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Learning resource for cleaning residential care facilities

National Certificate in Cleaning and Caretaking (Level 2)

Name:

Careerforce – Issue 1.2 – Apr 2014 National Certificate in Cleaning and Caretaking - Residential 3

Contents

Safe and hygienic work practices .................................................................................... 6

Infection control ............................................................................................................. 16

Health and safety ........................................................................................................... 17

Conduct a risk assessment ............................................................................................ 30

Maintain security ............................................................................................................ 33

Cleaning food preparation, storage and serving areas ................................................. 36

Cleaning bathroom and toilet facilities ........................................................................... 46

Vacuuming the floor ....................................................................................................... 50

Treating a spot stain on a carpet ................................................................................... 52

Removing stains from soft coverings ............................................................................. 62

Types of stains and methods of stain removal ............................................................... 65

Prepare equipment and site for stain removal ............................................................... 70

Treat odours in carpets and textiles ............................................................................... 79

Cleaning hard furniture, fixtures and fittings ................................................................... 86

Cleaning metal ............................................................................................................... 92

Cleaning glass and mirror glass ..................................................................................... 93

Cleaning labels and solutions ........................................................................................ 97


Before you start

Welcome to this learning resource for cleaning in residential care facilities.

This learning resource contains all the information you will need for the qualification

National Certificate in Cleaning and Caretaking (Level 2) which includes the following

thirteen unit standards.

Unit standard title Number

Maintain personal presentation and a positive attitude in a workplace involving customer contact

62

Clean floors 1563

Clean toilet facilities 1565

Clean food preparation, storage and serving areas 1568

Remove stains from soft coverings 1576

Clean hard furniture, fixtures and fittings 7182

Clean health care facilities 7183

Follow standard precautions set by infection control personnel when cleaning health care facilities 7184

Follow safe work practices in the cleaning industry 7442

Clean carpets under supervision 13345

Clean glass, mirror glass and metal 17264

Apply safe work practices in the workplace 17593

Treat odours in carpets and textiles 20672

In this learning resource you will learn more about:

selecting, preparing, maintaining and storing cleaning equipment.

assessing and undertaking cleaning tasks.

following hygiene requirements.

maintaining your personal presentation and having a positive attitude.

completing reports (where appropriate).

following organisational policies and procedures.

working in accordance with health and safety legislation.

working as part of a team.

For this qualification you will have:

this learning resource.

an integrated assessment covering these 13 unit standards.

In an integrated assessment different tasks from unit standards can be assessed

together. You will be assessed in the workplace as you are doing your normal daily job.

There are also some theory questions about safe work practices for you to answer.


How to use this learning resource

This is your learning resource to keep. Make it your own by writing in it.

Use highlighters to identify important ideas.

Do the learning activities included throughout this learning resource. Write your

answers in the spaces provided.

You might find it helpful to discuss your answers with colleagues or your supervisor.

Finish this learning resource before you start on the assessment.

Learning resource activities

Learning activity

You will come across learning activities as you work through this

learning resource. These activities help you understand and apply

the information that you are learning.

Procedures or processes are in green with this symbol.

A procedure is a list of steps that you follow to do something.

It is important to work through the procedure step by step.

Do step 1 first, then do step 2, then do step 3.

When you see a symbol like this triangle, or text with a yellow

coloured background like this, it is a safety or warning note,

hint or tip.


Safe and hygienic work practices

As a cleaner, what you do and how you do it makes a difference to residents,

consumers, other staff members and even to you. You may also have other job titles

such as a cleaning operative or a domestic assistant.

Being clean and tidy at work is as important as being clean and tidy at home. This can

affect health and safety. Attention to personal hygiene in the workplace reduces the

spread of germs and disease, reduces exposure to chemicals and reduces chances of

developing some skin allergies.

Our bodies have over two million sweat glands

and these can produce a lot of sweat during our

day. If the weather or conditions are hot then we

will all produce more sweat.

Sweating can cause bad or offensive smells.

This is because bacteria may be present on the

skin (that’s why our bodies create odour).

General hygiene practices

Some personal hygiene practices can be culture specific. There are lots of things we can

do to help keep ourselves clean, these include:

bathing/showering regularly (including washing your hair).

having clean and trimmed nails.

cleaning teeth.

hand washing.

Personal presentation

You may be provided with a uniform and it is important this and the clothes you wear are

clean and in good order (not ripped or stained). Remember you are representing your

employer and how you look reflects on them. You will feel good in your neat uniform.

There are lots of things we can do to look presentable at work and these include:

keeping your hair tidy (brushed/ tied up).

wearing clean clothes (not ripped or stained).

using deodorant or antiperspirant.

for females, keep make-up minimal.


Positive attitude

It’s important to have and maintain a positive attitude while at work. Having a positive

attitude can affect how your day goes. Sometimes, this can be difficult especially when

we are not feeling good or may feel frustrated or pushed for time.

Everyone remembers the grumpy petrol attendant or the unhelpful shop assistant!

Your workplace will include other people such as colleagues (people you work with),

consumers or residents (people using the service), customers and or the general public.

There are some things that you can do to ensure you have and keep a positive attitude

while at work, for example:

greet others in a friendly manner (smile).

have a positive mind set (we all have things in our job that we dislike doing but it’s

better to accept these and make the most of them).

focus on what you are good at.

respond to requests positively, as long as these are things you do as part of your

job. Remember you should only do those things that are in your job description.

assist and help others.


Personal protective equipment

It is very important to clean safely. You don’t want to get sick or make other people sick

because you didn’t follow the correct procedure.

Protect yourself by wearing personal protective equipment (PPE). You may have to

wear different equipment each time you clean, depending on the situation.

If you are not sure what personal protective equipment you need to wear, ask your supervisor.

Gloves or disposable gloves

You should ALWAYS wear gloves when cleaning.

Here are some useful points about wearing gloves.

ALWAYS wash your hands with soap before you put

on gloves.

ALWAYS check the gloves for cuts or damage before

you put them on. Do not use them if they are torn or damaged.

If you use disposable gloves, they are for one use only. Change them between

cleaning tasks and before touching clean items and surfaces.

ALWAYS wash your hands after you remove your old gloves and before you put on

clean gloves.

If using disposable gloves, ALWAYS throw them away after you have used them.

Removing gloves safely

Turn the first glove inside out as you take it off, and crumple it into the other gloved

hand. Slide your fingers inside the remaining glove and peel the second glove off over

the first one, which bundles them together. All the contaminated surfaces of the gloves

are now safe from being touched. Dispose of the gloves into a waste bag.


Goggles or safety glasses

Wear goggles or safety glasses if there is a chance of

chemicals or human fluids getting into your eyes.

If you are wearing disposable eyeglasses, throw them away after you have used them.

If you are wearing reusable goggles, clean them thoroughly after use.

Surgical gown or hospital apron

Wear a surgical gown:

if your clothes will be in contact with (touching) a client.

as instructed for a norovirus or scabies or reportable

outbreak.

if you are doing a terminal clean.

to protect your clothes from contamination (for example,

from infected blood, urine, faeces, saliva).

to prevent carrying infections on your clothes from one

place to another place (this is called cross-contamination).

Surgical face mask

Wear a surgical face mask if you think you might get splashed by human fluids (blood,

urine or saliva) on your face or into your nose or mouth.

Here are some useful points about wearing a surgical face mask.

Make sure the surgical mask fits your face well.

Change the surgical mask if it gets dirty.

Use the strings at the side of the mask to take it off.

Be careful not to touch the front of the mask with your hands when you take it off.

If you do, you will have to change your gloves.

ALWAYS throw away disposable surgical masks after use.

The N-95 mask

An N-95 mask is a respiratory mask. You will not have

to wear an N-95 mask all the time. It is not a standard

precaution. You would only wear an N-95 mask as a

special precaution where there is a risk of catching a

serious disease that can be carried in the air.

You will learn about special precautions for cleaning

rooms of people with serious diseases later in the

learning resource.


Hand hygiene: hand washing and using hand-rub/sanitiser

Hand hygiene is very important.

Infection and contamination is often spread on dirty hands.

Hand washing or using hand-rub helps to prevent the

spread of infection.

In some workplaces, you may be asked to wash your hands. In other workplaces you

may be asked to use hand-rub with an alcohol-based cleanser or gel.

If you are not sure which type of hand hygiene to use, ask your supervisor or an

infection control person. This learning resource explains the correct procedure for hand

washing and using hand-rub.

You can minimise the risk of picking up an infection or passing it on to others by

thoroughly washing your hands.

NEVER touch your eyes, mouth or nose with dirty hands or gloves

– or you may catch an infection.

