In the hotel sector, a good image is the prerequisite for satisfied and returning guests. This can only be achieved with well trained staff adhering to the highest hygiene standards. The UNGER erGO! clean floor cleaning system is being used at The Öschberghof resort to keep the 7,500 square metres of floor area clean. With so many staff, the well-being of the employees is just as important as the well-being of their guests.
The Öschberghof resort near the Black forest, which was opened in 1974, is not only popular among wellness and golf fans. It also hosts many different types of hospitality events from meetings to wedding celebrations. Astrid Schweizer-Engesser, the senior housekeeper, attaches great importance to the perfect appearance of the premises and regularly monitors this with random checks. As, hygiene and cleanliness is one of the most important factors for satisfied and returning guests. With so many staff, Schweizer-Engesser also focuses on the well-being of the employees. She sees the cleaning staff as key to running the hotel: “Housekeeping is the backbone, if that works, then the whole hotel works. The employees can and should be proud of what they do and they should show it." A guests’ first impression determines whether the guests will feel at home in the hotel and for their entire stay. Cleaning in the entrance area, corridors and rooms must be undertaken with absolute thoroughness but must also be flexible if in-between cleaning is required. This also includes housekeepers being seen by the guests during their cleaning work. "This shows initiative and, above all, creates trust," Schweizer-Engesser underlines. "The entrance area, reception, elevators and stairwells are used several times a day and must be continuously clean".
The cleaning of floors, windows and other surfaces poses a great challenge that can only be achieved with the right cleaning tool. Every day more than 7,500 square metres of floor area must be cleaned, including carpet, real wood, tiles and laminate. High traffic areas are cleaned three times a day, and more often in winter. In addition to unforeseen soiling, such as foot prints, shoe polish, fingerprints and hair, there is also adhering dirt such as trodden-in chewing gum. "Carpet and real wood can be difficult to clean depending on how dirty they are", explains Schweizer-Engesser. Therefore, the use of professional cleaning tools and the initiative of the employees are very important.
"The UNGER erGO! clean floor cleaning system has been in use at the Öschberghof resort since October 2017 and makes cleaning easier and more efficient, "says Schweizer-Engesser. “We use the erGO! S-telescopic handle together with the 0.5 litre bottle. Currently this is used in the hotel for the cleaning of laminate and real wood floors. The challenge is that we need different mops for the different floor coverings. On the one hand microfibre and on the other cotton. The floor cleaning system must be compatible to use with both, which is the case with the UNGER erGO! clean. We can use the handle and mop holder easily with a cotton mop. That is one of the main reason why we chose it." In addition, when using the erGO! clean floor cleaning system, the cleaning solution can be dosed precisely, this prevents real wood and laminate floors from being cleaned too wet. Too much water causes wood and laminate to swell, which damages the floors. Another bonus to using the erGO! clean floor cleaning system is that our guests are no longer bothered by unsightly cleaning buckets standing around.
Our employees immediately adapted to the new UNGER erGO! clean floor cleaning system Until recently, we cleaned using double buckets, Schweizer-Engesser reflected. "These took a long time to prepare and resulted in our staff frequent stooping in the cleaning process. Since cleaning all the floor area takes several hours a day for each housekeeper, we needed a system that was less stressful on their body." The ergonomic S-telescopic handle with detachable bottle prevents bad postures of the musculoskeletal system, while being very intuitive to use. Nevertheless, the housekeepers were trained in detail and instructed about the cleaning requirements of the different floors.
Schweizer-Engesser rated the system as the number 1 floor cleaning system and further recommended it for its high quality workmanship and significant benefits.
For perfect cleanliness in the hotel, housekeeping generally relies on products from UNGER: Inside the rooms, glass surfaces are cleaned with UNGER washers and squeegees by the housekeepers, outside glass is cleaning by commercial cleaners. For indoor glass surfaces, the Stingray™ interior cleaning system will be used in the future, while cabinet surfaces are kept clean with StarDuster dusters from UNGER. Following each cleaning, random checks are carried out in order to be able to immediately react to any remaining soiling. The fact that Schweizer-Engesser has received the right cleaning tools for the various tasks is the result of the close cooperation partnership with Lothar Rosenstiel, specialist for cleaning and hygiene management and Director of Quattländer Cleaning Supplies in 78199 Bräunlingen. By means of exemplary support and advice, he was able to offer individual solutions that guarantee the highest standard of hygiene.
Stefan Kossmann
Digital Communication Manager
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