CHAPTER 6
Clean Public Areas, Facilities and
Equipment
Learning Objectives: To help the reader understand the meaning of Public Area in Hotel
terms and the challenge it pose to housekeeping.
Topics:
1. Select and set up equipment and materials
2. Apply cleaning technique
3. Clean dry and wet areas
4. Maintain and store cleaning equipment and chemicals
Learning Outcomes:
1. Select and set up equipment and materials
2. Apply cleaning technique
3. Clean dry and wet areas
4. Maintain and store cleaning equipment and chemicals
Public areas are the common spaces and facilities accessible to resident guests and the
local populace. People need common areas to meet, transact business, and socialise. Hotel,
therefore, have always been the centre of social activity.
PUBLIC AREA – refers to all parts of a building, hotel, resort or any lodging
establishment which are for public use. These Includes
Corridors
Hallways
Grounds/garden
Reception areas/ lobby
Public comport rooms
Function areas
Elevators
Helipad
Swimming pool
Concierge areas
Mezzanine floor
Fire exits
Parking space
PERSON ASSIGN IN PUBLIC AREA
1. Head Houseman/ Public Areas Supervisor
Conducts regular inspection of the different public areas, checks the quality of
cleaning and maintenance and ensures that all areas are free of safety hazard.
Checks order in all areas and make sure that fixtures and furniture’s are installed in
the right order or location.
Monitors and supervises the proper use, storage and maintenance of cleaning
equipment’s as well as housekeeping tools and equipment
Reports to management all unusual incidents and accidents in the public areas
paying attention to safety hazards needing corrective action
2. Houseman/ Public Area Maintenance
Clean hallways and restrooms
Sweep carpet
Empties ashtray and urns
Polishes, move and arrange furniture’s and fixtures
Vacuum polishes and elevators
Keeps the front of the hotel free from trash
Washes walls & ceilings
Sweep, mops, scrubs, waxes and polishes floor.
Dusts and polishes metal work
Removes trash collected by rooms attendants
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Maintains a time schedule for cleaning of his areas
Enters offices with appropriate authority for maintenance or other activities like
pest, control, shampooing of carpet.
3. Powder Girl
Responsible for the cleaning of grounds
4. Ground Maintenance Crew/ Gardener
Performs daily sweeping and cleaning grounds
Maintains supplies for plants and grounds maintenance and makes requisition
for replenish stocks
Looks after the care, prune leaves, applies fertilizers, weeds out dried leaves
Maintains the landscape and ensures that everything is in order
Performs cultivation of plants and other techniques scouts for ornamental plants
5. Pest Control technician
Checks areas where pests and insects proliferate and performs the necessary
fumigation
Performs fumigation in accordance with prescribed procedures
PUBLIC AREA TOOLS & EQUIPMENT
A. Manual Equipment:
Manual cleaning equipment is dependent on the operation and energies of the employees.
Maximum effort and techniques are applied by the cleaning staff with the assistance of some
equipment.
1. Microfiber Cloth:
Microfiber cloth is an ideal tool to wipe down surfaces in rooms, bathrooms and areas.
They can be washed up to 500 times and are very durable products. It is
soft and shouldn’t scratch surfaces.
2. Abrasives:
Abrasives are made of grit paper which can be used to clean wood or metal
surfaces.
3. Different Types of Brushes
Hard floor brush, soft floor brush, scrubbing brush, toilet brush, flue brash, feather
brush, broom, hand brush, etc. are the different kinds of brushes used to
eradicate superficial or ingrained grimes depending on nature.
4. Brooms
Can be used to clean hard surfaces for a quick dust up of dirt or hairs.
B. Mechanical Equipment:
Either electric or battery power is needed to operate this type of equipment. These mechanical
machines will ease labor and speed up cleaning time efficiently.
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1. Vacuum Cleaner
A vacuum cleaner is a commonly used cleaning machine. It is suitable for
any kind of floor or upholstery surface and easy to operate
2. Polishing machine A
polishing machine works to get back the lost shine of your floor.
3. Floor Scrubber
This is a very versatile cleaning machine to have on hand. At
Duplex, we sell floor scrubbers that can clean ALL types
of floors in a single pass. It can wash, scrub and dry tiles, carpets,
hard floors, safety mats, industrial floors and more.
4. Steam Vapor Machine
Vapor steam cleaners or steam vapor systems are cleaning
appliances or devices that use steam to quickly dry, clean, and
sanitize inanimate surfaces
PEST CONTROL
Learning Objectives: After reading the INFORMATION SHEET, YOU MUST BE able to.