To prevent spreading contamination on your hands

Wash your hands thoroughly at the start of your cleaning shift. Use soap and

water. Dry your hands on a towel or paper towel afterwards.

You should also wash your hands with soap after removing your gloves and before

putting on a clean pair.

Wash your hands before you go on a break. Wash your hands after you finish your

break.

Always wash your hands after you go to the toilet.


Rules for hand washing

1 Do not wear jewellery.

2 Wash your hands thoroughly using

running water and soap for 40-60

seconds.

3 Use liquid soap for normal hand washing.

Wash the back and front of the hands and

wrists.

4 Wash between the fingers, wash the finger tips and under the nails.

5 Wash your hands if they are visibly dirty. (Visibly dirty means that you can see

dirt or soiling on your hands.) If you cannot see dirt, use hand-rub.

6 Dry hands thoroughly – use a throw away paper towel.

NEVER dry your hands on your clothes as you can carry germs from your clothes onto

your hands.

NEVER dry your hands on a hand towel that everyone uses – it could be contaminated.

If you use a hot air dryer, make sure you keep your hands are thoroughly dry because

wet hands can spread germs more easily.

http://www.google.co.nz/imgres?q=don't+touch+your+mouth+or+face+with+dirty+hands+or+gloves&um=1&hl=en&sa=G&rlz=1R2GGHP_enNZ417&biw=965&bih=559&tbm=isch&tbnid=WEgzKtfgsnMP8M:&imgrefurl=http://www.viewshound.com/health-fitness/2011/6/blood-in-the-sink-living-with-ocd&docid=Cb4-V93KDo3lrM&w=470&h=275&ei=E5JgTtWxJKvSiAKfwaW0Dg&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=0&page=2&tbnh=87&tbnw=149&start=13&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:13&tx=80&ty=43


Hand-rub/sanitiser

Hand-rub/sanitiser is an alcohol based hand cleanser or gel used to clean your hands.

This can be used when your hands are not visibly dirty or soap and water are not

available. Follow the instructions in the table below.


What is contamination?

This learning resource will often talk about contamination, or use the words contaminate

and contaminated. Here are some definitions of what the words mean.

Contamination

Contamination is caused by hazardous bacteria, a virus, chemicals or poison, making it

dangerous for others to be exposed to, touch, breath etc. For example, in health care

situations, contamination can be carried by infected humans and human products.

Human products are things that are made in the body as part of our bodily function. The

most common human products that cleaners might come across are saliva, blood, urine

and faeces.

blood urine (wee) faeces (poo)

Some other words that mean the same thing as human products are body products, or

body fluids.

Contaminate

To make something become unsafe, unhealthy or dangerous, for example putting raw

sewage into the sea can contaminate the sea and nearby beaches.

Contaminated

Where something is soiled or polluted, making it unsafe, unhealthy or dangerous to

touch/breath etc. For example a dirty tissue, half-eaten food and a used plaster are all

potentially contaminated items. They all have human products on them that can carry

germs or infection.

Cross-contamination

Cross-contamination is spreading germs or infection from one person to another person,

from one thing to another thing, or from one area to another area.


Remember to work safely

Someone is going to be staying or working in the area you have just finished

cleaning. You are responsible for the health of yourself and other people.

Cleaners have a responsibility to make sure that everything they clean is free

from contamination and infection.

What is contaminated waste?

Contaminated waste is rubbish that has something on it that could make you ill.

The rubbish could be contaminated with chemicals or poisons, germs (bacteria or

viruses), or infected human products, ie blood, urine or saliva etc.

Examples of contaminated waste include:

a tissue that someone blew their nose on.

a paper towel with blood on it.

used toilet paper.

a used water bottle or half-eaten food.

a used plaster.

Contaminated waste is sometimes called

‘hazardous waste’, which includes other waste as well.

Hazardous waste examples include:

sharps.

broken glass.

soiled items.

blood.

body fluids.

Handling contaminated and hazardous waste safely

There is a standard precaution for handling contaminated and hazardous waste.

(see definition of standard precaution on the next page). Contaminated and hazardous

wastes are put in yellow colour-coded bags.

Handle waste wearing the right PPE

Rubbish or waste could have blood, urine or other human products on it. You

ALWAYS need to be very careful when handling all rubbish because it and the human

products that may be contained in it could be infected with germs that could make you ill.

ALWAYS wear your PPE.


Infection control

Standard precautions in health care facilities

Standard precautions are a set of safe cleaning procedures or steps that you must

follow when cleaning. Following standard precautions is the safest way of cleaning to

prevent the spread of germs and infections. Standard precautions help to keep all staff

(cleaners, nurses and support workers), consumers and visitors safe from catching

infections and getting ill.

Every health care facility must make sure that their cleaners use standard precautions

when cleaning.

Infection prevention and control

Infection prevention and control is how to prevent

hygiene-related infections in hospitals, health care and

residential care facilities.

Infection prevention is about doing things that will stop

germs and infections from being spread (carried) from

one person to another person.

Good hand washing technique is one of the most

important ways of preventing the spread of infection. If

you wash your hands correctly, you will destroy 99.9% of

the germs you may have picked up.

Why are standard precautions so important?

For cleaners

Following standard precautions helps cleaners to protect themselves (and other people,

including their friends and family) from getting ill.

For consumers/patients

Very ill people, babies and the elderly often have a lowered resistance to infection.

Lowered resistance means that these groups of people can get ill much more easily than

healthy people. Following standard precautions helps to keep the environment healthy

so that people are less likely to pick up an illness, infection or disease.


Stringent infection control

When cleaning, you must at the very least follow the standard precautions. However, in

some special situations, standard precautions may not be enough to prevent the spread

of infections. There are other procedures you may need to follow for stringent (very

strict) infection control.

For example, you may need to follow stringent infection control procedures:

when you are cleaning in an ‘isolation room or ward’. People with infectious

diseases are generally isolated in single rooms or with other people with the same

disease. These rooms are called isolation rooms or isolation wards.

when you are cleaning the room of a person with an illness that you can catch by

breathing the same air.

How to clean an isolation room (terminal clean)

If you are cleaning an isolation room or ward (doing a terminal clean), check for

instructions from your supervisor, an infection control nurse or the health care facility

manager. Some health care facilities have special written instructions on how to clean an

isolation room.

When cleaning an isolation room, DO NOT leave it halfway through the cleaning

process. You could spread an infection from that room to the rest of the health care

facility.

After you have finished cleaning an isolation room/ward ALWAYS remove your personal

protective equipment before you leave the room. Throw away all used disposable

personal protective equipment in a hazardous waste bag.

Personal protective equipment for stringent infection control

ALWAYS wear gloves, a gown and a surgical mask if you are cleaning the room of a person who has one of these illnesses:

MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus).

VRE (vancomycin-resistant enterococcus).

This is not the full list of illnesses. Check with your supervisor or an infection control

nurse if you are not sure what illnesses require you to wear more PPE.

ALWAYS follow infection control signs/instructions on the door of the room.

Ask your supervisor or an infection control nurse:

if you are not sure what PPE you should wear when cleaning an isolation room.

if you are not sure what extra cleaning procedures you need to follow.

Health and safety


Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992

The Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 sets out under various sections certain

rules and regulations that must be followed by employers and employees for the

purpose of keeping staff and other people safe and healthy at work. All workers, whether

full time, part time or casual workers are protected by this Act.

Let’s look at a small part of the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992.

Section 19 says what employees have to do to keep themselves and other people safe

at work.

Part 2

Duties relating to health and safety in employment

19 Duties of employees

Every employee shall take all practicable steps to ensure – (a) the employee’s safety while at work (including

by using suitable protective clothing and

suitable protective equipment provided by the

employer of, if section 10(4) applies, suitable

protective clothing provided by the employee

himself or herself); and

(b) that no action or inaction of the employee

while at work causes harm to any other

person.

This means

you have to

wear the safety

clothing your

employer gives

you.

This means

you have to

use the safety

equipment

your employer

gives you.

This means

you can’t do

anything

which hurts

someone at

work.

This means

that you can’t

forget to do

something and

then someone

gets hurt at

work.


Let’s look at your responsibilities and rights you have under the Health and Safety in

Employment Act 1992.

Your responsibilities

Under section 19 you are responsible for keeping yourself and others safe.

You are responsible for wearing protective clothing.

You are responsible for using protective equipment.

You are responsible for keeping other people safe.

You are responsible for making sure you do not injure or hurt other people at work.

Your rights

You have the right to be given protective clothing.

You have the right to be given protective equipment to use.

You have the right to refuse to do unsafe work.

You have the right to be supervised or trained so that you will work safely.

