The Executive Housekeeper 15_1 by Adbourne Publishing

The Executive

Housekeeper

Volume 15

No. 1 PP 322210/00016

The Executive

Housekeeper Contents 3 Publishers’ Message 5 SEQPHA News

Volume 15 No. 1

44 Profiles 46 Hospitalit-e – “Finance for Housekeeping Managers” – a NEW online course 48 Floods, storms, water damage, cyclones... or is that just another footballer’s party gone wrong? 51 What’s Bugging You?

8 PHAN News

55 Vacuum Designs that Address Key Cleaning Challenges

9 PEHN News

57 Dust Mite and Anti-Allergen Cleaning

12 FNPHN News

59 What makes a good Hotel stand out from the crowd?

13 Overseas News 15 The logistics of Training 250+ Housekeeping Room Attendants, Housemen and Supervisors

64 Good Housekeeping Ensures A Stainless Finish 69 Value lies in Australian made

18 How Green Are Your Cleaning Products?

70 Thinking Management: Attributes of a Good Manager

23 ‘Readily Biodegradable’ Claims: the fact and fiction

73 Microfibre – Just how good is it?

27 Cleaning With Microfibre Mops

74 Product News

29 Specifying the Correct Entrance Mat 33 Difficult Conversations 37 Sustainability Makes Business Sense 41 Company Profile: R. Weatherdon & Co.

Front Cover: Swiss-Grand Resort and Spa, Bondi Beach, NSW

42 Swiss-Grand Resort and Spa

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Adbourne Publishing cannot ensure that the advertisements appearing in The Executive Housekeeper comply absolutely with the Trade Practices Act and other consumer legislation. The responsibility is therefore on the person, company or advertising agency submitting the advertisement(s) for publication. Adbourne Publishing reserves the right to refuse any advertisement without stating the reason. No responsibility is accepted for incorrect information contained in advertisements or editorial. (The editor reserves the right to edit, abridge or otherwise alter articles for publication). All original matter produced in this magazine remains the property of the publisher and cannot be reproduced without authority. The views of the contributors are not necessarily those of the publisher.

P ublisher ’ s M essage

e continue to expand the readership of your publication by constantly updating our database.To help us in this regard, should you know anyone in housekeeping who is not receiving the magazine, don’t hesitate to let us know names and addresses so we can promptly post a copy of each issue to them.This also applies to General Managers, as we like to also keep these executives up to date on all areas involving housekeeping. In this issue, we have included a little dirt – the kind of dirt that is brought in off the street on the shoes of people that is. Daniel Ranten of Allway Matting writes about how best to choose the right kind of matting for your hotel entrance, as reducing significantly much of this dirt can be assisted with the best type of matting. Following so much rain and flooding up and down the east coast, it is an opportune time to take a good look at water damage and what best should be done to counter this concern. Col Nation, our guru on all such matters, in this edition advises you on the best ways to tackle such problems. Liz Lycette and Associates are constantly at the forefront of Hospitality Housekeeping. This time around they provide information about finance training for our managers with a new online course.

View

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Housekeeper

online now!

Bed bugs continue to be a problem for many. Neil Hodkinson offers his views on eradicating these pesky pests with steam! While talking about pests, we have a further look at dust mites and the best treatment for what is becoming an accepted real problem. Hotels these days are accepting the benefits to be gained when introducing green practices. Steve Duggan, who brought us that outstanding article on the problems plastic can provide, now discusses ways of making hotels more sustainable; while Bridget Gardner has written a fine article asking: How green are your cleaning products? One of the main roles for all Executive Housekeepers is the daily dealing with staff. Work Logic provides some great advice here on how best to cope with some of the more ‘difficult conversations’ one might have. Other features include the cleaning of stainless steel, Microfibre mops, and choosing the most suitable vacuum cleaner. We also chat with Robert Weatherdon, a man who began a small confectionary operation and turned it into a supplier of hospitality products. Again we are always glad to hear suggestions from readers on people likely to make an interesting Profile in your publication.

Best regards, Neil Muir Publisher, The Executive Housekeeper

Visit bo www.ad urne.com and click on ‘The Executive Housekeeper’

The Executive Housekeeper

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SEQPHANews

Libby Sharp, President

ello, and 2011 was not a good start for Queensland.With floods, cyclones we were really being affected by the weather, but the people in Queensland are tough and the support that people gave especially with the flood clean up was amazing. So many Hotels in the Brisbane CBD were closed due to flooding. A big thank you to Chona from PHAN and the Committee who conveyed their prayers and support to the Housekeeping fraternity in Queensland.They also were fundraising for the Queensland Flood appeal. Our AGM was held in February along with a Breakfast at the Sofitel Broadbeach. President

Libby Sharp Executive Housekeeper – Sofitel Broadbeach

Treasurer

Melissa Bent Sales Executive Qld – Marie Brereton Designs

Secretary

Kerry Dowen Sales Manager – Concept Amenities

Committee

Joyce Percy Executive Housekeeper – Holiday Inn

Cherie Boden Assistant Housekeeper – Sofitel Broadbeach

Mardi Shennan Commercial Manager – AH Beard

Gavin Lysaght Housekeeping Manager – Hyatt Regency

Poppi Farry Textiles and Designs

Geraldine Lang Consultant

Christine Burnett Housekeeping Manager – Grand Chancellor

Wendy Robson Executive Housekeeper – Sea World Nara Resort

Gillian Perkins Ass. Housekeeper – Sea World Nara Resort

Gordon Moffit Sales Manager – Burleigh Textiles

During the Meeting we spoke about the fundraising that we had done with money going to: • • • •

Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary Sponsorship for our Koala Cancer Foundation Heart Foundation

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SEQPHA News (continued)

Leanne Schultz one of our members from Sewroo Products actually had a heart attack last year and this year is running in the London Marathon in April for the Heart Foundation and will be raising money along the way. Her target is $10,000 and with Leanne’s determination I am sure she will make her target. It was also very nice to hear at our AGM that when we were speaking about Leanne that AH Beard who make wonderful beds donated her a Queen Ensemble for her to raffle and also another Queen Bed ensemble for us to raffle at our Race Day to help raise funds for charity. On a sadder note, our Koala” Tallow “who had a baby and we were so excited about died due to all the rain we had and then the sudden heat the baby got sick and its immune system was not strong enough to fight off the infection. We have been informed that Tallow will breed again this year. Love is in the air, and congratulations to Glenn Pereira from Spotless who announced his engagement to Olivia. Apparently everything he had planned went wrong and he ended up asking her in the car and they celebrated with an ice cream. Also in January our loved Treasurer Melissa Bent married the man of her dreams John at the Hyatt Regency Sanctuary Cove. It was a beautiful wedding and so was Melissa who has not stopped glowing. See the photos opposite! We also welcome two new Housekeepers to the association: Andrea from Palazzo Versace and Christine from Grand Chancellor. Also a glad to see another of our members Poppi Farry back on the road to recovery after a stroke. Our Next Function will be an Easter Breakfast at the Holiday Inn Surfers Paradise hosted by Joyce Percy the Executive Housekeeper and in May our Fabulous Race day at the Gold Coast Turf Club. To all who have been affected by the Earthquake in New Zealand our prayers and thoughts are with you. n

Saturday 14th May 2011at 12pm

Send c

Inc. SEQPHA t s o Gold C a

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Prize fo rB Lucky D est Hat oor Priz es

The Paradise Room

The Se SEQPH PO Bo By 1st

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Gold Coast Turf Club members: $45.00 non members: $55.00

Memb Guest

t: (07) 5500 3612

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The Executive Housekeeper

RSVP by 1st May Melissa Bent m: 0466 915 341 e: melissab@scuttle.com.au

PHANNews PHAN CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION The PHAN Xmas event took place on Thursday 16th December. Once again Valitel Commercial generously sponsored the day with director Paul Tsalikis and some of friendly team in attendance. It was not the most inspiring of days, weather-wise, with some heavy showers during the morning. This did not dampen our spirits. The 23 members met at the Four Points by Sheraton at 11am sharp. A well organized and unique experience lay ahead of us, only a few were aware the adventure to come. We were ushered onto an elegant coach with an amiable driver who whisked us away. Over the Harbour Bridge we flew, this was foreign territory to some who never venture north! Our venue was Taronga Zooâ&#x20AC;ŚAs VIPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s we were ushered through a special entrance to a conservatory style area high above the zoo with Sydney Harbour in view, this was our first surprise with a lovely indoor / outdoor venue. As we sipped our beverage of choice we were serenaded by a Peacock who, on a number of occasions managed to display his magnificent plumage, to the delight of all especially those with cameras. Next up, the highlight for those who love animals. The first handler appeared, with the cutest baby possum wrapped in what looked like a knitted hat. It was very obvious that the zoo team is totally dedicated to the wellbeing of their animals and limited exposure was allowed but plenty of photo opportunities were taken. Our next surprise was the big one; the second handler arrived with a python around his neck! There were mixed reactions with a number of members positioning themselves well away from the action whilst others moved forward for perhaps their first feel of a snake. The handler was very patient and understanding of the trepidation some were feeling. He encouraged some to touch the snake or at least to have their photo taken with this rather docile animal. We were all so excited and interested in the animals and the surroundings that we almost forgot about the food but the venue did not and some sumptuous but substantial finger food was served as we mingled, chatted and had some close and personal experiences with the animals. One more surprise to come, Lalini Desilva, our Ex President happened to be celebrating her birthday, a lovely cake was produced, a great way to finish the event. All too soon, it was time to drag ourselves away for our coach ride home. Valitel were kind and thoughtful once again, providing us with song sheets for carol singing on the journey back. An extremely memorable Christmas celebration, thanks once again toValitel Commercial, great supporters of PHAN. n

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The Executive Housekeeper

PHAN Recognition Dinner

ongratulations to L &A (Lycette and Associates) for their e–learning course “Finance for Housekeepers” which won the Encouragement Award at the Australian regional finals of the IMS Global Learning Consortium, Inc Learning Impact Recognition and Awards in Melbourne on 24th February 2011. The Learning Impact Awards program is facilitated by IMS for the purpose of recognizing outstanding application of technology that addresses the most significant challenges facing global education and learning industries. After several months of jetsetting around Asia and working hard training several hundred Room Attendants and Supervisors

in Macau, Liz Lycette came back to Sydney and Brisbane for an all too fleeting visit. On Monday 28th of February, the PHAN Committee was able to grab a few hours of Liz’s time and take her out to dinner at The Menzies Sydney. While the early arrivals were enjoying a glass of bubbly in the hotel’s One Four Lobby Bar, the General Manager, Michael Smith, stopped by armed with his powerful personality and sleight of hand card magic to keep us entertained while waiting for the others. We were made to feel special and his attention was very much appreciated. It was a great night to catch up with Liz. Dinner was in the Parkside Restaurant and we were spoilt with champagne, a sumptuous a la carte menu and the most heavenly assorted desserts courtesy of the hotel’s Executive Chef Andrew Duggan.

PEHNNews 2

Although Liz now spends less time with PHAN due to her business demands in Australia and overseas, she continues to be a part of the organisation and we are very grateful for her continuous contribution and support since its creation in 2004. Well done Liz on your award, and your PHAN colleagues enjoyed the great evening with you at The Menzies Sydney. The PHAN Committee. n

011 is well and truly underway with The Australian Open, Chinese New Year, Valentine’s Day, Avalon air show now over until next year. The committee thought to start the new year with a social and product knowledge event to catch up with each other and chat over champagne and canapé’s and beautiful products to sample courtesy of Interior Images.We believe this is good way to ease us into the year. It would also be a good opportunity to catch up with the committee and give ideas and suggestions on what events and activities everyone would like PEHN to hold in the coming months. Check the calendar of events that we have planed already and mark them in your calendars. January

February

March

April

May

June

We had the Housekeeping Management Skills Program –BS Training dates: 8/9 March

National Cleaning & Hygiene Expo Dates: 05/04/11 – 07/04/11

Supplier Fun Night- All Committee Date: Thursday 12th May 2011 Venue: TBA

Renewal Strategy & memberships

Social/Product By: Val Harding

COMMITTEE MEETING: 2ND THURSDAY OF THE MONTH

July

August

September

October

November

December

Membership Renewals 1st July- All Members Membership Covers (1st July– 31st June )

The PEHN sponsors the Most Outstanding Housekeeping Student at William Angliss Institute at the graduation - MS

AGM Venue: TBA Date: 29/09/11

Charity Event/Cancer Research - KB & LC Date : TBA Venue: TBA

Committee Meeting in preparation of Christmas party Date TBA

Christmas Party Date: 2nd December

Educational Event TBA -

Social nite - Bowling -LC COMMITTEE MEETING: 2ND THURSDAY OF THE MONTH

COMMITTEE MEETING: 2ND THURSDAY OF THE MONTH

The Executive Housekeeper

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PEHNNews (continued) PEHN is constantly looking for avenues to reach Executive Housekeepers and Housekeeping Department staff and associates. We are endeavouring to move with the times and technology, hence we have just opened a Linked In account which is more interactive, in these busy times we think that email and internet networking could be another way of getting in touch and for our members to get ideas and solutions to issues they encounter day to day via an open forum, we have opened this group so as to reach further range of Professional Housekeeperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s around the world. Please check it out. There has already been some discussions started so please join in. We are still exploring and trialling this out.You must have a Linked In account to join. www.linkedin.com. We are checking out Facebook and maybe Twitter.

We would like to encourage staff members of the housekeeping department to come and join the network. To know more about us, and coming events, news articles, hints and tips please check our website www.pehn.org Email us at: info@pehn.org

Front Row Lynabel Carreon, Rashmi Tulsiani, Marian Stratford, Back Row Val Harding, Deb De Smet, Christina Pak, Gary Grant, Karen Bingham, Jocelyn Ng

President Vice President Treasurer Secretary

Marian Stratford (Crown Metropol) Deb DeSmet (Triangle Z) Christina Pak (BlueStone Personnel Rashmi Tulsiani (AHS)

Committee:

Grary Grant (Cleantec) Karen Bingham (Crown Towers) Lynabel Carreon (Clarion Suites Gateway) Jocelyn Ng (Metwood) Val Harding (International Interior Images)

PEHN Xmas Party 2010 was held on the 3rd December at Pan Asian Restaurant in Chapel Street. The Christmas party continues to be a special well attended event by PEHN. A lot of fun and surprises was had by all, from a guessing items in the sock game, to winning a queen size bed ensemble from Sealy.Thanks to our very generous sponsors, (Cleantec, Metwood, International Interior Images, Spree, Concept Amenities, Microcloud, Hospitality Textiles, Hygiene Services, MB designs, Sealy, Crown Promenade, Isika Spa @Crown Metropol, Crown Towers, Clarion Suites Gateway) this is always a very successful event of networking and socialising to bid the year goodbye.

FNPHNNews

By MIKE TaYLOR, President

FNPHN News from the President’s Desk... Cairns

Turkish Restaurant in tropical Cairns, the curiosity was overwhelming, I was looking for something “different” for our FNPHN Christmas Party and what could be more different than this? With the promise of belly dancers and sumptuous food, it was decided to book for 25 members. The roll up was slow to start due to some torrential downpours of rain (that’s Cairns for you!) but all RSVPs arrived with an apprehensive appetite, not sure what they were going to gastronomically consume. Our host, Arron, a young Turkish fellow with a grin wider than the Grand Canyon, could not have done more to welcome each and every one of us with a glass of champagne on arrival and a continued survey of the table for those whose glass looked like it was suffering drought conditions. Turkish beverages were on the menu and was savoured by a few who dared. An array of Turkish breads with olive oils infused with exotic herbs came from the kitchen and just made each and every one of us show extraordinary restraint not to get stuck into too much of this induced salivating aromatic entree. Located in the centre of our table arrangement was a saddle arrangement for those feeling like “stepping outside the square” where they ( female members) could perhaps muster up courage to imitate a Turkish woman of a harem, but alas, no takers. A musical wailing sound announced the entrance of a scantily clad woman, clad in silken material with bells and rings, decorative headwear and hips that shook faster than the eye could follow, she wow’ed her way around the tables and coerced none other than Tom Martin from Cairns Cleaning Supplies to rise up to the occasion and “shake his hips” which Tom did in the great spirit of the night. Arron, signalled the arrival of our main course which was as diverse from Lamb to Chicken to Beef and the quantity was nothing short of huge. It was unforgiving, the succulent flavours just made all try to devour everything on the plate but this was an impossible task. We were all discussing our gastronomically exhaustion when Arron re appeared with the desserts menu and there were groans of... well I’m not sure if they were of indecisive delight OR a matter of ‘how on earth can I fit this in?’.

