Housekeeping is an important job regardless of whether we’re talking about a private home or a hotel.
From changing bed sheets and towels to cleaning every corner of a room, housekeeping is always necessary.
We will try to cover some of the most common mistakes that housekeepers in hotels and motels make as well as ways to prevent those mistakes while making sure your employees are safe.
Not Checking The Linen
One of the worst possible mistakes that can ruin the guests’ whole vacation is not checking the linen properly.
When changing bedroom linens, plush towels and dirty bathroom towels, it’s important to also check whether there are any holes in it. Similarly, when changing bed sheets, it’s essential to make sure they are actually clean.
Replacing dirty sheets with dirty sheets is unacceptable, even if done by accident, and it will definitely be noticed. It only takes a minute to check, and it means a lot to the people who’ll be using the linen.
Not Using The Advantages Of Linen Laundry Services
There are many rooms housekeepers need to go through in order for the rooms to be ready for people who’ll be staying in them, so why not make their work a bit easier? By using a linen laundry service, you could help your employees be more productive with their time and less stressed out.
Your housekeepers will be able to work faster and clean more rooms, and you will know that the linen is always cleaned properly and with the right kind of products.
Make the right move by contacting a linen laundry service, such as Alsco, today. Not only will Alsco clean your linen properly, but they will do so in a way that minimises your carbon footprint, keeping both your conscience and your linen clean.
Bad Communication
If you’re running a bigger hotel, you probably have many rooms and enough housekeepers so that they could share the workload and take care of all the rooms in time.
However, having more housekeepers means there has to be more communication in order for all the rooms to be cleaned in time. It can really make a difference since bad communication can result in many rooms not being finished before the guests arrive.
With all that in mind, it’s essential for you to set up a good communication system that all the housekeepers can follow at all times. It can be anything from texting to coming up with a more organised plan, as long as all the housekeepers know which rooms have been cleaned and which need to be. Thus, communication should be one of your priorities.
Not Training Your Employees
Having to stick to deadlines can sometimes be really stressful, regardless of what you’re doing. Even though the housekeeping job itself might not be that complicated, it doesn’t mean the tasks can’t be difficult for the employees, especially if they aren’t prepared for them. It’s your job to ensure that all your new housekeepers are well prepared and fully aware of what their job includes and how they should do it. They need to know all their responsibilities and best ways of finishing their tasks efficiently. It shouldn’t take you more than a few hours a day to prepare them, and it can do wonders for the workflow.
Not Restocking The Toiletries In Time
This might seem like a small and irrelevant mistake, but it is still a part of housekeeping that shouldn’t be overlooked. It might not play a big role in the room quality, but we all know that it’s always the little things – like toiletries – that matter the most when it comes to your guests’ opinions of your hotel.
So, make sure that drinks like tea and coffee are available at all times and that there’s always toilet paper in the rooms, and your guests will surely enjoy their stay.
Not Enough Planning
Planning is important in every field of work, and housekeeping is not an exception. When entering a messy room, every experienced housekeeper will know where to start cleaning and how to finish their job quickly and efficiently. However, for some new housekeepers, it might take time to adapt to the job and learn how things should be done. That’s why it’s a good idea to plan how to clean the room in advance instead of just entering a room and hoping for the best.
For example, if they first vacuum the room and then clean the sheets, the bed might turn out to be much messier than before and even covered in crumbs – so, in this case, they would learn to clean the sheets first and vacuum later. This shows how planning can help your employees be more efficient.
Not Throwing Out Old Linen In Time
Every item has its expiration date, including linen. It might not always be easy to tell when your linen needs to be replaced, but if you notice any marks of wear and tear on the bed sheets, it is a good sign that they need to be changed.
Not Cleaning The Carpets And Rugs Properly
Needless to say, it’s extremely important to keep your hotel clean, and carpets and rugs play a big role in that. It might not seem like a big deal, but try to clean your carpets at least once every few months. Even though deep cleaning your rugs and carpets is a task that can take a whole day, it will definitely be worth the money when you see the results.
Have You Made Any Of The Mistakes?
Housekeeping is not as simple as it might seem, and it can sometimes be very stressful, especially when working in a big hotel with a great number of rooms that need to be cleaned every day. However, by keeping all of these mistakes in mind, your employees can improve their productivity and motivation and reduce the time it takes them to clean each and every room.
Knowing the most common housekeeping mistakes brings you one step closer to avoiding them and dealing with them if they do happen. You can improve your housekeeping services and make your guests happier by allowing Alsco take care of all your linen-related needs. Alsco provides fresh and clean accommodation linen conveniently and inexpensively, every day.
Send us an enquiry now! Our friendly and well-informed staff are waiting to help.
Photo courtesy of Freepik Images by yanalya
