Types Of Linen And Fabric And Practice Label Reading And Its Function

TYPE OF LINEN AND FABRIC

NATURAL FIBERS

·         Wool

-Wool is come from sheep and it also can be produced from camel and
rabbit.
-Used for carpets, blankets and upholstery.
- Wool does not flatten or crease easily and very elastic.
-Wool is easy to clean and fire resistant
-Often mixed with other man-made fabric in 80/20 ratios to make it more
affordable

·         Silk

-Silk is the strongest of natural fibers and a very light fabric
-Produced from cocoon of silk worms.
-Reared in China, France, Italy and Japan
-Used for wall covering, cushion cover and bed sheets
-It retains shape and caresses the body.
-Elastic fiber
-It is a very expensive

·         Cotton

- Cotton comes from the cotton plant seed grown in India, USA, Egypt, West Indies and China.
-Used for bed linen, table linen, towel and uniform
- Very absorbent, easily laundered and more resistant to bleaches and alkalis.
-Cotton is stronger when wet than dry.

·         Linen

-Comes from the stalk of flax plant
-Used for making napkin and table linen
- hard-wearing and easily washed
-Good quality linen has a smooth appearance and cool to the touch

-Can be easily dyed and the color does not fade when wash

MAN MADE FIBERS

·          Acetate
-Made from cotton linters plus chemicals
-Look like silk but do not wear like silk
-Sensitive to nail polish, nail polish remover(acetone) and perfumes.
-Strong when dry
-Used as curtain and furnishing
-Should be washed in warm water, moderate drying and lowest temperature

·         Acrylic
-Look like wool and washable
-Made from chemicals
-Used for blanket and carpet
-Should be ironed with low heat

·         Polyester
-Synthetic fiber and normally added to cotton and wool
-Used for pillows, upholstery, bed linen, and table linen
-not shrink or stretch and very elastic

·         Rayon
-Made from wood pulp and cotton linters
-Look like silk
-Used for curtains and bedspreads.
-It requires cool iron
-Strong, extremely absorbent and burn at high temperature
- It may wrinkle easily and may stretch when wet and shrink when washed.

·         Spandex
-Mixture of rubber and chemicals
-Very elastic fiber that can be stretched many times its length and then spring back the original length. 
-Resistant to washing, perspiration and heat.
-Used in foundation garments; for example swimming suit and hosiery.

Nylon
-Man-made fabric from chemicals
-Elastic, resilient, smooth, non-absorbent and dry quickly
-used in hosiery, netting for bridal veils, carpeting and socks
-use low temperature on the wrong side when ironing

PRACTICE LABEL READING AND ITS FUNCTION

Trolley Preparation Procedures

• Houseman / Housemaid sets his trolley as per the standard, like bed sheets in one shelf, towels in another, bathroom amenities in a separate drawer.
• Maids cart can be compared as a giant tool box, It should be stocked with all the required amenities to complete a complete shifts room cleaning.
• The maids cart should be spacious enough to carry all the required supplies for one shifts work.
• The cart should be light weight, easy to clean and easily manoeuvrable.
• The cart has to be always well organized and well stocked before starting each shift.
• A well stocked maids cart will avoid unnecessary trips to the floor pantry.
• The amount of supplies loaded on to the cart depends upon the number of rooms, type of rooms to be serviced on the assigned floor.
• The carts are normally stocked from the floor pantry.
• Never over stock or under stock the cart: Overstocking will increase the risk of accidents or damage to the supplies. Whereas under stocking can slow down the efficiency of cleaning because of the regular trips to the floor pantry to collect the required items.
• Record the items loaded on the cart on the Room assignment sheet.

Few examples of supplies loaded on the maids cart:

1. Shampoo
2. Moisturiser
3. Mouthwash
4. Foam bath
5. Sewing kit
6. Shower cap
7. Shoeshine
8. Detergent
9. Loofah
10. Disposal bag
11. Toilet rolls
12. Tissue box
13. Soap dish
14. Bath towel
15. Hand towel
16. Face towel
17. Bathmat 
18. Bed spread
19. Pillow covers etc.

The cleaning supplies are kept is a separate hand caddy, Below are few items stocked on the hand caddy.

1. Toilet cleaning solution
2. Bowl brush
3. Toilet brush
4. All-purpose cleaner
5. Cleaning cloths
6. Rubber gloves

• On one end of the cart there will be a bag for storing the dirty / soiled linens.
• There will be a garbage bag in one corner of the maids cart with a lid on it.
• Once the shift is over the maids cart / maids trolley to be moved back to the floor pantry and all the shelves to be locked. 

Unit 5

Unit 4 - Laundry

Control Proper Records Of Linen And Uniform Ordered, Received, Processed And Issued

Control Linen Purchasing

Handle Lost And Found Procedure

o An item left behind by guest either in the room or in public area identified by any staff and brought under the notice of Housekeeping is termed as “Lost and Found” item.
o There should be one dedicated location to receive lost and found items whether it is found in guestrooms, meeting rooms, public area or restaurants.
o The lost items must be secured in a locked closet or area that has highly restricted access.
o Employees are instructed to bring items to lost and found area, with valuables receiving immediate attention.
o All items received to be recorded in a lost and found register.
o All items regardless whether it is valuable, non valuable items and perishable items must be recorded on the Lost and found register.
o Items should be put in a plastic bag noting the serial number from the register, place found, date, name of the person found the item etc.
o Valuable items like Jewellery, mobile, wallets, laptops, ipads etc. must be stored in a locker.
o If the Property management system has Auto trace functionality then put a trace on the guest profile stating the there is a lost item held with the housekeeping department.
o Send Email to the guest to notify the guest about the lost item ( as per the hotel policy )
o When guest calls up the hotel to ask about the lost item, only the person who maintains the lost and found register should revert to the call.
o Once the item is sent to the guest / collected by the guest authorized person an appropriate entry to be made on the system.

Sample lost and found register:

The lost and found items are classified as follows:

1. Valuable items.
2. No valuable items.
3. Perishable items.

Valuable items :

• One separate Register is maintained for Valuable lost and found items and the items are kept in a safe Deposit Locker.
• Valuable items are kept for a period of six months ( as per the hotel policy),
• If there is no response from the guest, auction to be conducted.

Non valuable items:

These category items are kept for three months in safe custody after making necessary entries.

If there is no response from the looser till the time, these items are to be disposed off. Eg: To be distributed to the finder.

Perishable items:

• Perishable nature lost and found items are kept for three days.
• In case of any quarry and need to keep further is to be done accordingly