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Hygienic, productivity and quality in microfibre system
Ali Khondukar
By Ali Khondukar, Executive Housekeeper of hotel services at Macquarie University Hospital, North Ryde, Sydney NSW Australia
Everybody knows about microfibre products and most of us are probably using them. The question is, how many are achieving good results in hygienic issue, good results in productivity, good results in quality and lowering of cleaning cost with microfibre systems? The answer is that you cannot achieve all of these key points using microfibre products alone.
A staff training program based on the microfibre product, a proper functional job description for staff and quality check program are all required to bring about impressive results. Microfibre is 10 to 12 times thinner than human hair and its absorbing power is 12 to 14 times greater than typical cotton fibres. As most of us know, what may look clean does not necessarily mean that the surface is hygienically clean.
SEQPHA 2013 Trade Show at Intercontinental Sanctuary Cove Resort, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
After the great success of the past trade shows, the latest in Australia’s leading Hotel Suppliers will again be on display this year at the South East Queensland Professional Housekeeper Association Trade Show 2013. With over 30 Industry suppliers will be exhibiting their products and services for the Hospitality & Tourism Industry, this is a great opportunity to see all the products under the one roof.
Recycling used guest room soap all over the world
Hotel guest room soap recycling programmes have been around a while but some new developments are worth noting.
Bumper Attendance at Hong Kong Hotel Association workshops June 2013
DP Parts 1 and 2 with HKHA Chairman and President
The ever popular Development Programmes for Housekeeping Managers Part 1 and Part 2 were rolled out again in Hong Kong through the Hong Kong Hotel Association in mid-June.
Over 22 participants joined in with 18 covering all 5 days together. A great opportunity to learn and network with many Front Office and Rooms Division colleagues joining in to brush up their Housekeeping management skills.
Soap Aid Update
Here is a quick update on the Soap Aid programme in Australia …
They have recently signed an agreement with Rotary International to commence a pilot programme together with Soap Aid and 13 selected hotels here in Melbourne. The pilot involves selected members of Rotary collecting the cartons of wastes soaps from those selected hotels and returning those cartons back to their facility so they can be re-processed.
Review of microfibre use at Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel Sydney
Maureen Jolowicz and her Housekeeping team at Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel Sydney
It is now over 6 years since Maureen Jolowicz ran her initial trials on microfibre and started using this cleaning technology exclusively at Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel Sydney. She has still maintained the overall system as when she first started with some modifications.
Housekeeping Room Attendants pick up their cleaning pack every morning at the start of their shift including a blue microfibre cloth for each room, 3 scourers with microfibre for the floors and shower tiles and their bucket with a water spray bottle and disinfectant for the toilet bowl.
Their cleaning routine incorporated in the sequence of service is to use 1 clean cloth to clean the bathroom glasses, then dust in the room, wipe down all bathroom surfaces finishing off with the toilet. 1 microfibre cloth per room.
There are also separate cleaning tools including the extendable wand for high surfaces and the fluffy duster for bedroom walls.
Maureen is only just now replacing some of the equipment. The clothes have lasted for up to 1 year. They are washed daily in 60 degree water with detergent, no bleach or softener.
Public Area staff also use the microfibre tools in their areas –
With an estimated saving of 1 million litres of water a year, there has been a reduction in use of chemicals and a reduction in housekeeping health and safety issues and over 95% saving on chemicals – it’s easy to see why this the natural choice for housekeeping cleaning in the future.
Words of advice from Maureen for those who want to put this system are:-
• Trial it thoroughly for a minimum of 3 months on 1 or 2 floors
• The staff from the trial floors will be your ambassadors for the system because they realise it is so much easier.
