Have you thought of maintaining your space like hotel  room attendants? Cleaning multiple rooms in a very short span of time? You may have thought about what “the most commonly used by a room attendant in cleaning” to help you clean your space better and faster.

Here in CMDA Cleaning Services, we also provide housekeeping training for homes, offices and hotel room attendants based on TESDA and ASEAN modules and curriculum. Our custodians who clean your spaces undergo the same training as the room attendants in hotels and are familiar with the most commonly used equipment and materials the industry use.

Basic Equipment and Materials

Room attendants bring along these basic equipment and materials in their cart. Apart from putting in new toiletries and replacement of towels (and hopefully fresh bed sheets and linens), they will always have these in their cleaning cart:

• VACUUM CLEANER
• MUTLIPURPOSE CLEANER
• SCRUBBERS / FLOOR MOP
• WASHCLOTH (basahan)
• DEODORIZERS AND SCENTS
• WATER

VACUUM CLEANER

A vacuum cleaner is a room attendant’s best friend. It collects all the dirt without passing it around, as compared to a broom, and you can even use it in the bathroom to get those loose hair and dirt on the floor! It can get the job done fast so that the attendant could attend to other housekeeping needs of the room.

If you are thinking of using the same thing in your home, make sure to get a “Wet and Dry” vacuum. It has to be that way because they are designed to collect liquid particles without getting the vacuum motor damaged. Imagine breaking an expensive vacuum cleaner because you just randomly checked out one from the store.

MULTIPURPOSE CLEANERS

Bringing in different cleaning materials will occupy a lot of space in the attendant’s cleaning cart. So what they do is just bring along a bottle  of concentrated multipurpose cleaners. Need to clean the toilet bowl? Pour in a cap full of multipurpose cleaner, soak for a few minutes, and then scrub and rinse. Cleaning the floor? Mix multipurpose cleaners with water, scrub and rinse. Using mutlipurpose cleaners in different concentration can help clean spaces faster. 

Hotels use industrial grade multipurpose cleaners, but the great thing about this is that there are cleaners that are as good as well and are available in your nearest sari-sari store, Lazada and supermarket. If you want to know the brand names of these multipurpose cleaners, you can check it out in one of our articles.

SCRUBBERS, FLOOR MOP AND WASHCLOTH

These other materials are used to help remove dirt, and most of all, dry up the space.

Plastic scrubbers will be your go-to for this one. Metallic steel brush scrubbers can leave scratches on your surfaces. Don’t forget to soak for at least five minutes before brushing away to save time and energy.

Use a washcloth that you are comfortable in using. If you don’t have experience with one, old clothes will do. If you are eyeing to buy one, get those Flannel Rag Cleaning Cloth, which doesn’t leave fibers or marks when used. Micro fiber washcloth tend to leave fibers if not washed well prior to use, so it is better to buy something you can use, grab and go.

We highly recommend Rotating Floor Mops which usually goes with the brands iMop and tornado mop. You can get them from your supermarket, hardware store or from Lazada. Rotating floor mops can easily wipe stuff on the floor, and is easy to  clean and dry.

These are not just commonly used by housekeeping and room attendants, but are also among the must have cleaning tools and equipment at home.

DEODORIZERS AND SCENTS

When using multipurpose cleaners, especially bleach, it leaves an unpleasant scent (for most of us). Apart from that, there are some odors that are left even after we clean, like the musty smell in your refrigerator or ammonia odor in your bathroom. Using deodorizers and scents can change these.

Using charcoal, a slice of lemon or an opened box of baking soda can remove bad odors. There are deodorizing sprays as well that comes with your preferred scents. Keeping a good air circulation can greatly help as well. Keep in mind though that this could be a band-aid solution to your bad odor problems. It is still best to look for the source of the smell and clean it.

Room attendants use oil based scents to deodorize rooms. If you have noticed, different hotel chains have different room scents almost unique to them. This ensures that your experience in every stay you spend with them is the same. At home, you can use scents from sprays available commercially. Alternatively, you can use scented candles which lasts longer (and doesn’t come off strong to your senses). 