Your employer’s rights

Your employer has the right to expect that you will keep yourself safe at work.

Your employer has the right to expect that you will keep other people safe at work.

Your employer has the right to expect that you will wear protective clothing.

Your employer has the right to expect that you will use protective equipment.

Your employer and your team mates have the right to expect that you won’t hurt

them.

Your employer’s responsibilities

Your employer has responsibility for the safety of you, the employee.

Your employer has the responsibility to provide protective clothing and equipment.

Your employer has the responsibility to manage hazards in the workplace.

Your employer has the responsibility to provide training and supervision.

Let’s look at how this works. For example:

It is the employer’s responsibility to provide protective clothing.

It is the employee’s right to have protective clothing.

It is the employee’s responsibility to use the protective clothing.

It is the employer’s right to expect the employee to wear protective clothing.


Workplace hazards

A workplace hazard is something unsafe or unhealthy that may cause an accident or

hurt you, or the public, in your workplace.

In this part of the learning resource, you will learn about five common work hazards in

the cleaning industry and what you can do to reduce or remove them.

1 Electrical equipment

Electrical equipment includes vacuum cleaners, scrubbers and floor polishers.

Electrical equipment is 100% safe to use when it is in good working

condition. Electrical equipment only becomes a work hazard, when it

is broken or damaged. Check that any electrical equipment and leads

have a current electrical safety certificate.

A vacuum cleaner cord can be a hazard. It can cause accidents.

You must remember to uncoil electrical cables/cords. People can trip

and fall over a long vacuum cleaner cord.

To stop people from falling over the cord, you should:

warn the public before using the vacuum cleaner.

put out a warning sign.

use the nearest power point so the cord is not too long.

Be careful! Keep electrical equipment and electrical

cords away from water or wet areas.

Don’t do this!


2 A spillage or spill

A spillage or spill is liquid, for example water, a drink or

some cleaning agent, which drops on the floor by accident.

A spill is a hazard because people can slip and fall.

To stop people from slipping and falling, you should:

warn the public that there is a spill.

put up a warning sign.

clean up the spill.

remove the warning sign, when the floor is dry.

3 Poor ventilation

Poor ventilation can happen when:

there is no air conditioning.

the air conditioning is turned off.

the windows do not open.

Poor ventilation can be dangerous if you are using cleaning agents.

Some cleaning agents have chemicals that are poisonous.

Chemicals can cause breathing problems and other serious

medical problems.

To work safely when you use cleaning agents, you should:

work in an area with good ventilation.

if there is poor ventilation, wear PPE when you prepare

cleaning agents.

use the correct amount of cleaning agents.

DO NOT mix two cleaning agents together as this can be very dangerous.

Look after other people

If you are using dangerous cleaning agents, cordon off the area from others.


4 Poor lighting

Poor lighting is a hazard because people cannot see clearly. For example, people may

not see cords or wet floors or buckets of water.

You may not see hazards such as broken glass. Make sure that you have enough light

to see what you are doing.

Poor lighting may be caused if an electric bulb has blown.

If there is poor lighting or a burnt out bulb where you are working, you should

tell your boss (supervisor)

5 Noise

Noise from electrical equipment can be a work hazard because:

it is difficult to hear an alarm.

it is difficult to talk to others.

over time, it can damage your hearing.

To reduce noise:

close office doors, to reduce noise ‘spreading’.

you should wear ear muffs or ear plugs.


Hazards – eliminate, isolate or minimise

Before you start work, look for any hazards. Can you eliminate, isolate or minimise the

hazard? If so, you may reduce the possibility of someone having an accident or getting

hurt.

Eliminate a hazard

Sometimes, you can eliminate a hazard. This means that you remove the hazard and

this is always the safest choice.

Example: You break a glass bottle at work. The glass could cut somebody.

You need to throw away the glass safely to eliminate the hazard. Procedure:

1 You use a dustpan to sweep up all the glass.

2 You wrap the glass in paper. You write ‘GLASS’ on the outside of the

paper and put it in the rubbish bin.

3 You write ‘GLASS’ on the outside of the paper and put it in the rubbish

bin.

Result: Nobody will cut themselves on the glass as the hazard is eliminated.

Isolate a hazard

If you cannot eliminate the hazard, sometimes you can isolate the hazard. This means

that you separate the hazard from people so they will not be injured or hurt.

Example: You find that the vacuum cleaner has a frayed cord. It is too dangerous to

use the vacuum cleaner. You need to isolate the hazard.

Procedure:

1 Report the hazard and put a fault label on the vacuum cleaner.

2 Put the vacuum cleaner back in the cleaners’ cupboard in a separate

place from the other vacuum cleaners.

Result: Nobody will use the vacuum cleaner. The hazard is isolated.


Minimise a hazard

Sometimes it is not possible to eliminate or isolate a hazard. All you can do is minimise

the hazard. This may sometimes be called mitigate a hazard. This means you have to

work safely and carefully to reduce the hazard.

Example: You vacuum the floors every day. The vacuum cleaner is noisy. Noise can

damage your hearing. You need to minimise the hazard.

Procedure:

You wear ear plugs, when you are vacuuming.

Result: Wearing ear plugs will reduce the possibility of noise damaging your

hearing. The hazard is minimised.

Managing hazards

Take action to manage the hazard.

Can the hazard be eliminated?

If not, can it be isolated?

If it can’t be isolated, then it must be minimised.

Eliminating – getting rid of the hazard.

Isolating – protecting people from the hazard with barriers/signs.

Minimising – lessening the hazard.

Here is an example.

You may see the abbreviations E, I, M being used, especially on forms, to represent

eliminating, isolating and minimising hazards.


Workplace hazard identification systems

By law, all companies/employers in New Zealand must identify all the potential work

hazards there are at their worksites.

There are different procedures and different documents used to identify and report on

workplace hazards.

To identify all the hazards, a manager or supervisor will do an inspection of the

workplace. They will do:

an area analysis.

a task analysis.

a process analysis.

Area analysis

The manager will make a plan of the workplace. Each area is labelled. For example,

cleaning cupboards, stores areas, chemical stores, offices and so on.

All first aid facilities are marked on the plan. For example: first aid boxes, emergency

exit, evacuation assembly points and so on.

The manager writes up a list of all the potential hazards in each area and why they are

hazards. The manager makes a list of all chemicals used in each area.

Task analysis

The manager makes a list of each different job. For example: what the cleaner, support

workers, nurses, team leader, supervisor, manager and so on all do.

For each job, the manager writes down all the tasks that a person in this job does. For

example, the tasks that a cleaner does:

clean bathrooms.

clean offices.

clean kitchen and canteen areas.

empty rubbish bins.

The manager then writes down all the steps involved in doing the task.

For each step, the manager must identify all potential hazards.


Process analysis

A process is a method of doing or making something, especially one that is used in

industry or manufacturing.

In the cleaning industry, a cleaner will follow many processes. For example, a cleaner

will follow a process when using cleaning agents and when removing stains from hard

floors, furnishings and carpets.

To do a process analysis, the manager:

makes a list of all the processes that happen.

for every process, the manager makes a list of all the steps in the process.

identifies all potential hazards at each step of the process.

makes a list of all chemicals and materials used in the process.

lists the areas where chemicals and materials are kept.

When the manager has identified all the potential hazards, this information is used in

several workplace health and safety documents.

Hazard register

All companies/employers must keep a hazard register. Using the information from the

area, task and process analysis, the manager must then write down a list of all potential

hazards.

Hazard reports

A hazard report has a list of all the health and safety issues or problems in a workplace

that cannot be fixed.

Regular inspections

The manager will also do regular inspections of the workplace to check that health and

safety procedures are being followed.

Remember if you need to report any Health and Safety issues you must:

report only the facts.

keep information clear and accurate.

These apply to verbal and written reports.


Caution signs

You need to understand and use caution signs at work. There are different types of

workplace signs.

A caution sign

A yellow triangle with a black border with a picture or words inside is

a caution or warning sign. It warns you about danger.

It means look out, or watch out, or be careful!

Caution signs: Fire

Here are some fire warning signs you may see on bottles of cleaning agents.

This is the FIRE symbol.

The fire symbol can be different colours and may be inside different

shapes.

The fire symbol means the substance can catch fire easily.

Some fire signs use pictures only.

This is an international warning sign for fire.

Some fire signs use pictures and words.

Some signs may say Fire Risk. Risk means that it is

possible that something may catch fire sometime.

Some signs use the word flammable or inflammable.

Flammable and inflammable both mean the same thing.

They tell you that something can catch fire very easily.

Do not store a flammable cleaning agent near heat, in a

hot place or near open flames.


