Housekeeping Terminologies

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Housekeeping Terminologies
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Acute Hazard

• Something that could cause immediate harm. For
  example, a chemical that could cause burns on
  contact with the skin is an acute hazard

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Amenity

• A service or item offered to guests or placed in
  guestrooms for convenience and comfort, and that
  at no extra cost.

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Chronic Hazard

• Something that could cause harm over along
  period for example, a chemical that could cause
  cancer or organ damage with repeated use over a
  long period.

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Deep Cleaning

• Intensive or specialized cleaning undertaken in
  guestrooms or public areas. Often conducted
  according to a special schedule or on a special
  project basis. Involves moving heavy furniture,
  high dusting, turning mattresses, vacuuming
  draperies and curtains, and other cleaning
  functions not normally performed in the
  day-to-day servicing of a guestroom. Synonymously
  with general cleaning.

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Double - Locked

• An occupied room for which the guest has refused
  housekeeping service by locking the room from the
  inside with a dead bolt. Double-locked rooms
  cannot be accessed by room attendant using a
  standard pass key.

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Early Makeup

• A room status term indicating that the guest has
  reserved an early check-in time or has requested
  his/her room to be cleaned as soon as possible.

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Emergency Key

• A key which opens all guestroom doors, even when
  they are double-locked.

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Face Fibers

• Yarns which form the pile of the carpet.

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Face Weight

• The measure of a carpets pile. Equal to the
  weight of the face fibers in one square yard of a
  carpet.

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Finish

• A liquid applied to floors that dries to a
  protective coating and enhances the appearance of
  the floor. Finishes come in wax-based or polymer
  types.

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Floor Par

• The quantity of each type of linen that is
  required to out-fit all rooms serviced from a
  particular floor linen closet.

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Guestroom Key

• A key which opens a single guestroom door if it
  is not double-locked.

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Hand Caddy

• A portable container for storing, holding, and
  transporting cleaning supplies Typically located
  on the top shelf of the room attendants cart.

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Hard Floor

• Floors made from natural stone or clay. These
  floors are among the most durable of all floor
  surfaces, but also the least resilient. Types of
  hard floors include concrete, marble, and
  terrazzo, ceramic tile, and other natural stone.

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HAZCOMM Standard

• Hazard Communication Standard OSHAs regulation
  requiring all employers to inform employees about
  possible hazards related to chemicals they use on
  the job.

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House Rule

• Any published company-wide rule for which
  violation can result in immediate discharge.

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House Setup

• The total number of each type of linen that is
  needed to outfit all guestrooms one time. Also
  referred to as one par of linen.

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Housekeeping Status Report

• A report prepared by the housekeeping department
  which indicates the current housekeeping status
  of each room, based on a physical check.

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Linen Room

• Area in a hospitality operation which is often
  considered the headquarters of the housekeeping
  department. This is the area where the employee
  typically reports to work, receives room
  assignments, room status reports, and keys
  assembles and organizes cleaning supplies and
  checks out at the end of his/her shift.

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Master Key

• A key which opens all guestroom doors which are
  not double-locked.

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Mitering

• A method for contouring a sheet or blanket to fit
  the corner of a mattress in a smooth and neat
  manner. The results are sometimes referred to as
  square corners or hospital corners.

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MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet)

• A form containing information about a chemical
  that is supplied by the chemicals manufacturer.

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Occupancy Report

• A report prepared each night by a front desk
  agent which lists rooms occupied that night and
  indicates those guests expected to check out the
  following day.

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OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Act)

• A broad set of rules that projects workers in all
  trades and professions from a variety of unsafe
  working conditions.

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pH Scale

• A scale that measures the acidity or alkalinity
  of a substance to the scale, a pH of 7 is
  neutral, acids have values of less than 7 to 0,
  and alkalies have values of more than 7 to 14.

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Pile

• The surface of a carpet consists of fibers or
  yarns that form raised loops that can be ut or
  sheared.

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Pile Distortion

• Face fiber condition such as twisting, pilling,
  flaring, or matting caused by heavy traffic or
  improper cleaning methods.

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Preventive Maintenance

• A systematic approach to maintenance in which
  situations are identified and corrected on a
  regular basis to control costs and keep larger
  problems from occurring. Preventive maintenance
  consists of inspection, minor corrections, and
  work order initiation.

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Primary Backing

• The part of the carpet to which face fibers are
  attached and which holds these fibers in place.

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Resilient Floors

• A type of floor that reduces noise and is
  considered easier to stand or walk on. Types of
  resilient floors include vinyl, asphalt, rubber,
  linoleum, and wood.

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Room Attendants Cart

• A lightweight, wheeled vehicle used by room
  attendants for transporting cleaning supplies,
  linen, and equipment needed to fulfill a block of
  cleaning assignments.