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The Executive Housekeeper

Overall, great socializing, great door prizes and a great night. On another note, like most parts of the East Coast of Australia, we have copped our fair share of inclement weather, Cyclone Yasi sent a shiver down the spines of all our Executive Housekeepers for what they thought was going to be a ‘nightmare’ of all nightmares, but mercifully, Cairns was spared the direct “hit” but alas, the likes of Mission Beach Resort, the infamous Elandra Resort, Dunk Island and Bedarra Island Resort, Cardwell and Port Hinchinbrook were all but obliterated so our heartfelt thoughts go to those who face the challenges of resurrecting their properties to their former glory. We decided to postpone our Housekeepers Olympics due to the hardships faced by so many because of Cyclone Yasi and we look forward to reigniting this event in April. More to come on this. The resilience of our Executive Housekeepers who endured Cyclone Yasi should be applauded for without their “North Queensland” cyclone experience in this tropical climate, many of their staff would have been in a state of panic and left for greener pastures. Hats off to all our Executive Housekeepers. n

O V ERSE A S N E W S

ICM Certification Committee Begins Work

EHA’s ICM Certification Committee chaired by Baltimore MD-based Elliott Affiliates has begun work on a knowledge and skills-based measurement certification for cleaning industry managers. Integrated Cleaning and Measurement (ICM) is an open-source system for choosing, continuously improving, and validating operations strategies and cleaning processes through a broad spectrum of measurement and applied science strategies. The ICM Certification program — developed and administered by the non-profit International Executive Housekeepers Association (IEHA) — will assist facility managers in implementing ICM principles.

“The ICM Certification Committee is working together to create an educational module that will ultimately explain the ins and outs of ICM to managers and directors in the cleaning industry and provide them with the skills to expertly measure processes and practices to better the performance of their cleaning organization as a whole,” said Beth Risinger, CEO and Executive Director of IEHA. “In addition, this ICM designation will bring credibility to these individuals in their professional roles.” While the ICM approach incorporates a variety of measurement approaches and the use of scientific devices, a primary purpose of ICM is to create unification of measurement, problem solving and continuous process improvement elements. ICM will ultimately become recognized as a holistic view of building environments, and as a means to assess and document cleaning system progress. Subcommittees have been formed to address different facets of ICM Certification and long-

term development of the program, and the initial ICM educational module is projected to be completed by June 2011. “ICM’s mission to connect measurable results with health and bottom-line outcomes has helped to make it a potent idealogical force and rallying cry in an industry that has long lacked an elevated credo, dignity, and a compelling catalyst for professional development,” said Allen Rathey, president of The Healthy Facilities Institute (HFI) and co-developer of the concept. “The IEHA and the ICM Certification Committee should be applauded for these efforts that will help to positively change the cleaning industry.” n

O V ERSE A S N E W S

The logistics of Training 250+ Housekeeping Room Attendants, Housemen and Supervisors By Josephine van Damme, Business Development Manager – Lycette & Associates

he Galaxy Entertainment Group’s (GEG) mega resort in Macau is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2011. The 550,000-square-metre property will offer 2,200 five-star hotel rooms, suites and villas comprising the 1,500-room Galaxy Macau hotel tower complete with casino and entertainment areas.There are two other hotel partners, the Japaneseowned 547 room Hotel Okura and the ultra-exclusive Singaporeoperated Banyan Tree that will have 238 luxurious suites and 16 floating villas. Galaxy Macau also includes retail facilities and more than 50 food and beverage outlets. The gaming facilities are divided into five auspiciously-themed areas, with a capacity for over 600 gaming tables as well as 1,200 slot machines and other electronic gaming machines. The resort boasts lush oasis gardens covering 52,000 square meters and the world’s largest sky wave pool covering 4,000 square meters and featuring a 350-ton white sand beach, with 5 additional individually designed swimming pools.

schedule. With one group learning the theory and all the standard operating procedures, while the other group is busy practicing the manual component. This model of training for Room Attendants is the perfect mix of theory and practical hands on work.

Theory Training L&A Master Trainer, Gary Chan brings a great wealth of housekeeping experience and training skills to keep the groups enthralled for the theory session, he mixes Cantonese and Mandarin as 80% of the staff is imported labour from China. Using PowerPoint’s as a guide, Gary shares his experiences, gets the group to repeat certain phrases in Chinese and English. There are lots of role-plays, games and group activities to keep the training interesting and engaging. The use of flash cards has proved to be a very effective learning tool, using pictures of all the different items in the guest room to be matched with their Chinese and English phrases.

On the job training

How do you start and how do you train 250 people over a couple of months?

The practical trainers use actual hotel rooms of different room types to practice in. Not all the room set up is available yet however the essentials for bed making and bathroom makeup are there for them to practice on and to acquire the speed that is needed for a Room Attendant to do that all important daily job.

Take a big chunk and divide it, divide again and divide it once more! L&A Associate Janine Hancox devised a masterpiece

The critical points in getting this type of training right is to have that excellent communication with the client/hotel –

Lycette & Associates Housekeeping Consulting has been contracted to train 250 plus Room Attendants, Housemen and Supervisors for the 1500 room Galaxy and 547 room Hotel Okura.

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The logistics of Training 250+ Housekeeping Room Attendants, Housemen and Supervisors (continued)

changes in standard operating procedures and set ups can be accommodated and passed onto the staff while training takes place. •

Good preparation – all staff have been given a full set of Standard Operating Procedures. All PowerPoint’s and paperwork are in simplified Chinese (from Mainland China) and English.

•

Detailed and accurate SOP’s, enable the Trainers to get the message across in a very clear, concise and efficient way from day one.

•

Interactive, visual and fun theory training to keep the trainees interested. Lots of visual aids, hands on activities.

•

Clear and professional practical training – the Trainers have years of housekeeping experience

•

Treating every one of the Trainees as an important individual in the big machine that is the Housekeeping operation.

•

Training on site in the actual hotel bedrooms – the importance of this can’t be stressed enough. Training on the ‘real’ thing is superior to a different hotel room or indeed no hotel room at all. n

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The Executive Housekeeper

How green are your cleaning products? By Bridget Gardner, Director, Fresh Green Clean

regulation stifles innovation and that the green rulebook is constantly changing anyway as new problems are discovered. But I’m sure a little more leadership from Canberra would be welcomed by manufacturers and consumers alike.

Standards and ecolables There are, however, government standards for tests that can determine whether a product (or ingredient) reduces specific environmental or heath problems, such as ready biodegradability. Testing against standards provides third party evidence of low environmental risk. But how many of these standards does a product have to meet in order to call it green? Or put another way, what are the characteristics of a green product? Ecolables are voluntary standards that have compiled a list of criteria, standards and tests for ‘environmentally preferred products’, such as the Good Environmental Choice Australia (GECA) Standard for Cleaning Products (see inset box). GECA also collaborates with international ecolables such as Green Seal (USA), Blue Angel (Germany) and Environmental Choice New Zealand.

In a regulation-free zone, suppliers need to show leadership. What is a green product? Green products are defined as “those that have less of an impact on the environment or are less detrimental to human health that traditional equivalents”. So is it illegal to call a product green if it isn’t? Absolutely. Making a false or misleading ‘green’ claim contravenes

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The Executive Housekeeper

the Trade Practices Act and is commonly called ‘green washing’. By law a manufacturer must be able to demonstrate exactly how their product reduces risk of harm. But based on the above definition, with a little creative marketing and a lot of wishful thinking, one could argue that a pH neutral product causes less damage than a corrosive pH2 equivalent, and therefore is ‘green’. And this lack of clarity is causing a great deal of confusion. The Australian Government sets no regulations for cleaning product design, let alone for green products. It is argued that

GECA Standard 17:2007 evaluates the following characteristics: • • • • • • • • •

Fit for purpose and demonstrated performance Prohibited and restricted ingredients Fragrances and colours Readily biodegradability VOC limit for solvents Labelling and packaging Verification of claims: organic, food safe, phosphorus levels, grey water safe Product information for safe and sustainable use Compliance to EPA and labour laws

Does that mean that only products certified by an eco label can be called ‘green’? Not necessarily, but it is a more reliable method for the consumer because: • • • •

They do the hard work for us A full list of ingredients is required All claims must be supported with evidence They are comparing apples with apples

An ecolable standard does have limitations: • • • • •

It only applies to chemical cleaning products No criterion for sustainable production or ingredients No criterion for form / design that minimises packaging The ‘in / out’ system does not rate products or encourage innovation It is voluntary (but uptake is growing rapidly)

Green characteristics Let’s explore then, the ten most important characteristics of a green product, the health and environmental impacts they reduce, and how to tell if a product complies or not. 1. Ready biodegradability: ‘Biodegradable’ is a meaningless term unless qualified as ‘readily’ (quickly). The Australian standard for Ready Biodegradability is AS4351 (1996). Be aware that the claim may only apply to the detergent (surfactant) component which may only be 5% of the whole product. Further, not all detergents are biodegradable. APEO and NPEs found in some pH neutral and laundry detergents are persistent and toxic to fish. Whole product testing or ecolabel certification will ensure the product can break-down rapidly and completely. 2. Low Volatile Organic Compounds: VOCs found in solvents, sealants, airfresheners and stain removers can impact on the indoor air quality of a building. The acceptable level by Green Star1 is less than 50g of VOCs per litre for floor sealants and 5% w/w by GECA for solvents. The level of VOCs can be determined by a laboratory. 3. No ‘chemicals of concern’: Scientists are concerned that some chemicals may cause harm in very low doses; they may accumulate in the body, cause disease years later, or harm unborn babies. Such substances are often called ‘chemicals of concern’ and are either

prohibited or restricted (under 0.1%) from ecolables and various procurement guidelines (lists will vary). Accordingly, many products claim to be ‘free of ’ specific chemicals and/or fragrances. To support this claim, the product should either have ecolable certification, declare a full list of ingredients on the MSDS, or provide a signed statement by the manufacturer on request. (Chemicals found in concentrations under the NOHSC Hazardous cut-off level are not required to be listed on the Material Safety Data Sheet). 4. Renewable: ‘Natural’, ‘organic’, ‘plantderived’… as these terms have no legal meaning they can be very misleading. The concept is that as many synthetically derived chemicals are associated with disease, plantbased will be safer. But are they? Not all ‘natural’ ingredients are safe – take arsenic for example. Solvents containing high levels of d-limonene (derived from orange oil) are actually quite hazardous and high in VOCs. Another misleading phrase is ‘organic’, which simply means ‘carbon-based’ – an example being benzene – and very different to ‘certified organic’. Finally, palm oil production (commonly used in detergents) is often responsible for de-forestation. However, green chemistry is an exciting area of science and innovative products made from renewable materials and sustainable production are increasing. The term ‘renewable’ is defined as ‘materials that must be replenished by natural processes at the same rate they are used’. There is no standard for ‘renewable’ so all these claims may be supported with the same evidence as per point 3. 5. Non-hazardous and non-toxic: Does the MSDS state a product is hazardous or not, according to NOHSC criteria? Simple yes or no. However because it is so easy to define it can easily become a red herring. Is a product containing an ingredient 1% lower than the hazardous cut-off level now safe? If wearing gloves could prevent exposure to a hazardous substance stated to be a skin irritant due to being concentrated, and it does not contain ‘chemicals of concern’, I would argue that it is still may be deemed ‘green’. ‘Non-toxic’ is more difficult to define. Technically, T for Toxic is reserved for VERY toxic, lethal substances. By definition then,

99% of chemical cleaning products sold could be called non-toxic. Toxicity testing (LD50) can be conducted on a range of organisms and impacts: dermal toxicity, rat, daphnia, fish etc. We don’t (fortunately) conduct toxicity tests of humans so these tests are used as an indicator for human health. If you are a chemist you may be able to interpret the results – I can’t. But the fact that a company has voluntarily tested their finished products and released the results means they are supporting their non-toxicity claims and being transparent. 6. No phosphorus: If phosphorus (phosphate) enters freshwater it acts like fertiliser, promoting excessive algae growth that suffocates other aquatic life. This is a bigger issue in the country of origin (e.g. China) due to manufacturing run-off, than where it is used and put down the sewers. However it is still best practice to use detergents with no added phosphorus or low levels, especially where sewage farms are not ocean-based. There are simple and inexpensive phosphorus laboratory tests available to support claims. 7. Chemical-free: True chemical-free methods use water or friction instead of, obviously, chemicals. The benefits are an undisputed elimination of VOCs, ‘chemicals of concern’ and fragrances etc. They can also reduce packaging waste and associated transportation costs. However, they are only ‘green products’ if used and maintained correctly so that a) chemicals are minimised or eliminated with no loss of performance and b) they last. Saving money up front buying cheaper brands will be neither financially nor environmentally sustainable long-term.

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8. Resource and water minimisation: Chemical, water or packaging minimisation through smarter product design or reuse are also legitimate green innovations. The environmental impact from just the chemical canisters purchased on an annual basis would be enormous, let alone from the chemicals inside. Some cleaning equipment suppliers provide ‘calculators’ to support claims of resource savings during use. 9. Recycled content: Other equipment manufacturers have reduced the demand for natural resources by using recycled materials in their design, such as mops, packaging, and paper products. Ensure the content percentage and type of recycled materials is declared on the label. 10. Environmentally sustainable: As with all green initiatives, environmental sustainability claims must be supported with third party evidence. Three key methods are: •

Life-cycle analysis (LCA) calculates the environmental impact of a

product’s entire ‘life’, from materials harvest to waste. LCA is conducted by independent bodies using recognised metrics and is very expensive. EcoSpecifier (Australia) has recently launched the Green Tag™ tool that uses LCA to rate products, but no cleaning products have yet been rated. •

•

Eco foot-printing evaluates how much planet (water, soil, energy etc) a product requires to manufacture and/or use. Carbon foot-printing measures the carbon a product emits throughout its life. The Carbon Reduction Label, recently launched in Australia by Planet Ark, provides a credible label for products that have had their carbon footprint certified to international standards.

Green or sustainable cleaning is still in its infancy in Australia and the cleaning industry still lacks regulations, guidelines and compliance from bodies such as the

GBCA1. Therefore it is up to suppliers to show leadership and users to demand accountability, as many already have. It is always easier to stay ahead of the ball than play catch-up. n

Footnotes: 1.

Green Star is the environmental building rating system by the Green Building Council Australia (GBCA)

Reprinted with permission from Bridget Gardner and Inclean Magazine www.incleanmag.com.au

Bridget Gardner is director of Fresh Green Clean, a consulting and training company in sustainable cleaning and hygiene. She is considered by many as Australia’s leading independent expert in the field. For more information contact Bridget at or visit www.freshgreenclean.com.au

‘Readily Biodegradable’ Claims: the fact and fiction By DR.TREVOR GLASBEY

Biodegradability is a term that is commonly used when marketing ‘green-cleaning’ products. Most people understand what this means, but the majority are unsure how to identify what is a credible claim on a ‘green-cleaning’ product.

any ‘green-cleaning’ products make claims such as “Super Biodegradability” and “100% Biodegradable”.These claims are deceptive and misleading to consumers when they are stated without scientific testing or verification.This deceptive marketing activity is referred to as ‘greenwashing’. The phrase ‘Readily Biodegradable’ describes the process of matter breaking down to create organic by-products that will re-enter the environment safely. The term ‘Readily’ means to do so quickly. In Australia there is a standardised test method for determining biodegradability and it is called Australian Standard AS4351. There are several parts to this standard and part 2 refers to testing for biodegradability in an aqueous medium; the most appropriate for cleaning products. While there are also OECD tests for biodegradability, the Australian Standard AS4351.2 was chosen by Australian scientists because it is a robust test on the fully formulated product. OECD tests (and similar tests mandated by the European Union) are primarily used for

testing a single ingredient. Unfortunately it is not uncommon for ‘green-cleaning’ products to claim that they are ‘Readily Biodegradable’ if they contain only one ingredient that has passed the test. A common misconception about ‘green-cleaning’ products is if you combine only biodegradable ingredients, then the full formula must be biodegradable too. Unfortunately this is not always the case. Firstly, when chemical ingredients are combined into a formulated product, some mixtures may interfere with the bacteria responsible for biodegradation. This is known as the ‘Inhibition Phenomenon’. Secondly, a manufacturer may rely on biodegradability information from raw ingredient suppliers that may be irrelevant to green-cleaning chemicals.

