STRATHMORE UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF BACHELOR OF HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM

MANAGEMENT

Course Outline and Delivery Plan

BHT 1214: PRINCIPLES OF HOUSE KEEPING AND LAUNDRY

Course Description
The Housekeeping and Laundry course is intended to impact knowledge, skills and
attitudes that will enable the trainees to carry out and manage housekeeping and
laundry operations in hotels, hospitals, schools, colleges universities as well as
provide as wide range of welfare and supporting services.
Courses Objectives
1. Definition, classification of housekeeping, Room divisions
2. Identify divisions and systematic operation of work in housekeeping
department.
3. Identify cleaning equipment and cleaning agents
4. Describe relationship between housekeeping and other departments, the role
housekeeping plays in relation of customers.
5. Describe importance of housekeeping in profit making.
6. Acquire basic skills used in housekeeping management and operations.
7. Control expenses in the housekeeping department by using the operating
budget as a control tool and implementing efficient purchasing practices.
8. Explain the safety and security needs a hospitality operation, how safety and
security issues affect housekeeping personnel.
9. Understand the managerial skills necessary to efficiently operate an on-
premises laundry operation. Skills addressed include planning the physical
layout of the laundry operation, developing procedures for laundering different
fabrics, organizing the flow of linens through the laundry process, operating
typical machines and equipment used in laundry operations and staffing the
on-premises laundry operations.
10. Develop procedures to ensure efficient and cost-effective use of labour and

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 supplies in relation to guestroom cleaning.
11. Develop selection criteria for surfaces, wall coverings, furniture and fixtures
as well as cleaning.
12. Develop selection criteria for beds, linens and uniforms.
13. Understand the basics of carpets, floor construction, the types of equipment
used in carpets and floor care, and typical carpet & floor cleaning methods.
Contact Hours
3 hours per session
Prerequisite
None

Course Plan
Topic Approximate
start Dates
Introduction to Housekeeping
Definition of Housekeeping 10th Nov.2008
ƒ Importance of housekeeping Theory
ƒ Classification of housekeeping
ƒ Housekeeping in different types of establishment
ƒ Organization structures
ƒ Room Division
Housekeeper Theory
ƒ Aims of a housekeeper 17th Nov,2008
ƒ Responsibility of a Housekeeper
ƒ Attributes of a housekeeper
ƒ The relationship between housekeeping and other
departments
ƒ Cleaning
ƒ Reasons for cleaning
Identification of Housekeeping Equipment, Material and Practical
Cleaning Agents 15th Nov.2008
Housekeeping Equipment 22nd Nov.2008

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Manual Euipment-brooms, brushes, mops, mop buckets etc.
Mechanical Equipment- Vacuum/suction cleaners,
scrubbing
/polishing machines
CleaningAgents-detergents,water,abrasive,degreases,
polishes(metal, furniture and floors)
Materials: cleaning cloths, yellow dusters, sheep’s skin,
polishing rugs, floor cloths etc
Identify use, care and storage of housekeeping equipment
materials and cleaning agents
1. Methods of organizing cleaning
ƒ Unit
ƒ Block
ƒ Team
Routine methods of cleaning work
ƒ Removal of dust e.g. high,dry,damp dusting
,sweeping, scrubbing-(hand, machine)
ƒ Removal of dirt e.g. mopping (different systems of
mopping
ƒ Removal of stains and marks from surfaces
ƒ Polishing
ƒ Buffing
ƒ vacuuming
ƒ Stripping
2. Daily cleaning the room 24th Nov & 26th
Cleaning of bedstead Nov
Bed making 2008
ƒ Guest
ƒ Patient
ƒ Student
ƒ Turn down a bed for the guest
Weekly cleaning of window
ƒ Glass

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 ƒ Wooden and different forms
ƒ Glass doors
3. Weekly cleaning of walls, doors and wooden surfaces 28th Nov & 29th
in the room Nov
Cleaning different walls finishes 2008
ƒ Painted (oil, water)
ƒ ceramics
ƒ Terrazzo/marble
ƒ Wooden
ƒ Glass
4. Doors
ƒ Glass door
ƒ Wooden doors 1st Dec & 3rd Dec
ƒ French doors 2008
Wooden
ƒ Plain
ƒ Vanished
ƒ Polished
ƒ Painted
ƒ Formica top
Floors
ƒ Concrete floor tiles (glazed, unglazed)
ƒ Ceramic
ƒ Thermoplastic
ƒ Terrazzo
ƒ Marble
ƒ vinyl
5. Cleaning of public area 5th Dec.
Clean and care different public areas as 6th Dec.2008
ƒ Offices
ƒ Corridors
ƒ Staircases
ƒ Lounges

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 ƒ Reception area and desk

6 Sanitary areas 8th Dec.

Cleaning 10th Dec.2008
ƒ Toilets
ƒ Wash hand basins
ƒ Open drainage/ Closed drainage
ƒ Bath rooms
ƒ Placing of guests supplies
7 Supervision and Inspection the room 15th Dec.
Students to design an inspection check list and include 17th Dec.2008
Codes used in housekeeping e.g.
ƒ OOO
ƒ VIP
ƒ CR
ƒ NP
ƒ NG
ƒ ED
Inspection of rooms
ƒ Clean and inspect room using a checklist
ƒ Report writing on standard of cleanliness and on
maintenance requirement

