Chapter 2 :- Housekeeping in Institutions & Facilities Other than Hotels

 Housekeeping may be defined as “ provision of a clean, comfortable, safe and aesthetically, appealing environment “. By another definition : Housekeeping is an operational department in a hotel, which is responsible for cleanliness, maintenance, aesthetic upkeep of rooms, public areas, back areas and the surroundings 

 OBJECTIVES OF HOUSEKEEPING-

•  To provide economic and efficient services
• To provide comfort to all those who use the premise
•  To maintain the fabric of the building’.
•  To ensure provision of a  safe and healthy environment
• Give finishing touches to areas
• Additional services: laundry, garbage disposal, service of meals, bed making etc.

·         HOUSEKEEPING IN HOSPITALS:- 

Hospital housekeepers are responsible for sustaining a sterile environment in all areas of the hospital by cleaning rooms, making beds, replenishing linens and maintaining floors.

The domestic services department provides daily and periodic (special) cleaning services to all parts of the hospital. This includes wards, laboratories, operating theatres, public areas and outpatient clinics.

The department also completes specialist cleaning tasks such as pressure mattress washing, laundering of patient slings and hoists, wall washing and infection outbreak cleans.

The staff must have knowledge of cleaning, health and safety, safe handling of cleaning products, infection control and customer care skills.

HOUSEKEEPING IN RESIDENTIAL ESTABLISHMENTS

THESE INCLUDE -STUDENT HALLS, HOSTELS, OR OTHER INSTITUTIONS

THE REGISTERAR IS USUALLY THE HEAD OF THE INSTITUTION, ASSISTED BY ANY MEMBER OF THE ACADEMIC STAFF FOR DISCIPLINE AND WELFARE OF RESIDENT WARDS.

THE DOMESTIC BURSAR  IS OVERALL IN-CHARGE  OF CLEANING THOUGH RARELY FOR THE CATERING ALSO.

ESTATE MANAGER- In-charge of Building and maintenance, including grounds.

CATERING MANAGER- In- charge of Food and Beverage outlets and service

SUPERINTENDENT CARETAKER/SERVICE MANAGER- In- chrge for cleaning of all public areas, classrooms, lecture halls, theaters, laboratories and offices.

ACCOMMODATION MANAGER- Maintains students accommodation.

·         HOUSEKEEPING IN PRIVATE RESIDENTIAL /COMMERCIAL SPACES:- 

Housekeeping agencies provide routine and specialized cleaning for residential complexes or offices.

They have specialised teams that do routine cleaning as well as special cleaning on demand.

These agencies need to take special care for specific needs of residents specially the aged, children or people with special needs.

·         HOUSEKEEPING IN MUSEUMS:- 

Preventive conservation is the main goal of housekeeping in museums so that the collections are not damaged.

The main emphasis is on  dust control, clean displays as well as security of the exhibits and safety of the visitors.

Housekeeping focus is on:-

 Exhibit spaces

  Historic furnished rooms

  Storage spaces

  Curatorial offices

  Other work spaces.

·        HOUSEKEEPING AT SPORTS AND LEISURE CENTRES

These include:

Squash courts, gyms, swimming pools, bowling alleys, greens and sports courts.

The usage of these areas is heavy and need special attention towards hygiene.

Special air conditioning and circulation may have to fulfilled.

·         HOUSEKEEPING IN MALLS:- 

Shopping malls receive a high volume of traffic  , though this steady stream of customers is great for business, the increase in traffic makes it difficult  to clean the facilities throughout the day. Here are some tips on the best practices for mall cleaning.

·         AUTOVAC *- instead of the mop and bucket.

·         COMPREHENSIVE MAT SYSYTEM-Especially at the entrance areas.

·         PLANNED FLOOR CLEANING -At least once a day

·         AVOID SLIPS AND FALLS –By prompt reporting of wet areas and spills.

·         MINITORING OF ENTRANCE AREAS, RESTROOMS AND FOOD COURTS.

(The AutoVac is an automated floor cleaning machine that's three-four times faster than mopping with one major difference: it actually removes the soils completely from the floor surface instead of spreading them around)

·         CLEANING OF REST ROOMS:- 

·         The restrooms must be shut down at least once a day so that the team can thoroughly clean the facilities.

·         Use spray-and-vac systems  instead of mops and buckets. These advanced systems can be up to 60 times more effective than traditional cleaning tools at reducing bacterial contamination from restroom toilets, stalls, floors, and sinks. And spray-and-vacuum systems  leave the floors clean and dry, reducing the risk of slip-and-fall accidents. Simply apply automatically diluted cleaning solution to fixtures and floors in a low pressure fan spray, and then rinse surfaces and floors with always-fresh, clean water. The built-in power of the indoor pressure washer flushes soils out of grout lines and tight places that mops can’t reach. Finally, just vacuum the floor dry -- completely removing soils, moisture and contaminants from all surfaces, grout lines and crevices, leaving the floor virtually dry and soil free. No-Touch Cleaning systems are built for extreme soil removal, empowering workers to clean hygienically without touching contaminated surfaces. Plus, it cuts labour, chemical and equipment costs.

·          In order to prevent the build-up of bacteria, the team should clean touch points and other key areas several times during the  hours of operation .Touch points, such as stall doors, paper towel dispensers, and soap dispensers, need constant attention . In case of the use rags and disposable wipes to clean these touch points,  they must be replaced or washed  every time they move on to a new surface, as not doing so can lead to dangerous cross-contamination. In an effort to prevent this bacteria transfer, use microfiber towels. 

(Microfiber (or microfibre) is synthetic fiber finer than one denier or decitex/thread, having a diameter of less than ten micrometres. ... The most common types of microfibers are made from polyesters, polyamides (e.g., nylon, Kevlar, Nomex, trogamide), or a conjugation of polyester, polyamide, and polypropylene).