Dr. Trevor Glasbey Senior Research Chemist, Whiteley Corporation

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‘Readily Biodegradable’ Claims: the fact and fiction < Unfortunately relying on single ingredient testing is not an accurate indicator of a full product’s biodegradability. The only true method for determining if a product is readily biodegradable is full-formula testing. But why is this not a common practice in the industry? It is simple: fully-formulated products are much harder to pass AS4351 than a single ingredient. Without full-formula biodegradability testing, there is no way to know what a ‘green-cleaning’ product will do to the environment and waterways and unfortunately little-to-no action has been taken in this market segment by the various consumer watchdogs. By law chemical manufacturers must provide a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) identifying the hazardous risks, health and safety risks, and even environmental risks phrases. These are usually available online or by direct request from the manufacturer but are rarely offered as part of the marketing collateral. If you were to take a closer look at the MSDS’s of some ‘green-cleaning’ products on the market today, you may be shocked by some of the phrases they contain; these may include “Harmful to the environment”, “Toxic to aquatic organisms” and even “Avoid release to the environment”..! Many ‘green-cleaning’ products in the market claim that raw materials used are derived from “natural” ingredients and therefore the product is environmentally responsible. The reality is that many naturally occurring resources can also have an adverse impact on the environment in their application. It defies logic to have a product made from “natural” ingredients if they are harmful to the environment!! Identifying credible environmental claims on ‘green-cleaning’ products is not an easy task for consumers but it is vital that they know the facts from the fiction when making environmental choices. Again, the critical part of assessing environmental impact is biodegradability and the best method to determine this is full formula testing by Australian Standard AS4351. After all, it is the entire product that eventually enters the environment: not just its individual ingredients. n

Cleaning with Microfibre Mops By ERIC GAUDET

efore discussing microfibre as it relates to floor care, it is important to understand what microfibre is and how it works. Microfibre is a synthetic material that consists of an interlocking blend of two fibres: polyester and polyamide. Polyester is a fibre that is useful for polishing and cleaning, while polyamide is a fibre that is absorbent and quick-drying. When the two fibres are combined, the individual qualities of both fibres unite, creating the uniqueness and effectiveness of microfibre as a material. The revolutionary technology and effectiveness of microfibre lies in the construction of each strand. Each microscopic strand of microfibre has been split, creating millions of tiny hooks that attract, absorb, and

remove all kinds of dirt, dust, and bacteria from a surface. Each strand of fibre is shaped like a wedge, trapping the dirt until it is washed. Since the dirt gets trapped in the fibres, the same microfibre mop head can be used for a longer period of time, cleaning larger surface areas before having to be laundered. Each square inch of microfibre contains approximately 90,000 fibres. With the popularity and usefulness of microfibre cloths and improvements in the technology over the past decade, manufacturers have combined the cleaning abilities of mops with the effectiveness of microfibre to create one of the latest microfibre innovations: microfibre mops. In many instances, microfibre mops are actually lower-cost than traditional mops. Although you may need to buy a larger quantity of microfibre mops than you would traditional

mops, the product life is much longer for the microfibre mops. Microfibre mops are quickly gaining popularity in the professional cleaning and housekeeping industry for many reasons. Unlike traditional cotton mops that tend to push or smear dirt and grime, microfibre mops actually get underneath the dirt and scrape it from the surface, eliminating or greatly reducing any need for chemicals. Microfibre mops also require less water to clean than traditional mops, which is good for multiple reasons, including that the microfibre mops are going to weigh less for the end-user and the floor surface is going to dry quicker. A mop that weighs less and a surface that dries quicker is beneficial to both the employer and employee, as there will potentially be less injuries and thus, less compensation claims.

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Microfibre mops absorb significantly more dirt, dust, and bacteria than any ordinary mop. Microfibre mops clean more efficiently than traditional mops and are also lightweight, allowing more mop heads to be added to each wash cycle.

Cleaning with Microfibre Mops (continued) Microfibre mops are ergonomically better for your staff because they will be less fatigued as the mops require less labor for effective cleaning.

Styles of Microfibre Mops Microfibre mops are available in a variety of styles, sizes, and colors. Not only are microfibre mops ideal for cleaning floor surfaces, but walls and ceilings as well. The flat mop comes in a range of sizes up to 45cm which seems to be a most popular option. Microfibre wet, flat mops including looped and scrubbing, are ideal for smaller surface areas. Microfibre looped wet mops provide easy gliding across smooth surfaces, such as wood, tile, VCT, and marble, while microfibre scrubbing wet mops work well with slate, stone, and uneven tile. Microfibre tube mops are an ideal replacement for string mops, offering excellent absorbency and scrubbing power for larger surface areas, such as lobbies and ballrooms. Microfibre fringed dust mops pick up dirt and dust electrostatically rather than pushing it around, thus working better and lasting longer than traditional mops.

Green Cleaning As previously mentioned, microfibre mops require less water than traditional mops and little or no chemicals to clean effectively. For those who have a Green initiative, using microfibre would be a significant step in reducing water waste and unnecessary use of chemicals. Reducing chemicals to nearly nothing is better for both the environment as well as the air quality in the facility being cleaned. Microfibre mops also absorb significantly more dirt, dust, and bacteria than any ordinary mop. Microfibre mops clean more efficiently than traditional mops and are also lightweight, allowing more mop heads to be added to each wash cycle. Microfibre mops also have a much longer life span

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than traditional mops – lasting hundreds of launderings, helping to greatly reduce turnover and waste. Microfibre mop heads should only be washed in cool water and tumble dried, which further helps to save energy as compared to high heat settings, which should never be used on microfibre.

Prevent Cross Contamination Microfibre mops are available in several colors and make a great addition to any color coding program. If you already have a color coding program in place for rags and cloths, it is important not to forget to add floor care to your program. Benefits of color coding include infection control, preventing cross contamination, identifying between departments, differentiating for specific tasks, helping to keep track of inventory, simplifying employee training, and helping to bridge any language barriers. Implementing microfibre mops into your color coding program can actually be a simple addition. For example, if you use red rags in a restroom, you may want to con sider using red mop heads for the restroom; or if you use blue rags in a common area, consider using blue mop heads for that area. In fact, mop heads are meant to be changed out frequently between different rooms, surfaces, or applications. For instance, if you are cleaning a healthcare facility, it is recommended that the microfibre mop head be changed out for each patient room and a different style be used for a common hallway. This will further prevent any chance of cross contamination because only one mop will be used per room and the cleaning solution or water will not be contaminated. Also, due to the unique composition of microfibre, it actually does not harbor bacterial growth, unlike that of traditional mops, therefore eliminating any opportunity for odors to exist. As awareness continues to increase on such topics as infection control, Green initiatives, and ergonomics in the workplace, the more microfibre mops will shine in the spotlight. If you havenít already done so, now may be the ideal time to at least consider investing in microfibre mops for your facility. n

Eric Gaudet is the Marketing Director at ERC Wiping Products, Inc

Specifying The Correct Entrance Mat By Daniel Ranten Allway Matting

Selecting the correct matting for your hotel is absolutely critical.

o put it simply, the placement of incorrect matting can be a total ‘pain in the neck’ not to mention the appearance, OH&S risk and costly compensation claims. You’ve probably heard the stories, or possibly seen it for yourself, occasions when potentially brilliant Entrance Matting creates a disaster area in your hotel. Do you have a mat that slips? Curls? Or simply does not work effectively? Do I have to have a mat? These are common questions about matting for hotels. Research shows that about 70% of the dirt and dust in any building is brought in on shoes. This makes a quality and correctly specified mat essential. A correctly specified matting system will trap and hold dirt and dust whilst drying the shoe – therefore reducing the risk of stains or a potential slip. A potential slip can start with the mat moving on the floor surface causing a hump in the mat or an unsteady surface. For greater stability on carpeted surfaces, a cleated backing is advised. These are small rubber protrusions, approximately 35,000 per square meter, which are usually moulded to the rubber backing. These cleats coalesce with the carpet fibres and greatly reduce movement. For total stability on tiled or smooth surfaces a genuine rubber backed product with a smooth underside is recommended. Many Entrance Mats only have ‘PVC’(vinyl) backing which over time tends to go very hard, causing the mat to slip easily, especially if small grains of sand work their way under the mat. Genuine rubber backed mats tend to keep their softness and have a far greater slip resistance. Some Entrance Mats have a very thin edge, which is just a continuation of the backing. These mats are common offenders of curling or breaking. Constant foot traffic and trolleys cause the

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Specifying The Correct Entrance Mat (continued)

< thin edge to slowly lift at the point where the edge meets the fibre. Eventually these mat edges curl or break. The exposed fibre is then subject to wear from the side often causing de-lamination from the backing and therefore a severe trip hazard. Products such as Entrano Premier #295 Entrance Matting (pictured above) has a moulded bevelled edge which is ramped up to the height of the matting fibre, causing a much stronger construction. These mats are sold through some matting companies with a 3 Year Warranty against edge curling! Some hotel managers suggest that when the mats get old they don’t remove much grit. This is a typical example of an incorrect matting choice. With so many hundreds of matting products available, how do I know which one will work? Most Entrance Mats will work reasonably well when brand new, but constant wear and heavy foot traffic pounds the fibres down, making the top surface lose its brush effect and removing the high and low pattern. The pattern or the ‘high’ & ‘low’ in the fibre of an Entrance Mat is what cleans the shoe. A mat that has gone very flat allows the dirt to sit on top of the mat’s fibre surface, only to get tracked on further by the next passing footsteps. Professional matting consultants are now recommending a re-enforced pattern for entrance mats that are placed in high traffic areas. Entrance Mats with a Reinforced pattern have rubber protruding from the backing up into the ‘High Parts’ of the pattern – but beneath the fibre. These mats do not flatten, and provide the longest life and the best shoe clean. Specifying the correct Entrance Mat can save hotel owners a lot of the “pains in the neck” from both OH & S and appearance perspectives. n

Difficult Conversations By GREVIS BEARD Worklogic Consulting Pty Ltd

here are conversations that many people dread. Speaking with a colleague about issues such as performance concerns, a complaint against them, inappropriate behaviour or redundancy can be confronting and challenging.

We see many workers’ compensation claims, employee complaints and allegations of breach of workplace policy that flow from either a one-off, or series of difficult conversations. Do any of these situations sounds familiar in your workplace?

The employee takes stress leave and makes a WorkCover claim for bullying. •

A team leader runs the team like a fiefdom, encourages backstabbing, ignoring feedback from the team and hiring people who do not challenge authority. No-one in the team feels brave enough to question his leadership as standards are being met, but morale is low. The team is constantly changing as no self respecting employee wants to stay around for long, and the turnover and recruitment costs are getting out of control.

•

A room attendant feels that everything her co worker says is a criticism.The personality clash that develops as a consequence means they are struggling to work constructively together. Others are picking up on the tension, and it is affecting service standards.

•

A room service manager becomes so frustrated with an employee’s long-standing incompetence that a conversation between them about occupational health and safety turns into a free-for-all, in which she ‘invites’ the employee to resign.Three

Consider these examples: •

A performance supervisor who hates any discussion which feels like ‘conflict’. The supervisor rushes through a performance development meeting, criticises the employee’s performance, does not give the employee and opportunity to respond and fails to outline a structure to assist the employee to improve.

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months later, the hotel is settling a costly unfair dismissal claim because there is no record of any prior performance management. The reality is that difficult conversations are inevitable in the workplace, and it is important that they are conducted well. Increasingly, Worklogic Consulting is being asked by clients to provide coaching for managers and training for teams in the fine art of having difficult conversations. As noted below, there are some basic principles which, when applied carefully, can turn a risky situation into a development opportunity for both parties.

Be proactive Delaying difficult conversations can escalate a situation, increase the stakes, and lead to a build up of emotion over time. In our experience, ignoring a misbehaving or under-performing employee will never result in an improvement in performance. It is more likely the supervisor will become increasingly frustrated until an ill-prepared blow-up occurs in the heat of the moment. To avoid long-term problems and heated exchanges, be proactive and raise concerns as they occur to minimise the potential fallout. Think carefully about having the conversation by email, unless there is a good reason why you would need to document everything in writing. Emails are impersonal and too easy to misinterpret. It is far too easy to fire off an email containing comments that you would never say to the person’s face. If you anticipate that the conversation is going to be difficult, the subject matter is sufficiently important to discuss in person.

Be prepared Before you meet together, prepare for the conversation. What is your objective? – for example is it to improve a relationship, resolve a problem or provoke learning? Then think about the best way to achieve it. Have all the relevant information available to you. Consider carefully, before you meet with the staff member, what the issue is, how it can be rectified and what the next step in the process is. Be as specific as you can and avoid generalities. If possible, write a script for yourself, setting out the behaviour you want to address. Use specific examples of the problem at hand. Indicate that you want to resolve the issue, and invite the other person to explain their perspective. Think about what language you will use. For example, “I want to talk with you about your interaction with guests” gives a very different impression to “I need to talk to you about the rude manner in which you talk to the guests”. Focus on the problem, not the person. Give the other person a real opportunity to explain their perspective. You may want to keep them talking with open-ended questions like “That’s interesting. Why do you say that?”, and “What do you think needs to happen next?” They may well come up with the way to resolve the issue. In advance, consider the different ways in which the staff member may respond to what you plan to say. If you anticipate that the person may become angry or upset, consider how you might respond. For example, you may decide to have information about an employee

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assistance program at your disposal, or you may need to contact security. There may also be circumstances where having another person present will be beneficial to one or both of you, such as a support person or a witness.

Be honest and fair Don’t disguise the real reason you are meeting, understate the importance of the issue or avoid the truth. We have seen too many performance reviews in which the supervisor intended to give a warning about failure to improve, and the staff member came out of the same meeting feeling happy and affirmed. Give the staff member the time to consider what you have said and the opportunity to give their perspective. It may be that they need some time to reflect before they are in a position to respond constructively. Listening to what the staff member has to say is a fundamental, but often overlooked part of any exchange.

Be empathetic If you can, consider the ideal time or location for the conversation. Some employees would prefer to be able to leave work for the day immediately following the conversation while others would prefer to have the conversation at the start of the day so they can “get it over with”. In terms of location, it may be that having the conversation at a “neutral” location is necessary to avoid interruption or observation. Be aware that what you are saying is not only difficult to say but difficult to hear. No matter what words you are using, what the other person actually hears and what they take away from the conversation will be affected by their past experiences, personality, culture, attitudes, fears, anxieties, emotional intelligence and assumptions. Choose your words carefully and be mindful of your tone, as well as your body language and other non-verbal communication. Focus on the behaviour or actions of the staff member and avoid unnecessary criticism of the person. Also think about your own emotional reactions.Your feelings can be informative of what matters to you in this situation. Know your triggers, and the limits of your role and responsibility. Deliberately decide to demonstrate ‘detached concern’ during the meeting and if you get overwhelmed, take a break.

Be prudent Carefully document what is said and by whom, what the issues are, and any agreed outcomes during the conversation. Written confirmation shortly after the event – either in a private file note or an email to the other person confirming your understanding of the discussion - is also important. It can avoid confusion or misunderstanding, and will ensure that later you have a record of the conversation if the matter does not resolve. As we all know from our personal lives, sometimes a difficult conversation – when handled with care – can leave the participants with a better understanding of each other’s perspective and a greater clarity about expectations. With preparation, a preparedness to listen, honesty and respect, a difficult conversation can become a constructive interaction for which everyone is grateful. Good luck! n

Sustainability Makes Business Sense By STEVE DUGGAN

More and more hotels around the world are becoming trailblazers for green trends – and for good reasons. According to online booking site Travelocity, eco-friendly properties get more positive reviews and higher grades than their nongreen counterparts. In fact, most of the major online search sites for hotels have Green Hotel Directories and Green Hotel Programs that help eco-friendly properties stand out among consumers.

ut there’s more to being green than just publishing a mission statement or creating a public relations campaign. It needs to be a whole-hearted, top-down, ongoing commitment on the part of all staff members, to minimize harm to the environment.That at the very least should involve: • • • • • •

Waste minimization, reuse, recycle, reduce; Energy efficiency and conservation; The use of alternative fuel sources, nonozone depleting or bio-based products; Simple measures - like switching to energy efficient lighting; low-flow faucets and toilets; and Changing to environmentally responsible guest amenities.

Being green also requires a consistent mindset—a collective and social conscience

aimed at continually working toward ways, means, systems and products that will ensure your property’s operations will have a positive—not negative impact on the environment.

Here are some great reasons to go green... 1. It’s what your guests want you to be. •

A recent Deloitte & Touche1 USA study of green attitudes among travellers found that 41% consider environmental issues when choosing a hotel and 13% actually review a hotel’s environmental policy before booking a Reservation.

•

A 2010 J.D. Power and Associates2 study found that 68% of guests surveyed said they were aware of their hotel’s conservation efforts and, among these guests, 73% participated in their hotel’s conservation programs.

•

A special report issued by Conde Nast3 revealed that 70% of travellers will choose pricier accommodations if the hotel contributes to the community and a whopping 96% believe hotels should be responsible for the environment they operate in.

2. It’s a requisite for being in business. These days, companies everywhere are coming to the realization that if they aren’t part of the environmental solution, then they’re part of the problem. We all know what happens to businesses that are perceived as environmentally irresponsible; they lose guests.

3. It’s where the whole industry is heading. A growing number of properties in the hospitality industry are focusing on developing their green brand. In fact, according to an article in Hotel Business4, 80% of all purchasing agencies cited an increased demand for green products from Hotel Groups and Property Management. So in other words… if you don’t go green, your competitors surely will. 4. It’s the right thing to do. Being green helps to improve the quality of life in your local community – and the world at large, now and in the future.

The benefits to you: Being green helps elevate the guest experience, and an increasing number of your customers are looking for that experience. Also it: • • •

will help increase occupancy levels and add $’s to your bottom line profit; saves you money on power and water consumption; lowers your carbon footprint;

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Sustainability Makes Business Sense (continued) •

• • • •

may gain additional business from Government departments or business who’s policy is to stay at environmentally friendly accommodation; sets you apart from your competitors; helps protect the resources that sustain our industry; fosters a sense of responsibility; and improves your property image and brand positioning.

Sustainable practices that hotels can implement

Make the move to compact fluorescent light bulbs in guestrooms, lobbies, and hallways. Use sensors and/or timers for areas that are infrequently used. Educate your staff to turn off lights and turn down heating/air conditioning when rooms are unoccupied.

Provide a recycling bin in the guestroom for newspaper, white paper, glass, aluminum, cardboard and plastic items.

Switch to drought resistant native plants in garden areas.

Provide recycling bins both in public areas, kitchen, and in the back office to make recycling as easy as possible for guests and staff.

Where possible use nontoxic cleaners, sanitizers, paints, pesticides, etc. throughout the hotel. Replace exit signs with Light Emitting Diode (LED) exit signs.

