Housekeeping Management take note: A quality new service to clean hotel curtains!

Meike Hofemann-Zhang, our Housekeeping Consultant and Associate in Europe was recently on assignment in Berlin and fortunate enough to be present at a curtain cleaning demonstration by Hoever, an innovative curtain cleaning specialist with a difference. It may not suit every hotel or every fabric, but it impressed our Consultant Ms Hofemann-Zhang, who thought it to be a cost effective alternative for hotels requiring curtain cleaning both in the guest rooms and public areas.

Traditionally, Housekeeping staff have to unhook heavy drapes or curtains, remove the hooks and send the curtains away for an expensive dry washing process. When returned the curtains need to have hooks replaced, and the curtains need to be rehung, this is usually the following day. This whole laborious process often involves a loss of room revenue overnight, high labour costs for the housekeeping staff involved as well as expensive dry cleaning fees.

The new system developed by Hoever in Germany allows heavy drapes and curtains to be cleaned in situ without removing them at all!

The demonstration took place in a hotel room at one of Berlin’s leading 5 Star Hotels. Before starting the washing process, curtains were spot cleaned and the heavy curtains and blackout curtains were separated. A showerhead was then placed between the rail and the curtain and a hose was then connected to the whole system. The curtain, showerhead and hose were wrapped in a purpose-made plastic sleeve which was then submerged into the recovery tank and then connected to a pump.

The washing process starts when the pump is turned on, injecting water and detergent through the showerhead at the top of the curtains creating a rinsing action with the soiled water dropping into the recovery tank.

This washing process only takes 15 to 20 minutes with an additional 5 minutes for the rinsing process. Once completed, the curtains were left to dry in front of the window with flat recovery trays underneath to collect any excess water.

The result was excellent; quick, clean and pleasant smelling curtains with no wrinkles! The guest room could be released to sell to an incoming guest the same day if needed. Very effective!

For more information on the curtain cleaning system at Hoever contact Norbert W. Möller on moeller@hoever.com

or visit www.hoever.com

For more information on Lycette & Associates consulting  services contact Liz Lycette on liz@lycetteandassociates.com or visit www.lycetteandassociates.com