Caution signs: Caustic

Here are some caustic warning signs you may see on bottles of cleaning agents.

If a cleaning agent is caustic, it can burn, eat away or destroy your skin and body

tissues if it is spilt on you or another person.

This is the caustic symbol. It stylistically shows a hand burnt by a

caustic solution.

The caustic symbol may be in different colours and contained within

different shapes, ie:

Some caustic signs use pictures only.

Here is a caution sign for caustic.

Some caustic signs may just use words only.

This is another type of caution sign you may see. It uses the word danger.

This caution sign uses the ! symbol within a triangle and

warns of a caustic substance.

Both signs mean the same thing - Be careful with anything caustic as it may burn or damage you.

Other caustic signs use both pictures and words.


Here is another type of sign.

This is an international warning sign for caustic.

Corrosive is another word for caustic.

Here is another corrosive sign.

Some signs tell you what personal protective

equipment you must wear when you are handling

caustic solutions.

In this case it is showing you must always wear gloves.

Other caution signs

There are other caution signs.

This sign reminds you to wear your PPE.

Some signs are to warn the public to be careful.

Barriers may be used to keep people away from a worksite.


Conduct a risk assessment

Hazards and risks go together. A hazard is anything that could cause harm. Risk is the

chance of something happening. Your safety depends on identifying hazards and

controlling the risk as much as possible.

A risk assessment is an organised way of looking at work activities to see how safe

they are. In a risk assessment you write down every possible hazard. For each hazard,

you need to think about who might be affected by it. This may include employees,

consumers, temporary workers and the public.

For each hazard, you also need to identify if it can be eliminated, isolated or

minimised/mitigated. Then you write down the actions that will be taken during the job to

manage the hazard and any further steps that may need to be taken.

In some risk assessments, you will be asked to assess the risk. You say what the risk

will be. In assessing the risk you say what the chance is that something will go wrong

and how bad it will be if it does go wrong (the severity).

You must do a risk assessment, before you begin every stain

removal or carpet cleaning job.


What does a risk assessment look like

Here is an example of a risk assessment table for stain removal at a client’s office.

Hazard or activity (in order of risk)

Location Eliminate Isolate Minimize/Mitigate

Slip or fall Any areas where carpet meets hard-floor surfaces.

Prevent public access to site. Use Evolution™ type (carpet/hard floor) type wand to remove overspray ASAP. Or use hand towels/mop to immediately dry hard floors.

Use walk-on/walk-off mats.

Place ‘Caution wet floor’ signage.

Trip and fall Any area between equipment and operator or machine and outlet where hoses/leads placed.

Prevent public access to site.

Run hoses/leads along walls as much as possible.

Place ‘Watch my hoses’ signage. Or tape/cover leads near doorways.

Hazardous chemicals

Vehicle shelving or carpet spotting kit.

Vehicle should be locked at all times or chemicals kept in a ‘Lock Box’.

Spotting Kit should have child proof lid. Additionally ventilation (such as air movers) used to remove fumes etc.

All bottles must be labelled correctly. Appropriate SDS available in vehicle. First aid kit (with eye bath) in vehicle. Fire extinguisher available in vehicle. Appropriate PPE available in vehicle.

Electric shock

Power leads/equipment on damp surfaces.

Dry the surface, if possible. A power lead may be able to be run a different way, on a dry surface.

Use RCD’s. Ensure 6 monthly electrical certification of all electrical equipment done.

You will see in the risk assessment plan on the next page an example of both primary

and secondary risks. A primary risk is the first result of the risk eg a person could fall

on a wet floor. A secondary risk occurs as a result of the primary risk eg the person may

get an injury from falling.

For each risk, it is rated on how likely it is to happen: rare, unlikely, likely, almost certain.

You must state what can be done to make sure the risk does not happen and who is

responsible for doing this.


Learning activity

Here is an example of a risk assessment plan. Read the example, then fill in an activity from your workplace and analyse

the primary and secondary risks and how the risks can be controlled.

Risk Assessment Plan

The activity

It could be

vacuuming, moving

furniture, using

cleaning products or

slippery floors.

For example: When

mopping the floor,

the floor is wet and

slippery.

Potential hazard or risk

Describe all hazards.

These are the things that

could go wrong.

For example: The

primary risk is staff and

clients could fall on the

slippery floor. The

secondary risk is an

injury that could occur

due to falling.

Initial risk rating

This rates the likelihood

of it happening. Ratings

include:

rare

unlikely

likely

almost certain

For example: Likely.

Risk controls

What you can do to

prevent it from

happening.

For example: Always

dry the floor as much as

possible before moving

on to the next job and

always use warning

signs until the floor is

completely dry.

New risk rating

This is the new risk

rating now that

something has been

done to reduce the risk

happening.

For example: Unlikely.

Person responsible

This is the person

responsible for making

sure the risk doesn’t

happen.

For example: Me, the

cleaner.


Maintain security

This is about how to make sure that a building you are cleaning in is kept secure.

If you are cleaning after hours, you may be given information on how to enter and exit

the building. Your supervisor or the facility manager will show you how to enter and exit

the building the first time. Make sure that you follow the correct security procedure each

time you enter and exit the building.

You may be given keys, a swipe card and/or information on how to turn the security

alarm system on and off. If you are given keys, a swipe card or a security code

(numbers you enter into a key pad), it is your job to make sure that you keep them safe

and confidential.

Rules you should follow to maintain security

Security information must be kept confidential. So, NEVER tell anyone else how to

enter or exit the building.

If you are given keys, make sure you keep them in a safe place at all times. It is

best to keep them on your body while you are cleaning.

If you are given keys, NEVER lend them to anybody else.

NEVER copy your keys and give them away to anyone else. You could get into

serious trouble if they used them to enter the building without permission.

If you are going on holiday or leaving your job, return your keys to your supervisor.

If you lose your keys, tell your supervisor IMMEDIATELY.

If you are given a code to enter into a key pad, NEVER write it down. Someone

else could find it and use it to enter the building.

If you are given a code to enter into a key pad, NEVER tell anyone else the code.

NEVER let anyone into the building after hours while you are cleaning.

If you have to exit the building to take out rubbish during cleaning, take your keys or

swipe card with you. Lock the door behind you. When you are ready to go back

inside, unlock the door with your keys or swipe cared. Then, check that the door is

locked.

When you leave work to go home, follow the correct procedure for locking up and

setting the security alarms. ALWAYS check that the building is locked and secure.

If you can’t set the alarm, you should ring your supervisor, or the security company.

You may need to wait inside the building until the security company arrives.


Authorised personnel

Authorised personnel are staff members and other people who are allowed to be in the

building. If they work there, they will already know how to enter and exit the building.

To show that you are authorised personnel, you should ALWAYS wear your uniform and

ID badge. If you have a security card you should pin it on the front of your uniform in a

place that is easy for people to read.

No unauthorised personnel

Unauthorised personnel are people who are NOT allowed to be in the building after

visiting hours or during closed hours. NEVER let anyone into the building during closed

hours. If the person works there, they will have a means of access.

DO NOT let family or friends into the building, either. If something went wrong while they

were in the building, you would be responsible and could get into serious trouble.

Security problems (breaches)

There will be procedures you must follow if you come across any security problems at

work. The procedures will tell you if you need to ring your supervisor/manager, a security

company, or the police. Here are some possible security situations to be aware of. They

may also be called breaches. Check that you know what to do for each situation below.

Security breaches may include:

alarms not set.

doors left open or unlocked.

windows left open and so on.

You may be asked to complete a report detailing the failures in security procedures.


Maintain confidentiality

Confidentiality is keeping someone’s private information or secrets safe. You do this by

not passing on this information to other people. Confidentiality is very important because

you may hear or see personal and medical information about residents, patients or

consumers.

You must NEVER repeat any information about another person you hear or see at work

to anyone else.

You may come across the following information:

Correspondence Correspondence means letters. In a health care facility

you may come across residents’ or patients’ personal,

business or medical letters.

Patient medical records Patient medical records are kept on site and have

personal details and medical information about each

person.

Personnel records Personnel records are staff records with employment

(job) information about each staff member (including sick

leave, holiday leave, salary information and so on).

Medical information These include: patient notes, care notices in a resident’s

or patient’s room, information on a blackboard about

each person.

You must tell your supervisor/manager if you hear anyone breaking confidentiality and

spreading information about a person.

More information on consumer confidentiality can be found in the Health and Disability

Commissioner’s Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights pamphlet.

This is often called the Code of Rights.