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Room Inspection

• A detailed process in which guestrooms are
  systematically checked for cleanliness and
  maintenance needs.

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Room Status Discrepancy

• A situation in which the housekeeping
  departments description of a room status differs
  from the room status information at the front
  desk.

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Room Status Report

• A report which allows the housekeeping department
  to identify the occupancy condition of the
  propertys rooms. Generated daily through a
  two-way communication between housekeeping and
  the front desk.

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Rotary Floor Machine

• Floor care equipment that accommodates both
  brushes and pads to perform such carpet cleaning
  tasks as dry foaming cleaning, mist pad cleaning,
  rotary spin pad cleaning, or bonnet and brush
  shampoos. On hard floors, these machines can be
  used to buff, burnish, scrub, strip, and refinish.

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Routine Maintenance

• Activities related to the general upkeep of the
  property that occur on a regular (daily or
  weekly) basis, and require relatively minimal
  training or skills to perform. These activities
  occur outside of a formal work order system and
  include such tasks as sweeping carpets, washing
  floor, cleaning guestrooms, etc.

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Scheduled Maintenance

• Activities related to the upkeep of the property
  that are initiated through a formal work order or
  similar document.

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Secondary Backing

• The part of a carpet that is laminated to the
  primary backing to provide additional stability
  and more secure installation.

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Turndown Service

• A special service provided by the housekeeping
  department which a room attendant enters the
  guestroom in the early evening to restock
  supplies, tidy the room, and turn down the guest
  bed.

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Area Responsibility Plan

• A document that geographically defines physical
  areas of a facility and assigns responsibility
  for cleaning among the various departments of a
  hotel or hospitality organization, usually
  developed from the division of work document.

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Bed and Bath Linen

• Items such as sheets, pillowcases, hand towels,
  bath towels, washcloths, and cloth bath mats.

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Bedding

• All bed linens such as sheets and pillowcases,
  and all blankets, shams, dust ruffles, pillow
  quilts, comforters, coverlets, mattress pads, and
  bed spreads.

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Buffing

• The act of polishing the surface of a floor with
  a low-speed (175-350 rpm) floor machine.

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Burnishing

• The act of polishing the surface of a floor with
  a high-speed (350 rpm) floor machine to achieve
  an extremely high gloss (wet look) surface.

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Daily Work Assignment Sheet

• Form that indicates special work tasks required
  for a given day and are assigned to a specific
  worker.

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Damp Mopping

• The use of a damp (not wet) mop for spot cleaning
  of spills and overall cleaning of light dirt from
  floors. This technique is not intended to remove
  heavily embedded dirt or old floor finish.

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Dilution Ratio

• Comparison of the amount of water that is, or
  must be, added to a specific cleaning agent that
  is recommended for a specific cleaning task. For
  example, a 201 dilution ratio means 20 parts
  water to a 1 part cleaning agent.

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Guest Essentials

• Guest supplies that are essential in guestrooms
  but that the guest would not normally be expected
  to use up or remove upon departure. Examples
  include water glasses, ice buckets, and cloth
  hangers.

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Guest Expendables

• Guest supplies that guests would normally be
  expected to use up or take away upon departure.
  Examples include stationery, toilet tissue and
  soap.

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Guest Loan Items

• Guest supplies not normally found in a guestroom
  but available upon request. Examples include hair
  dryers, razors, ironing boards, and irons. Guest
  signs a receipt and specify a time that the item
  may be picked up by the housekeeping department.

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Guest Request

• Any special request not normally included in the
  regular servicing of a guestroom, such as for
  extra towels, hair dryers, razors roll-away bed
  or baby crib.

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Guest Supplies

• Supplies specifically needed because guests are
  staying in a hotel.

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Housekeepers Report

• A report made daily to the front desk by the
  housekeeping department and signed by a manager
  indicating the correct status of all guestrooms.
  Compilation of all results obtained from
  afternoon room checks conducted on the entire
  guestroom. Specifies what rooms are ready for
  occupancy, occupied by guests, and/or on-change,
  etc.

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Maintenance Checklist

• Document used as a guide in the performance of a
  maintenance inspection.

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Maintenance Work Request Form

• A three-part document used for repairs is
  transmitted to the engineering department. Form
  allows for the control and processing of work and
  the recording of man-hours and materials involved
  in the repairs performed.

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Padding

• A layer of material placed under carpet to
  increase resiliency. It can be made from a number
  of natural and synthetic materials.

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Room Inspections

• Periodic inspections of guestrooms to ensure that
  standards of cleanliness and servicing are being
  maintained.

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Spray Buffing

• The application of a finish solution while
  polishing a floors surface to retouch worn spots
  and to restore a glossy look to the floors
  surface.

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The End