Cleaning caddy with disinfectant and water
Key Performance Indicators
Water Usage
The system is fully utilised by the staff and monitored by the supervisors to ensure compliance. The conservative figure of saving 10litres of water per room cleaned is being realised. The microfibre cleaning system means there is no rinsing of surfaces with water, no steaming of showers or soaking of glassware or china. Calendar year 2012 with 132,492 rooms cleaned, over 1.3million litres of water has been saved. Water consumption has reduced in the property
Costs -
Replacement microfibre cloths and hardware for 5 years April 2008 – April 2013 = $14,319.20. Average $ 2,863.84p.a. Please see attached. This cost is less than anticipated. The cost of individual items has reduced with improved technology and increased supply
Staff Satisfaction
Staff continually praise the system for ease of use. New staff in particular find the system superior to the normal cleaning with chemicals
Workplace Health and Safety
Only 1 significant injury in 5 years
Floor mop with scrubber
High dusting tools
Room Attendant cleaning pack
New Housekeeping Demo Lab at Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School
Students at the School practice making up rooms in the housekeeping new demo lab
It’s great to finally see a Hospitality School get serious about designing and installing a housekeeping demonstration laboratory where students can learn what the realities of housekeeping are.
The new demo lab at the Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School (BMIHMS) has all the bells and whistles.
It took 6 months from first inception till it was completed in November 2013 and incorporates the following:
- A state-of-the-art bedroom space with a split king, allowing students to participate in demonstrations of different bed making methods and styles, and bedroom detailing.
- Purpose built bathroom, which has 5 different sizes of tiles and surfaces with 3 different coloured grouts, 2 styles of vanity atop a marble benched polyurethane cabinet. These variations enable demonstration of all cleaning requirements. The bathroom completely opens out into the room so demonstrations are easily visible to the group of up to 20 students.
- The bedroom area has 4 different carpets, 2 of which are tiles, along with 3 different wood surfaces including bamboo.
- The cube shaped seats for students also use a variety of upholstered materials, so that students can view wear and tear and address cleaning issues.
- Wall surfaces include framed textured wallpapers that form part of the décor along with painted surfaces.
- The area also has a mini housekeeping storeroom that is built from laminate, this stores the housekeeping trolley along with various pillow types, linen and also a porta cot. There is a desk and wardrobe area, which was built using a veneer timber. This stores a rollaway bed.
- The room features all the guest supplies and amenities one would expect in a hotel room
The room was designed and put together by Liz Boyd, Design Consultant in conjunction with BMIHMS Executive Housekeeper Vicky Jakus. Its purpose is to reflect the diversity of surfaces found in a typical hotel room so as to enable our students to learn the entire operations of the housekeeping department of a 5 Star hotel.
Students undertaking the Bachelor of International Hotel and Resort Management and Master of International Hotel Management degrees use the facilities. Their aim is to graduate with business degrees and progress to management positions with acute knowledge of hotel operations.
Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School is very proud of their latest addition to their learning spaces and wish to thank all the suppliers who contributed to this project.
Optii catch up
Liz managed to catch up with the Optii team on a recent visit to the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. She took the opportunity to hear of the latest updates to the housekeeping software which will include lots of improvements on the optimisation of the cleaning itself, but will also include lots of other things housekeepers struggle with every day. Very exciting, but I can’t share much yet! Several more Hotels have taken up Optii in the last few months including Ramada and Days Inn and Marina Bay Sands in Singapore and Atlantis in Dubai. Click Here To Read More
Site inspection Fairmont Resort in Leura, NSW
Liz and Vicky Jakus, the Executive Housekeeper of the Blue Mountains Hotel School took a couple of hours for a site visit to the Fairmont Resort in Leura. The Resort has just spent Australian $10 million on a refurbishment programme so it was a good opportunity to see the results. Click Here To Read More
The Global Soap Project improving health in Malawi
This is a message from Sam Stephens Executive Director, The Global Soap Project.There is nothing like the joy we bring to people with a simple bar of soap! Last month, I went to Malawi to visit our partners distributing our soap in the southern part of the country. The project there is a collaborative effort between Global Soap, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Clinton Health Access Initiative, PATH, PSI, and the local Ministry of Health. Since becoming part of the partnership last year, we have distributed soap and hygiene education to more than 5,000 pregnant women and their families each month.
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