Cleaning food preparation, storage and serving areas

A food preparation area is a place where food is prepared and cooked. A kitchen is an

example of a food preparation area. Other examples of food preparation areas may be:

kitchens in lunch bars and cafes.

commercial kitchens in hotels and food preparation areas.

kitchens in hospitals and residential homes.

Food safety and hygiene (cleanliness) is very important in food preparation, storage and

serving areas. For this reason, there are laws that you must follow when cleaning these

areas. Keeping to these laws helps to keep people safe from getting food poisoning.

There are three different laws that set out the rules for food preparation, storage and

serving areas. They are the:

Food Act, 1981.

Food Hygiene Regulations Act, 1974.

Food (Safety) Regulations, 2002.

1 Prepare to clean a food preparation area

Each time you clean you should follow the same procedure. This is the first step in the

procedure for cleaning a food preparation area. Let’s look at this in more detail. It has

seven steps.

Prepare to clean a food preparation area

1 Use hand-rub (alcohol-based cleanser) to clean your hands.

2 Put away or cover any food that is in the food

preparation area.

3 Remove rubbish and waste from the kitchen area.

4 Choose cleaning agents that are safe to use near food products.

5 Prepare the cleaning solution according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

This means that you must read the label on the bottle of cleaning agent and

follow the instructions carefully.

6 Check that single station equipment is hygienic and in a good working condition.

7 Put out a warning sign.

The details for each of these seven steps follow.


1 Use hand-rub (alcohol based) to clean your hands

See the hand-rub instructions elsewhere in this learning resource.

2 Put away or cover any food

Before you begin to clean, put away or cover any

food that is in the food preparation area.

Before you put food away:

check its ‘use-by date’. If food has passed its ‘use-by date,’ throw it away.

check that it is not contaminated. If it is contaminated, throw it away.

To cover food, use plastic wrap or tin foil. This will protect it from getting contaminated or

damaged during cleaning

3 Remove rubbish and waste from the kitchen area

Your supervisor will tell you how often you must take out or remove the rubbish bins or

bags.

When you are carrying rubbish bags you should:

NEVER carry the bag on your back. NEVER carry the bag next to your body.

ALWAYS hold the bag away from your body.

4 Choose cleaning agents that are safe to use near food products

Use detergent for cleaning in a food preparation area. Detergent is safe to use around

food products. It does not ruin or contaminate them. If you are not sure what cleaning

agent to use, check with your supervisor.

5 Prepare the cleaning solution

You must prepare the cleaning solution according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Read the label on the bottle of cleaning agent and follow the instructions carefully.

Always prepare your cleaning solution in an area that has good ventilation and light.

There is more on preparing cleaning solutions at the back of this learning resource.

ALWAYS put the water in the bucket first, and then add the cleaning agent.

http://www.google.co.nz/imgres?q=alcohol+based+hand+rub&um=1&hl=en&rlz=1R2GGHP_enNZ417&biw=959&bih=559&tbm=isch&tbnid=0HK5H-EQSiLDXM:&imgrefurl=http://www.med.yale.edu/ynhh/infection/precautions/handhygiene2.html&docid=wOpY6rv4LrgMQM&w=165&h=210&ei=DHCVTq2DCur1mAXO3bzwBg&zoom=


6 Check that single station equipment is in a hygienic and working condition

One way to make sure your cleaning equipment is hygienic is to use single station

equipment when cleaning a food preparation area. Single station equipment is cleaning

equipment that you only use in one area. You would have a bucket, mop, scrubbing

brush, broom, dustpan and brush and a set of colour coded cloths that you only use in

the food preparation area.

If you do not have single station equipment, rinse your cleaning cloth regularly and

change the cleaning solution in your bucket regularly.

Before you start cleaning, make sure that all the equipment is clean. You don’t want the

area that you are cleaning to become contaminated with dirt and/or germs from your

cleaning equipment.

Before you start cleaning, check all your equipment to make sure that it is in good

working condition. In good working condition means that the equipment is not damaged

and is safe to use. Do not use equipment that is not safe or that is broken or damaged.

Safety check for buckets

Check that the bucket has no leaks.

Check that the handle is in good

condition.

Check that the rollers are in good

condition. The rollers should turn easily.

Check that the foot pedal works.

Handle

Rollers

Foot pedal

Safety check for mops, brooms, brushes, cloths and dustrols

Check that handle connection to the mop head is clean and not worn out.

If the connection is in a good condition, the mop head will screw on tight.

If the connection is in poor condition, the mop head will be loose and could easily fall off.

Check that the handle is smooth. If it is damaged or rough, it could hurt your hands.

Check that there are enough mop strands (pictured) to be able to clean well.

Also check that your brooms, brushes, cloths and dustrols are all clean.

The dusters and cloths (cotton or microfibre) must be clean and have no holes or

rips.

7 Put out a warning sign

Put out a warning sign in a place that people can easily see. Put the sign in a place that

will not cause a hazard.


2 Clean the food preparation area

This is the second step in the procedure for cleaning a food preparation area. Let’s look

at this step in more detail. It has three steps.

Clean the food preparation area

1 Remove all waste food, dirt and rubbish from the

food preparation area.

2 Damp wipe the food preparation area.

3 Damp mop the floors.

1 Remove all waste food, dirt and rubbish

Before you damp wipe the benches and food preparation areas, throw away any waste

food, dirt and rubbish.

Before you damp mop the floors, check the floors for:

large pieces of rubbish.

puddles of water.

soil or dirt.

chewing gum.

grease marks.

Remove all of these before you start to clean the floor. You may need to sweep the floor

with a broom and pick up any dirt and dust with a dustpan and brush before you begin to

damp mop.

When you finish your preparation, you are ready to damp wipe the bench tops and damp

mop the floor.

2 Damp wipe the food preparation area

Damp wipe the food preparation area thoroughly. Damp wipe the bench tops. Make sure

that all surfaces are free from marks and dirt. Germs can’t live as easily on clean dry

surfaces. So, always carefully dry surfaces after damp wiping with a clean, dry cloth.

There are seven steps you must follow when you damp wipe a food preparation area.


Here are the seven steps you must follow.

Damp wipe food preparation area

i Apply cleaning solution using a damp cloth. Wring out most

of the water so the cloth is almost dry. Wipe the surface of

the hard furniture, fixtures and fittings.

ii If you are cleaning walls, start from the top and work towards

the bottom of the wall. Make sure there is no dirt or marks

on the surface of the furniture.

iii Change the cleaning solution in the bucket as often as you need to. This will

depend on how dirty the cleaning solution gets, and how long this takes.

iv Rinse the cloth in clean water and wring out until almost dry.

v Wipe the surfaces with the cloth rinsed in water to make sure there is no

cleaning solution on the furniture.

vi Dry the surface to prevent germs (bacteria) from growing.

vii Make sure the area is thoroughly cleaned before putting food back.

3 Damp mop the floors thoroughly

The complete procedure for damp mopping is below. There are ten steps you must

follow when you damp mop a floor.

Damp mop floor

i Wet the mop and ring out the water, before you start mopping.

ii Using the mop, start by ‘cutting in’ along the floor edges.

iii Mop the floor, using a continuous sweep, using either the

‘figure 8’ or ‘overlapping’ stroke.

iv Mop the floor thoroughly to make sure that you completely cover the floor.

v Make sure you change the cleaning solution as soon as it becomes dirty.

vi Use an abrasive cleaning pad to remove any marks that will not come off the

floor with the mop.

vii Ensure the bucket is kept behind the line of work. This means that you must keep

the bucket beside you on the unclean area of the floor.

viii Be careful not to damage the walls or furniture.

ix Leave the floor as dry as possible.

x Remove the warning signs when the floor is completely dry.


A figure 8 stroke

This picture shows the Figure 8 stroke. When you sweep,

you draw the number 8 on the floor with your dustrol or

mop. Keep drawing the number 8 without stopping and

without lifting your dustrol or mop off the floor.

An overlapping stroke

This picture shows the overlapping stroke. As well as

sweeping and mopping you can also use this for dusting.

Sweep or mop up and down the room without lifting your

mop or broom from the floor. Use an overlapping stroke.

This means you should go over the edge of the last row

that you mopped. If you use an overlapping stroke you will

make sure that you have cleaned all of the floor.

3 Clean your equipment and store it away

This is the third step in the overall procedure for cleaning a food preparation area.

When you have finished cleaning a food preparation area, clean the mop, bucket and

cloths before you store them away.

Cleaning the mop

Thoroughly wring out the mop.

Store the mop upside down on its handle to dry.

Sometimes the mop head is sent away to the laundry for cleaning.

Thoroughly rinse out the mop.

Clean the bucket

Thoroughly rinse out the bucket.

Dry the bucket.

Store the bucket upside down.

