Keys to an efficient housekeeping operation

By Brian C. Hallam

Choosing the correct chemical supplier

Reduce your total cost by consolidating your suppliers and purchases. Have a chemical supplier who has knowledge in cleaning chemistry, and another supplier with equipment knowledge involving vacuums, scrubbers, etc. The advantages are reduced processing time for purchase orders and invoices, fewer mistakes such as pricing errors and duplicate orders, and consolidated reports providing better tracking of expenses will be available.

When making a supplier selection, it’s important to select the representative who will provide service that meets your standards. The company is only as good as the individual you deal with. Check references to ensure he or she is as capable as states.
Whether one purchases direct from the manufacturer’s representative or from a distributor, the following services should be provided:

o    Service calls to check chemical dispensing control units and other equipment.
o    Service reports should be provided thus ensuring good communication when the housekeeper is not available.
o    Assistance in providing proper cleaning procedures is important.
o    Material safety data sheets should be available.
o    Training support is always essential.

Effective cleaning

The following five factors need to be in balance to provide excellent cleaning and sanitation.

Time. Most cleaning tasks will be enhanced by increased chemical contact time.

Temperature. Correct temperatures are required for specific cleaning tasks.

Chemical strength. Correct chemical strengths and dilution ratios will optimize cleaning results. Too high a concentration of product prevents effective rinsing; too low a concentration prevents optimum soil removal or in the case of sanitizers, reduces bacteria kill ability.

Mechanical action. This is required for effective cleaning. It is created by water agitation, scrubbing or rinsing.

Procedures. Proper cleaning practices will impact the ability to provide optimum soil removal or impact optimum bacteria kill.

Product selection—price vs. use cost

Too often products that are considered equal or competitive are purchased on the basis of price. This is a poor practice. The proper way of comparing supposedly equal products is on the basis of use-cost. The formula is: product price divided by unit size = price per ml or gram multiplied by the number of units recommended to provide the correct use solution in a gallon of water.

This formula may be used for both liquids and solids or powdered products.

Examples are as follows:

Product A. $80.00 divided by 20,000 ml = $0.004 x 19 = $0.076

Product B. $65.00 divided by 20,000 ml = $0.003 x 56 = $0.168

It becomes apparent that product B while having a lower price for a 20-litre pail, the actual cost for a gallon of ready-to-use solution is 2.21 times higher.

In the case of floor finishes, comparisons should be made on the basis of coverage in square feet. For example: 1 gallon covers 2,000 square feet.

In the case of germicides, disinfectants or sanitizers, while use cost is important, efficacy claims are equally important. They show the products’ effectiveness against different strains of bacteria.

MSDS or material safety data sheets, and WHMIS or workplace hazardous material information system data, should be available for the applicable products. They should be enclosed in sheet protectors and put in a labeled binder. This binder should be available at each location. Having the binder located downtown when the need is uptown is useless in a emergency. Accessibility is of paramount importance and will reduce liability claims.

Selecting equipment cleaning tools

Selection of the appropriate equipment and cleaning tools is essential and will provide the following benefits: superior results, reduced labour, reduction in water use and chemical consumption as well as a healthier environment.

Example 1: The use of micro-fibre mops, which are less work intensive than conventional mops.

Example 2: The use of 175-rpm rotary floor machine 20-inch electric rather than a 14-inch machine for application and dry/buff polishing. The difference in production in square feet per hour is 657 sq. ft., or 38.1 per cent greater productivity.

Example 3: The use of a 24-inch automatic scrubber wheel propelled unit rather than a 20-inch machine provides 1,850 sq. ft. more productivity.

When one considers that labour is the highest expense/cost within the housekeeping budget, wise selection of equipment is essential and will soon offset high initial equipment costs.

Cleaning procedures
It is important that the housekeeping department establish a program, which includes the following:

o    Determining standards for cleaning times—detail method, square food per day, area method, fixture method or a combination method using time per sq. ft. and time per fixture.
o    Estimated frequency of activities is to be assigned.

o    Written procedures should be established.

o    Training/support materials and evaluations should be employed.

This brief highlights the need for knowledgeable support from your suppliers. There is a reluctance by too many housekeepers to request assistance. Supplier do not always provide what they have available in the form of training aid. In short: ask and you will likely receive.

Brian C. Hallam is the founder and president of the BCH Group, who specialize in cleaning and sanitation assessments for Food Service, On-Premise Laundry and Housekeeping departments. Contact: b.hallam@sympatico.ca or 705-636-5839.