Dirty hotel rooms are the most common complaint in negative hotel reviews online. The reality is, when people book a hotel room, they expect cleanliness and comfort more than anything else. Hotels prioritize cleaning rooms, but the task of cleaning rooms is not always easy. Housekeeping staff members are in a hurry to clean the many rooms in the hotel. Cleaning up after previous guests takes work, attention to detail, and careful consideration. Now more than ever, clean hotel rooms are vital.
Personnel and resource constraints are the primary obstacles standing in the way of hotel housekeepers. But overcoming those challenges is essential to maintaining a hotel’s reputation and safety. How much work does it take to clean a hotel room? And what cleaning processes should be included to ensure premium safety? This greatly depends on the level of cleaning required.
Here is everything you need to know about cleaning hotel rooms and hotel cleaning services.
Why Cleaning Hotel Rooms Need Extra Attention
Guests do not view a clean hotel room as a luxury. It is the baseline expectation when they make a reservation at a hotel. But the housekeeping staff does more than simply make each room look nice. In the years since the COVID pandemic, disinfection has also become critically important. New public health standards have resulted in even greater attention on hotel cleaning standards.
Housekeepers do not just empty the trash, clean dirty towels, and change the bedsheets in every room. They also vacuum, dust, clean with hot water, and wipe down and sanitize all high-touch surfaces like light switches and TV remotes.
Beyond routine housekeeping duties, the need for deep cleaning of hotel rooms and common areas has also increased. Adding deep cleaning tasks to the housekeeping staff’s schedules is not feasible, however. Instead, many hotels rely on professional hotel cleaning services for these heavy-duty cleaning jobs.
The Average Cleaning Is Very Efficient
Housekeeping staff is often working against the clock to clean every room. Individual housekeepers are often tasked with cleaning between 10 and 20 rooms per day, with an average of 8-hour shifts.
Housekeepers work very efficiently to meet this daily quota.
High-touch surfaces now have increased importance in a housekeeper’s cleaning routine. This means it may take extra work to clean remotes, light switches, door handles, or faucets. It also takes a while to scan the room for forgotten items, like food, dirty towels, phone cords, and more. As you can see, housekeepers have a big job.
Why Deep Cleaning Hotel Rooms Is Extra Work
While daily cleaning keeps rooms looking fresh, deep cleaning is occasionally required to go above and beyond. Deep cleaning of hotel rooms requires much greater detail to clean the floors, furniture, bathrooms, and other fixtures.
However, it’s simply not possible to perform all of these tasks daily. Carpet cleaning with a steam cleaner, for instance, is more work, plus waiting for carpets to dry. Cleaning crews can’t do this every day while rooms are occupied. Additionally, over-cleaning a carpet can damage it over time.
Deep cleaning tasks often require more intensive techniques to fully clean the designated area. As such, hotels need to schedule deep cleaning activities ahead of time.
Regular cleaning, however, should be performed regularly to maintain a clean hotel. Hotel employees can take extra care to clean high-touch surfaces like counters, light switches, ice buckets, doorknobs, and more.
Usual Cleaning Routine for Hotel Guest Rooms
So, what do housekeepers actually do when they clean a hotel bedroom? Here is a step-by-step guide on how to clean a hotel room in 30 minutes.
Making the Bed
The first step is to make the bed. For checkout rooms, this means removing all the bedsheets and replacing them with fresh ones. Cleaning staff should also use this opportunity to check for stains or damage to the mattress, pillows, and bedframe.
Cleaning the Bathroom
Hotel room bathrooms also require daily cleaning to prevent mold and mildew buildup. Cleaners should remove and replace dirty towels, wipe down surfaces, and replace items like soap and shampoo during routine bathroom cleaning. Housekeepers may also double-check to ensure that hot water is running efficiently.
Basic Room Cleaning
Other basic hotel bedroom cleaning steps include vacuuming, dusting, changing the ice bucket, and emptying trash bins. Housekeepers want to remove anything left behind by previous guests, while also leaving a spotless room from top to bottom. That is why it’s important to vacuum under every piece of furniture and dust all surfaces, including tables, nightstands, and TV screens.
In addition, dirty towels are some of the more commonly-forgotten items left behind by previous guests. Scan the room for any miscellaneous items. Add this step to your cleaning processes for better results.
Deep Cleaning
Deep cleaning tasks might not be performed daily but should be performed periodically to keep rooms in good condition. Common deep-cleaning tasks for hotel rooms include carpet cleaning, bed cleaning, and deep cleaning of the bathroom. Steam cleaners use hot water and steam to dislodge any dirt or allergens from the carpet. This keeps the room fresh and looking its best for a long time. Bathroom deep cleaning processes involve thoroughly scrubbing and rinsing all fixtures, including the toilet, sink, shower, and mirror.
Regular Disinfection
It used to be easier to overlook room disinfection than other cleaning processes. But disinfecting high-touch surfaces is crucial for public health. This step has received greater emphasis in recent years due to the pandemic. Housekeepers should wipe down all surfaces previous guests touched before moving on to the next room. Examples of high-touch surfaces include light switches, ice buckets, door handles, TV remotes, and faucets.
Consider Getting Your Hotel Rooms Professionally Cleaned
Professional cleaning services are a great solution if you are concerned about hiring a cleaning staff that can’t clean rooms quickly. Professional cleaning companies prepare their employees to be fully equipped and knowledgeable when it comes to expedited and efficient cleaning. Not only that, but professional cleaning services also offer a great return on investment, with affordable rates and unbeatable results.
Dallas Janitorial Services offers professional hotel cleaning services to hotels all across the Dallas-Fort Worth area. DJS strives for 100% customer satisfaction, no matter the type of business. To learn more, read what Dallas Janitorial’s clients have to say about their cleaning services.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much work is it to clean a checkout room at a hotel?
The housekeeping staff is taking extra care to clean the room thoroughly, including high-touch surfaces like light switches, ice buckets, doorknobs, and more.
Why should check-out rooms be cleaned first before the occupied rooms?
Check-out rooms are soon to be occupied by a new guest later that day. Guests want to experience a pristine, spotless room upon check-in. These rooms are usually prioritized earlier in the day to make this easier on housekeeping.
What part of a room should be cleaned last?
The floor should always be cleaned last in a hotel room. This is because dust and other debris can often fall to the floor when cleaning other parts of the room. Take extra care to clean floors with hot water and a steam cleaner.
Are Your Hotel Rooms Being Cleaned Fast Enough?
Cleaning hotel rooms is not a simple job. It’s hard work in a fast-paced environment, where precision and proficiency are top priorities. Operating a clean hotel is one of the most important things that hotel management can do.
If you are looking to improve the quality and efficiency of your hotel room cleaning, Dallas Janitorial can help. Contact us today to discuss our hotel cleaning services and get a free quote.
