COMPOSITION CARE AND CLEANING OF DIFFERENT SURFACES

 

 

To keep the hotel property looking as fresh as it did the day it first opened, housekeeping employees involved in the care and maintenance of these hard surfaces must know the composition of these surfaces.

 

In addition to these, housekeeping staff are also responsible for the care and cleaning of surfaces such as leather, rubber, etc.

 

The most commonly used metals are:

 

These metals may be used in door and window fittings, wall panels, light fittings, sanitaryware, restaurant cutlery, cooking utensils, guestroom accessories (such as ashtrays, vases, and picture frames), and furniture (such as beds, chairs, and tables).

 

Most metal surfaces get tarnished, scratched, or rusted unless treated or protected.

These metals may be used in door and window fittings, wall panels, light fittings, sanitaryware, restaurant cutlery, cooking utensils, guestroom accessories (such as ashtrays, vases, and picture frames), and furniture (such as beds, chairs, and tables).

Most metal surfaces get tarnished, scratched, or rusted unless treated or protected.

These metals may be used in door and window fittings, wall panels, light fittings, sanitaryware, restaurant cutlery, cooking utensils, guestroom accessories (such as ashtrays, vases, and picture frames), and furniture (such as beds, chairs, and tables).

Most metal surfaces get tarnished, scratched, or rusted unless treated or protected.

 

This soft, malleable, ductile metal has a brilliant sheen when well polished.

Small amounts of the metal in elemental form occur naturally in the earth, but most of the silver we use is extracted from silver ores.

Silver is chemically unaffected by pure water, pure air, and a majority of food stuffs, but gets scratched easily if pure.

Silver is used as the plating in electroplated nickel silver, for making cutlery, utensils, vases, and decorative artefacts.

 

 

Sterling silver is an alloy containing 92.5 per cent silver, and the rest is mainly copper.

Sterling silver is more expensive than silver-plated alloy and for this reason is seldom used in hotels.

 

Table silver or ‘silverware’ is usually made of silver-plated alloy by plating ‘blanks’ of nickel silver alloy. ‘Nickel silver’ does not contain any silver at all;

It(Nickel Silver) is a term for alloys that look like silver (being white metal) and made of nickel, copper, and often(but not always) brass, along with a few other metals for added strength and shine.

 

Silver needs to be cleaned and polished on a regular basis.

When it gets tarnished, more complex cleaning methods have to be employed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steel is an alloy of iron.

The alloy contains mainly iron and carbon; other materials are found in small quantities.

It is used in the form of pressed chrome steel for the manufacture of baths, sinks, and so on.

Stainless steel is used in making cutlery, protective paneling, sanitaryware, furniture, trays, and cooking utensils.

Steel is sometimes galvanized or enameled to prevent corrosion.

If an enameled steel surface gets stained, it can be washed with a mild liquid abrasive.

 

 

Steel is coated with chromium for manufacturing taps, bath handles, shower fittings, and so on.

These can become spotted with water marks or get greased, but they do not tarnish.

 

This is steel to which 8-25 per cent of chromium has been added, making it corrosion-resistant.

Stainless steel is tough, durable, and can take a mirror-polished finish. It is used in making cutlery, sinks, WCs, and so on.

For spoons and forks, steel containing 18 per cent chromium and 8 per cent nickel is generally used.

However, even stainless steel can be harmed by silver-dip solutions, acidic solutions, salt-vinegar mixtures, and excessive heat.

Steel may be coated with zinc (galvanized) to prevent tarnishing.

This kind of steel is used for making buckets.

 

 

Stainless steel is washed in a hot solution of synthetic detergent using a soft nylon scrubber, rinsed with clean water and immediately dried thoroughly with a linen cloth.

The use of harsh abrasives should be avoided as they may scratch the surface.

 

Chrome steel and galvanized steel are wiped or washed with synthetic detergent solution, stains removed with soft steel-wool, the articles rinsed with clean water, and buffed with a linen cloth.

 

For cleaning greasy stains, sodium bicarbonate can be used on all types of steel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glass is a transparent, lustrous, and brittle material made from silica or sand.

A mixture of pure, fine sand, soda or potash, and other ingredients is carefully measured out.

This is called ‘batch’.

The batch is fed into a furnace and heated to an extremely high temperature, above 1300 degree Celsius, where it fuses into molten glass.

From the furnace, the molten glass is led away for shaping.

After shaping, the glass is cooled by a process called ‘annealing’.

 

Doors

Windows

Furniture

Vases

Lighting fixtures

Mirrors

Partitions

Tableware

Kitchenware, and

Bottles.

 

 

It is usually soda-lime glass, used in making windows, table tops, and shelves.

Flat glass can be of two types:

 

Sheet Glass or Plate Glass:

This type of glass is used as ordinary windows and picture glass.

 

It provides clear transparency, used in shop windows, mirrors, and protective covering for furniture.

 

Glass can be manufactured as a textile fibre, which may be used for making curtains and fire blankets.

Fibreglass may also be manufactured as rigid sheets of plastic or other material with glass filaments embedded for strength.

Fibreglass is fire-proof, impermeable, and resistant to damage by pests, sunlight, or air.

 

This is a type actually derived from sheet or float glass.

It is textured from one side, so that some light passes through and some is blocked or distorted, so that the material is not entirely transparent.