Wash cleaning cloths

Wash cleaning cloths in warm, soapy water.

Thoroughly rinse out the cloths in clean water.

Thoroughly wring out the cloths.

Hang cloths up to dry.


How to clean a refrigerator (fridge)

Here is the procedure for cleaning a refrigerator. There are ten steps to follow.

Procedure for cleaning a refrigerator

1 Turn off the refrigerator at the wall plug.

2 Clean down the bench top where you are going to put

food from the fridge.

3 Take all the food from the fridge.

Wipe down all food containers, bottles and so on.

Cover any food that does not have a lid.

4 Check the food.

Check tins and bottles of food for ‘use by dates’. If the food has passed its

‘use by date’, throw it away.

Check food for mould or contamination. If food is mouldy or spoiled,

throw it away.

5 Take racks and bins out of the fridge and clean racks and bins then dry racks

and bins.

6 Clean out the fridge. Start from top to bottom. Clean the inside first, then the

outside. Wipe out the fridge with a cloth and warm, soapy water.

Rinse the fridge. Dry the fridge.

7 Put the racks and bins back into the fridge.

8 Put the food back into the fridge.

9 Turn the fridge on at the wall.

10 Wipe and dry all parts of the fridge including the rubber door seals.

racks or

shelves

bins

door seals

wire bins


Reporting signs of contamination or infestation

What is contamination?

Contamination is an unwanted or ‘hazardous thing’ that can be unhealthy, unsafe or

hazardous. Insects and mould can cause food contamination.

Mould

Mould is a type of fungi or germ that is found in

the air. It can land and grow on food. Food that

has mould on it is called mouldy.

You may have seen mouldy bread, cheese or

fruit. Mouldy food can be very hazardous to your

health. It can make you very sick if you eat it.

If you see mouldy food, throw it away.

Clean the food container thoroughly in warm, soapy water.

Change your gloves and wash your hands thoroughly after touching mouldy food.

What is an infestation?

An infestation is a very large

number of insects, eg flies,

ants, cockroaches, or rodents,

eg rats and mice which take

over your house, office and

workplace.

An infestation is a serious

health hazard because insects

or rodents can contaminate

food and the places we live

and work.

http://www.google.co.nz/imgres?q=mouldy+food+pictures&hl=en&gbv=2&biw=959&bih=559&tbm=isch&tbnid=BpzaDt0rqZOpKM:&imgrefurl=http://www.birding.uk.com/fact-file/21-guides/65-bird-food&docid=R2prMsxrjvxvzM&w=2312&h=1526&ei=zUaUTvyLLczumAXbk7zdBg&zoom=

http://www.google.co.nz/imgres?q=swarm+of+flies&hl=en&gbv=2&biw=959&bih=559&tbm=isch&tbnid=ltQjUrA4b-FrXM:&imgrefurl=http://voodookitchennet.blogspot.com/2011/08/king-of-flies.html&docid=H2t8Lhf793OCzM&w=400&h=347&ei=_EiUTq-gJuOgmQXLhLD_Bg&zoom=


Insects

Insects infect food by crawling over it and dropping germs onto the food via their feet

and saliva. They carry a large number of germs that can contaminate food and make

food go bad (rotten, spoiled). The insects responsible for most food poisoning are flies

and cockroaches.

Cockroaches live in warm places and breed (have babies) very

quickly. They eat most types of food and leave an unpleasant

smell. They also carry bacteria, such as salmonella and

staphylococcus.

You can tell if you have an infestation of cockroaches because you will:

see live cockroaches in cupboards and other dark places.

see cockroaches running away when the light is turned on.

see dead cockroaches on the floor or in cupboards, or on shelves.

see cockroach dirt or spots (poo).

Flies feed on lots of different things including faeces (poo) and

infected food waste. As they travel they pick up germs from one

place and leave these germs on food in another place. Because

of this, they can cross-contaminate food. They also regurgitate

(vomit) and defecate (poo) on food they land on.

You can tell if you have an infestation of flies because you will:

see a large number of live flies.

hear flies flying about.

see dead flies on the floor, window sills or shelves.

see fly dirt or spots on walls or window sills.

see fly larvae (eggs) on food.

see live maggots.

To control insects, such as flies or cockroaches:

clean up food scraps and rubbish regularly.

put lids on food and cleaning containers.

clean store rooms regularly.

don’t leave food out overnight.

wipe up any food spills immediately.

outside rubbish bins should have a lid.

keep outside rubbish bins away from buildings.

empty rubbish bins regularly.


Ants

Ants come inside to search for food and water. They eat foods that

have sugar or protein in them. When ants find a good source of

food they will come back in very large numbers.

You can tell if you have an infestation of ants because you will

see a line or group of live ants on the floor, on bench tops or on

food.

Rodents (rats and mice)

Rats and mice are from a group of animals

called rodents. They have sharp teeth which

can gnaw (chew or eat) through paper,

plastic, wood, and electric wires. They cause

a lot of damage by gnawing.

You will often see rats and mice around

rubbish bins. When they find food they like,

they will eat it and leave droppings (poo) on

and around the food. Any leftover food will

be infected and will go bad (rotten).

Signs of rodent infestation include:

seeing rats or mice about the building.

hearing rats and mice moving around behind the walls or in the ceiling.

finding rat or mice droppings and/or urine.

finding gnawed food and other things.

If you find mouldy food, or see signs of an infestation of insects or

rodents, you must report it to your supervisor or client.


Cleaning bathroom and toilet facilities

The procedure for cleaning toilet facilities has three steps. Remember it is important to

work through the procedure step by step.

Cleaning toilet facilities

1 Prepare to clean.

Check your equipment.

Wear personal protective equipment.

2 Clean the toilet facilities.

Clean toilets.

Clean urinals.

Clean hand basins and sinks.

Clean baths/showers.

Mop floors.

3 Replenish consumables.

Bathroom and toilet facilities

In this section you will learn to clean toilet facilities. Toilet facilities include toilets, urinals

(in men’s toilets), hand basins, soap dispensers, sinks and showers/baths. Some of

these facilities may not be available in all toilet facilities.

Toilet

Urinal

Hand basins

Soap dispenser

Shower

Sink

http://www.goatchurch.org.uk/atrips/norleans/urinal.jpg

http://img.alibaba.com/photo/10107378/Refillable_Soap_Dispenser_with_One_Compartment.jpg

http://www.fibrecomposites.com.au/images/shower.jpg


Products and equipment

You may need some of the following cleaning agents and equipment to clean toilet

facilities.

Disinfectant

Soft cloths/cleaning cloths

Scouring pad (green side)

Sponges

(colour coded)

Toilet cleaner (bleach)

Toilet brush

Cloths may be colour-coded, with different coloured cloths being used in different rooms

or places, or used for different types of cleaning tasks. For example, a cloth for cleaning

a toilet facility would not be used in cleaning a kitchen.

Remember to carry out safety checks on all the equipment you will be

using - mops/brooms/dustrol/bucket/scouring pads and cloths. Wear

PPE and display warning signs.

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/cm/goodhousekeeping/images/sponges-de.jpg


Cleaning toilet facilities

Knock on the main door to the toilet facilities and slightly open it.

Say that you are going to enter. If the toilet facilities is occupied

(someone is there) wait until it is empty.

Open the main toilet door and put out your warning signs.

Make sure that the public can clearly see the signs and that the

signs are not in the public’s way.

Put on a clean pair of gloves.

Enter the first toilet cubicle. Put the toilet seat down and flush the

toilet to make sure there is no toilet waste in the toilet bowl before

cleaning.

Lift the toilet seat and reduce the water line by using the toilet brush

to push the water back into the pipe.

This is the water line.

Use a mirror to check for waste under the rim.

Spray toilet cleaner under the rim and toilet bowl. Use a toilet brush

to clean the bowl and the rim.

Make sure you clean under the rim and water line.

Flush the toilet.

Apply disinfectant to a clean cloth and wipe down the outside of the

toilet bowl; the pipe; the toilet seat and lid; and the cistern.

With a clean dry cloth, dry these areas.

Remove your gloves and wash your hands.

http://www.safety-online.co.nz/industrial-safety-signs/warning-signs/cleaning-in-progress


Cleaning hand basins and sinks

Knock on the main door to the toilet facilities and slightly open it.

Say that you are going to enter. If the toilet facilities is occupied

(someone is there) wait until it is empty.

Open the main toilet door and put out your warning signs.

Make sure that the public can clearly see the signs and that the

signs are not in the public’s way.

Put on a clean pair of gloves.

Rinse the hand basin to make sure there is no waste.

Clean the plugholes and overflow with a plughole brush. Cover the

plughole with your hand to make sure that you do not get any dirt in

your face or eyes.

