Linen control(1)
- 1. Linen Control This is carried out in four phases • Routine checking of linen for appearance and hygiene standards. • Quantity control of the daily flow of linen stock/linen exchange procedure • Stocktaking or physical inventory of linen • Proper documentation of line through the master linen inventory control sheet
- 2. Routine checking of linen for appearance & hygiene standards • The executive housekeeper must emphasize the inspection of fresh and soiled linen not only by linen room staff along with other staff handling linen • Stringent checking should be carried out by the linen room staff • In an OPL, the function of inspecting linen may be carried out by the laundry staff • If the laundry is contracted out, the onus falls on the linen room staff • Spot checking of linen should be carried out by supervisor in areas • If the inspection of all articles are carried out thoroughly, a high standard of linen quality is maintained and the chance of a guest finding a torn or stained article in minimal
- 3. Quantity control of the daily flow of linen stock/linen exchange procedure • It is the quantity control of linen sent from the floors & departments to the linen room for the dispatch to the laundry. • To maintain an initial record of par stock of linen in each department, on each floor an indent is to be made by floor supervisor & the department incharge. • The original copy of the indent is given to the linen room while the duplicate remains on the floor or with the concerned department. • If the extra linen items issued to the floor or department are returned, signature of linen room supervisor is obtained on the duplicate copy.
- 4. Control of linen in the linen room is carried out as following • The daily supervision of the work done by the linen room attendants • Using linen room entry book : the linen room entry book contains daily records of the soiled linen brought to the linen room from various floors and department as well as the amount of soiled linen sent to the laundry • There is no duplicate records and is used as a reference • It is signed and maintained by the linen room supervisor and helps in tracking the day to day movement of linen • It is a cross checking for the amount received against dispatched to the laundry
- 5. Stocktaking/Physical Inventory • Stocktaking of linen is a physical verification, by counting, of the stocks of all linen items at all points in the cycle • It is carried out at periodic intervals or at the time of ‘closing of books’ for evaluation purposes. • Accurate recording of entries to evaluate the overages & shortages • It is conducted after 3 months & is known as ‘quarterly inventory’ • While counting, all the items-including discards-are segregated & grouped. • Items in circulation and items kept in store are counted up separately and the totals are added together • The discard are stamped ‘condemned’ and set aside. • Now the counted total should tally the last inventory figure plus the issued items received after that. • The inventory should be conducted in presence of housekeeper where the stocktaking for uniforms, room linen & restaurant linen being done on separate days.
- 6. Proper Documentation of Linen • The master inventory control sheet helps the executive housekeeper to analyze the result of physical inventory. • Linen loss can be accurately be calculated by subtracting the counted total for each linen article from the expected quantity • Linen loss is the difference from the total obtained during the previous inventory • If the difference between the actual and the expected is high, then further investigation is required • The physical does not reveals, why these losses have occurred.
- 7. • The executive housekeeper should make sure that the par levels are brought back to the level originally established for each linen item. • The par number for each item are recorded • Thus this gives a clear picture of linen discarded, the linen lost, the amount that needs to be ordered and the amount that has been ordered • The F&B table linen is also handled as the room linen.