Cleaning Equipment

Dynamic of house keeping

Name -Rinky

Roll No. – 180495

M.com 3rdsemester
TYPES OF HOUSE KEEPING INVENTORIES

CLEANING EQUIPMENT

Although a small percentage of cost goes into the purchase of the cleaning
equipment, a careful selection for the correct choice is important to enhance
productivity and efficiency of the department. The equipment must be chosen on
the basis of the requirement of the surfaces. The quality and type of equipment
chosen can save expenses on breakdowns and also save labor and time. Selecting
the ideal equipment plays a major role in the cleaning process. Equipment must be
purchased keeping in mind the following points:

 Quality and reliability of equipment

 Cost factor
 Maintenance of the equipment should be easy
 Warranty provided by the company
 Ease of operation
 Efficiency of the equipment etc.
Cleaning equipment can be classified into manual and mechanical equipment:

Manual Equipment

This equipment performs its operation manually by the workers. Brushes, brooms
and mops are examples of manual cleaning

1. Brushes

Different types of brushes are used to clean different surfaces. Any type of brush will
have 3 parts- Bristles, Head stock and handle. The softness or hardness of a brush
decides on what type of surface it is meant for. Bristles can be of animal hair or
fabric based. Soft bristles of fiber or nylon are used for carpets. Short coarse
brushes are used for scrubbing purpose of hard surfaces. Head stock is the part
which has the bristles inserted in. Handles are for having a good grip while cleaning
the surface.
On the basis of their functions brushes can be of following types:

 Toilet brushes,
 Cloth scrubber brush,
 Carpet brushes,
 Upholstery brushes
 Feather brushes,
 Wall brush,
 Sink brush.

Care and Maintenance of Brushes Regular washing should be done to keep

brushes free from dust, dirt and hairs. They should be washed in mild soapy lather.
Brushes should be washed by gently tap pin the head up and down, with the
bristles facing downwards, so that the water splashes up between the tufts. They
should be rinsed well in cold water. Once excess water has been shaken off, they
should be left to dry in such a way that the remaining water may drip-off the side of
the brush or the top of the head stock Brushes should always be kept with
bristles side up. When possible, dry brushes in the sun or open air.

Brooms have long bristles that can be hard or soft knotted together at one end and
inserted into a handle. Brooms are used for removing dust or dirt in large areas.
Different types of brooms are:

2. Wall brooms:
This type of brooms have soft bristles and a long handle to reach the corners of
ceiling, mainly used to clean cobwebs and dust from higher areas that are not
accessible easily
.
 Soft Brooms:

They have soft fiber or grass as bristles and are used to clean smooth
surfaces where removing dust is relatively easier.

 Hard Broom:

This type of broom has coconut fiber long bristles used to remove from
outdoor .

Care and maintenance:

Brooms should never be stored keeping vertically bristle side down. They should be
stored horizontally. Soft brooms should not be used on wet surfaces. Brooms should
be stored after removing dust, dirt and soil by shaking it to fluff off the soil.

3. Mops and clothes

Mops are used for dusting different type of surfaces and to clean them. They are
designed to remove soil and debris from floors, walls and ceiling without
raising and dispersing dust.
 Mops with impregnated fringes.
 Static mops.
 Kentucky mops.
 Sponge mops.
 Squeegee.
 Foss mops

Different types of Cloths:

Different types of clothes are used in both wet and dry cleaning of the surfaces.

Duster:

Dusters are used for dusting and buffing surfaces. They are soft, absorbent and of
cotton material. They should be washed, rinsed and dried to keep clean.

Swabs and wipe:

these are used for damp dusting or wet cleaning of surfaces and sanitary
fittings like wash basins, bathtubs etc. They are soft and absorbent. They should
be washed in hot detergent and then rinsed and dried.

Scrim:

It is soft and lint free loosely woven cloth, mostly used in windows and glass
cleaning.

Glass cloth:

These special clothe do not produce any lint when used. They can be used for
wiping drinking glasses, mirrors etc.

Rags:

Rags are disposable clothes that have ended their lifecycle. These are used for
polishing or applying hard cleaning agents. They are usually disposed off after use.

Dust sheets:

They are discarded bed sheets and are used to cover the furniture or other
areas during spring cleaning.

Druggists:

It is a coarse woolen fabric felted or woven. The term is applied to a coarse

fabric having a cotton warp and a wool filling, used for rugs, tablecloths etc.
They are placed on the floor in doorway to prevent excessive dirt being tracked in or
out during bad weather and during redecorating projects. They are sometimes
placed in the passage between the kitchen and dining area to catch spills.

Chamois Leather:

It is the skin of the chamois goat in actual, but now several cheaper imitations
are available. Chamois leather can be used wet for cleaning windows and
mirrors, when dry; it is used as a polishing cloth for silver and other metals. It
is also ideal for wiping squeegee blades. It should be cleaned with newspaper,
when necessary can be washed in cold water only.
4. Containers

Containers are given to staff to carry, transport, collect and store supplies and other
items to ease their job.

Types of containers:

Buckets, Basins and bowls:

They are used to carry water and other cleaning materials. Plastic buckets are
preferred as they are light weight and easy to carry. Large buckets can have
castor wheels or trolleys for movements. Basin and bowls are used to carry
small amount of water or solutions for cleaning purposes.

Dustpan and Dust-bins:

Dustpans are used with a broom to carry the accumulated dust. Their edge in
contact with floor must be very thin to take all the dust particles. Dustbins are
provided in different areas by the housekeeping department and should be emptied
and washed periodically. The housekeeping department is concerned with dustbins
in guest rooms, service rooms, and public areas like guest corridor and lobbies etc.