Start a linen reuse program in all guest rooms.

Install low-flow showerheads and sink aerators.

10. Use recycled paper products and print with soy-based inks.

The National Cleaning & Hygiene Expo

Clean & Green feature area, the NCSA gala dinner and numerous networking opportunities for visitors to CleanScene.

roduct exhibitions, workshops, seminars as well as a conference, demonstration stage and feature area are some of the highlights of the CleanScene:The National Cleaning & Hygiene Expo this year. CleanScene: The National Cleaning & Hygiene Expo will be held at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre between 5 April and 7 April with participation from cleaning contractors, facility and building managers, purchasing managers, OHS professionals, training managers and government agencies. In addition to a huge range of cleaning products and services from a diverse group of exhibitors, there will also be free workshops, NCSA seminars, the Cleanlink conference, a demonstration stage, the

Nine free seminars are being organised by the National Cleaning Suppliers Association (NCSA) over the three days of the show including presentations by Diversey, Dyson, the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning & Restoration Certification and the Lennox Institute. Covering subjects from slips and falls, sustainable cleaning and hand sanitisation to fair work laws, the seminar series is open to all visitors to CleanScene. The CleanScene exhibition will feature new releases in traditional cleaning supplies such as brushes, mops, sweepers, scrubbers, cleaning chemicals and vacuums as well as new technologies and ecofriendly alternatives such as ionised water, testing devices and laboratory services, and waterless washroom alternatives. Going beyond cleaning and hygiene, CleanScene will also offer facilities managers and building services professionals, new ideas in graffiti removal,

11. Always purchase appliances with the best energy star rating. 12. When refurbishing make sure you use furniture that is FSC certified and is made from recycled materials. So lighten your footprint, and capture a competitive advantage for your property. Concept Amenities has just released a Guide of useful facts and tips for Hotels wanting to go green. If you would like to receive a free copy please email me: Steve@ conceptamenities.com n Source: 1.

Deloitte & Touche USA LLP (2008) “Industry Trends 2008: Tourism, Hospitality & Leisure”, Section 5. Environmental and Social Responsibility, page 6.

J.D. Power and Associates (2010) “J.D. Power and Associates Reports: As Industry Begins to Rebound from Downturn, Satisfaction with Hotels Increases Notably”, press release issued 27/7/10.

Conde Nast Traveller (2010) “The Perrin Report: Digital Tools for Luxury Savings: where to find new super savings on luxe hotels”, press release issued March 2010 on http://www.concierge.com

Hotel Business, July 2008.

waste management and high access equipment. NUCCRA’s co-located Cleanlink Cleaning and Restoration Conference will run during the first two days of the show and is open to anyone involved in the carpet, upholstery, hard floor and restoration industries. ‘Rev Up Your Business Engine’ is a conference program with expert speakers focusing on technical and business topics. The demonstration stage is an innovative concept that allows exhibitors to present their products and services to CleanScene visitors in a dedicated area. Exhibitors such as SEJ Solutions, Powerclean Industries Australia and SEBO Australia have already signed up to display their new product releases in action. Trade shows such as Safety In Action as well as Melbourne Materials Handling are co-located alongside CleanScene.

 www.cleansceneshow.com.au

Refurbish, Refresh & Relax with Polesy

efurbishing a facility can be an expensive and confusing process. However, it has been our experience at H Polesy & Co Pty Ltd (Polesy) that refurbishments are best managed in stages; this is where Polesy can provide a manchester package containing fitted bedspreads, quilts, pillows, runners and a lot more to suit the customer’s needs. Our success has been in supplying various ranges of products to meet diverse types of accommodation requirements ranging from budget style caravan parks and hostels to high end luxury hotels. From order to delivery, our Sales Staff are on hand to make the process simple and painless for the customer. H Polesy & Co Pty Ltd is an Australian, family owned, ISO accredited company that has been in operation for over 50 years and is a leading supplier of textiles

in Australia. With warehouses located throughout Australia and offices in most major cities, Polesy provides a simple and timely solution to meet the customer’s needs. Polesy sources all manchester products from both mills and manufactures and directly imports to one of their 4 warehouses, thus eliminating the middle man and ensuring the best possible value for the customer. Polesy’s refurbishment packages are available in three levels and start as low as $259 + GST. These packages are fully customisable and provide interchangeability with other products to allow packages to be tailor made to suit individual requirements. Custom design runners, cushions and bed valances are also a part of the Polesy service. QUEEN BED Refurbishment Essential Package $259.00 includes: 1 x Polyester Quilt 4 x Pillows 4 x Pillow Protectors 1 x Mattress Protector 1 x Printed Doona cover

or Printed Bedspread, fully reversible 1 x Curtain 100% Blackout Pinch Pleated based on 228cm drop x 300cm For more information contact a Polesy representative: SA Phone: (08) 8261 0211 Fax: (08) 8261 0488 VIC Ph: (03) 9362 0075 Fax: (03) 9362 0085 NSW Ph: (02) 9311 4191 Fax: (02) 9311 4505 QLD Ph: (07) 3806 4100 Fax: (07) 3806 4140 WA Ph: (08) 9248 4515 Fax: (08) 9249 9855

All prices exclude delivery. Spend $500+ and get free delivery to Capital City Metro Areas. Prices above are exclusive of GST. Stocks are subject to availability. 30 Day Accounts are available to approved customers. All sales are subject to Terms & Conditions available upon request or at our web site www.polesy.com.au.

C O M PA N Y P R O F I L E

R Weatherdon & Co Pty Ltd

Robert Weatherdon, Managing Director

For a company that started out selling biscuits, it is indeed quite a leap to hotel guestroom products. But that’s how it all began in 1975 for R.Weatherdon & Co.

ounded in the Sydney suburb of Artarmon by Rob and Judy Weatherdon, the company started life importing ranges of confectionery from New Zealand, distributing to the leading retailers and the (then) large numbers of independents. With travel overseas came new opportunities and the food business was quickly swallowed up, so to speak, by office products and hotel supplies from Asia. Indeed the company has had an office in Taiwan since 1981. The company was well placed to be at the forefront of the boom in hotel construction throughout Australia during the 1980s,

supplying most of the leading hotels at that time with a range of high quality Japanese lacquerware such as bins, tissue boxes, trays and ice buckets. “We really made a name for ourselves with those products”, says managing director Robert Weatherdon, son of Rob and Judy. “It is in fact a mixed blessing. Even today many customers think of us as selling high quality guestroom products which is nice, but many also tend to forget about the long list of other products we sell, not necessarily highly priced.” Robert joined the company in 1995, having previously worked as a finance journalist for the Australian Financial Review and Sydney Morning Herald for five years following university. He remembers those early days as a child helping out in the store fondly. “It wasn’t the store work so much as the tea breaks with all the chocolate biscuits on offer!” The company’s products today are a world away from those early times. It now stocks more than 500 SKUs and is an industryleading supplier of room bins and accessory items such as ironing boards and covers. “We like to say everything that the guest shouldn’t take with them,” Robert notes.

More recently the company has been developing its own Nero brand of electrical products. “We imported our first kettle nearly 10 years ago and have gradually expanded that range to cater for the varied needs of the accommodation industry.” Irons were added in the past year as well as toasters for the apartment market. Hairdryers are planned to be added in 2011. “The success of Nero has been really encouraging,” Robert adds. “It has already been selected as a brand standard by several leading hotel chains.” Robert and older sister Denise are the only two family members out of 16 staff. Even though the company is Sydney based, it has offices in both Melbourne and the Gold Coast. Over 36 years the company has had several moves as it progressively outgrew each location. Today it is headquartered in St Leonards in Sydney only a few hundred metres from where it started operations with those biscuits and chocolates way back in 1975. n

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ocated on world-famous Bondi Beach, the Swiss-Grand Resort & Spa is a 4.5 star all-suite property overlooking Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most famous stretch of sand. The Swiss-Grand features 203 suites, many with balconies and some with ocean views. The Swiss-Grand is located only 20 minutes away from the city centre and Sydney Airport, making it an ideal escape for both the holidaymaker or business traveller alike. All modes of transport are readily available close by to the resort. Complete with stunning ocean views, the Swiss-Grand Resort & Spa boasts some of the finest leisure services available. This award winning international property offers full resort facilities with a choice of either king or twin suites with adjoining lounge rooms. Suites open onto private balconies

with views of either the local district or over to magnificent Bondi Beach. Hotel features include an outdoor rooftop pool, Samsara Day Spa, Body Xpress Health Club including indoor lap pool and Internet access in guest rooms and hotel lobby. The outdoor rooftop has 180Â° views of Bondi Beach and is the ideal location for a casual welcome event or buffet lunch. The hotel is within easy walking distance of the beach and beautiful Bondi to Bronte coastal walks, Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre, a number of food restaurants and bars to suit Bondiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vibrant nightlife. For the more actively inclined, there are a number of activities close by such as the North Bondi Golf Club golf, Bondi Tennis Centre and surfing lessons available at Bondi Beach. Experience the difference. n

profile

Elizabeth Vega Patience is a virtue

lizabeth Vega is the Housekeeping Manager for Wyndham Vacation Resorts in Sydney where she has worked for just over 4 years. Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific develops, markets, sells and provides consumer financing to Owners for vacation ownership interests in a network of 21 vacation ownership resorts in the Asia Pacific region and serves more than 43,000 vacation owners throughout Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. Wyndham Vacation Resorts (a division of Wyndham Vacation Ownership) has its Asia Pacific corporate office on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia and employs more than 1100 staff. She is responsible for 120 serviced apartments with a total of 20 Housekeeping staff to service the resort as well as for the cleaning of common areas such as walkways and car parks. Elizabeth was born in the Philippines but moved to Hong Kong with her parents when she was 4 years old. She was educated to high school level and at the age of 17, took her first position at the Royal Gardens Hotel in Hong Kong as a runner; delivering and handling guest requests. After 3 years she applied to become a room attendant, a position she held for a further 5 years. In need of a change, Elizabeth took a slightly different turn within the tourism industry and became a customer service attendant for Cathay Pacific based in Hong Kong. A position she absolutely loved, dealing with and meeting many different people. She held this position for 10 years when she married. Her husband is a pastry chef at the Hermitage fine dining restaurant. Her introduction to Australia was by way of a holiday, so in 1998 she and her husband migrated to Australia settling in Sydney. She was offered a position at the Savoy Serviced Apartments as a Housekeeping supervisor, which she says was a challenge learning much about O.H. & S as well as adjusting to the Australian work culture. After several months, she moved to Avillion Hotel Sydney (now

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the Rydges Hotel), a 445 room property where she stayed for 4 years working as a Housekeeping supervisor. From there she again decided to return to the tourism sector becoming a reservation clerk for the Small Luxury Hotels of the World network. After 12 months, she returned to the Housekeeping sector to pursue again a position of Housekeeping supervisor at the Stamford Plaza Hotel at Sydney Airport. Whilst there were only 290 rooms, her challenges included turning around rooms at all times over a 24 hour period commensurate with an airport hotel. Returning again to airline customer service, she went to work for Singapore Airlines working on the 1st class counter at Sydney Airport, where her knowledge of languages was a distinct advantage. Elizabeth can speak, English, Tagalog and Cantonese. After a few months Elizabeth returned once again to Housekeeping, working for AHS for a year before taking up her current role. One of Elizabeth’s main challenges is dealing with timeshare guests. She says they can be quite demanding because of their perceived “ownership” of the property, but her role in customer service has helped her deal with all situations. She, like many other Housekeeping Managers, has introduced the use of Microfibre Cloths into the operation and states that the staff enjoys using them. Another challenge she faces, like most Housekeepers, is the staffing and turnover of staff with the inevitable ongoing training that ensues, but insists she has the patience needed to cope. Elizabeth is a committee member of the NSW PHAN and is committed to its cause. Her personal cleaning tip is to use ordinary dishwashing liquid on the scum and body fat that is left on glass shower screens. As her mother worked as a seamstress in the hotel industry and 2 of her brothers are in the airline industry and being married to a Pastry Chef Elizabeth was destined for a career in hospitality. On her days off she likes to visit friends and have fun cooking for her husband on his days off, as he does for her on his! n

profile

Leonie Hunter Motivation, care and compassion for staff

hen interviewing Leonie Hunter, she was only in her second week as Executive Housekeeper for AHS at the Hilton South Wharf Melbourne. In this role, Leonie has total responsibility for the upkeep and cleanliness of the 396 guest rooms liaising with the Hiltons’ own Executive Housekeeper Vicki Curran who oversees the total operation including public areas. Leonie has travelled extensively in her role and in her own words “and have been paid for it”. Leonie has been employed by AHS for 3 years managing previously Crowne Plaza Torquay and the Mantra Erskine Beach Resort at Lorne as Regional Executive Housekeeper. Her first foray into the hospitality industry 15 years ago was flipping hamburgers in a café on Dunk Island where she stayed for 18 months working her way to supervisor in the café. Her first experience in Housekeeping was when she took up a position on Bedarra Island as the Guest Service Manager. As Bedarra had only 16 luxury units, Leonie had the time and interest to assist in Housekeeping when not fully occupied with guests. With this limited experience, Leonie left Bedarra after 4 months and took a position as Housekeeping supervisor at the Heritage Hotel, Brisbane working her way to Senior Supervisor. She stayed at the Heritage for 2 years before moving to Novotel Opal Cove Resort, Coffs Harbour, an Accor property, as Executive Housekeeper, a position she held for 3 years. In late 2000, she moved to Hayman Island as Assistant Housekeeper where she stayed for 18 months before being offered the chance to travel to Abu Dhabi and Dubai as the Housekeeping Training Consultant for the Millenium Hotels. Her work there included managing both an opening and a refurbishment. After 3 years she returned to Terrigal NSW briefly before being offered the chance to work in the Maldives with Nick Downing whom she had previously worked with on Hayman Island. After 8 months and a very hard opening, she took up a position as the Group Executive Housekeper for Federal Hotels based in Malaysia. She stayed only 6 months here as she did not enjoy Malaysia.

her family (2 sons, 4 grandchildren and 1 great granddaughter!) Because good Executive Housekeepers are in great demand, she soon received a phone call from Accor offering her the position at Grande Mercure, Broadbeach which was in the process of being rebranded as the Sofitel and so Leonie accepted the challenge of overseeing the rebranding. After 2½ years, she moved to the Sofitel, Fiji where she stayed for 12 months before returning to Australia and working for AHS. Leonie believes the challenges of today’s Executive Housekeepers are many, including the emphasis on improving standards overall as well as staff training particularly as there is an ever increasing demand on improving the bottom line. Working for an outsourcing company she believes she needs to balance the need of the client versus the need of her employer. When asked about her best Housekeeping experience, Leonie detailed the thrill she received by experiencing the excitement of the contracted staff when working in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Many of the staff came from impoverished backgrounds from places like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and who saw the chance for a better life wanting to learn as much as possible for self improvement as well as live in a beautiful place. All the hard work was met constantly by wanting to please and smiling as they did it! She sees her role as well as being a motivator of people and showing care and compassion for her staff. To this end she has completed a course in Social Sciences which helps her in the counselling of staff. She believes that to have a well organised efficient Housekeeping department, staff should be trained in a methodical way which then becomes a habit which makes the work quicker and easier. Leonie was born in Sydney and educated at Paddington Primary school and Darlinghurst Home Science schoolAs well as catching up with family in her free time, Leonie loves to read and sunbake but also has the interesting hobby of silk ribbon embroidery which she occasionally sells. She thanks her lucky stars for the last 15 years of working in Housekeeping and she is very proud of all her achievements. So she should be. n

At this stage, Leonie returned to the Gold Coast, Australia for a much needed break with

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Hospitalit-e – “Finance for Housekeeping Managers” a NEW online course

T For many years Lycette & Associates has been at the forefront of new technology in Housekeeping and has successfully delivered many different training programmes around the world.These workshops, courses and programmes have always been in a face-to-face environment, but from today the first course ‘Finance for Housekeeping Managers’ will be available online.

his project, Hospitalit-e was a collaboration between Lycette & Associates, Balfour College and PHAN (The Professional Housekeepers Association NSW).The course has been financed through a grant awarded under the Australian Flexible Learning Framework.The 2010 selection process for funding was highly competitive and Finance for Housekeeping Managers was picked from 150 project applications. The aims of the course are to empower and up-skill Housekeeping Managers in financial management competencies. Typically Housekeeping Managers in resorts, hotels, apartments, aged-care facilities and hospitals are: •

managing up to 200 staff with large budgets (in the millions).

•

recruited internally

•

learn on-the-job

•

unqualified

A skills gap was identified in finance where Housekeepers were held accountable for budgetary issues. Attending face-to-face training is challenging due to long working hours and geographically dispersed learners. The launch of the pilot took place in September 2010 at the Four Seasons Sydney. Fifteen PHAN members attended the face-to-face induction and 12 (80%) of the participants have since successfully attained all three units of competency in Finance as part of the Certificate IV course in Hospitality. The units of competency are as follows:

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•

SITXFIN003A – Interpret financial information

•

SITXFIN004A – Manage finances within a budget

•

SITXFIN005A – Prepare and Monitor budgets

The course has been divided into three modules and the design includes a range of delivery strategies and learning activities. Assessment is undertaken through online and work-based tasks. The course enables participants to use current work examples for learning and assessment, improving work performance and enhancing computer skills at the same time. Comments from some of the participants of the Hospitalit-e “Finance for Housekeeping Managers” pilot course: “All Executive Housekeepers and Senior Supervisors should take this course. It will give new direction to cost management and analyse the department views.” “Thank you for giving me the chance to be part of the pilot. It was hard but extremely enjoyable” “You are certainly making a difference for future housekeepers”… In December 2010, the Hospitalit-e project “Finance for Housekeeping Managers” was showcased at the Framework’s annual conference. The conference had two main themes, sustaining eLearning and new emerging technologies. The course then went even further and has just won an award at the Australian Regional Finals for 2011 “Learning Impact Awards”. L&A is very proud of this achievement!

