Guide to Hotel Housekeeping Part 7

Never iron lace with the point of the iron, if you would have it look like new. Pull and pat it into place, picking out the loops with a hairpin, or with a pointless darning-needle or bodkin. Dampen it with a wet cloth and press with the reverse iron, using its "heel" only.

When ironing circular centerpieces and table-cloths, see that the iron moves with the straight grain of the cloth. If this method is followed, the circular edge will take its true line. Guard against ironing on the bias or on a curve, lest the linen stretch hopelessly out of shape.

Never fold a piece of this character after ironing it.

THE HOUSEKEEPER'S RULES.

If the management does not provide the housekeeper with rules, she is safe in formulating the following:

1. Maids must report for duty at 7:00 a.m.

2. Maids must lock all doors when leaving rooms.

3. No maid is allowed to transfer chairs or furniture from one room to another by order of the guests, unless they have an order from the office.

4. Maids must report at once any articles which are misplaced or taken from the rooms.

5. Keep all soiled linen in closets.

6. Maids must not leave any article of soiled linen lying in the halls.

7. Maids must not leave their brooms, feather dusters, dust-cloths, or sweepers, in the halls at any time during the day.

8. Any article found in the rooms must be brought to the linen-room, with the number of the room and date when found.

9. All keys found left in rooms and doors must be sent to the office.

10. When a tray of dishes is left in a room, the maid must ring for a bell-boy and have him notify the headwaiter or report it to the housekeeper who will telephone the headwaiter.

11. All ink, paper, and pens left in the rooms must be put in the wire ink and stationery-receiver.

12. The watch-girls must report at 6 p.m. and remain until 10 p.m. or later, if required.

13. All torn blankets and spreads must be brought to the linen-room for repairs.

14. Maids must not receive men friends in their rooms.

15. The housekeeper will relieve the linen-woman while she goes to her meals.

_Sunday._

1. Maids must report at 8 a.m. and remain until 1 p.m.

2. Watch-girls must report for duty at 1 p.m. and remain until 9 p.m.

All of these rules can not be, at all times, strictly enforced by the housekeeper. She will make such modifications as are made necessary by circ.u.mstances. But rules she must have, and she must insist on their being observed.

THE PARLOR MAID.

Excepting the linen-room position, that of parlor maid is the most desirable situation that the hotel housekeeper can offer a girl. The wages are usually better than those of a chambermaid, and her work is not near so laborious. At all times, the parlor-maid is neatly dressed, suave, serene, and courteous. A quiet and un.o.btrusive manner is absolutely essential. She needs to take many steps during the day, and thus youth and a slender figure are the first qualities in one who wishes to make a success of the position. She meets people of wealth and refinement and the ultra fastidious, hence her position is a responsible one and requires a dignified appearance and demeanor. She must have self-respect and must claim the respect of others. None of the moralities must be omitted nor must she forget the daily bath, clean underwear, and clean hosiery every day. The morning is the time for the parlor-maid to do the cleaning, and she should wear about her work a washable dress of percale or dimity, with a white ap.r.o.n. In the afternoon and evening, this should be exchanged for a black skirt, white waist, and white ap.r.o.n.

_Where Work Is Diversified._

She is expected to render quite diversified services. Her duties vary with the mode of life of those by whom she is employed. She will scarcely be called on to do all the work that is herein enumerated; but the success of any hotel employe is largely due to the number of things he or she is able to do well. A parlor-maid may raise her occupation to a level with that of millinery or dress-making. There is room at the top of the ladder for the expert parlor-maid just the same as there is for any other person in any other calling.