Clean the inside of the hand basin with a crème cleaner.

Clean around the bottom of the taps with the crème cleaner.

Rinse the hand basin to remove the cleaner.

With a damp cloth wipe the taps, exterior surfaces, pipes under the

basin and the vanity unit.

With a dry cloth dry the taps, exterior surfaces, pipes under the

basin and the vanity unit.

Showers/baths are cleaned much the same way, except you must

use a shower/bath cleaner.

http://www.safety-online.co.nz/industrial-safety-signs/warning-signs/cleaning-in-progress


Vacuuming the floor

The procedure for preparing to vacuum the floor has three steps.

Vacuum the floor

1 Prepare to clean.

Check the electrical safety certificate.


Check the floor.

Put out a warning sign, cordon or barrier.

2 Vacuum the floor.

3 Clean your equipment and store it away.

1 Prepare to clean

Before you start to vacuum the floor, you must check your vacuum cleaner.

Check the electrical safety certificate (ESC)

You must ALWAYS check that the vacuum cleaner has a

current electrical safety certificate. If not tell your supervisor

straight away. Do not use the equipment.

If you are using an extension lead, this must also have an

electrical safety certificate.

A vacuum cleaner must be fitted with high efficiency particulate air filter (HEPA) meeting

the standard AS/NZS 3733:1995.

Check your equipment

Remember to check each part of the vacuum cleaner thoroughly.

Hose

Cord

Plug

Electrical Safety Certificate (ESC)

Body

Pipe

Foot tool/head


Safety check for vacuum cleaners

Check that:

the cord is not damaged.

the plug is not broken or damaged. The prongs must be straight.

the power cord has no cuts or twists.

the pipe is straight. It must not be damaged or blocked.

the foot tool/head is not damaged or blocked.

the body of the vacuum cleaner is clean and not damaged.

the hose is straight. It must not be blocked.

the motor is quiet when turned on. Do not use if the motor is noisy or smelly.

Check the floor and put out warnings

Pick up any large pieces of rubbish and throw them away.

Put out a warning sign, cordon or barrier, making sure that the signs are placed

where people can see them and where they will not cause a hazard.

When you finish the preparation, you can start to vacuum the floor.

2 Vacuum the floor

There are five steps to follow when vacuuming a floor.

1 Cover the floor thoroughly, using overlapping strokes

until the area is clean. Pay attention to ‘high traffic’ areas.

2 When vacuuming edges and corners, remove the foot

tool and use a crevice tool.

3 Choose the appropriate accessory for the floor surface

and location of dust and dirt.

4 Be careful not to damage the walls or furniture.

5 When you have finished, remove the warning signs.

3 Clean your equipment and store it away

Check the vacuum cleaner bag. Empty or change the bag if it is full.

Wind the cord starting from the base of the vacuum. While doing this you can check

to see if the cord has been damaged.

Wipe the body of the vacuum.

Store the pipes and hoses away.


Treating a spot stain on a carpet

The equipment you will use may include:

a carpet sweeper.

a power head vacuum cleaner.

a vacuum cleaner.

a carpet cleaning machine, ie a warm water injection and extraction machine.

an air mover.

a carpet rake or groomer or brush.

a pump-up pump or pressurised spray wands.

a power safe cut-out protector.

a fibre ID kit.

spotting chemicals.

Carpet cleaning machines

Commercial carpet cleaning professionals generally use a warm water injection and

extraction machine to clean carpets. These machines can be portable (able to be

carried and moved around) or truck mounted.

A portable warm water injection and

extraction carpet cleaning machine.

A truck mounted warm water injection and

extraction carpet cleaning machine.

A portable warm water injection and extraction carpet cleaning machine consists of:

a body which has a liquid storage tank and a recovery tank.

The storage tank is for clean, warm water and cleaning solutions that are injected into the carpet.

The recovery tank is for dirty water extracted from the carpet.

a pump and nozzle to spray cleaning solution onto the carpet.

a vacuum system to remove water and soil.

a cleaning head or wand (with or without brush).


A truck mounted warm water injection and extraction machine

A truck mounted warm water injection and extraction machine is more powerful. It will

have more powerful vacuum and airflow. It may also have high energy water heating

abilities and may have a large water recovery storage tank or a waste recovery filtration

and pump out system.

Cleaning chemicals

There are two main types of chemicals that are used for commercial carpet cleaning.

Pre-spray detergent

A pre-spray detergent is sprayed on the carpet before carpet cleaning. It is used to

soften, loosen and dissolve dirt that is stuck to the surface of the carpet. It must be left

on the carpet for the recommended amount of time, in order to work effectively (this is

called the dwell time).

There are three different types of pre-spray detergent.

neutral pre-spray detergent.

alkaline pre-spray detergent.

acid pre-spray detergent.

Check with your supervisor to make sure you use the correct pre-spray detergent for the

carpet type and conditions, eg stain removal.

If the instructions are followed carefully, the pre-spray detergent should not damage the

carpet fibres, carpet backing and carpet adhesives (glue).

Rinsing detergent

Check your organisational policies and procedures as your employer may require you to

use only water as a rinse agent.

Rinsing detergent is added to the water tank in the carpet cleaning machine. It is

injected onto the carpet with a nozzle. It is then extracted back into the machine with the

cleaning head or wand.

There are three different types of pre-spray detergent:

neutral rinsing detergent.

alkaline rinsing detergent.

acid rinsing detergent.

Check with your supervisor to make sure you use the correct pre-spray detergent for the

carpet type and conditions, eg stain removal.


Prepare for carpet cleaning, under supervision

1 Assess the condition of the carpet and report the results to the client.

2 Put on appropriate personal protective equipment.

3 Select and prepare the cleaning solution, following

the manufacturer’s recommendations.

4 Select and safety check your equipment.

5 Put out warning signs.

6 Colourfast test the cleaning solution in an area that is not obvious.

7 Spot remove any spots or stains.

8 Move chattels.

9 Avoid damage to area by minimising overspray.

10 Make sure the conditions for safe carpet cleaning are met.

11 Clean loose litter from the surface of the carpet.

12 Apply pre-spray detergent.

13 Fill the carpet cleaning machine with warm water and cleaning solutions.

1 Assess the condition of the carpet and report the results.

Assess the condition of the carpet before it is cleaned. When you assess the condition of

the carpet, you look for any pre-existing problems.

These include the following items.

Split seams, where carpets come apart at a join.

Moisture (water) damage caused by damp, floods or

over-wetting of the carpet.

Soiling - earth and other dirt walked into the carpet which

can be removed by vacuuming or rinsing with water.

Stains - A stain is a substance such as mud, liquid, food

that is on a fabric or material and is not able to be

removed by normal cleaning.

A stain can also be an area on the carpet that is a different

colour from the rest of the carpet. For example, a brown

stain on a blue carpet.

Mould - Depending on how bad the mould is, it may be

possible to treat it with a mould killer for carpets.

After assessing the condition of the carpet, discuss the findings and possible solutions

with your supervisor. Then write up a report on the findings (if applicable). The report will

include any pre-existing conditions and recommendations for treatment. Ask your

supervisor what the company requirements are for writing a client report, and ask them

to show you a previous report so that you can use it as an example.


2 Put on appropriate personal protective equipment

Put on your personal protective equipment, before you prepare the cleaning solutions

you will need for carpet cleaning. You will also need to wear PPE while you are carpet

cleaning. You should ALWAYS wear gloves and a respirator if you are mixing

hazardous (toxic) chemicals that can affect your breathing.

You may also need to wear some or all of the following PPE -- closed footwear,

glasses/goggles, ear plugs, face mask.

3 Select and prepare the cleaning solution

Make sure you follow the manufacturer’s instructions when using cleaning solutions.

There are a range of different cleaning solutions which may be used when cleaning

carpets. These can include the following.

Spot or stain removers to remove difficult stains.

Pre-spray detergent solution. It is also called a Traffic Lane Cleaner or a

pre-conditioner. The pre-spray detergent is sprayed on the carpet before cleaning

to help trap and remove dirt. It is important to choose the correct pre-spray

detergent for the type of carpet and for the type of spots and stains on the carpet.

There are three main types of pre-spray detergents:

neutral pre-spray detergent.

acid pre-spray detergent.

alkaline pre-spray detergent.

A rinsing detergent solution (or just water). This is added to the tank of the carpet

cleaning machine. Make sure you follow the instructions for preparing and using the

detergent solution correctly, so that it doesn’t damage the carpet fibres, carpet

backing and adhesive (glue).

Sanitising solution – to kill germs.

Deodorant – to remove odours (smells).