About Lycette & Associates L&A specialises in all aspects of Housekeeping Management including on-site consulting, training and development workshops including assistance with initial set-up of housekeeping operations at the pre-opening stage. L&A also undertakes customised operational reviews of existing housekeeping operations identifying and improving the effectiveness and efficiency of current departmental procedures. For more information visit www.lycetteandassociates.com or e-mail info@lycetteandassociates.com About Balfour College Balfour College presents TAE40110 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and Hospitality programmes for 2011. Founded in 2001, a NSW VETAB Registered Training Organisation (No: 90754), Balfour College specialises in the following courses: • Training and Assessment • Hospitality For more information visit www.balfourcollege.com.au or phone 02 9191 8074.

The Hospitalit-e course “Finance for Housekeeping Managers” is now available to all those who wish to learn on-line in a supportive, interactive, engaging and flexible manner. The cost for this facilitated course is $450 + GST. There is plenty of opportunity for discussion and exchange of information including sharing of best practice. A virtual class environment! The next course will start on 9 May 2011. n

About the Australian Flexible Learning Framework The Australian Flexible Learning Framework (Framework) is the e-learning strategy for the vocational education and training (VET) sector. It provides the VET system with the essential e-learning infrastructure and expertise needed to respond to the challenges of a modern economy and the training needs of Australian businesses and workers. The Framework was launched as a strategy in 2000, responding to information and communication technology (ICT) developments in workplaces and society. The Australian Government and all states and territories agreed to work together nationally to advance the use of e-learning in VET. The 2008-2011 Framework Strategy maximises and builds on the national investment to date in essential e-learning infrastructure. It will focus on embedding e-learning in registered training organisations (RTOs), business and industry.

Floods, storms, water damage, cyclones... or is that just another footballer’s party gone wrong? By COL NATION

the intrusion and four ‘categories of damage’ that relate to how much and where is damaged. The water classes are:

With the enormous amount of rain and flooding we have had recently (particularly on the east coast of Australia) we thought this would be an opportune time to ask Col Nation to revisit the issue of flooding and water damage...

ater damage to carpet and furnishings can occur due to any number of causes. It could be weather related as we have seen in many parts of the country lately, or faults in the building, or could be caused by human intervention. Whatever the cause, contingency plans need to be developed so that you can deal with these types of emergency. This can range from plans for sourcing alternative accommodations to a box full of tricks and simple chemistry that can deal with the smaller ‘clean’ water damage situations which I will explain later in this article. For a start we need to categorise the type of water damage. In the restoration industry we talk about three ‘classes of water’ involved in

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White water, or “potable” water. This is water that you could drink or put in a cooking pot.

Grey water. This is used water from a washing machine, sink or used bath water that may contain some contamination either chemical or biological, but is not yet smelly or putrid.

Back water (brown water if you like). This is water that is grossly unsanitary. It is the backed up sewage, or water from across the ground, or water that may contain faecal matter (doggy doo, cow dung, human waste, depending on how and where the water comes from)

The water damage categories are: 1.

Water spilling across relatively small areas, but not enough to soak through floors. “Oops, I’ve overfilled the spa and the water has just made it out of the bathroom onto the carpet”

Water that is deep enough to start to soak into concrete floors and rise up porous materials such as plasterboard wall cladding, furniture and curtains and the like. “Oops, the dishwasher fill hose has burst and water is gushing everywhere”, or “Oops that storm drain next to the building now has cars floating down it and the water is coming in through the front doors”

Water that comes down from higher parts of the structure as it flows down from level to level. “Oops the roof top swimming pool has split and water is cascading down the stairs and flooding several floors along the way”. Water in basements and difficult access areas such as crawl spaces and open chambers and pits within the structure. “Oops the drain covers in the basement have lifted and sewage is now bubbling up into the underground car park and has filled the bottom of the lift well with a stinking sludge”.

On the other hand, a sewage spill (class 3) cascading down through a luxury high rise resort from the 16th floor of a building (category 3) will no doubt require some emergency evacuations and could possibly lead to some litigation for lost or damaged property and possibly illness or injury. It’s amazing the damage that can be caused by something as simple as the incorrect disposal of a nappy, or an ill fitting join in a major sewage pipe. The latter scenario will definitely be beyond the resources that you are likely to have on hand and this will require the outsourcing of a specialist water damage restorer.

Who can forget the recent footage of cars and cattle and debris floating down the raging rivers that are usually trickling streams? In Brisbane and many other towns, the flood water left stinking smelly mud ankle deep in homes and buildings. This mud has permeated into the porous structural components and much will simply have to be pulled out and re-built in order to ensure that ongoing smells and disease causing pathogens will not be a problem into the future.

By far the most common water damage situation is the simple overflowing bath. A staff member has filled the spa bath for cleaning and been working in another room while it is filling. They simply forget, until they move back to the room to continue work and have found the water flowing across to the carpet. Maybe a guest has mistaken the hair shampoo for the spa bath bottle and the bubbles have simply gone berserk and are now filling the lounge room to the amusement of other guests.

It doesn’t have to be a flood as dramatic as the recent events to cause ongoing odour and pathological problems in a building. A simple water leak from a shower can have long term disastrous affects in a building causing mould growth that can lead to long term illness, and in extreme cases can cause structural damage.

For these simple situations, a basic carpet Hot Water Extraction machine will be able to pull out the bulk of the water. This might be a bit more difficult when the water is full of bubble bath, but it can eventually get the job done.

Funny enough, water is not what causes most damage. Water may cause swelling of furniture and wall sheeting but it’s the microorganisms that grow in the water and chemicals that have been picked up along the way that cause the most damage.

Safety is always the first consideration. Carry out a risk analysis and eliminate or deal with risks.

Once white water hits a floor it picks up any soil and bacteria and becomes grey water. Depending on the temperature in the building, and soiling conditions of the floor, this can soon become putrid and will be classed black water. A class 1, category 1 water damage can often be dealt with in-house quite quickly with a small hot water extractor and a few simple chemicals to prevent bacterial growth and odours and get the place back in full operation, without too much inconvenience to guests.

the river level drops. Once the water has stopped entering the building you can then start to deal with the water mitigation and remediation. Before you start this work you need to classify the water type. Is it potable water, grey water or black water? This will help you define the need for appropriate personal protective equipment. Non slip, water resistant shoes and protective gloves are a start, but in the case of raining sewage, nothing short of full cover protective clothing and breathing apparatus is going to be needed. If you decide to tackle a small class 1 water damage job in-house, then you will need to assemble the right equipment and chemicals. If you do your own in-house carpet cleaning then you will have much of the equipment already.

Equipment 1.

A hot water extraction machine. These can range in price from a thousand dollars to many thousands of dollars.

A chemical sprayer. This could be as simple as a pump-up garden sprayer or a knapsack sprayer or electric sprayer.

A carpet drying fan. These are usually only a few hundred dollars and can be quite handy for other uses such as drying hard floors after cleaning.

A dehumidifier if the budget allows. These can cost thousands of dollars and are only economical if you have frequent damage or are unable to ventilate the damaged areas. They can be hired from some equipment hire places.

A carpet layers knee kicker, plus a hand full of tools, for lifting carpet to remove sodden underlay.

Large tough garbage bags.

Emergency battery powered lighting. (Torches)

Here are some basic procedures to deal with water damage situations:

As with any hazardous situation there are ‘acute’ and ‘chronic’ hazards. Acute basically means ‘here and now’ or ‘sharp or sudden’. Electrocution, trip or slip hazards are examples of ‘acute’ hazards. Deal with these first. This may mean cutting the power so you don’t get electrocuted from power cords in the water. Chronic means something that may develop over time. Disease and rusting structural components are an example of ‘chronic’ hazards.You can deal with these later. The next order of business is to stop the water. Turn off the mains if it is from the water supply. If it is from a flooding river then there is not a lot you can do other than sand bag or if necessary, evacuate and wait until

Chemicals to have on hand 1.

A quaternary based disinfectant / deodoriser. Not just an odour masking agent.You need something that will kill bacteria and prevent that class one water from turning into class three water.

Acetic acid or similar. This could be as simple as white vinegar or a commercial

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acid used in the carpet cleaning industry for the prevention of cellulosic browning. The commercial acidic preparations are better because do not make the place smell like fish and chips. 3.

•

in a dry area and be powered from a safe, dry supply.

frequently to avoid over drying of furnishings causing warping of tables and the like.

Apply an antimicrobial treatment into the damp carpet to help reduce the bacterial load in the carpet.

Restoration

A Woolsafe Approved carpet cleaning solution for the final cleaning of the carpet.

•

Extract more water with your extractor.

•

Keep extracting.

•

These chemicals are easily obtainable from suppliers of carpet cleaning products. A list of WoolSafe approved suppliers can be found on the WoolSafe website at www. woolsafe.com.au

Keep extracting.

•

Keep extracting.

If you decide that the job needs to be outsourced, then you may find that the local WoolSafe Certified Operator may be able to provide these services for you. Many operate a 24 hour service for water damage situations.

Basic Procedures The basic procedures for water damage, if you are going to try to do it yourself, may include, but are not limited to the following:

Safety first •

Turn off the power. Water and electricity are not good partners

•

Evacuate staff and guests if necessary. Be careful as there may be slip fall hazards and you may be relying on emergency lighting.

•

Isolate the water supply if water is coming from the mains supply.

•

Put on appropriate Personal Protective Equipment

•

Make sure the power is off and then remove power cords lying on the floor.

By this stage you will wish you had called in a contractor who has the right gear for the job. But, if you didn’t, keep extracting until you have removed as much water as possible. You may then have to lift the carpet to extract more water from the underlay. When you have taken as much water from the carpet as possible, you may have to lift it or at least roll it back to get to the underlay. Cut out and remove any wet sections of underlay. Place these in a garbage bag and put the end of the hot water extractor hose into the top of the garbage bag and let the vacuum squeeze out the excess water from the underlay. It makes it easier to save the underlay, or easier to cart it out to the waste bin without dripping all the way down the undamaged corridor carpet. Once you have removed the wet underlay, spray on some of the Quaternary based disinfectant onto the sub floor and backing of the carpet. Remember to wear an Organic Vapour Respirator when spraying chemicals such as this as they can be rather nasty on our delicate lungs.

•

Remove items such as magazines from the floor to prevent staining from print.

Loosely lay the carpet back over the now bare floor and lightly fix the carpet around the edges. Make sure you wear your protective gloves as this is where you can pick up little pin pricks that can give you some rather nasty diseases such as hepatitis or tetanus.

•

Remove valuable items from the immediate area.

Drying

•

Place sheets of plastic at the bottom of wooden furniture and bed posts, and wrap garbage bags around bottom of curtains to prevent them from getting wet as water ingresses into the carpet.

Preparation

Mitigation •

Extract the standing water with your extractor. This may need to be mounted

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Install your drying fan/s to blow across the top of your carpet. Do not place it underneath as it can tend to blow the carpet and remaining underlay all over the place and make the room inaccessible for other tasks. It will dry just as quickly if the air is blowing across the top. Install and monitor dehumidifiers if you have them to quickly dry everything out. They must be monitored

Once the carpet has been dried you can then replace the underlay and then refit the carpet. The carpet will then need to be cleaned to remove the final debris and chemical and (hopefully) dead bacteria residues. If there are large brown stains on the carpet after it dries, these might not necessarily be all that bad, unless the water was a class three of course, in which case, don’t bother trying to salvage it as it must be disposed of for health reasons. The brown “high tide” marks could simply be a condition called “cellulosic browning” which is a brown sugary chemical that comes from the jute backing on the carpet. Any good carpet cleaner worth his salt can deal with simple cellulosic browning. Remember that all the above is the minimum level of treatment for a simple class 1, category 1 level water intrusion. For all other situations I would really recommend calling a professional water damage restorer. Thankfully, these days I have moved on from this type of work and deal more with the consulting side of the carpet maintenance industry. I no longer get woken up at 2.00 am to wade around in wet smelly sewage. There are advantages to growing older after all. But there are many good professional services out there that can get you and your company back in the hospitality business quickly, and for a lot less money, and a lot quicker (and less messy) than doing it yourself. n

Col Nation is the Australian director of the WoolSafe Organisation in Australia. www.woolsafe.com.au He has over a quarter of a century of experience in dealing with carpet problems. Colin is also a WoolSafe Certified Operator who runs a specialty stain removal service on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland and is a WoolSafe Registered Inspector and travels all over Australia dealing with carpet related problems. Colin is also a qualified industry trainer with a Registered Training Organisation, The Daniels Associates www.danielsassociates.com.au which specialises in Cleaning and Hospitality training.

What’s Bugging You? By Neil Hodkinson

Unless you have been on a different planet for the last few years, you have probably experienced the nightmare of bed bugs. If you have avoided it – congratulations, but don’t get too complacent, your time will come.

t doesn’t matter how many stars you have, it doesn’t matter how clean your business is, the little buggers are driving businesses and customers nuts on a worldwide basis. The incidence of bed bugs has increased by an estimated 5000% in the last decade and the trend shows no sign of declining. Adult bed bugs are oval in shape, 5-6 mm long fully grown, and are fast on their feet. They are rust brown in colour and change to a deeper red brown following a feed. The juvenile stages, or nymphs, are lighter in colour and from 1-4 mm in length. Bed bugs are flat, and being thin means that they can hide in extremely narrow cracks and crevices. This makes finding them a real challenge. There are two main species that

bite humans – the common bedbug, and the tropical bed bug, the results are the same, pain for the customer and your customer service rep. Each time a bedbug grows to the next stage they need a blood feast. They will bite for 5- 10 minutes and them roll off the host and meander back to their hidey hole. Just because they are called bed bugs does not mean that this is where they live. They can be living in picture frames, book bindings, in drawers or gaps in the skirting board – the list is endless. The total life cycle from egg to adult can take as little as 6 weeks. They commonly live for at least six months up to a year and in that time can lay up to 500 eggs in their lifetime. If you are interested in the maths this means that

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one bedbug can turn into a nightmare faster than you can say “infestation”.

Do not nip down to the hardware store and buy a case of insect spray. It won’t kill them.

Over the last year these little travellers have shut down retail stores including Nike (Just Did It), movie theatres, office buildings, and even the Empire State Building locker rooms. It is estimated that these blood-suckers cost the Australian tourism industry alone $75m per annum.

What it will do is get them excited and potentially spread them into adjoining rooms, this is not a good idea.

They have been found on planes, trains and have become a scourge from New York to London. This month, British Airways have had to take two planes out of service due to complaints about bites from passengers. Some American hotels now request guests to take showers before entering a room; they’re given tracksuits and slippers to wear while their clothes are cleaned, one Las Vegas hotel replaces guests’ luggage with new suitcases. This may sound extreme, but even one customer who claims to be the victim of bed bugs can cost significant money in lawsuits and loss of business. So what solutions are there to this growing worldwide epidemic? Firstly we need to be sure that we have bed bugs and not some other infestation. It is not unusual for businesses to assume bed bugs when in fact a flea infestation may be the issue. The best source for information in my view is www.bedbug.org.au. This Australian website is run by The Department of Medical Entomology at Westmead Hospital and is a joint facility of the University of Sydney and the Institute of Clinical Pathology and Medical Research (ICPMR). The Department is part of the Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Laboratory Services (CIDMLS) and is the only Hospital/Academic Department of Medical Entomology anywhere in Australia. Steven Doggett has become “Mr Bed Bug” and has recently updated the Code Of Practice to its 3rd Edition.

You have the option of calling in the professional pest controllers, they generally charge between $300 and $450 per room, and cannot always offer a guarantee. Some pest controllers are very knowledgeable about the issue and some even have access to bed bug sniffer dogs to make discovery of the bed bug nests quicker and more complete. Unfortunately not all pest controllers are interested in this pest and many will decline the job. Given the current economic times, a lot of facilities won’t or cannot afford to get the professionals and will opt for a more in-house strategy. The most common remediation that such businesses opt for is vapour steam equipment. Bed bugs and all other pests can be killed by heat, a sudden burst above 45ºC will kill bed bug adults but 60ºC + is needed to assure complete kill of the eggs. Commercial steam units that offer continual refill are necessary. Smaller domestic type steam units do not have the boiler capacity to raise the temperature high enough and cannot sustain steam long enough to be of benefit. The beauty about steam is that anyone can use the equipment, it will kill all stages of the life cycle from eggs to adults and will also kill dust mites, fleas or any other organism that the steam touches. The other useful thing with the commercial steam units is that they have a vacuum system built in as well. This means that one unit can vacuum first and then steam any surfaces.

What’s Bugging You?

