INTRODUCTION TO
LESSON 1 HOUSEKEEPING
WEEK
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KNOWLEDGE
ENRICHMENT
A. LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After this lesson, you should be able to:
explain the meaning and importance of housekeeping;
identify the areas which require housekeeping in a building and list
the personnel involved in housekeeping in commercial
establishments and elaborate functions of each personnel;and
Appreciate the need for grooming of personnel involved in
housekeeping
B. INTRODUCTION
Every house, whether private, like yours, or commercial like
offices, shops, hotels, hospitals, clubs, etc., needs to be kept clean and tidy,
so that it looks inviting to all. This is where housekeeping comes in.
Cleaning and maintenance services can be spotted very easily anywhere.
The basic concept of housekeeping has started from keeping a domestic
house clean and has gradually come to maintaining high standards of
cleanliness and maintenance at commercial levels. Besides this ,
housekeeping should also contribute to the saving in costs of labour,
cleaning material and equipment, furnishings and the like in every type of
establishment.
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C. LESSON PROPER
WHAT IS HOUSEKEEPING?
Housekeeping in simple words means maintaining a house on a
daily or long term basis or looking after its cleanliness, tidiness, upkeep
and smooth running. When you keep your house clean and well
maintained, you would also like to make it as beautiful as possible.
Housekeeping may be defined as ‘provision of a clean, comfortable,
safe and aesthetically appealing environment’. The housekeeping
Department in a hotel is responsible for the cleanliness, maintenance &
aesthetic upkeep of hotel. The housekeeping department takes pride in
keeping the hotel clean and comfortable. The room sale is dependent on,
apart from the several other things, the quality of room décor, room
facilities, cleanliness of room and how safe it is.
How do you make sure that everything in the house is in usable
condition? None of the objects are broken or chipped and fabrics are not
torn. All the fixtures like taps, geysers, electric wiring, bulbs, tubes, fans,
plugpoints, are in good working condition, geysers are not leaking,
electric wiring is proper and there is no danger of fire due to short
circuiting, and so on.
Thus, the different procedures followed to keep and maintain
everything in the house in a good and presentable order, are collectively
known as good housekeeping. In other words, we may also say that
housekeeping is a process of keeping a place clean, beautiful and well
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maintained so that it looks and feels pleasant and inviting to all, either
living, visiting or working there.
What Are The 2 Types Of Housekeeping?
There are two types of housekeeping: institutional and domestic.
Institutional housekeeping is maintenance that is done in commercial
lodging buildings such hotels, resorts, and inns. Domestic housekeeping is
maintenance that is done in a residential buildings or homes, including
bedrooms, kitchen, dining, receiving area, grounds and the surrounding
areas of the house.
IMPORTANCE OF HOUSEKEEPING
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.
The effort that a housekeeping department makes in giving a guest a
desirable room has a direct bearing on the guest’s experience in the
hotel.
Housekeeping is the backbone of the hotel.
The HK department not only prepares clean guestrooms on a timely
basis for arriving guests, but also cleans and maintains everything in
the hotel so that the property is as fresh and attractive as the day it
opened for business.
HK is an ancillary department that contributes in a big way towards
the overall reputation of a property.
HK department is 24x7x365 operation.
It stacks the needed linen to make up all the beds in a hotel, the huge
amount of bathroom supplies, guest room supplies etc.
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Housekeeping department also deals with the cleaning equipment
and cleaning agents with the right cleaning procedures for the
maintenance of the hotel property.
Other than hotels, professional housekeeping services are very much
in demand in hospitals, on cruise liners, at offices and more.
To know further the importance of housekeeping, let us examine
the following situation.
Rohan gets up with a backache as his mattress is lumpy.He has to
catch a train; he opens the tap for bathing but there is no water! He goes to
the roof to check the tanks, a leak in the pipe has drained out all the water!
He sits for his breakfast and manages to save himself from falling, as the
chair is broken. To his horror, he notices a tiny cockroach in his food.
Now, would you like to be in Rohan’s place? Would you like to use a dirty
toilet? or wear dirty, torn clothes? Would you like to work in a shabby,
dirty place? If eating out, would you like to go to a restaurant with broken
furniture or pests crawling all over? Would you like to sleep on a dirty
and lumpy bed?
I am sure the answer to all the above is ‘No’. These are very small
things but can make a lot of difference in your daily life. These small
things are the very essence of a good housekeeping. Had Rohan attended
to the leak in time, repaired the dining chair when it had just started
creaking, or unclogged the drain the first time it showed minor blockage,
regularly disinfested his house at periodic intervals,— it would have
ensured a clear, comfortable environment in which Rohan would have
been happy and relaxed. He would not have felt uncomfortable,
depressed and frustrated or suffered from an inferiority complex. A good
housekeeping would have ensured smooth functioning of all gadgets, no
leaks, a comfortable environment in which Rohan would have enjoyed a
hassle free living. Thus housekeeping means attending to the small tasks
in time.
Functions and Responsibilities of Housekeeping Department
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The aim, objectives and responsibilities of the housekeeping department
are to:
Achieve the maximum possible efficiency in ensuring the care and
comfort of guests and in smooth running of the department.
Co-ordinate with front office department for efficient sale of rooms.
Establish a welcoming atmosphere and ensure courteous, reliable
service from all staff of the department.