In the small hotels, the parlor-maid usually cares for the proprietor's private apartments. In addition to these, a suite next to the parlor may be given her to keep in order. She can easily look after these rooms where she has only one parlor. The cleaning of the ladies' toilet-room and reception-hall and the ladies' entrance-stairs usually falls to the parlor-maid. She must look after the writing-rooms, do the high dusting, clean the tiles, clean the mirrors, polish the bra.s.s trays, clean the cuspidors, wash the lace curtains, and sweep and dust. In was.h.i.+ng windows and mirrors, she should use warm water to which a little ammonia has been added. She should not use soap, as the grease in the soap makes the polis.h.i.+ng difficult. Wipe with a dry cotton cloth and polish with a chamois skin.

_Keeping Parlor in Order._

As the parlor must always be in readiness for the reception of guests, it is thoroughly cleaned early in the morning. Once a week is often enough for a thorough cleaning. Monday is the best day for it. The furniture is moved into the hallway or into one corner of the parlor, the parlor is swept and dusted and every article replaced before breakfast. On week days, the corners are dug out with a whisk-broom and the dirt taken up with the sweeper. The parlor is dusted frequently and the cuspidors washed at least four times a day. She should wash the cuspidors inside and out, using soap and water; then wipe with a dry cloth. Leave a little clean water in the cuspidors, as this will make the vessels easier to clean next time.

_Cleaning Bra.s.s Trays._

If the bra.s.s trays under the cuspidors are very badly stained, the stains may be easily removed with a solution of vinegar and salt, to which has been added a little flour. Have the mixture boiling hot; rub the tray with the mixture with a flannel cloth, then wash the tray with hot water and wipe dry with a cloth. After this, it may be polished with a good mineral paste or some of the special preparations made for the purpose, using a flannel cloth for polis.h.i.+ng.

The high dusting is done with a long handled broom. Tie a bag made of cotton flannel over the broom and brush the walls downward. Brush the dust off the cornice and over the doors and windows. Then, using a clean cheesecloth duster, go over the doors, window sills, mantles, and furniture, changing the soiled dust-cloth frequently for a clean one.

The housekeeper must see that the parlor-maid is supplied with plenty of clean dust-cloths.

_The Maid's Many Duties._

If the fireplace is finished with tile, the parlor-maid should wash these with soap and water. She should polish the bra.s.s and replace it.

The curtains and silk draperies should be taken down and hung in the open air and brushed with a whisk-broom. The rugs should be rolled up and the houseman should take them to a flat roof where they should be laid flat and swept. They should not be whipped or beaten, as "whipping"

will ruin an expensive rug. When sweeping the stairs of the ladies'

entrance, the parlor-maid should use the whisk-broom and dust-pan. The ladies' toilet-room requires some care to keep it always neat and clean.

After sweeping the floor and dusting the doors, the bowls should be washed inside and out with the toilet-brush and a disinfectant put in.

The stationary wash-basins should be scrubbed with sapolio and the faucets polished. There should be kept always on hand clean towels and soap, a comb and brush, a box of face-powder--the English prepared chalk is the best for toilet-rooms. The public baths on the parlor floor come under the parlor-maid's charge. She should keep the tubs and the floor clean, and see that soap and towels are supplied.

The writing rooms should be cleaned before breakfast. The sweeping should be done the first thing in the morning. The desks should be supplied with fresh pen points, paper and ink once a day. The waste paper baskets should be emptied as often as is necessary, and the cuspidors should be cleaned at least four times a day.

_Keeps a.s.sembly-Room in Order._

It is usually the parlor maid's duty to take care of the casino, more familiarly called the a.s.sembly-hall. The casino floor requires very careful cleaning. No scrubbing or sweeping with ordinary brooms is permissible on a polished hardwood floor. It should be carefully swept with a bristle broom and the dust taken up on the dust-pan. The floor should then be dusted with a broom, over which has been tied the cotton-flannel bag made for the purpose. If there are any spots on the floor, they will have to be washed up, but this will take off the polish; therefore, it must be restored by the weighted brush or weighted box with Brussels carpet tacked on the bottom of it. The original polish is restored by pulling the box back and forth over the floor. A housekeeper will make a sad mistake if she attempts to scrub the ballroom floor.

_Waxing the Ballroom Floor._