WATER

It would be difficult to clean something without water, unless you are just vacuuming the floor or changing the sheets. Cleaning solutions always need water to dilute them (unless they are ready to use, but would mean more expensive). Water is commonly used by room attendants by cleaning the bathroom, sink, toilet bowl, shower area and bathroom walls. Part of it is used with disinfectant to wipe surfaces, but rarely on the carpet floors.

Most of us are always looking for ways to help the environment, be it biking to reduce our carbon footprint, or using alternative natural materials for cleaning to reduce harmful chemicals from going down our drains and into natural waterways. 

As a professional cleaning service company, we use most of these alternative natural materials for cleaning, and they are effective when used properly, we also know that using these products can be frustrating for novice users or to those who have just jumped into the “natural and organic”. In all honesty, these materials are unlike your commercial brands which are “ready to use” and cleans easier and faster. 

To make things easier, we will list down below alternative natural materials for cleaning and how to use them. We have limited the listing on natural and the least processed material as there are materials listed as “natural” but have studies on them that they still cause environmental damage.

• Baking Soda
• Ripe Lemon
• White Vinegar
• Salt
• Olive Oil
• Charcoal

BAKING SODA

Sodium Bicarbonate or commonly known as Baking Soda can be naturally found near mineral springs. Commercial baking soda brands are already manufactured and not sourced from the springs, but they act the same way. It is a good abrasive, odor absorber and acid neutralizer, so it has a lot of uses:

• Multipurpose Household cleaner – mix 1/4 cup of baking soda, half cup vinegar and half a cup of lemon (as a scent) in 1 gallon water.
• For deep cleaning and scrubbing – turn your baking soda into paste and add a little salt, apply on the surface and scrub. Good for toilet stains and ovens.
• Metal cleaner – 1 part baking soda with 10 parts cold water, soak for 10 minutes and scrub.
• Silver cleaner – 1 part baking soda with 10 parts hot water, soak for 10 minutes and scrub.
• Drain Cleaner – pour ¼ cup baking soda and ½ cup vinegar in the drain, cover it for 15 minutes and then pour in 2 liters of boiling water.
• Deodorizer – sprinkle a few in the laundry during the wash cycle. Keep a box open in toilets.
• Mouthwash – 1 part baking soda with 10 parts cold water
• Fire Extinguisher – pour on electrical fire (do not use on fire in deep fryers)

*Do not use to clean aluminum as it will remove the aluminum’s protective layer

You can mix baking soda with vinegar and lemon to add more cleaning strength, or lemon for scent. It is also important to note that this chemical has “time honored” properties, which means you need to soak it on surfaces long enough to take effect and not a moment too soon.

RIPE LEMON

Ripe lemons contain more citric acid compared to unripe ones, and that is the compound that we will need to clean and deodorize. They are also naturally produced and very biodegradable. They are not a good abrasive though but they are really good deodorizers.

• Multipurpose Household cleaner – mix 1/4 cup of baking soda, half cup vinegar and half a cup of lemon (as a scent) in 1 gallon water.
• Metal cleaner – apply lemon juice on metallic surfaces with hard water stains (ie. faucets), let it soak for 15 minutes and then rinse.
• Degreaser – Add 1 part lemon juice to 2 parts hot water, soak for 15 minutes and then rinse. Use half a lemon fruit as a scrubber for dishes with heavy grease.
• Wood Polish – Add 2 parts olive oil and 1 part lemon, wipe on wooden furniture and floor.  

WHITE VINEGAR

White vinegar does not occur naturally, but is produced from organic materials (like sugarcane) using natural processes such as fermentation. It contains acetic acid which we will need for cleaning. White vinegar is recommended because other vinegars may contain coloring (natural such as tannic acid or artificial) that can stain surfaces. Though a very good cleaner, the downside of using vinegar is the odor it leaves after cleaning. Adding lemon may help remedy this.

• Multipurpose Household cleaner – mix 1/4 cup of baking soda, half cup vinegar and half a cup of lemon (as a scent) in 1 gallon water.
• Glass Cleaner – mix 1 part water in 2 parts vinegar.
• Drain Cleaner – pour ¼ cup baking soda and ½ cup vinegar in the drain, cover it for 15 minutes and then pour in 2 liters of boiling water.
• Tile cleaner – mix ¼ cup vinegar in 1 gallon water, pour and soak for 5 minutes before scrubbing and cleaning.

