START Chapter 13.5

13.5 Cleaning Public and Employee Areas

This information is from the START second edition book. The book is by the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute. ISBN: 978-0-86612-330-3 Copyright Infringement is not intended.

Public space cleaners find themselves performing their duties in every area of the hotel except guestrooms.

Clean Public and Employee Restrooms 
Public and employee restrooms are an important task that is performed by public space cleaners.
A guest or employee will be unsatisfied with the property's restroom being dirty.
Public space cleaners use a daily function sheet to monitor the rest rooms on days of important events.

Clean Public Telephone Areas
Public phones include pay phones, house phones, and public fax machines.
When cleaning a phone you need to use an approved disinfectant and a damp cloth.
As a public space cleaner you are expected to look for graffiti on or found around the phones. People will sometimes write phone numbers and other valuable and crucial information on the wall.
If a public space cleaner comes across credit cards or other personal articles next to the telephone they need to be immediately turned in to the lost and found department.
A property should properly replace, as needed, notepads, pens, and telephone directories around the phone.

Clean Coat Check Areas

The tasks involved with cleaning coat check areas are: collecting trash, straightening coat hangers on racks, sweeping and mopping hard wood floors, vacuuming carpets and rugs, dusting, and securing the area.

Clean the Front Office and Lobby Areas
As we have learned in previous chapters the lobby is one of the most visible areas in a hotel.
Areas that are typically found in the front office area are: the front desk, the reservations office, and the PBX office.
Do not get in the way of guests, front desk employees, or night auditors.

Clean Floors and Empty Trash in Shops and Game Rooms
Shops and game rooms require a good bit of cleaning in a property.
If the shop is not contracted out the public space cleaner may not assume responsibility.
Clean the floor, Vacuum carpets and upholstered furniture, dusting open walls, baseboards, and game machines, cleaning the display windows and entry door

Clean and Supply Guest Exercise Facilities
An example of an amenity that is found among lodging properties is guest exercise facilities.
If the exercise facility is available guests do expect them to be cleaned and well-maintained.
When cleaning the guest exercise facility public space cleaners need to follow bloodborne pathogen safety procedures. A public space cleaner is responsible for picking up used towels and empty trash containers.
Sweat, or perspiration, can cause the buildup of what can be offensive odors that is why it is crucial and of high importance that exercise equipment and the carpet be disinfected on a regular basis.

Clean and Supply the Pool and Changing Rooms
Typically, maintenance is responsible for assuming the responsibility of treating and cleaning the pool.
The public space cleaner will clean the perimeter around the pool, the changing rooms, and the shower areas.
At no point in time should there be china or glassware near the pool. Watch for any broken glass.
Pool furniture needs to be wiped daily with a warm, damp cloth with a mild detergent. Then rinse the furniture.
The pool deck and surrounding areas need to be kept free of any extra water during times of use to prevent slipping and falls.
A wet vacuum in large areas while small areas can be dried using a dry mop or cloth.

Clean Employee Cafeteria and Break Areas
The employee cafeteria and break rooms are important to the well-being of employees at the hotel.
A kitchen steward may be assigned to tidy-up and clean the employee cafeteria.
Pubic space cleaners may: remove trash and wash trash cans, clean tables, chairs, and other furniture, clean floors, clean the surrounding area


Clean Executive and Administration Offices
When cleaning executive and administrative offices public space cleaners should practice professionalism to the extreme.
A public space cleaner under no condition should review confidential material nor remove material from the office or work space.
Public space cleaners should work quickly and quietly.
If a public space cleaner sees or hears anything while cleaning they are not to discuss anything they seen or heard with employees, guests, friends, or anybody in general. It is not their business or responsibility to tell employees of what is going on.
Office cleaning tasks include emptying trash, vacuuming carpet, dusting, disinfecting telephones, straightening furniture, and cleaning the door.

Clean Sidewalks and Parking Lot Areas
The exterior of a property is equally as important to the interior.
The exterior of a property really helps to determine rather a guest will stay at a property. It is the first visual appearance of the property the guest sees. If the guest sees in the brochures from the hotel and they are a nice up-scale hotel, then guests expect to see that when they arrive.
Public Space cleaners often are assigned to clean the sidewalks and parking lot areas.
An oil absorbent powder can be sprinkled on oil spots in the parking lot.
A wide push-broom is used to sweep sidewalks.