When it comes to making a hotel an attractive choice for travelers, nothing comes quite close as giving it a clean and blemish-free look from the inside-out. After all, the surest and most effective way to dissuade a customer from staying the night is the sight of an unclean lobby floor or a dingy suite restroom. Neglecting thorough and regular cleaning is also a fast way to get the health department involved, which could result in heavy fines and even temporary closures.
Knowing this, we can easily say that ensuring a hotel is clean should be a high priority for both the hotel owner and its management staff. Thankfully, there are many cleaning tools currently available commercially that makes this particular worry a bit easier to deal with. Here are some of the most essential hotel housekeeping tools.
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Microfiber mops
Mops have always been around as one of the main cleaning staples, not just in hotels but in practically every setting that exists. Thus, it’s a good idea to have a supply of mops in your hotel supply room for regular on-site cleaning. However, we’re not just talking about using commercial wet mops for this purpose, but rather microfiber mops.
Microfiber mops feature strips of microfiber cloth on their mop heads rather than the usual yarn or coarse threaded material used on traditional mops. This makes them a lot more efficient at soaking up moisture and picking up grime, dirt, and bacteria off of floors and walls. They’re also just as easy to clean, if not easier, than regular mops—just rinse them in hot water and you should be done.
Dustpans
Dustpans are used to collect dust, dirt, and debris swept up from floors, walls, and ceilings. Without them you’re going to have a very difficult time shepherding loose dust and detritus into trash bags, so make sure you have an adequate amount that your cleaning staff can use.
Dusters and dusting cloths
Dusters and dusting cloths help wipe and shake off loose dust from flat surfaces, fixtures, and walls. These are essential for keeping a hotel spic and span. Just like mops, we recommend getting microfiber cloths for dusting, due to them being better at picking up dust and detritus with just one pass.
Abrasives
Abrasives are tools that have rough surfaces meant to either polish metal and wooden surfaces, or to scrape away at persistent stains. Examples of abrasives include sharpening stones, sandpaper, and scouring pads. These are key to keeping the various fixtures of a hotel attractive and appealing.
Vacuum Cleaners
A vacuum cleaner can quickly and efficiently suck up dirt, dust, grime, and other detritus from carpets and floors. These tools come in various sizes and motor strengths, with each one designed for a specific location or intensity of cleaning. Due to how dust can accumulate quickly in places with a lot of people—such as hotels—this makes a vacuum cleaner essential for any hotel’s cleaning repertoire.
Polishing machine
Have any tile or wooden floors in your hotel? Then you’ll need a polishing machine to get those floors polished into a bright and sparkling sheen. These heavy machines require training and expertise to use, however, so make sure your staff is properly instructed on their operation beforehand.
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Scrubber
This is a handheld floor care tool that is specially designed to take care of food or liquid stains that prove too tough for mops, detergents, and other adhesives. This sees the most use in hotel kitchens and dining areas.
Vapor cleaning machine
This cleaning tool harnesses the power of heated water vapor, i.e. steam, to perform deep and thorough cleaning on upholstery, mattresses, and other hotel fixtures that are too delicate for strong cleaning chemicals/detergents. They also help kill bedbugs and other insect infestations.
Bathroom and toilet cleaners
Hotel bathrooms must always be clean and spotless. As such, any hotel worth its salt should have an adequate supply of bathroom cleaners handy. These liquid detergents are especially formulated to cleanse bathroom tile and porcelain, able to remove not only stubborn stains and grime but also kill fecal bacteria and germs from surfaces.
Air fresheners
A clean-smelling hotel is always inviting and pleasant to potential occupants. As such, air fresheners should always be in ample supply in any hotel cleaning supply stock room.
Degreasers
This cleaning tool, usually sold in liquid form, helps remove grease marks in delicate surfaces such as glass, porcelain, metal, and tile. It helps restore the shine and luster on those surfaces without having to resort to potentially damaging cleaning methods, such as harsh chemicals and abrasives.
Floor cleaners
These detergents and cleaning fluids are formulated specifically to help eliminate stains, grime, and other blemishes on various floor types. Hotels that feature marble, wooden, or tile floors should always have an adequate supply of this type of cleaner in their stock room.
Carpet cleaning agents
Carpets are often heralded as a mark of luxury and quality when it comes to the hospitality business. As such, it’s in a hotel’s best interests to ensure that all their carpeting are always clean. Carpet cleaning agents help do just that, making what should be a labor-intensive task an easier and more efficient one. Carpet cleaners are usually fast-drying and low-moisture types of cleaning agents, allowing for quick spot cleanup in case of messy accidents.
Conclusion
Keeping a hotel clean is an integral part in ensuring its smooth operation and profitability. By keeping these essential housekeeping tools adequately stocked, any hotel will find it easy to attract and retain its customers for the long term.