SALT

From this list, salt is the most basic and the most naturally occurring material with the very least processing made. It is very neutral (pH 7.0) but has been used since the medieval times as cleaning and antibacterial agent. 

• For deep cleaning and scrubbing – turn your baking soda into paste and add a little salt, apply on the surface and scrub. Good for toilet stains and ovens.
• Mild disinfectant – place items (ie. sponge, washcloth) in a container filled with water and salt and soak them for an hour.
• Unclog Drain – Pour in a gallon of hot water with ½ cup salt. Wait for 15 minutes and then pour ¼ cup baking soda and ½ cup vinegar in the drain, cover it for another 15 minutes, and then finally, pour in 2 liters of boiling water.

OLIVE OIL

This natural material does not also naturally occur but can be manufactured through processing the fruit of the olive tree. It doesn’t necessarily “clean” but it does recondition surfaces (shine) to make it look better, and also, it acts as a protective layer.

• Wood Polish – Add 2 parts olive oil and 1 part lemon, wipe on wooden furniture and floor. 
• Protective coating for leather and metal – place a few drops of olive oil on those surfaces and wipe. 

CHARCOAL

This natural material is not used directly for cleaning your home, however, it helps clean your air and get rid of bad odor. It can be used though as an abrasive when cleaning dark colored surfaces.

• Use as water filter
• Deodorize by placing a few chunks in the refrigerator or under your sink

Hint: It depends on your living and cleaning habits. 

With the recent pandemic and lockdowns, a variety of people became “clean freaks” – worried that the coronavirus might enter their home and make them sick, they clean and disinfect spaces every thirty or so minutes. While others stayed with their old ways and just cleaned “when needed”, which usually translates to “it’s so dirty I have bugs and rats as roommates”.

As cleaning experts for almost a decade already, as well as one of the leading people who give out housekeeping training to home and office cleaners, we are sharing below our professional advice on how often you need to clean your home.

The best practice to make sure your home is always clean, is to have a Home Deep Cleaning first, and then maintain it on a regular basis. It would be hard to maintain the cleanliness of something that was not that clean to begin with.

No matter how fast or long it takes your space to become really dirty again, maintaining the cleanliness of your space will be difficult if there are “extra” spaces you need to clean during your routine cleaning. With regular and proper maintenance, you would only need to get a home deep cleaning every 3 months. 

GETTING ORGANIZED WITH YOUR HOME CLEANING

Now that you’ve deep cleaned your home, you can either hire a professional cleaner to clean your home weekly, or, get yourself organized with your home cleaning. Some “professional organizers” and “clean freaks” suggest cleaning every 15 minutes, setting up a timer with specific cleaning goals. However, with our busy lives, this is certainly not doable, unless you work from home and have the time to do such.

To help getting things more organized, we have listed below our recommended cleaning schedule to keep your home always clean:

• Balcony: Twice a month
• Toilet and bath: Twice a week
• Bedroom: Once a week regular cleaning / Once a month deep cleaning
• Living Room: Once a week
• Kitchen / Dining Room: Daily (keep pests away)
• Garage: Twice a month
• Air-conditioning: Filter – once a week / whole unit: 2-3x a year
• Refrigerator: Once a week regular cleaning / Once a month deep cleaning
• Microwave / Ovens: Once a week regular cleaning
• Bed: Bed shampoo once every 3 months / dispose after 6 years
• Sofa / Couch: Sofa shampoo once every 3 months / dispose after 7 years
• Carpet: Carpet shampoo once every 3 months / dispose after 10 years
• Vacuum every other day to keep dust and dirt to a minimum. Vacuuming collects them instantly in a container, unlike a broom which moves them to spaces hard to reach.

Occasionally, you will need to clean up some things as soon as possible to avoid stains or future cleaning problems. 

They include:

• Colored liquid (ie. wine, coffee) spills on carpets, beds, sofas, chairs
• Chemical (ie. paint, alcohol) spills on carpets, beds, sofas, chairs, wooden floor
• Food scraps falling on the table, counter, floor
• Body fluids from you or your pets (ie. blood, snot, saliva)