Sane-bins:

Sane bins are metal or plastic bins with lids, used in toilets for the collection of soiled
sanitary towels .They are lined with plastic or paper bags for easy cleaning .Sane-
bins should be emptied and washed and wiped daily for sanitary reasons.

Spray bottles:

These are light weight containers that deliver a fine spray of cleaning solution
through a fine nozzle on the surface area to be cleaned.

Hand caddie:

Earlier hand caddies were made up of wood or metal, but now they are replaced with
plastic ones. It has a box, a fitted tray and handle. It contains all the cleaning
material that is required in cleaning different surfaces. They must be cleaned after
each shift.

Maid’s cart:

This is the most significant piece of equipment in housekeeping department.

It is like a tool Box, stocked with everything necessary to service a guest
room effectively. There are 3 deep shelves-the lower 2 for linen and top
partitioned shelf for small supplies. It has a sack for soiled linen, detachable trash
bags, storage space for a vacuum cleaner.

Janitor’s trolley:

This trolley has cleaning supplies that are required to clean public areas or
special cleaning of a guestroom.

Mop-wringer trolley:

It has a mop, buckets with a wringer all mounted on a trolley. It may have provision
to keep cleaning agents.

Linen trolley:
Used to transfer linen from laundry to linen room and from linen room to floor
pantries.

Miscellaneous Housekeeping equipment:

This includes other pieces of equipment used in the housekeeping department–

 Different types of Ladder like stepladders, extension ladders, roof ladders etc
 Carpet beaters.
 Abrasive pads.
 Rubber gloves.
 Airing racks.
 Choke removers.

Mechanical Equipment:

The various mechanical equipment used in the housekeeping department are mostly
powered by electricity. The staff would be well trained in the operation of this
equipment to enhance their efficiency and prevent any accidents.

1. Vacuum cleaner/ Suction cleaner:

Vacuum cleaners are the most common equipment of cleaning use by housekeeping
department. They are suitable for all kind of surfaces but are suitable for those areas
having large carpet area. They remove debris and soil and water from a surface by
suction. All vacuum cleaners work on the same principle. In all types, motor drives
an impeller, which sucks in air through an inlet creating a difference in pressure
between the air within and outside the machine. Air is drawn in from the inlet passes
through and out of the machine. It comes with different attachment and nozzles. The
air is sucked in together with soil, debris or water. The dust is collected into a
container provided, which may be within or outside of the machine.

Types of vacuum cleaners:

Handled vacuum cleaner or Destitute:

These are small, lightweight vacuum cleaners carried in the hand and used for
cleaning curtains, upholstery edges, mattresses, computers and music systems.
They clean by brushing and suction and are very easy to handle.

Backpack vacuums:

Back Pack Vacuum are lightweight and ergonomic backpack system, Which can be
adjusted according to the operator preferences, makes working with such types of
vacuum convenient and therefore increases productivity. These types of cleaners
are mainly used for cleaning curtains, mattresses, computers and music systems.
They clean by brushing and suction and are very easy to handle. They can be either
carried in hand or strapped to the back of the housekeeping attendants.

Electrical brooms:
These are very lightweight vacuums without a Moto-driven beater brush.
They are used only for light vacuuming and for touch-Ups on carpets and hard floors.
Latest generation of Electric brooms are battery operated and hence can be used
without any cords.

Upright vacuums:

Upright vacuums are the ones more frequently seen in hotels. The main body of the
vacuum lies horizontal on the floor and is driven by a single motor. The dust-
bag is outside the machine’s main body. There is a belt-driven beater brush to
removal of dust from thick-pile carpets. In an improved variation, there is a dual-
motor system–one motor drives the beater brush and the other provides the
suction. The machine also has a built-in hose for cleaning corners and upholstery.
This machine is most suitable for use on large carpeted areas.

Cylindrical vacuums:

They work by suction only. The filter-cum diffuser is fitted at the outlet which
removes fine dust and micro-organisms from the flow of air passing through
the outlet. The dust bag is inside the cylindrical body. The term ‘suction cleaner’ is
generally used for this kind of vacuum cleaner.

Centralized vacuums:

In this type of unit, suction is generated at one point in the building.

Meanwhile, soiling can be removed at vacuum points somewhere else in the building
by suitable nozzles connected to detachable flexible hoses. The collected dirt is then
conveyed by a network of pipes to a central container. This unit is expensive to
install and is generally done at the building construction stage. The main
advantage of centralized vacuum is that it is extremely hygienic, since all the
dust is carried away from the point of cleaning Maintenance costs are usually
lower.

Wet and Dry Vacuum Cleaners

These are extremely useful in housekeeping operation as they can pick up spills and
excess water when cleaning the wet surfaces. The waste water collects in a tank that
needs to be emptied after use. On the dry mode also they help in removal of
dust and debris. They are required when a large area is to be polished and
cleaned. They have flexible hose pipe with squeegee head to absorb water.

2. Floor Scrubbing and polishing machines:

This machine can scrub the floor and polish the floor. With the help of soft pads
these machines apply polish to the floor and this polish is spread evenly on the
floor surface by the machine. Then buffing is done by the machine to have a glossy
appearance of floor.

3. Wet-extraction systems
Wet extractors have suction and water injection feature to rinse and suck water from
the surface to be cleaned. This machine sprays water with detergent to remove more
deeply embedded soil which is not easily removed by suction cleaning.

4. Scrubber-drier-sweepers:

These machines are suitable for large areas where mechanical sweeping,
scrubbing and drying are required.