(continued)

means that rooms will be dry very quickly and there is no chemical smell which can be very off putting for guests. One disadvantage is that steam has no residual effect so pest control chemicals should be used after steam treatment to allow some residual effect on any bugs that may have been missed. Commercial Steam units capable of such work are very cost effective and a suitable unit is in the $2k -$3k range. With financing these can be working for you for as little as $20 per week. The beauty of the equipment is that it offers a myriad of other uses and benefits and is not purely limited to pest control. These units are commonly used for housekeeping duties, from cleaning tiles, grout, glass, window and door tracks, patios and patio furniture. They are excellent at spot cleaning carpets as well as cleaning bathrooms and tiles etc. So an investment in a quality vapour steam machine has many payoffs above and beyond bed bug control. So in conclusion, there are no simple quick fixes for the bed bug plague that is now upon us. The issue is not just local but has become an international nuisance. The pest control industry is actively seeking better systems and poisons, but given the fact that we are talking about bedrooms and mattresses, the choices are limited. Who would want to sleep in a room that smells of chemicals?

The website is home to the Bed Bug Code of Practice which is essential reading for anyone in the industry. I cannot recommend it enough.

Vapour steam is considerably different to “normal” steam. Vapour steam is formed at temperatures above 150ºC and at these temperatures steam becomes extremely dry, less than 5% moisture, as well as extremely safe. At these temperatures 1 litre of water converts into 1500 litres of steam.

The sooner you can educate your staff to the problem, the more likely any infestation can be found immediately and acted on. Time really is of the essence and a few short weeks can cause a minor problem to turn into a major expensive nightmare. I have seen 4 star resorts losing half of their accommodation for weeks to get control of an infestation.

So you’ve read the Code of Practice, you have bed bugs – what now?

As a consequence, a true commercial unit only uses 2-3 litres of water per hour. This

Sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite… n

The Executive Housekeeper

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Vacuum Designs that Address Key Cleaning Challenges By JENN SCHNEIDER

ven the best vacuum manufacturers in the world have to admit - the biggest problems and opportunities for facility maintenance managers are not about equipment.The hot-zone is around workers: worker turnover, worker well-being and worker productivity. As you think about purchasing your next set of vacuuming equipment, consider a solution that helps address these three challenges by offering enhanced performance, productivity and workerfriendly ergonomics.

Addressing Worker Turnover and Well-Being Typical annual turnover rates for cleaning professionals are reported to be about 75 percent. One way managers are addressing employee retention is by providing workers with easy-to-use tools that enable them to clean effectively, efficiently, safely and comfortably. When searching for your next set of vacuums, look for a design that has comfort in mind. Some backpack vacuums have design features such as a padded harness for comfort, range of motion and support. A backpack vacuum with a narrow profile offers unrestricted mobility and helps the user maneuver around furniture, tricky obstacles and cluttered office environments.

A handle made with ergonomics in mind. will help improve mobility, and an ergonomically designed arched handle keeps the user’s wrist and forearm bones aligned for optimum leverage and maneuverability. A vacuum with a built-in, center-balanced ergonomic handle makes it simple to lift and transport up and down stairs. These designs will ensure safer operations with less risk of injury. Also look for a backpack vacuum with a large frame, which distributes weight evenly to reduce worker fatigue and minimize heat transfer. Purchasing a lightweight vacuum, that weighs fewer than ten pounds, will help reduce fatigue.

Worker Productivity The key to increased worker productivity isn’t just buying equipment with a powerful motor - it’s the features that enhance (continued on page 18) cleaning efficiency by reducing the need for additional steps. Vacuum features that reduce the number of steps taken to clean a facility include an automatic carpet height adjustment, which improves worker efficiency by eliminating the need to manually adjust for different carpet heights. A vacuum that folds flat onto the floor can also increase productivity, by allowing a user to maneuver easily under and around furniture.

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< Another way to increase productivity is to use a vacuum that supports a one-pass cleaning method. The one-pass cleaning approach gives the user the ability to effectively and efficiently clean in a single pass, eliminating multiple tedious steps that usually result in shortcuts and ineffective cleaning performance. One-pass solutions provide cleaning professionals with the tools they need to vacuum, dust, and collect waste and recycling, without running back and forth to the supply closet. One-pass cleaning solutions are designed to reduce a cleaning professionalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s non-productive labor time, and some manufacturer testing has proven these solutions to cut this time by 66 percent. A one-pass solution does this by integrating a vacuum, dusting tools, and a waste and recycling collection system into one unit. One known design has a dolly-integrated vacuum that holds two can liners for collecting recyclable and general waste. It also incorporates a deluxe rim caddy with storage areas and tool grips to hold supplies, such as dusting cloths, for on-the-go cleaning. As cleaning professionals travel throughout a facility, they can collect and sort waste and recycling materials at one time, eliminating the need for a separate waste collection pass-through of an area. Without spending time running back to the supply closet to grab dusting equipment, the cleaning professional can transition quickly to surface cleaning by using the dusting cloths in the caddy. Then, with a switch of a button, cleaning professionals can turn on the powerful

commercialgrade vacuum. As they move from room to room, they can adjust the vacuumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s straight suction nozzle that includes a floor switch to move easily between low-pile carpet and hard-floor surfaces. Purchasing vacuum equipment that addresses the challenges of worker turnover, worker well-being and worker productivity can also have a tremendous impact on the bottom line. Using a solution that can be maneuvered easily ensures the safety of cleaning professionals, which can translate into cost savings. This is especially true in an industry where time is money and back injuries are the number-one reportable work place incidents. And since direct labor is responsible for more than 60 percent of the overall costs of contract cleaners, products that increase worker productivity can also save you money. So when searching for your next line of vacuum equipment, consider a system that helps confront the hot-zone by increasing performance and saving money. n

Jenn Schneider is a member of the cleaning equipment marketing team for Rubbermaid Commercial Products,

Worklogic Consulting prevents and resolves employee disputes, complaints and dysfunction. We provide strategic organisational advice, workplace audits, employee surveys, policy review and sophisticated training. Where a workplace dispute does arise, Worklogic investigates and mediates professionally. Engage Worklogic, so you can get on with business.

www.worklogic.com.au Suite 8.09/365 Little Collin Street, Melbourne VIC 3000

Ph: 8676 0466

Dust Mite and Anti-Allergen Cleaning By MAX AGNEW

The scientific community has come to the conclusion that better environmental hygiene will improve people’s health.We may have long known this but a heightened awareness of these environmental considerations is flowing through to the general community and proving what we have always known. None are more impacted by this awareness than the professional institutional housekeeping fraternity.

ccording to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “the EPA and its Science Advisory Board have consistently ranked indoor air pollution among the top five environmental risks to public health.” EPA statistics show levels of many airborne pollutants to be 100-times higher indoors than outdoors, a noteworthy fact as most people spend 90 percent of their time indoors. According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, “50 percent of all illnesses are caused by or aggravated by polluted indoor air.” Researchers had long wondered whether Indoor Air Quality plays a role in the increasing rate of asthma. About 75 million Americans have asthma or allergies to indoor bio-pollutants. Protein-related allergens are the key group of indoor bio-pollutants that act as triggers for asthma and other

respiratory ailments. These proteins, in addition to mold and fungi, include allergens from dust mites (Der p 1 and Der f 1); Cockroach (Bla g 1); dog dander (Can f 1) and cat saliva (Fel d 1). Since 1980, the prevalence of asthma and asthma-related hospitalizations and deaths has increased 75 percent. It is the most common chronic disease among children. Whilst these statistics from the United States are alarming enough, the prevalence of respiratory disease in Australia is greater. The Institute of Medicine (IOM), after reviewing the latest scientific studies, wrote their report concluding that “exposure to allergens produced by house dust mites – found in nearly every indoor environment – can lead to asthma in children who are predisposed to developing the disease. The indoor agents included allergens from dust mites and cockroaches; fungi and mold; dander, hair, and saliva from domestic pets and other animals; viruses and bacteria; spores and materials from houseplants; and irritants from secondhand tobacco smoke, pesticides, cleaning and building materials and other pollutants.” Let’s take a look at dust mites since they are the number one household allergen. House dust mites are arachnids, not insects. Related to spiders, dust mites are microscopic, eightlegged creatures that are 0.3mm in length and invisible to the human eye. They are found in virtually all hotel rooms, no matter how clean. They live on the dust that accumulates in carpets, fabrics, furniture and bedding. Hotel guest rooms are especially exposed to dust mites as they provide the best conditions of warmth, humidity and food necessary for dust mite growth. They are

present in mattresses, pillows, blankets, carpets, upholstered furniture, curtains, and similar fabrics. The average hotel room can be infested by millions of microscopic dust mites. Dust mites survive by eating our dead skin cells, which make up to 80 percent of house dust. They also live off water vapor, which we provide for them by perspiring and breathing approximately half a litre per person, per night. So mites are even found in climates with very low humidity. During the night, most people toss and turn up to 60 or 70 times. This expels mite feces pellets from bedding and pillows into the air. These allergens can stay in the air for up to two hours. Once airborne, dried dust mite droppings are inhaled, causing allergic reactions in asthmatics. These allergens can cause wheezing, coughs, itchy eyes, sniffles and in more serious cases, asthma, eczema, and allergic rhinitis. Total eradication of dust mites in a hotel room is impossible. Eradication would require such high levels of pesticides that it would be harmful to humans. Additionally, we always carry some mites on our hair or eyebrows that would be re-introduced to our bedding, starting the cycle again. What is the solution for allergy suffers? To effectively control dust mite and other bio-pollutant allergens, the mattress needs to be regularly cleaned (about every six months for allergy suffers).

The Executive Housekeeper

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< The anti-allergen cleaning steps are: 1.

First the mattress should be vacuumed, ideally with a truckmount so the exhaust is vented outside. If a truckmount is not available, use a HEPA-filter vacuum.

After vacuuming, wet-clean the top and sides of the mattress. Don’t over-wet the fabric, as a guest will need to use the mattress that evening. Be certain to use a product specifically for anti-allergen cleaning.

The last step is the application of a non-pesticide dust mite allergen-neutralizer on the textile surface to control biopollutants between regular cleaning.

Don’t forget the pillows! An old pillow can contain up to 20 percent of its weight in dust mites, their fecal matter and body parts. Every time your head hits the pillow, the pressure acts as a billow blowing the allergens into the bedroom. The pillows can be cleaned and treated with a dust mite-neutralising product, but replacing the pillow every six months would be the best advice. Next, turn your attention to the carpet and upholstery in the room. Because of chemical sensitivities, use cleaning agents that are free of perfumes, builders, hydrocarbons and solvents. New products manufactured from plant-based alcohol ethoxylates meet these criteria. Also finish with an application of an antiallergen neutralizing product to control the allergens between cleanings. One company that has addressed these necessary cleaning issues is Masterblend with their range of Responsible Care Products. These are available in Australia from Bennett Direct at bennettdirect.com.au n

View Housekeeper online now! The Executive

Visit www.adbourne.com and click on ‘The Executive Housekeeper’

What makes a good Hotel stand out from the crowd? By John Wollington LDC Laundry Design & Consultancy & Kerryn Rizza LDCT Laundry Dry Cleaning Training

hen previously looking at this subject we looked at the Bed, Bath and Table Linen offered up to the guest. We quoted Ivana Trump from an article in the Sun Herald back on October 24th 2010, when it was stated that for her a hotel was all about cleanliness, Amentias were nice but superb linen, towels and room settings are crucial. The Bed, Bath and Table linen (BBT) however one represents one side of the coin, the “BBT” needs to be to the hotel level of quality and washed to the Australian Standard for Laundry Operation as per AS/NZS-4146:2000, this can be achieved either in house or from a suitable external linen service provided either laundering the hotels own linen or by providing the hotel with the pre set standard of hired linen. But what about staff uniforms along with guest laundry and valet (dry cleaning), who does this. We have seen on numerous occasions hotels that may have for any number of reasons decided to close the laundry and outsource all BBT, whilst looking to retain in-house staff uniforms and guest work, why is this? With guest valet and laundry it can often come down to a level of expectation by the guest that their personal items remain in house and a same day service can be provided, for which we can add the guest will pay a premium. Especially with up selling on wedding, christening and function packages to providing that extra valet service. But what about uniforms, this is an area where we see a total lack of communication between those who decides what staff will wear, the fibre content of their uniforms, how the uniforms will be processed on what equipment etc. Then the issue of how many uniforms will be issued to what staff. What level of cleanliness is expected by the hotel? As an example would a wait staff be allowed onto the floor with a visible stain on a jacket, shirt/blouse or a pair of trousers or a skirt? What standard is required as to the presentation of the uniform either for front or back of house, these all have a bearing on what can, is and should be the hotel policy for cleaning the uniforms. When it comes down to the cleaning, finishing and presentation of the uniforms, what input does either the hotel staff who have to wear them or the laundry/valet who has to process them have in what the garments are made from.

A question we ask is fashion designers are commissioned to design wonder uniforms for the hotel staff, however how many times have we seen a lack of communication with those who design these uniforms and the hotel operators and the staff and the laundry/valet. Beautiful designer uniforms made of inappropriate fibre contents for the conditions the staff work in, produced for a certain look or at a certain cost, then in a new hotel or existing hotel valet equipment not appropriate to handle the uniforms, not to mention the comfort of the staff. Mind you we have also seen this problem with bed linen. One major hotel chain changed their bed configuration to their new bigger luxury beds, with 310 metre wide sheeting. “Fantastic” just one small issue this new bedding configuration was installed in all their hotels worldwide without checking first to see if both their internal and external laundry providers has ironers wide enough to handle the new sheets and if laundry budgets had been increased to purchase new ironers capable of handling the width of the sheets. Oops!

The Executive Housekeeper

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AUNDRY

D ESIGN & C ONSULTANCY

LDC Laundry Design & Consultancy was formed in 1998 as a company specialising in aspects of commercial laundry and valet operation.

What we offer: ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

A solution that will yield results A competitive & cost advantage A facility that will optimise output and improve efficiencies Fully integrated specialist service

| Analysis

| Facility Planning

| Process Improvement

| Project Management

• Cost analysis including IRR and NPV computations • Production analysis • Workflow analysis • Analysis of services including electrical supply, water and gas • Environmental analysis

• Site selection and analysis • Planning and design of laundry and valet services • Equipment layout • Equipment specifications and sourcing (please note we have no affiliation with any supplier) • Planning for future growth

• Study and estimate of linen loads • Linen selection to match processing capabilities of laundry • Energy resource efficiency review • OH & S Revies • Risk Assessment Management

• Cost estimates for the project • Planning, scheduling and monitoring • Post implementation reviews

Our service can be applied to both new laundry and valets as well as upgrades at existing facilities and has resulted in cost savings and improved efficiencies for all our clients.

Phone: +61 (0)2 4958 8817 Fax: +61 (0)2 4958 8877 www.ldclaundrydesignconsultancy.com.au

Mobile: 0412 999 408

At LDCT, we believe that training can only be truly valuable if it is designed to teach more than simply WHAT to do and HOW to do it. By also delivering an understanding of WHY things work as they do knowledge gained from many years working at the very heart of this industry - we provide something that no other training program can match: real confidence in your ability to do the job effectively and enjoyably.

LDCT specialise in: • LMT21410 Certificate II Laundry Operations • LMT31110 Certificate III in Laundry Operations • LMT31210 Certificate III in Dry Cleaning Operations • BSB07 Certificate IV in Front Line Management All training is delivered in the workplace and incorporates the individual company’s policies and procedures. LDCT will support the trainees with professional industry-based staff who are also AQTF qualified trainers and assessors.

SAFE HANDLING OF SOLVENTS workshops being held in 2011 Rockhampton: April 17th ACT: Date TBA Hunter Region: August 14th

Please feel free to contact us for further information LDCT Laundry Dry Cleaning Training PO Box 608, Cardiff NSW 2285

T (02) 4958 8817 E info@ldct.com.au

F (02) 4958 8877 W www.ldct.com.au

If as the Hotel General Manager, Executive Chef, Executive Housekeeper, Chief Engineer etc, you were informed that as of tomorrow the hotel is putting all members of staff in new designer workwear/uniforms, which will be for senior staff be made from 100% regenerated cellulose fibres (Viscose) and for all other staff 100% synthetic fibres polyester), what would the reaction be.

The washing process was fine as using AS/NZS-4146:2000 the maximum wash temperature was 72ºC, however great care had to be taken when drying to remember to change the dryer temperatures to below 100oC which did not always happen. Because of the Executive Housekeepers requirements as to the presentation of the uniforms they were then pressed.

As important would the staff being asked to wear these garments know what to expect and or the laundry know the correct way to process them or have the appropriate equipment.

In this particular instance the problems with the uniforms were yet again further compounded because of the equipment installed. Pressing the uniforms was a problem in itself as remember the 100% viscose fibre does not like heat, the laundry because of the material of the chefs uniforms (100% cotton) the laundry had installed what is referred to as a “Hot Head” presses, completely the wrong piece of equipment for the task.

