Environmentally sound practices with microfibre

Are you interested in saving 1 million litres of water a year? Are you keen to reduce the chemicals you are pumping into the environment and do you want to reduce work injuries of Room Attendants? Then the implementation of a full Microfibre cleaning system may be just what you need.

Maureen Jolowicz who is the Executive Housekeeper at the Radisson Plaza Hotel Sydney and also past President of the Professional Housekeepers Association NSW (PHAN) has now been working with the Microfibre cleaning system for over a year.

So how does Microfibre work?
Microfibre is a cloth which consists of very fine wedge shaped threads of polyester and polyamide (nylon) that combine to form a single thread. One Microfibre is 100 times thinner than a single strand of human hair. When they are woven together, the microfibres create a surface area 40 times greater than that of a regular fibre. The surface friction creates an electric charge (capillary action) which attracts and traps dust particles. Due to its expanded surface area, and to the capillary action of the fine threads, Microfibre cloth has dramatically enhanced absorbing power. The cloths pick up dirt, bacteria and dust and retain it within until it is washed out in a washing machine.

What can Microfibre be used for?
All areas of cleaning in housekeeping both in rooms and the public areas. This includes hard floor care and mopping, bathroom cleaning, dusting, glass and window cleaning. Microfibre has been used successfully in hospitals in Australia, Europe and the USA for over 10 years and Australian hospitals will only consider cleaning contracts using Microfibre.

What does the Microfibre cleaning system involve?
The traditional chemicals and cleaning equipment are replaced with Microfibre tools, a spray bottle of water and a bottle of disinfectant (for the toilet bowl) and that is all. Each Room Attendant has a telescopic handle with attachments for such as a dust buster mop for wall cleaning and a flexible hand duster for hard to reach areas. In the bathroom, scrubber mops with a soft scouring centre are used for walls, tiles and glass. Different colour coded Microfibre and split fibre cloths can be used wet or dry to clean sinks, baths, and even the bathroom glasses. The only chemical used is a disinfectant, used with a toilet brush for the inside of the toilet bowl.

How to get started?
The Radisson Plaza Hotel Sydney is a 362 bedroom 5 star hotel located in central Sydney; the Housekeeping staff are all permanent. Maureen Jolowicz suggests to begin with a trial over 30 rooms conducted over a period of 1-3 months. This is not only to sell the idea to staff but also to convince the management team. Training is conducted by the Supplier with 2-4 key staff and the Departmental trainer. Once these key players are convinced, the rest of the Housekeeping team will follow. Proper training and of course on-going supervision are also key to the success of the implementation of microfibre.

Results from the trial
Guest comments
To ensure there were no adverse comments from the guests, a record was kept of the guest comments. Of the comments on the Microfibre floor: 76% rated the bathroom cleanliness as excellent and 74% rated the bedroom cleanliness as excellent, this compares to the chemically cleaned rest of the Hotel as 71% rated the bathroom cleanliness as excellent and 73% rated the bedroom cleanliness as excellent. There were no fair or poor ratings for bathroom or bedroom areas on the Microfibre trial floor however there were 10 fair and 2 poor ratings for the rest of the Hotel during the trial period. This shows a clear difference and improvement in the guest assessment of the condition of the cleanliness of the Microfibre floors.

Physical tests
Black light (infra red) light tests on the bathroom and bedroom showed no build up of dirt on the trial Microfibre floor, results were comparable to other floors. Bacterial swabs were taken. The trial Microfibre room 517 showed a count of 5 and the average of the non trial floors was 7.3. To the naked eye, the general consensus is that there was no deterioration in the standards. In fact glazed surfaces e.g. sink; baths and tiles generally had an enhanced appearance and seemed shinier

Staff Feedback
At the end of the trial the staff who used the Microfibre method stated that they preferred the new method. It was less strenuous and they believed the results were superior. Specific comments included;

• “Huge savings on water consumption”
• “Great saving on chemical usage”
• “Baths, sinks and chrome appear shinier”
• “Wall duster gives excellent results” and “flexible duster enables dusting of difficult areas e.g. wall vents are now much easier to clean and the results are more effective”.
• “Surfaces feel smoother and the “Microfibre prevents the dryness of hands as we are no longer use chemicals”.
• “Very good results for stainless steel kettles. ‘
• “We are able to more effectively clean rooms on a daily basis especially regular cleaning of walls and vents and high areas. This improves standards and reduces the need for spring cleaning”.
• “Using Microfibre is less physically strenuous than traditional cleaning methods.”

Some of the less favourable comments from the Room Attendants
• At first it was difficult to use particularly in bathroom, you have to rub very hard, this is due to a build up of chemicals on surfaces which is being removed. However once the build up is removed is easier, surfaces shinier and smoother
• It takes time to be able to judge the correct dampness of the cloths in order to work at its optimum

Concerns from the Housekeeping supervisory and management team;
• Found in the initial stages that staff productivity was lower until they got used to the system.
• There was a need to ensure cloths were changed as required so they do not become full of dirt rendering them ineffective
• Concerns re loss of cloths or equipment – the clothes were so popular, staff wanted to take them home and use them for cleaning there.
• There was a need to experiment with the best system for cleaning the top of the shower glass
• Microfibre does not appear to improve appearance of grout which is already stained.
• Staff seemed to “feel good” about using the system, they feel they are helping the environment

So how much does it cost for a 362 Bedroom hotel?
The cost of cleaning chemicals, equipment and water
Total cost per annum = $10,698

System using Microfibre
Set up costs
Initial purchase of cloths, mops and hardware $13,700
Annual cost of hardware, cloths and mops and water
Based on depreciation of equipment over 5 years and annual turnover cloths and mops
Total cost per annum = $9,528

Initial Training Costs
15% Productivity loss for the first 2 weeks – Reduction of 2 rooms per day from 13 to 11 rooms during a 7.6hr shift
7% productivity loss for the 3rd week – Reduction of 1 room per day from 13 to 12 rooms during a 7.6hr shift
One off cost – $3547

Contact at Radisson Plaza Hotel Sydney is the Executive Housekeeper Maureen Jolowicz, email:mjolowicz@radisson.com or contact Lycette & Associates, email: info@lyceteandassociates.com