It is used in making bathroom windows and the areas where privacy is desired.

 

 

This is produced by blowing, moulding, and pressing molten glass into the desired shapes.

 

 

 

Wire is incorporated in obscured glass during the rolling process.

If broken, the glass pieces will be held in place by the wire until knocked out of the ‘frame’ for repair.

This consists of two thin sheets of glass with transparent plastic sandwiched between them.

If a laminated glass sheet breaks, the glass pieces will adhere to the plastic layer.

This is made by heating the glass sheet to a temperature just below softening point and then cooling the surface rapidly.

This safety glass is made by the combination of the above mentioned two methods laminating and toughening.

This combination creates a glass five times tougher than other safety glasses.

 

 

 

 

Plastics are resinous synthetic polymers that have the following qualities, advantages and disadvantages:

 

 

 

 

In the hospitality industry alone, they are used in making furniture, wall coverings, floor coverings, cleaning equipments, etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The word ‘china’ is a broad term which covers all ‘clayware’ used for crockery and sanitary fittings, and includes glazed and vitrified earthenware, bone china and porcelain.

 

 

This thick, heavy, porous material is used in making jugs, bowls, vases, and ashtrays.

Earthenware should be handled with care, as it chips and breaks easily.

This types of ceramic may also be glazed or vitrified.

 

It contains fine white clay which makes it thick and opaque and then glaze is applied on the surface as this clay structure is highly porous.

 

Also known as vitreous china and it is very hard, stronger, heavier, less easily chipped, and more expensive than other kinds of earthenware.

 

 

 

is used throughout hotel establishments.

 

 

Depending on its strength and resilience, it may be hard or soft wood.

These are obtained from broad-leaved trees and most popular woods are teak, oak, ash, beech, walnut and rosewood.

These are obtained from coniferous trees.

Commonly used softwoods are pine, fir, cedar, and rubberwood.

A variety of wood boards are available at significantly cheaper rates than solid wood.

These are much lighter than solid wood and most have undergone treatments such as termite-proofing and waterproofing.

 

This is a type of thin, flexible board made of compressed and processed wood-pulp fibre.

It is smooth on one side and has a mesh-like texture on the reverse.

It is used to make doorpanels, picture backings, cupboards and wardrobe backings, bases of drawers etc.

 

This type of board is manufactured by gluing together many thin sheets of hardwood, which are termed ‘plies’.

Since it does not have good visual appeal compare to solid wood, however, it is often veneered with hardwood or laminated.

It is used to make tables, desks, shelves, countertops, and cupboards.

 

Each blockboard is made up of plywood veneers laid over a core of wood strips.

The inner strips of wood may be upto 3cm in thickness, making the board strong and durable.

It is used for making worktops, tabletops, and shelves.

 

This type of board is manufactured from compressed wood chips and synthetic resin.

It is strong and heavy.

Like plywood, this too is often veneered or laminated.

Chipboard is used for making closets, cabinets, drawers, wardrobes, and worktops.

Cane and wicker are included in this class.

Both materials are used in making woven items such as bread-baskets, flower-baskets, trays, sofas, chairs, tables, and beds.

Cane and wicker products are usually cheaper than solid wood.

 

This is a material obtained from the outer, light-brown bark of the cork oak.

The bark is ground into large granules, mixed with synthetic resin, pressed into sheets at high temperature and pressure, and then cut into tiles or strips of varying widths.

Cork has warm and restful appearance. It has also excellent acoustic properties.

Protective Treatments for Wood

Wood surfaces often require extra protection since they are mostly porous and absorb moisture.

They also tend to get stained and scratched.

 

The most common treatments are listed below:

 

This is the comb material secreted by bees.

It is applied to solid wood furniture and floors.

It should be allowed to dry and rubbed in well to get a good gloss.

 

This is a clear, pale solution of a resinous substance dissolved in oil, turpentine, or alcohol.

Varnish forms a hard and transparent film on the wood surface.

Varnish is most commonly applied on wooden floors, furniture, and doors.

 

It is applied to wood furniture and provides a glossy finish or matt finish.

It is damaged by water, heat and solvents.

 

This is a solution of shellac and methylated spirit.

It is applied on small furniture items made of solid wood.

However, this finish is easily damaged by water, heat, and solvents.

 

The function of paint may be to provide protection or decoration or both.

The unique property of paint is that it also lends colour along with protection to the wood surface.

This finish, however, is damaged by abrasives and heat.

 

 

 

Stones are used mainly as floor finishes and external wall surfaces.

Other areas where they may be found are table tops, countertops and tops of vanity unit, furniture, decorative idols, and ashtrays.

Stones such as marble are often used as flooring and on walls in luxury bathrooms.

 

 

It is available in many colours and pattern such as white, black, grey, green, brown, and pink.

 

This sedimentary rock is composed of compressed sand.

 

This is a granular, crystalline stone composed of quartz, feldspar, and mica.

 

This is a compact granular stone made up of silica.

 

 

This is a grey or blue-grey stone formed when layers of mud and silt build up and solidify over millions of years.

These layers allow slate to be easily made into slabs.

 

Stone surfaces may be cleaned using synthetic detergent and hot water.

Stains may be removed using fine abrasives.

For large areas, a wet-pickup vacuum cleaner may be used.

Use of acids and strong alkalis should be avoided, as they may cause pits on the surface.

 

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