Anyone who has ever worked or stayed at a hotel knows how important housekeepers are in keeping hotels running smoothly. Even though there is not a lot of training or education needed to get a job as a housekeeper, there is still a lot that housekeepers must learn on the job to keep the hotel running safely and effectively.
Housekeeping training is essential to keep your business running safely and effectively. Six aspects of being sure to cover during housekeeping training include:
- Equipment
- Proper use of Chemicals
- Maintenance
- Laundry and Various Housekeeping Duties
- Safety
- Customer Service
Why is Housekeeping Training Important?
Housekeepers play a vital role in the way hospitality services run. Without them, it would be challenging to keep hotels and inns running effectively.
Housekeepers do not require any formal training before starting the job. Housekeepers are not required to have high school diplomas or GED, and training for housekeepers is done through on-the-job training.
Safety
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) does require that housekeepers are trained in certain aspects of their job to keep them safe at work. Some areas that OSHA requires all housekeepers to be trained in include:
- Safe handling of chemicals
- Spotting potentially dangerous maintenance situations (i.e., unsafe electrical cords)
- Blood Borne Pathogens
- Fire and Disaster Preparedness
This on-the-job training is essential because it lets housekeepers know their job duties and what is expected of them. It also helps to keep them and the customers safe and happy.
Happy Customers
Housekeepers are essential in keeping guests happy. No one wants to go to a hotel and get stuck with a dirty room or wonder when it was cleaned last. Housekeepers must also take care of any cleaning request that guests have right away to help ensure that the guests are happy and want to return.
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Training Topics
Several aspects need to be covered in any housekeeper’s training. Six aspects of making sure are cover in training include:
Equipment
All staff must be appropriately trained on all equipment that they are expected to use. From mops and vacuums to brushes and brooms, housekeepers need to be trained on when to use what, the order in which to use them, and how to operate all the equipment.
This is important for safety. Improper use of equipment, even cleaning equipment, can cause harm to the housekeeper, other employees, or guests.
Equipment training also helps keep cleaning and housekeeping uninformed and make sure cleaning is done the same correct way every time. Hotels typically like for every room to look the same, and it is important that staff is familiar with how each room should look every time it is cleaned.
Proper Use of Chemicals
Even everyday household cleaning supplies can potentially become dangerous. Cleaning chemicals need to be used in correct amounts and not mixed with other chemicals unless directed to the manufacturer. Improper use of chemicals can have serious health risks to staff and customers if not used correctly.
It is also essential that housekeeping staff is trained on which cleaning supplies are used on what surfaces. For example, some cleaning chemicals will ruin hardwood, so you must ensure that only safe hardwood chemicals are used on these surfaces. Otherwise, you will end up replacing furniture, floors, or counters, which will get expensive quickly.
Maintenance
You may have separate staff to work on various maintenance needs. However, many times housekeeping staff may find things that need maintenance assistance. Guests may also file a maintenance complaint with housekeeping staff while they are cleaning a guest’s room.
In this case, housekeepers must know how you want them to file maintenance complaints so that they can be taken care of as soon as possible to keep customers happy and everyone safe.
It is essential that when cleaning that the housekeepers are looking out for potentially dangerous things that maintenance needs to look at immediately. This includes things like electrical cords that are frayed since this can become a fire hazard.
Laundry and Various Housekeeping Duties
It will be up to you and your company if you wish to have the housekeepers to do laundry or have the laundry shipped elsewhere and have it cleaned and brought back.
If your housekeeping staff is responsible for doing the laundry, it is essential that they know how to properly use the washer and dryer that is being used at your business. Every washer and dryer is different, and there may be different settings to use for different laundry. For towels, you may want a stronger setting than bed sheets.
You may also want the laundry separated in specific ways or only want the “x” number of comforters in the washer or dryer at one time. All of these aspects are important to go over during laundry training.
Even if you decide outsourcing laundry to another facility and having it brought back is a better idea for your company, you will still need to train your staff on laundry aspects. You may want all the towels folded in a uniform way or beds made a certain way. To make sure each room looks the same and laundry is done in the same way in every room, it is important to train all your housekeepers on how you would like it to be done.
Safety
Safety is essential for every job, and housekeeping has its safety concerns. Some aspects of going over during safety training for housekeepers include:
Health Safety
Health safety is essential to all housekeepers. You want your staff to be healthy so they can come to work and not spread germs and viruses to other employees and guests. Housekeepers work with various germs throughout their day. They need to know how to properly wash their hands, use gloves, and other personal protective equipment when doing specific cleaning tasks, and dispose of trash properly. Housekeepers have the potential to be exposed to blood and other various human body fluids, so they must be trained in blood-borne pathogens and know how to safely handle these types of bodily fluids in these various situations.
Fire Safety
In every job, all employees need to know what to do in case a fire occurs in the workplace. Housekeepers must be trained and know what is expected of them to do in case of a fire.
Emergency Preparedness
Depending on where your job is located, you may have various natural disasters that your staff must know to be prepared for if a natural disaster were to happen. Depending on your location, your staff needs to know how to respond to tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, or other potential natural disasters that occur in your location.
Customer Service
Housekeepers play a vital role in customer service. They are responsible for keeping the guest’s rooms clean and stocked with necessary towels, toilet paper, and other supplies to keep guests comfortable.
You should make sure you train your housekeeping staff on how you want them to interact with the hotel guests and train your housekeepers on what to do if a guest files a complaint.
Teamwork
If you train your housekeepers in these six aspects, you will have a well-known and well-working housekeeping staff. This will help have shiny clean rooms for guests and help your business run more efficiently.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it typically take housekeepers to clean a room?
Depending on the size and type of room, how long it should take a housekeeper to clean a room varies. For a standard-sized hotel room, cleaning after a guest checks out should take approximately 45 minutes to clean.
Larger-sized rooms and suites take longer depending on the additional size and features, such as bathtubs, dual sinks, etc. While guests are in the room for daily cleaning, housekeepers usually spend approximately anywhere from 10-30 minutes per room cleaning. This depends on how much the guest wants the housekeeper to pick up and how much they need to restock the room.
What are some reasons to invest the time and money into good housekeeping training?
Training takes time and money; however, investing in housekeepers’ training will benefit the company long term. By having well-trained housekeepers, your company will be more organized; you can decrease the risk of fire since housekeepers will know to look out for frayed electrical cords or clutter around outlets, less work-related injuries since staff will know proper safety guidelines for handling chemicals and bodily fluids, and having clear communication during training. Letting housekeepers know what is to be expected as part of their job duties will help with employee and staff morale and make it a more enjoyable workplace.
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Please note that the contents of this blog are for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. Any action taken based on the information provided in this blog is solely at your own risk. Additionally, all images used in this blog are generated under the CC0 license of Creative Commons, which means they are free to use for any purpose without attribution.
About the author. Entrepreneur and Cleaning Business Fan.
Hi! I am Shawn and I am a happy individual who happens to be an entrepreneur. I have owned several types of businesses in my life from a coffee shop to an import and export business to an online review business plus a few more and now I create online cleaning business resources for those interested in starting new ventures. It’s demanding work but I love it. I do it for those passionate about their business and their goals. That’s why when I meet a cleaning business owner, I see myself. I know how hard the struggle is to retain clients, find good employees and keep the business growing all while trying to stay competitive.
That’s why I created Cleaning Business Boss: I want to help cleaning business owners like you build a thriving business that brings you endless joy and supports your ideal lifestyle.