1. Identify the kinds of pests and rodents
2. Apply proper control of pests and rodents
3. Practice OHS in controlling pests and rodents.
KINDS OF PEST
Rats, Rodents or Mice
Eat a tremendous amount of food of its size
Its hairs and droppings contaminate food
Can cause fire by gnawing electric wiring
Carrier of disease like typhoid fever and jaundice
Excellent climber
Good swimmers
Rest in secure places like burrows and double walls, between floors and piles of rubbish
Can squeeze through a ½ inch hole
Can drop in 50 feet yet survive
Come in different kinds, colors and sizes.
Control Measures:
Maintain proper sanitation. Without food they cannot survive so do not give
them access to food covering all food and stagnant water.
Cover all possible entrances by using screen, by patching up holes and by
closing doors all the time.
Use rat poisoning or rat baiting to eliminate them.
Destroy their hiding places like crowded storerooms. Decongest the
stockroom, fumigate and keep them clean.
Use rat proofing to get rats out of the building. It is easier to kill rats that they
already inside
Roaches (Germany, America, Oriental)
1. They carry diseases causing bacteria on their bodies and deposit them on food through
their excreta, vomiting and bodily contact.
2. The female lays 25-40 eggs at one time, enclosed in a leathery pouch called ootheca
(she lays 80-120 ootheca)
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3. Hatching their eggs depends on the temperature and ranges from 4-5 weeks or 32-42
days.
4. Flattened bodies allow them to hide narrow cracks and crevices, cabinets, hollow walls,
plumbing areas, dark places and hard to reach areas.
Control measures
Preventive – proper sanitation, prevention of entrances and elimination of
harborages.
Corrective – application of liquid pesticides like residual knockdown and spray
insecticides.
Thorough and frequent treatment is recommended.
Flies
Carriers of bacteria that cause a variety of human diseases like typhoid, dysentery,
diarrhea, cholera, etc.
They feed on human and animal waste; their bacteria stick to the mouth, floor, hair,
and are deposited in the food intended for human consumption.
They lay 150 eggs at one time: hatch in 24 hours or less and within 10 days after
emerging from pupa.
Control Measures
Start with sanitation, follow proper cleaning procedures, and promptly
remove waste from the area.
Keep all garbage cans covered. Once disposed, clean the can
thoroughly.
Use residual spray, poison baits and space spraying control
Open and clean floor drains at least weekly
Do not allow food particles to accumulate in floor walls and junctions.
Mosquitoes
Blood sucking insects that annoy man and other animals.
They do not only transmit various diseases like malaria and yellow fever but they
also make potential recreational areas unsuitable for development.
Female mosquitoes usually need a blood meal to survive and lay eggs. Males do
not feed on the blood but nectar and other plant juices.
Eggs lay in pools, growing plants, canals, empty barrels, tin cans, etc. hatch in one
to 3 days depending upon weather conditions. Two or three days after emergence,
the female mosquito takes her first blood meal and now ready to deliver the first
batch of eggs, ranging from 15 to 140 or an average life span is 30 days.
Control Measures
Remove stagnant water. Drain the pool or drum of water.
Employ mechanical control like screens and mosquitos’ nets.
Utilize larvae control. Pour larvicides chemical like kerosene and malathion on
canal and other breeding places.
Utilize residual/knockdown spraying of non-toxic chemicals. Methods of
application may take the form of space sprays, residue or smoke.
Apply repellant chemical.
PEST CONTROL
CHEMICAL/EQUIPMENT USED
Pesticide Label
Highly toxic – danger (poison) skull/cross bone
Moderate low – warning (poison) skull/cross bone
Lightly toxic – caution (poison) skull/cross bone
Relatively non-toxic – caution
Application of Insecticides/Pesticides
a. Spraying -Refers to dispensing of pesticides on affected areas using sprayer or compressed air
sprayer.
b. Misting – releasing pesticide chemicals with the use of misting machine
c. Fogging- make use of gaseous form of pesticide coming from a fogging machine that can reach
high/unreachable areas.
1. Maintain proper sanitation. Without food they cannot survive so do not give them
access to food covering all food and stagnant water.
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2. Cover all possible entrances by using a screen, by patching up holes and by closing
doors all the time.
3. Use rat poisoning or rat baiting to eliminate them.
4. Destroy their hiding places like crowded storerooms. Decongest the stockroom,
fumigate and keep them clean.
5. Use rat proofing to get rats out of the building. It is easier to kill rats that they already
inside Start with sanitation, follow proper cleaning procedures, and promptly remove
wastes from the area.
6. Keep all garbage cans covered. Once disposed, clean the can thoroughly.
7. Treat all breeding places with parricides.
8. Use residual spray, poison baits and space spraying control
9. Open and clean floor drains at least weekly
10. Do not allow food particles to accumulate in floor walls and junctions.
What is the pesticide label?