As an example some months back we were asked to be involved with an Island resort project some 3½ hours from Sydney. One of the problems being experienced was the frequency the resort was having to replace the staff uniforms. The uniforms being provided to the staff were from a well known designer, they were bright (at the beginning) colourful and designed so we were told to present the native colour and custom. The problem with the uniforms started with the material they were made from. They were 100% viscose, (a man made fibre which is 30% weaker in water, doesn’t like acids or alkalis and is not particularly a strong fibre, however it is cheap) the only reasons for choosing this particular fabric, would have been cost and or easy wear. It should not have been chosen for comfort or presentation. The majority of the staff were locals, the weather humid, being welcomed, greeted, served by a member of staff with dark stains prominent under arm pits and down the middle of the back is not a view most appreciate let alone the comfort factor of the staff having to wear them. The content of any uniform should be no less than 50- 50 cotton/poly, any higher man made content starts to be uncomfortable to wear. The problem was further compounded by the set up of the laundry. 100% viscose and all synthetic fibres do not like heat, at 100ºC poly will melt, yet the laundry process is to wash, dry and in this particular case press the uniforms.

The solution was a many leveled one. •

Change the fibre content from 100% viscose to at least 50/50 cotton poly fibre content.

•

Review the finishing requirements with the existing product by: – Low temp tumble drying. – Not pressing on a Hot Head press

Through to replacing the Hot Head press with either a “Dry Cleaning” press or finishing tunnel. The point being that the resort had to face any number of issues as a direct result of what had been decided by someone not working at the resort what staff was going to wear. A similar problem happened in Sydney some time back, when a major 5 star CBD hotel re-opened after being refurbished and the laundry staff were given this time 100% polyester uniforms to wear.You can only imagine the discomfort of the staff who being very busy started sweating. As we all know polyester is hydrophobic so the uniforms with no ability to absorb moisture, bacteria from perspiration building up on the skin which we all know what that causes, within two (2) days the staff were provided with 100% cotton Bonds vests to wear.

What makes a good Hotel stand out from the crowd? (continued) would account now for the increased cost in linen and uniforms. The problem with uniforms is further highlighted when the laundry is not aware of the difference between protein and tannin stains, which need to be washed and which has to be dry cleaned because of the stain type, then understanding the garment care label, and what to do if the garment care label states do not dry clean or hand wash only etc. Hotel valets do a great job and offer connivance, and service to the client, especially when you are travelling for business and are constantly on the road. By keeping this service in house the costs remain with the hotel. However from an industry point of view there is both the need for the valet staff few of whom have qualifications within the industry they work, but have most likely received training in hospitality not laundry and dry cleaning.Yet hotel valets will process a great deal of designer wear especially in the 5 star hotels, through to a lack of consultation when setting up the facility in the first place with the Executive House keeper as to what uniforms the staff will be required to wear and the level of finished required. n

John Wollington Principal LDC Laundry Design & Consultancy Mobile: 0412 999 408 Email: john@ldclaundrydesignconsultancy.com.au Web: www.ldclaundrydesignconsultancy.com.au Kerryn Rizza Head Trainer LDCT Laundry Dry Cleaning Training Mobile: 0416 052 528 Email: Kerryn@ldct.com.au Web: www.ldct.com.au Postal Address: PO Box 608 Cardiff NSW 2285 Tel: 02 4958 8817 Fax: 02 4958 8877

In this day and age polyester is no longer a cheap alternative for fibre, we have all the seen the increase in cost of crude oil, which

The Executive Housekeeper

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hospitality and healthcare industries. The course is directed at staff covering vital supervisory and management roles. It aims to maximise professional development whilst equipping individuals with the knowledge to transfer their skills to the workplace with ease, delivering measurable results.

Advance with training excellence Want to advance your career? Candidates who would like to proceed to management level can now enroll for Certificate IV in Frontline Management, a pathway into a Diploma of Management.

greenRclean™ A new innovation in sustainable cleaning Since its launch, leading companies and service providers have adopted the Lennox Institute’s greenRclean™ training program. greenRclean™ assists organisations to demonstrate their commitment to protecting its staff, customers, partners and supports green cleaning as it relates to safe, sustainable and effective practices in the workplace. According to Elaine Torode, CEO at Lennox Institute, global property management organizations to hotel customers are demanding environmentally responsible practices. “To meet the demand for green cleaning, we have developed multi-level training programs that cover tailored training modules to increase the knowledge and best practices at all levels of employment. “ greenRclean™ (Cleaning) is aimed at both cleaning staff and managers and delivers foundation training to ensure a clear understanding of the greenRclean™ process throughout the organisation. greenRclean™ (Management) provides managers with the tools to support the cleaning staff and to provide ongoing feedback on improvements to their staff and clients. greenRclean™ (Development) offers a ‘green clean’ consultancy service aimed at key decision makers at senior level to assist with the development of green clean policies and procedures or to update current procedures and policies and to ensure its successful implementation. Jim Bond, theCEO of Airlite Group said: “Great course, level 1, 2 and 3. This training should be done by all cleaning CEOs!” For further information on the environmental audits and tools available through Lennox Institute or to book a greenRclean™ training course that can be applied seamlessly to current work environments, call Lennox Institute at 1300 130 666 or visit www.lennoxinstitute.org Break out: greenRclean™ assists organisations to demonstrate their commitment to protecting their staff, customers and partners while supporting green cleaning as it relates to safe, sustainable and effective practices in the work place.

Training in Cleaning Management goes national Following on the success of Certificate IV course in Asset Maintenance (Cleaning Management), demand has seen Lennox Institute delivering this course to students across Australia. “Many employers recognise the necessity for a formal training program in order to equip their supervisors and managers with the knowledge to successfully manage teams and company assets,” says Elaine Torode, CEO at Lennox Institute. “Increasing requests for Cleaning Management training in all industries have shown us that there is a demand for well structured, value based training to foster career development.” To ensure the highest possible standards are met and to prepare suitable candidates for career progression, Lennox Institute continues to offer Certificates II and III training in Asset Maintenance (Cleaning Operations) including for the

Lennox Institute has developed these courses to provide skilled candidates with an opportunity to play a key role in the leadership of hospitality organizations. “A Certificate IV in Frontline Management is a nationally recognised qualification through accredited training that can significantly advance candidates’ chances to move into Ask us about key management positions,” says Elaine Government funding Torode, CEO at Lennox Institute. “We work up to $4,000 that in collaboration with each client to specially may be available develop a training program that maximises for eligible staff the development of their employees’ through the Australian management skills and prepare them to lead their teams to deliver excellence.” Apprenticeship Scheme. According to Elaine, the Diploma of Management is aimed at leading employers who recognise the crucial role that their managers play in the day-to-day success of the organisation. “Both these courses have been specially developed in collaboration with a number of different industry stakeholders and can be applied across many industries including hospitality, warehousing, transport, retail, health and many others. These two courses are delivered through a combination of Management Workshops to be held at a central location and through workplace related projects. To find out more about the Management courses and how you can enroll, call Lennox Institute today at 1300 130 666 or go to www.lennoxinstitute.org

Good Housekeeping Ensures A Stainless Finish By Australian Stainless Steel Development Association

Smears will be reduced if the surface is dried afterwards. Be aware that if the stainless steel is coloured or has a very smooth (mirror) finish, excessive brushing or rubbing may reduce gloss or even scratch the surface.

CLEANING RULES DO • • • • •

The beauty of stainless steel in a hotel environment is both its visual appeal and its ease of maintenance.

ome of the common areas where stainless steel will be found indoors include bathroom, laundry and kitchen fittings, handrails in the foyer and hallways, and possibly decorative features.

DON’T

In all instances, stainless steel holds its appearance best if it is washed regularly (a rule of thumb is that if an adjacent window is to be cleaned, then so should the stainless).

•

When cleaning, use a cloth or soft brush to wash the stainless steel with soap, detergent, or a 1% ammonia solution in warm, low chloride water. Always rub stainless in the same direction as the grain. It is generally easy to tell the right direction, but be careful with handrails as they are usually polished around their circumference.

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The Executive Housekeeper

Clean routinely to prevent stubborn stains building up Use cloths or soft brushes to avoid scratching the surface Use soap, detergent or a 1% ammonia solution in warm, low chloride water Dry the surface after cleaning to reduce smearing Rub in the same direction as the grain

• •

• • •

Use bleaches or abrasive powders or pastes Use a damp cloth on its own – it will smear corrosive deposits without removing them Use steel (wire) wool, scrape with steel tools or use cloths that have been used on ordinary steel Use scourers – they will scratch the surface Use concentrated bleach or hydrochloric acid-based cleaning products Rub or brush excessively.

TROUBLESHOOTING There are some common stains or marks that may require particular attention in a hotel environment.

Fingerprints, oils and grease If a mild detergent or ammonia solution as described above doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t remove unsightly marks, use some glass cleaner on a soft cloth. A small amount of alcohol, methylated spirits, acetone, mineral turpentine or eucalyptus oil may also be used. Then rinse with clean water and dry. If the surface has a directional finish, always finish off by wiping in the polish direction with a soft, absorbent cloth and very hot clean water to reduce smears. You can give longer protection to high traffic areas (eg foyer handrails) by lightly rubbing with olive oil or baby oil, followed by a polish and shine using a soft cloth. Proprietary formulations are also available, including lanolin base gels used by yachting people. Hard water scale Heavv limescale from hard water can be loosened by soaking in a hot water and 25% vinegar solution. Rinse well with a solution of

water and sodium bicarbonate or a solution of 1% ammonia, then rinse again with clean water. Always wipe dry. Tea & coffee stains Discolouration from tea and coffee stains can be removed with hot soapy water or by soaking in a solution of boiling water and sodium bicarbonate. Remember to rinse well and wipe dry. Paint (eg following renovation) Apply paint stripper, taking care to follow the safety instructions.You may need to use a nylon brush or scouring pad as a last resort, but avoid metal scrapers at all costs â&#x20AC;&#x201C; they will damage the surface.

REGULAR CLEANING ENSURES OUTSTANDING APPEARANCE Stainless steel is an ideal material for both functional and decorative features in a hotel. While smart design and grade selection are essential to its long-term performance,

If the surface has a directional finish, always finish off by wiping in the polish direction with a soft, absorbent cloth and very hot clean water to reduce smears.

a suitable maintenance program is equally important. Regular cleaning as described above will ensure an outstanding appearance for the life of the fittings. n

For more information, contact ASSDA on (07) 3220 0722 or www.assda.asn.au

A DV E R TO R I A L

BASF Launch Phantom Insecticide

BASF has increased its commitment to the Australian Pest Control Industry with the launch of an exciting new product – Phantom® Insecticide.

hantom Insecticide is a major breakthrough in pest control in Australia with unique properties that make it unlike any other general pest control product. Phantom is a liquid SC formulation for the control of ants, cockroaches and bed bugs as an internal treatment and contains the active ingredient chlorfenapyr which is the only member of a new class of chemicals the pyrroles. Scott Kleinschmidt, Technical Manager for BASF Pest Control Solutions in Australia, explains some of the unique properties that Phantom brings to the table. “The most important and unique physical property of Phantom is that it is undetectable to pests. This means they will not avoid the treatment and will travel through the treated areas and unknowingly pick up a lethal dose. “Other repellent insecticides can lock pests into specific areas or just make them a problem elsewhere in the room being treated. Thus the pest manager will often try and spray as many areas as possible in attempting to completely flush them out of the structure. This means much higher volumes of chemicals used and longer treatment times for the pest manager,” Scott said. “Because Phantom is undetectable to the pests, the treatment is professionally targeted

to cracks & crevices and the harbourages which means much less chemical is used and the treatment can be completed in less time,” he said. “Also you can’t effectively use gels or baits in areas where repellent insecticides are being used. Whereas with Phantom, this is actually recommended as part of an integrated pest management approach. This is both more professional and efficacious. Phantom is a water-based formulation and has virtually no odour making it a perfect fit for sensitive situations such as motel/hotel rooms, apartments, kitchens etc,” Scott said. Scott also explained that Phantom has a unique mode of action. “The active ingredient is a pro-insecticide which means it is converted to its active form inside the insect. This active form targets the mitochondria within cells throughout the insect’s body, preventing it from generating energy. Without this energy, cells cease functioning and the insect dies. “However this process is not instantaneous giving Phantom a delayed-action mortality which is an important feature, as it ensures pests gain maximum exposure to the treated surfaces thus improving efficacy. They continue to behave normally and go about their regular routines for a short time before dying” Scott continued. The positives don’t end there -“Phantom has a long residual life on all internal surfaces. One of the reasons for this is the fact that it has very low water solubility which means it will not be easily wiped or washed off surfaces. This is particularly important in wet areas such as kitchens and bathrooms, especially in commercial situations,” he said. Scott explained that due to its unique mode of action, Phantom is very effective against

Because Phantom is undetectable to the pests, the treatment is professionally targeted to cracks & crevices and the harbourages which means much less chemical is used and the treatment can be completed in less time.

pests that are resistant to organophosphates, carbamates, pyrethroids, and chitin-synthesis inhibitors. No instances of target site crossresistance have been observed anywhere in the world. Phantom is now Australia’s first insecticide to be endorsed by HACCP Australia and can be applied as a spot or crack and crevice treatment inside domestic, commercial, industrial and public buildings including food processing establishments, shops, houses, factories, offices, schools, hospitals, storerooms and ships. Ensure that your Pest Manager is using the latest in undetectable technology to eliminate general pests today. For more information about Phantom Insecticide call 1800 006 393 or visit www.termidor.com.au.

The Executive Housekeeper

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Value lies in Australian made P

ROVIDING guests with all the comforts of home and more is the ultimate service you can provide. But have you thought about also providing clients with the comforts and delight of locally made furnishings? The Australian Made, Australian Grown (AMAG) Campaign argues that it makes business sense for the industry to let guests – whether they’re on business or staying for pleasure – experience the design and quality of Australian made furniture and bedding. The not-for-profit organisation behind the iconic green and gold logo has begun screening its latest TV commercial as part of its ongoing effort to raise the profile of local manufacturers and the products they make. The commercial goes behind the scenes of some of Australia’s leading furniture and bedding specialists, showing viewers how real workers craft the beds they could be sleeping on or dining suites they could be eating at. “Simply put, buying Australian makes sense,” AMAG Chief Executive Ian Harrison says.

Australian made furniture and decor can be found in the award winning six-star Emirates Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa in the greater Blue Mountains area, NSW, after Fox’s Furniture and Woodwork Gallery secured the contract to supply console and dining tables, glass pieces, games and a humidor for the resort’s bar. Manufacturer and AMAG logo user Paul Fox said it was “a coup” to win the lucrative deal. “Australian native timbers are our speciality and during the design process we sent the designers a choice of five timbers and five designs,” Mr Fox recalls. “They selected Blackheart Sassafras for the unique signature consoles that are the first item the visitor sees upon entering their private villa. “The owner had intended sourcing furniture from overseas, but when he saw the magnificent completed prototype villa he was instantly impressed and decided that all the furnishings should be made in Australia.

“The direct connection with jobs is obvious but buying Australian represents a value purchase too, and this is definitely the case in the furniture and bedding industry,” Mr Harrison says.

“The advantages for the purchaser were firstly that all work could use Australian raw materials and secondly would be built to suit Australian conditions, these being no less extreme in Wolgan Valley than in most parts of our broad country.”

“The products made here are of exceptional design and they are built to Australia’s high standards; and you can get pieces customised to your specific needs, whether it is with a particular wood or fabric. Most of all, you can feel confident that your purchase is great quality, backed by a local guarantee.

“Hundreds of furniture and bedding companies are registered with the campaign and label their products with the certification trademark to make it easier for consumers and other businesses alike to quickly identify that the product has been made right here,” Mr Harrison continues.

“Research tells us that most consumers have a clear preference for Australian made products, so really, it’s a win-win situation.”

“And of course, these innovators are backed by leading retailers Bev Marks, Harvey Norman (Furniture and Bedding) and Forty

Winks, who actively promote their Australian made stock. “So the next time you’re furnishing your premises or upgrading your bedding configurations, I encourage you to look for the AMAG logo and buy Australian made.” To find out more about the AMAG logo and the thousands of products which carry it go to australianmade.com.au of download the free Buy Australian app at itunes.com.au n

The Executive Housekeeper

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Thinking Management

Attributes of a Good Manager By DEAN MINETT

n previous columns I have endeavoured to offer advice to the up & coming manager, as I believe that the middle level manger/ supervisor is probably the most neglected level of employee in the Hospitality industry. I have also worked on the basis that they are the ones most open to new ideas and change - unfortunately a lot of senior people slow down and get stuck in thinking ruts and resist the idea of change. Be that as it may, whilst the good manager needs always to be abreast of new developments, ideas and practices to ensure that their organisation is fully informed of the current “best practice”, there are some practices, customs and responsibilities that never change for a Manager - at any level. These relate to one’s ability to keep confidences, make difficult decisions, and maintain objectivity. Oh, and never forgetting where the buck stops!

Keeping Confidences As a Manager, one is often privy to information that can seriously affect your

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staff, your company, and of course yourself. There is often a temptation to pass this on to others (“confidentially speaking of course”) - sometimes for valid reasons, and sometimes just for the heck of it (“HHHHHH Hlll’klklkey, guess what I just heard!”). Some of these reasons may relate to downsizing of the company, sale of the company, promotions, terminations etc. Part of being a good manager however, means knowing when to just shut up!

easy, whether you’re firing one or a hundred. The important part however, is to ensure that, unless the staff member has been found guilty of heinous crimes, they are allowed to leave with dignity. Just remember, that person probably has a family that look up to them or friends at work that liked them, so the way that they are treated will also have an impact on your ongoing relationship with remaining staff, and ultimately, the well-being of the organisation.

