplies:

vacuum
mop and bucket
Floor cleaner, surface cleaner, sanitizer
Cloths, bleach, paper towels
Dusting tool, furniture polish
Bathroom cleaner, toilet cleaner, scrub brush, drain cleaner, air freshener
Rubber gloves, bin liners

If you make sure to follow the above hotel housekeeping checklist your guests will be treated to a quality of clean they’ll come to expect. Since housekeeping is such a vital part of the hotel operation, sometimes it’s a good idea to leave it to the professionals, call MCA Group for your housekeeping services today!