Provide linen in rooms, restaurants, banquets halls, conference
venues, health clubs, and so on, as well as maintain an inventory for
the same.
Provide uniforms for all the staff and maintain adequate inventories
for the same.
Cater to the laundering requirements of the hotel linen, staff uniforms
and guest clothing.
Provide and maintain the floral decorations and maintain the
landscape areas of the hotel.
Select the right contractors for jobs such as pest control, façade
cleaning, etc. and ensure that the quality of work is maintained as at
the onset of the business.
Coordinate renovation and refurbishing of the property as and when,
in consultation with the management and with interior designers.
Coordinate with the purchase department for the procurement of
guest supplies, cleaning agents, equipment’s, fabrics, carpets, and
other items used in the hotel.
Ensure updation of records, form, and formats for systematic
operations and for auditing purposes.
Deal with lost and found articles. Ensure training, control, and
supervision of all staff attached to the department.
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Establish a good working relationship with other department.
Ensure that safety and security regulations are made known to all staff
of the department.
Keep the general manager or administrator informed of all matters
requiring attention.
Housekeeping Areas
Front of the House Area Back of the House Area
Guestrooms Management offices
Corridors Storage areas
Lobbies and Public Restrooms Linen and Sewing Rooms
Pool and Patio areas Laundry Room
Meeting Rooms Employee Lockers Rooms
Dining rooms/Restaurants Administrative Offices
Banquet Halls Cloakrooms
Convention Halls Maid’s Service Room
Hotel-operated Shops Pantry Area
Games Rooms/Recreation
rooms
Exercise Rooms/Gymnasium
Building Exteriors
Landscaping and Gardens
PERSONNEL INVOLVED IN HOUSEKEEPING IN COMMERCIAL
ESTABLISHMENTS
Wherever there is separate housekeeping department a proper
organisational structure is necessary with different kinds of people
responsible for different tasks and some people to supervise them. Let us
now discuss the duties and responsibilities of each of them individually.
Housekeeper- the housekeeper is the overall in-charge of the
housekeeping department. He or she directly controls all the
personnel as well as all aspects of housekeeping. She/ he is
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responsible for the cleanliness, beautification and maintenance of the
premises.
Assistant housekeeper – he or she is responsible for all the aspects
similar to that of the housekeeper. In case the organization works
round-the-clock, there maybe more than one assistant housekeeper to
work in different shifts. Housekeepers / assistant housekeepers are in
turn assisted by the following members.
These members also have workers to assist them.
Control desk supervisor : this person communicates with the staff and
coordinates with various departments of the organization. He
becomes the centre point of all messages, complaints etc., and also
keeps records of what work has been assigned to whom and
maintains the general follow-up of the same.
Linen storekeeper: he/she is responsible for storage, issue, cleanliness
and maintenance of linen. (Napkins, table cloths, bed sheets, bed
covers, pillow covers, blankets, curtains and uniforms )
Floor supervisor: for multistoried buildings, each floor is attended by
a floor supervisor. He/ she is responsible for the cleanliness and
maintenance of the assigned floor which includes rooms, corridors,
rest rooms, stair case, etc., for jobs like changing or repairing lights,
switches, etc.
Public area supervisor: he/she is responsible for cleanliness and
maintenance of waiting halls, lobby, conference/seminar room,
recreation rooms, parking area, clubs, offices, etc.
Cloak room in-charge: he/she is responsible for the maintenance and
service of common toilets.
Hotriculturist- he/ she is responsible for all the floral and plant
decoration as well as the upkeep of gardens in the premises.
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SKILLS DEVELOPMENT
ACTIVITY 1.1
Instruction: Identification : Identify the different housekeeping personnel
being asked from the statement given below. Write your answer in CSTC Green
Booklet.
1. _____ He is the overall in-charge of the housekeeping department.
2. _____ He or she directly controls all the personnel as well as all aspects
of housekeeping.
3. _____ She/ he is responsible for the cleanliness, beautification and
maintenance of the premises.
4. _____ This person communicates with the staff and coordinates with
various departments of the organization.
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5. _____ He becomes the centre point of all messages, complaints etc., and
also keeps records of what work has been assigned to whom and
maintains the general follow-up of the same.
6. _____ He/she is responsible for storage, issue, cleanliness and
maintenance of linen.
7. _____ He/ she is responsible for all the floral and plant decoration as
well as the upkeep of gardens in the premises.
8. _____ He/she is responsible for the maintenance and service of common
toilets.
9. _____ he/she is responsible for cleanliness and maintenance of waiting
halls, lobby, conference/seminar room, recreation rooms, parking area,
clubs, offices, etc.
10. _____ He/ she is responsible for the cleanliness and maintenance of the
assigned floor which includes rooms, corridors, rest rooms, stair case, etc.,
for jobs like changing or repairing lights, switches, etc.
ASSESSMENT
Instruction: Prepare a list of maintenance activities performed by your
mother, father, brother, sister and yourself in your house. Write your
answer in CSTC green Booklet.
Family Member Activities
Father
Mother
Brother
Sister
Yourself
CHARACTER
ENHANCEMENT
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REFLECTION
Instruction: Observation: Write your answer in CSTC Green Booklet.
1. Observe your mother as a housekeeper. List five cleanliness habits that
she practices.
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