Similarly, staff will often confide in their manager, sometimes with major ramifications. This can take the form of personal problems at home, major illness or just general directional problems. If you believe that this information has to be passed on to others in your organisation, then you need to advise this to the staff concerned at the time, otherwise your credibility as a Manager will be affected. (Some examples are learning of serious health problems that may affect others, major family crises that may affect the staff member’s ability to fulfil their duties, or perhaps problems between staff that need to be addressed.) On the other hand, sometimes we will be made aware of an issue that affects other staff and we need to decide which obligation is the greater.

Additionally, Managers have to make decisions that they can live with, whether they relate to marketing, financial, or personnel matters. It’s no good making a decision that you later realise to be foolish or ill thought out - important decisions require important consideration.

Making Difficult Decisions There is no doubt that part of a Manager’s job is to make the decisions that no-one else wants to make. There is also no doubt that Managers sometimes wish that they had someone else to make these decisions too! Having been in several situations where staff had to be laid off in a wholesale manner, I can vouch for the fact that terminations are never

Maintaining Objectivity In any organisation, it’s easy to get caught up in day to day matters or petty office politics, however as has been discussed in a previous column, a Manager needs to be aware of these factors, whilst still remaining objective about them. Some people (even senior managers), occasionally get caught up in a pack mentality when it comes to assessing a problem or person, allowing their personal feelings to get in the way of decision making. Good managers, again, need to step back from the issue and look at these matters dispassionately and objectively, basing their decision on what’s best for the company overall, not just a select few. When making these assessments, it is worth actually writing down (or noting mentally if time is short), the actual outcomes that are expected, desired,

Attributes of a Good Manager (continued)

or feasible and then matching these with what you think are possible. As an example, I was once involved in an organisation where the Payroll Officer was deemed by the other staff to be incompetent and unhelpful, therefore they wanted the person removed. Upon closer inspection, what they expected was quite different to the company’s Job Description and the persons own capabilities. The Payroll Officer was just that, someone who mostly completed the weekly pays and had a reasonable knowledge of the award and industrial matters. Other staff however, expected the PO to have the skills of a Human Relations Manager and be able to advise them accordingly. The issue took some time to be resolved, however staff

eventually realised that their expectations of that person were unrealistic, and in fact that person fulfilled their role quite satisfactorily. In this case, had the Manager merely listened to other senior staff and not maintained objectivity, a good employee would have been removed unfairly and unnecessarily.

The Buck Stops Here Finally, Managers are paid to take responsibility - why else do they get paid more?? This means sharing the credit when things go right, as well as taking the blame when things go wrong! The buck-stopping manager will be proactive in accepting responsibility - actively looking to improve when things are good, and looking even more when things are bad. It’s amazing though to find so many managers avoiding parts of their responsibility (“it must have been so-and-so’s fault” or “I told someone else to do that and they obviously forgot”.) Whilst an efficient manager will

naturally delegate a lot of duties, an effective manager will follow up and make sure that tasks are completed! (One Manager I know used to tell his senior staff that they could manage their department from a fishing boat in Port Phillip Bay if they wanted, as long as they accepted that the department was still their responsibility and they were held accountable for anything that went wrong.) So, if you want to be a more senior manager, expect it to be lonely at the top, especially if you want to stay there, because good managers need to maintain confidentiality, make decisions, be objective and take responsibility - and not many people can. n

Dean Minett is Area General Manager Australia/NZ for Ascott International and has worked in, managed or consulted to hotels, motels, resorts restaurants and casinos for over 30 years. He is co-author of two hospitality & tourism textbooks. Email dean.minett@the-ascott.com. © Dean Minett 1998–2009 This article was first published in Hospitality magazine.

Microfibre –

Just how good is it? By Brian Clark

icrofibre products first appeared on the cleaning market over 10 years ago and have rapidly gained acceptance throughout the cleaning and healthcare industry.They are widely touted by suppliers as a panacea for cleaning all surfaces and as super efficient cleaning aids that either eliminate or minimise chemicals, depending on who you listen to, and reportedly offer a more sustainable solution compared to standard disposable and reusable cloths. The market acceptance of the claims made for microfibre has been phenomenal considering the huge variations in quality and the fact that manufacturers’ and supplier assertions are often unsubstantiated by independent research. In fact, researchers in the healthcare area are now beginning to publish work that cast serious doubts on the effectiveness of microfibre cloths used in surface decontamination after reuse, particularly in the healthcare environment, even after as few as 10 wash cycles.

One are of concern is that microfibre cloths are not all the same. There are huge variations in quality and cleaning effectiveness which is borne out by one study1 which shows that there are considerable differences between different brands of cloth in reducing bacterial contamination from surfaces. Another study published in the Journal of Hospital infection in 2008 and in American Journal of Infection Control in May 20102 has shown that microfibre is somewhat superior in reducing surface contamination when new, but is no better or even worse than standard cloths after multiple rewashes. The study showed that the uptake of microorganisms

was greatly enhanced with wet cloths rather than dry cloths and confirmed that new microfibre provided an advantage over cotton cloths in removal of bacteria. However, the efficacy of microfibre deteriorated after reprocessing and the study found that standard cotton cloth and sponge cloths performed consistently than microfibre after 10 and 20 wash cycles. Indeed, reprocessed microfibre was found not to be significantly better than paper towel for surface decontamination. Microfibre features in most green cleaning specifications for many good reasons including, most importantly, its absorbency and its ability to remove soil. There seems to be little argument that quality microfibre products used in the right context with proper training will enhance cleaning and reduce chemical consumption. But questions must be asked when manufacturers claim that microfibre is more sustainable than disposable or reusable standard cleaning cloths due to its durability and reusability. Indeed, some manufacturers are boasting over 300 washes per cloth. If you think about it, something is not quite right here. Sustainability is about protecting people, protecting the environment and protecting natural resources. However, microfibre is a synthetic polyester or nylon material manufactured from petrochemicals. Microfibre is not made from a renewable resource and is not biodegradable. The main place of manufacture is China which doesn’t have workplace protection or a good environmental record. But the big issue that is never discussed is how much of the water, chemical and energy saved in the cleaning process is negated by the water, energy and chemical used and the waste water produced in the rewashing and drying process.

A quick calculation based on the capacity of a water efficient domestic washer and dryer indicates that approx 308 litres of water and 1kg of laundry detergent would be required to wash one 40 x 40 cm 350g/sqm microfibre cloth 300 times. This would release about 154 litres of waste water and chemical at 50% absorbency into the environment and would utilise approximately 26 KW of energy which, based on coal fired generation, would release around 28 kg of green house gas per cloth into the atmosphere. While there are no figures to compare microfibre with disposable cloths, there is some difficulty in understanding how this is a sustainable solution. This article may raise some hackles but rest assured that in writing it, there is no axe to grind or any vested interest involved. It is simply to raise some of the questions that should be asked when evaluating the effectiveness and environmental impact of any cleaning product or cleaning system. n 1.

Moore G. Griffith C. A laboratory evaluation of the decontamination properties of microfibre cloths. Journal of Hospital Infection 2006; 64; pp 379-85

Magda Diab-Elschahawi et al. Evaluation of the decontamination efficacy of new and reprocessed microfibre cleaning cloth comparde with other commonly used cleaning cloths in the Hospital. American Journal of Infection Control May 2010; pp 289-292.

The Executive Housekeeper

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The Executive

Housekeeper

Product News

LATHER Adds EcoPure to Amenities Packaging

ATHER, the Los Angelesbased personal care and hotel amenities company, has begun offering its bath and shower amenities in biodegradable plastic packaging. Drawing on a new additive called EcoPure, packaging will be able to biodegrade within a landfill and be turned into new plastic products when recycled. This new initiative earned LATHER a Star of the Industry Award for “Technology Innovator of the Year” from the California branch of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (CH&LA, AH&LA). LATHER is the inaugural winner of this award for the state of California, and the first vendor to win a Star of the Industry Award. What is EcoPure? In short, it is an FDA-approved, organic additive that can be blended in small amounts into most types of plastic. This technology exponentially accelerates the biodegradation process in a landfill (approximately one to 20 years, as opposed to hundreds of thousands of years) and the treated plastic is also recyclable. Treated plastic has an indefinite shelf life and looks and feels just like regular plastic until it reaches the landfill. How does it work? EcoPure is added to packaging during the manufacturing process in concentrations of typically less than 1 percent; bottles and tubes are then filled with LATHERbranded or custom product. The EcoPure compound bonds to the molecular structure of plastic but does not alter the plastic’s attributes. Treated packaging behaves just like untreated packaging in storage and in guestrooms—it isn’t until the product finds its way into a landfill that it begins to biodegrade. The typical landfill provides an environment of rich microbial activity. Regular plastic, formulated for maximum shelf life, repels moisture and microbes and therefore can take hundreds to thousands of years to decompose. EcoPure-treated plastic attracts microbes, allowing the plastic to be metabolized into a non-toxic humus. Why use biodegradable plastic? Millions, if not billions, of amenitiy bottles end up in landfills every year in the United States alone, and only a tiny percentage are recycled. Recycling is best, but only about 24 percent of all types of plastic bottles (including water bottles, etc.)—and 7 percent of all plastic—are recycled at all. Should plastic end up in a landfill, EcoPure will accelerate biodegradation. What kind of testing has been done? Independent, registered laboratories have extensively tested EcoPure-treated plastics following the Standard Test Methods set forth by the independent standards organization ASTM International. Based on the degradation observed in one of LATHER’s treated polyethylene bottles during a 15-day test period, complete biodegradation is expected to occur within two to five years. EcoPure has also been extensively tested by other companies that use it in their plastic products and packaging. As part of LATHER’s environmental initiatives, many additional hospitality items, including shower caps and toothbrushes, will be made biodegradable with EcoPure. LATHER has also begun transition of its retail and spa products to biodegradable plastic. Exclusively distributed by INTERNATIONAL INTERIOR IMAGES T +61 3 9673 1444 E info@interior-images.com.au W www.interior-images.com.au

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Nero Descaler Tablets  Scale is the biggest enemy of all household appliances that involve the use of mains water. Weatherdon have just released a handy new Nero product to descale tired looking kettles. Just drop one of these little magic dissolvable tablets in your kettle and bring to the boil and presto your kettle will look clean as a whistle. Not only will your kettle look new again on the inside these tablets can also be used to clean out irons and coffee machines! The new NERO Descaler Tablets are a must to keep your kettle, iron or coffee machine running at optimum performance. • Removes scale build up • Restores efficiency of the kettle, iron or coffee machine • Prolongs the life of the appliance • Contains 6 tablets For more information please visit: www.weatherdon.com.au, email us: sales@weatherdon.com.au or call our friendly team on (02) 9906 2202.

The Executive

Housekeeper Sleepmaker Hospitality’s real time quote and order solution for our Contract Customers

Always consider Australian Made first!

Sleepmaker Hospitality, in response to customer demand, has created an online quote and order system for our hotel/motels contracts business. The online solution allows our contracted customers to place quotes and orders 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. The solution also provides centralised procurement and group head offices with robust real time reporting, by product, brand, location and spend. Each branded hotel/motel group has their own branded quote and Order system that only gives approved employees secure access. Different log in authorities provide quote only capability to appropriate employees and approval authority to senior employees. This is set by the hotel or group to assist with procurement control requirements. For example an Executive Housekeeper can place a quote in the system and receive the quote immediately; they can also select to send the quote to their GM and/or Finance for Capex approval. All in the click of a button. This innovation has been designed to help the executive housekeepers and other staff with quote and order placement, mindful that often the hours a hotel works are different to those that a bedding company work. A response straight away, every day! The solution also ensures that the product supplied to the hotel is in line with global standards for their brand.

Product News

BRAND NEW   “The Design Shop”   on HotelHome Australia Website Colour, Design,Texture & Style  have been brought together by the textile designers at HotelHome, to create an exciting range of high quality fabrics and finished products. This exclusive collection has been designed to offer a wide co-ordination story with the most discerning tastes in mind and each design/product features something special or interestingly different to create a simple or extravagant yet very tasteful furnishing look.

• • •

Australian designed Italian yarns Australian manufactured

Metwood Australia Numatic Henry Commercial Vacuum on special until 30th June 2011 at $299 + GST. Don’t miss out on this fantastic offer, call Metwood on (03) 9338 6233 or email order to sales1@metwood.com.au

New Commercial Dry Vacs PVT 390A

The new approach to improved cleaning with “lift-off caddy” to keep all those essential cleaning items, auto-save system reducing your power requirements by half and extendable handle.

Odour removal, bacteria and virus control - 3110T

www.sleepmaker.com.au

For information on other products appearing on our website or to purchase or receive a quotation, on any products you are interested in, simply email sales@hotelhome.com.au or phone customer service on 1800 HOTELHOME along with your postcode and HotelHome will provide a quotation within 24hours, Monday to Friday.

Introducing the new updated version of the series 3000 UV Ozone Generators with added features such as built-in timer and analog bus for ozone monitoring and control.

Call Metwood for more information: Tel: (03) 9338 6233 Email: sales1@metwood.com.au www.metwood.com.au

Telephone : 1800 HOTELHOME (1800 468 354)  E-mail : sales@hotelhome.com.au  Website : www.hotelhome.com.au

The Executive Housekeeper

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Product News EarthSmart Environmental Cleaning Products Going “green” does not mean compromising the standard of your cleaning outcomes. After three years of scientific product development and rigorous testing, EarthSmart® Environmental Cleaning Products has been successfully launched by specialty chemical manufacturer Whiteley Corporation.

NATURAL EVOLUTION Combines luxury Body Care with Biodegradable Products and Packaging Renowned for its innovative and up-market selection of toiletries, Swisstrade Pty Ltd is addressing the environmental impact of our hospitality industry with its latest bathroom amenities collection.The new NATURAL EVOLUTION range is especially designed to minimize the environmental foot print and to cater for today’s eco conscious hotel guests.These luxury toiletries are the ideal solution for environmentally responsible hotels and motels, as well as eco aware resorts and serviced apartments. The global accommodation industry is estimated to dispose of over 10 Billion (10,000,000,000) pieces of packaging from bathroom amenities every year with alarming environmental consequences. This has inspired us to create NATURAL EVOLUTION - a luxury amenity range, which is not only recyclable, but also biodegradable. The portion sizes are kept small, in order to reduce wastage and the packaging is recyclable and attractive. The natural degradation of plastic (polymers) occurs very slowly and usually takes 100’s or even 1000’s of years. NATURAL EVOLUTION toiletries however, are packaged in revolutionary biodegradable plastic tubes, the first bathroom amenities packaging in Australia to contain the ingredient Reverte™. Developed and patented by scientists in the UK, Reverte guarantees plastic to biodegrade in a few short years (compliant with ASTM D6954). Due to the trigger mechanisms in Reverte the plastic starts

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to decompose when the product is discarded or disposed in landfills. When exposed to sunlight, oxygen and/or heat, the tubes and caps are initially broken down through oxidation and ultimately become available for microbial digestion. The end products of this “oxobiodegradation process” are carbon dioxide (CO²), water (H²O) and biomass. To compliment the biodegradable tubes we packaged our NATURAL EVOLUTION accessories in recyclable card packs and used internal paper sachets, eliminating any plastic or cellophane wrappers. All NATURAL EVOLUTION cosmetic products are made from carefully selected ingredients, they are biodegradable and include Aloe Vera extract. The Aloe Vera plant contains over 160 beneficial nutrients and has therefore been used for medical purposes for over 2000 years. This sophisticated and natural amenities range with its soothing fragrance and relaxing effect of Aloe Vera, will gently cleanse and moisturize the skin and restore your hairs’ natural vitality. We believe the reputation of hotels or resort is influenced by the quality and presentation of bathroom amenities. We would be delighted to assist you in pampering your guests with our superior bathroom products, making their stay an enjoyable and memorable one - whilst caring for the environment. For further information on our selection of products we invite you to visit our brand new website, or call Swisstrade Pty Ltd on (02) 9979 1500, fax on (02) 9979 2555 or contact our selected distributors in your state.

Unlike many other ‘green-cleaning’ products on the market, EarthSmart® products have been independently tested as fullyformulated, concentrated products and are readily biodegradable according to Australian Standard AS4351. This complete-cleaning range consists of three concentrated products; a Multi-Purpose Detergent, a Total Bathroom Cleaner and a Window & Glass Cleaner. This environmentally preferable range will suit the majority of cleaning applications reducing the need for unnecessary products. Careful consideration has been given to all aspects of the product lifecycle to ensure that these products are environmentally preferable and they are proudly made in Australia. To further minimise consumption and ecological footprint, EarthSmart® products are designed to utilise 500mL Refill-Reuse bottles. Unlike retail products, the reuse of these application bottles minimises waste and resources consumed for the product’s entire lifecycle. Naturally, these bottles are recyclable should they need to be disposed. EarthSmart is now available in convenient 1.2L and 5L packs. To find out how your business can become EarthSmart® simply email earthsmart@whiteley.com.au or call the Product Support Hotline on 1800 833 566. More information is available at www.whiteley.com.au/Industrial/ EarthSmart