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TOPIC
Laundry Practicals 19th Dec. & 20th
Dec.2008
8 Introduction to laundry and laundry procedure 10th Jan & 17thth Jan
ƒ Identification of laundry equipment and cleaning 2009
agents
ƒ Use, choice, care and storage of the equipment and
cleaning agents
24th Jan & 31st Jan
9 Students to launder and finish the following articles 2009
ƒ White cotton shirt/Guest shirt
ƒ Table linen/bed linen
ƒ Table napkin
ƒ Colored cotton
10 Students to launch and finish the following 7th Feb &14th Feb
ƒ Woolen fabric 2009
ƒ Silk
ƒ Non – made fibers
11 Identification and removal of different types of stains 13th Feb & 14th Feb
ƒ Coffee 2009
ƒ Blood
ƒ Food stains
ƒ Ink
ƒ Chewing gum
Handling infected linen
ƒ Classification of hospital; linens
ƒ Hospital procedures
Special laundry processes
ƒ Sponging and spotting
ƒ Home dry cleaning of articles

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 THEORIES

Introduction to laundry and laundry procedure.

ƒ Importance of a good laundry 5th Jan.2009
ƒ Laundry procedures: - receiving, sorting, mending stain,
removal, soaking, washing, drying and ironing, pressing airing,
folding, storage and dispatch.
CAT 1
Laundry equipment and cleaning agents 12th Jan.2009
ƒ types of laundry equipment
ƒ The choice ,use and storage of laundry equipment
Cleaning agents
ƒ Choice use and storage of cleaning agents.
Safety and security needs of the hospitality operators.
Security in the housekeeping Dept 19th Jan.2009
- Employee theft
- Theft by guests and intruders
- Minimizing theft
Guest security
-security in guestrooms
- Safety- fire prevention, safety training
Group research assignment
Introduction to fibers and fabrics
ƒ Classification of fibers. 26th Jan.2009
ƒ Fabric construction
ƒ Different types of weaves
CAT 2 2nd Feb.2009
Controlling operations
ƒ Housekeeping Operating Budget
ƒ Productivity Control 9th Feb.2009
Linen room
ƒ Importance of laundry room
ƒ Types of linen room

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 ƒ Linen room procedures
ƒ Qualities of linen room
ƒ Advantages and disadvantages of laundry systems
- On site laundry
- Off site
- Commercial laundry
- Thread linens

Group presentation of the assignment

Free to study for end of semester examination 16th.Feb.2009

End of semester examination 23rd

Feb.2009

25th Feb.2009

COURSE DELIVERY METHODOLOGY.

1. Lecture will be used as a teaching method.

Handouts will be provided although students will be required to supplement handouts
methods.
Students are encouraged to take course notes and use the E- learning system.
2. Practical work in Laundry and Housekeeping Operation at the hostel.
3. Towards the end of the semester group research assignment followed by
presentation.

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 ACADEMIC ASSESSMENT.

Type Weighting %
Examination 50
Course work 50
Cat 1 (supervised (CAT) 10
CAT 2 ( supervised (CAT) 10
CAT 3 (Group research assignment) 30
TOTAL 100%

COURSE MATERIALS.

Title Author Publisher ISBN

Professional Management of T.J Jones Wiley 0471268941
House keeping. (2002)
Housekeeping Management. Mart A. Casado Wiley 0471268941
(1999)
Professional Management of T. J Jones John Wiley and 0471268941
Housekeeping Operations. Robert J. sons Inc
Martin. (2004)
The Professional; Schneider, M. New York: J. 0-471-29193-5
Housekeeper. Scoviak –L M. Wiley
(1999)
OTHER
RECOMMMEDATION
TEXTS
Accommodation management Christine Jones Bats ford 0713448075
Val Paul. academic and
educational

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Accommodation and cleaning David M. Allan Stanley Thorns 0748702903
services: vol. 1 operations. LTD (1992)
Accommodation and cleaning David M. Allan Stanley Thorns 0091510015
services: vol. 2 management LTD (1992)
Housekeeping supervision Jane Fellows Pitman (1984) 0-273-02552-X
Hotel, Hostel and Joan C. Branson Book power 10:0340525185
Hospital
Housekeeping. Margaret Hodder Arnold 13:9780340525180
Lennox 2006)

MODERN HOME
LAUNDRY WORK E. Henry J. M. Dent & sons 460038486
J. D. Byett LTD. (1968)

COMPUTER - BASED COURSE RESOURCES

ONLINE.
E – Learning system
- visit our course page on this system for electronic copies of notes and other course
materials.
Enrolment key: To be given by the University.

ASSIGNMENTS.
The Lecturer will give assessment to groups based on research to be carried within the
University and write report.

LOCATION AND TIME.

Theory classes - room (to be assigned) 8.15 – 11.15
Practicles - Kibondeni 2.oopm – 5pm

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POLICIES

Classes
1. Punctually is fundamental
2. Active participation in class discussion is encouraged
3. Marking of attendance register by the lecturer.

COMMINICATION CHANNELS
ƒ E – Learning
ƒ E – Mail

LECTURER IMFORMATION

Lecture name : Mrs. N. Obonyo

Email : nellyobonyo@yahoo.com
Location :
Telephone : 0723 - 572520
Consultation times :

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