From “Ask Kit!”:
Q: When it comes time to purchase a B&B, how do I find out the correct cleaning chores and requirements that are necessary to ensure proper cleanliness of rooms? Is the local health department a source I can go to in order to find this out?
A: The innkeeper of the inn you buy should help you with that. The local health department may also be a good resource. A local janitorial supply store will be a good resource too. Of course, the professional B&B associations you join will be great resources as well. I also have a checklist you can buy (go to my site at http://www.TheBAndBLady.com/e-books.html) that will help you not only with your cleaning chores but also job descriptions and duties.
‘d like to add a few items to this post. When we had our inn in Hawaii, my wife found a book on running a housekeeping business that addressed not only how to properly clean a place but also how much time it should take for specific items like changing beds, etc. This type of info is invaluable when it comes to determining how much time you will need to spend to maintain your house keeping chores and also is great to monitor your employees, should you have any. I haven’t read Kit’s e books so I don’t know what she covers regarding this but it sure made life a whole lot easier for us. Never knew the tricks that make cleaning more efficient.
Another item re. the health department. In many communities, they don’t want to get involved with small properties, hence, they just put rules in place of ” no prepared foods allowed. Only prepackaged.” This means to you that if you cook breakfast and use eggs or dairy products, you may get a visit from the “MAN” if someone says you made them sick and that could cost you big time! It may even shut your business down for months while you go to one hearing after another. Being government employees, they love to drag things on and as most of us know, it could close your business financially.
One good suggestion is to take a course called “foodsafe”. It is offered by most health departments and is well worth a day of your time to learn about proper food handling techniques. It is usually open to anyone. You will learn simple things like how to properly wash your hands which most of us never do! And nasty things like germs that can kill you! You’ll learn how to properly clean your kitchen food prep facilities too.
Hope this helps.
Great reminder! Thanks. There are several books out there that do teach you how to clean fast and well.
My personal favorite is the series by Jeff Campbell (and The Clean Team). The series includes Talking Dirt and Speed Cleaning. They have quite a system that they teach you in clear step-by-step directions. I have them listed on my reading list http://www.thebandblady.com/reading.html
I think PAII had these guys as presenters at a conference and they were wildly popular. Go figure — housekeeping made fun.