Highly toxic
Moderate low
Lightly toxic
Relatively non-toxic
There are two safety areas to be concerned with:
1. Electrical safety
2. mechanical safety
Electrical safety watch for the following points:
➢ Earthing There are two alternatives. The tool must be double insulated, or else it must
be properly earthen. Management should ensure that all tools are regularly checked on
this point by certified electricians.
➢ Cables. Must not be allowed to become worn. They are best suspended over aisles and
work areas, but if they must run at ground level, they should be protected by board each
side, or bridge by runways. No extension cable should run more than 36 meters from fuse
to tool or machine.
Mechanical Safety:
a. Check before using the tool that all fitting and removable parts have been properly
tightened. A loose screw can cause havoc.
b. Leave the guards where they have been fitted, so that they can do their job.
c. Switch off the machine and unplug it before you do any cleaning or adjustment.
d. Protect your eyes from flying swart, chips, knots and dust. Just as it is important not
to underestimate the power tool, nor should you under-estimate the need for the
operator to have a good footing, and to be in a steady and comfortable position. The
essential thing is to be able to hold the implement firmly without having strain.
e.
Moving and Lifting Safely
1. Wear the right shoes. Working shoes should be slip resistant, with a closed toe and
fit to give you the best comfort.
2. Watch where you are going to prevent slips and falls.
3. Use a door stopper and not linens or objects that could cause a slip or fall.
4. Turn on lights and look at all sides before entering any room. There may be spills or
broken glass on the floor that need to be cleared.
5. If a broken glass is found, sweep the floor and place the glass in a container separate
from the trash.
6. To push the room boy’s cart easily, check if it has sticking wheels. Without it, it will
be harder to push and could injure users. Remove sticking thread on the wheels.
7. Be careful with loose screw or sharp edges as they could catch on one’s clothing and
cause cuts.
8. When pushing the cart, lean forward into the cart, rely on one’s legs and feet not
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unto one’s back across the body.
9. Keep the cart close, use your feet and legs and not the arms and shoulders.
10. In case a cart falls, do not try to stop or stand it up alone. It is heavier than you think
and can cause accidents. Ask for help.
Safe Chemical Handling
Chemicals are all around us - in the food we eat, the clothes we wear, in the products
we use every day. Chemicals can help us live better lives, but if we don't understand about
the chemicals we use, they can harm us.
This program is designed to help you understand more about chemicals and chemical safety.
It's important to be informed and aware of chemicals and chemical safety. The first and
most important step is to stop and read the label!
All the basic information you need to know is found on the label. It will tell you the
name of the basic substance, what types of hazards there are, what it will do, what chemicals
can't be mixed with this substance, and any emergency medical information you'll need to
know. You'll also learn how to properly store, handle, and dispose of the material.
Once you've read the label, you'll be able to identify the type of chemical and the proper
instructions required for this chemical.
Four Types of Chemicals.
Toxic agents: These are chemicals that are poisonous to you and can act upon the body very
rapidly. Hydrogen sulfide and cyanide are examples of toxic agents.
1. Corrosives:
2. Flammables:
3. Reactive:
No matter what type of chemicals you're using, you need to be aware of the ways that
chemicals may affect you. If you're not properly protected, you may be exposed to chemical
hazards.
Here are the ways in which chemicals can enter your body:
1. Inhalation
2. Absorption
3. Ingestion
4. Spillage.
Basic Chemical Safe Handling Tips
1. Read the label.
2. Dress the part.
3. Follow directions.
Know emergency procedures.
Be familiar with first aid procedures and be sure to know where the emergency eye wash
showers are located; also know where emergency phone numbers are posted.
Be careful
Report any suspected problems.
Keep your work area neat, clean and organized.
Store everything properly.
Assessment
TRUE OR FALSE
Direction: Write True if the statement is correct and False if the statement is not correct.
1. The back office of the front office is found in the basement.
2. Rooftops can be revenue generating areas.
3. The structure of the hotel increases by attracting more local public
4. We can find indoor recreation centers in lower lobbies.
5. We can find a swimming pool on the roof top.
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6. Executive offices are usually found on the mezzanine floor.
7. Car parks are considered public areas.
8. The shopping arcade is located off the Mezzanine floor.
9. We can find housekeeping in the basement of the hotel
10. We can find a business lounge on the guest floor
11. The public area Supervisor’s responsibility extends to both extends both indoors and
outdoors.
12. Cotton mops absorb water
13. Yard brooms are used to clean internal corridors
14. Floor dusters remove spots and stains
15. Squeegees are used when floors are watered and not mop
16. The public area supervisor needs to be physically fit.
17. Cloak room attendants report directly to the public area supervisor.
18. Lobbies are cleaned after midnight
19. All restaurants and bars close at 3:00 a.m.
20. Elevators are cleaned during the day.