Defoamer – to prevent foam (soap and water) building up in the carpet and the

recovery tank of the warm water injection and extraction machine.

You need to be very sure that you choose the best carpet cleaning chemicals for the

conditions and type of carpet. If you choose the wrong chemicals, they may damage the

carpet or void the warranties for the carpet.

If you need to prepare a cleaning solution, follow the instructions on the label of cleaning

agent or on a stain removal chart. There is more on preparing cleaning solutions at the

back of this learning resource.

Ask your supervisor if you are still unsure of how to choose the best cleaning solution for

the job, or if you are unsure of how to mix the cleaning solutions correctly.


4 Select and safety check your equipment

Do a safety check for warning signs, a respirator, a carpet sweeper, and for electrical

equipment (this includes air movers, power head vacuum cleaners or vacuum cleaners

and carpet cleaning machines).

All equipment must be clean and in good working condition.

All electrical equipment must have a current electrical safety certificate.

NEVER share your respirator with someone else as this is extremely

unhygienic (germy). It is your personal equipment and you are

responsible for it.

Safety check for respiratory equipment

Check all cartridges and attachments for fit.

Ensure valves are clean and function correctly.

Check the moulded face plate for leaks or cracks.

To double check that your respirator is working regularly smell a strong odour

(such as a petrol) while wearing it. If you can detect the smell it may indicate that

the canisters require immediate replacement or the fitting needs adjustment.

Fit-testing

Without a proper fit, you are not protected. There should be no air leaks around the face

mask. Adjust any headbands carefully to obtain a good seal. Facial hair can prevent a

correct fit. A fit-test needs to be done every time the mask is put on.

To check for proper fit do the following tests.

Inhalation test: Place the palm of the hand over the cartridge

inhalation points and breathe in. If you cannot feel air enter the

mask and the face plate collapses slightly, there is a proper fit

and the exhalation valve is functioning properly.

Exhalation test: Completely cover the exhalation valve with the

palm of your hand. Breathe out enough to cause slight

pressure inside the face plate. If no air escapes from around

the face plate, it is fitted properly and the inhalation valve is

functioning correctly. Adjust straps if air leaks.


5 Put out warning signs

To warn other people, put out a warning sign, cordon or barrier.

Make sure that you put a warning sign in a place where people can read it.

Put it in a place that will not cause a hazard.

Safety check for signs

Check that the hinge works. The hinge is at the top,

and joins the two parts of the sign.

Check that the sign is clean and easy to read.

6 Colourfast test the cleaning solution

Do a colourfast test before you use a cleaning solution, in an area that is not obviously

seen. Apply a small amount of cleaning solution to a small area of carpet that is not

visible.

Follow the instructions on the label. The instructions will tell you how long to leave the

cleaning solution on. If the carpet changes colour, the colour runs (bleeds), or the pile of

the carpet is damaged, do not use the cleaning solution on the rest of the carpet.

7 Spot remove any spots and stains

Identify the stain.

Then apply the appropriate stain remover to the stain, following the directions on

the label carefully.

You may need to use one of the following stain removers:

volatile solvent, non-volatile solvent, neutral detergent solution, alkaline

detergent solution, acid detergent solution, enzyme digester, chewing gum

remover, rust remover, cordial or dye stain remover, ammonia.

Neutralise and rinse the stain remover from the carpet, once the stain is removed.

If you cannot identify the stain, you will need to do a spot-test on the stain.


8 Move chattels

Chattels is another word for furniture and other household items.

Before cleaning the carpet, you need to remove as much of the furniture as is possible

from the room being cleaned.

Follow instructions on where to store these chattels.

Remember to look after your back, if you have to bend or lift.

Do not lift heavy items!

9 Avoid damage to area by minimising overspray

To prevent water damage from the pre-spray detergent, use masking tape to seal the

edges of the room.

Use plastic sheeting to cover any carpet and flooring areas that are not being cleaned.

Place plastic sheeting under all furniture which is not being moved, so the furniture and

carpet is not damaged by chemicals and over-wetting.

10 Make sure conditions for safe carpet cleaning are met

Make sure the worksite is well ventilated (aired).

Open windows or use an air mover to keep fresh air moving into the area.

Make sure you are not working near fire or flames. The area must be No Smoking.

Do not breathe in chemical fumes.

Use a respirator and/or air mover when working with chemicals.

Do not get chemicals/cleaning agents in contact with your skin and eyes.


11 Clean loose litter from the surface of the carpet

Before cleaning, vacuum the carpet thoroughly to remove loose litter such as small

pieces of rubbish that is on the surface of the carpet.

Equipment used to vacuum the carpet includes a carpet sweeper, power head vacuum

cleaner, or a vacuum cleaner.

12 Apply pre-spray detergent

Use a pressure sprayer to apply pre-spray detergent.

Fill the pressure sprayer with pre-spray detergent.

Apply pre-spray detergent to the whole area of carpet to be cleaned.

Apply more pre-spray detergent to soiled areas and to spots and stains that are still

visible. Do not over wet the carpet.

For best results the pre-spray detergent should be brushed into the pile in heavily

soiled areas with a broom or special carpet rake.

Allow the pre-spray detergent to work. Check on the label for the recommended

time (5 and 20 minutes) before cleaning the carpet with the carpet cleaning

machine. This is called the ‘dwell’ time.

13 Fill the carpet cleaning machine

Fill the tank of the warm water injection and extraction machine with warm water.

Follow the manufacturer’s instructions on the temperature of water needed.

Add detergent to the tank along with any other chemicals required such as

sanitising solution, or deodorant.

If required, add defoamer to the recovery tank. The recovery tank is where the dirty

water extracted from the carpet goes.


Stain removal chart

This chart lists the cleaning procedures for medituft carpets which are made with

solution dyed nylon. Do not use these stain removal procedures on any other carpet

types. If the stain is unknown, start with water, then a mild detergent solution.

Follow the chart carefully. Do each procedure in the correct order as per the numbers.

Only use procedure 12 ‘recommended bleach solution’ if the other procedures

do not remove the stain.

Stain Type Removal Method Stain Type Removal Method

Asphalt/Bitumen 1 Grass Stain 2, 3, 6, 5,4, 11

Adhesives 1 Ice Cream 3, 6, 5, 4, 11

Auto (car) Grease 1, 3, 4 Ink 3, 6, 5, 4, 11

Beer 3, 4, 11 Iodine 2, 3, 6, 5, 4, 11

Betadine Solution 1, 2, 3, 4, 11 Lacquer 8, 2, 3, 4, 11

Blood 3, 4 cold, 6, 4 cold, 11 Juice (Fruit) 3, 5, 11

Bleach 3, 4, 11 Lipstick 8, 2, 3, 6, 5, 4, 11

Butter, Margarine 3, 4, 11 Machine oil 2, 3, 6, 5, 4, 11

Calamine lotion 1, 3, 6, 5, 4, 11 Mascara 3, 1, 4, 11

Candy (sweets) 5, 4, 3 Mayonnaise 6, 3, 4, 11

Cheese 3, 5, 3, 4 Milk 6, 3, 4

Chewing Gum 2, 3, 4 Mustard 3, 5, 4, 11

Chocolate 5, 3, 4, 11 Nail polish 7, 1, 3, 4, 11

Cosmetics 1, 7, 3, 4, 11 Paint (latex) 1, 3, 6, 5, 4, 11

Clay 3,4, 5, 4, 11 Paint (oil) 1, 7, 9, 6, 5, 4, 11

Coffee (wet) 3, 4, 5, 11 Rust 10

Coffee (dry) 3, 8, 3, 5, 4, 11 Salad dressing 3, 6, 3, 4, 11

Cooking oil 3, 4 Shoe dye 1, 3, 4, 11

Cough syrup 3, 5 Shoe polish 7, 1, 3, 6, 4, 11

Crayon 3, 4 Soy sauce 5, 3, 4, 11

Curry 5, 4 Starch 5, 3, 4

Egg 8, 3, 4, 11 Tar 2, 1

Faeces (poo) 3, 6, 5, 4 Tea 3, 4, 5

Food Colouring 2, 3, 6, 5, 4, 11 Toothpaste 3, 4

Furniture stain 2 Urine (wee) 3, 5, 4, 11

Furniture polish 2, 7, 3, 6, 5, 4, 11 Vomit 3, 6, 5, 4, 11

Gelatine 3, 6, 4, 11 Water colours 3, 5, 6, 4, 11

Gravy 2, 3, 6, 5, 4 Wine 3, 5, 6, 4, 11


How to read a stain removal chart

Asphalt/bitumen 1

Adhesives 1

Auto (car) grease 1, 3, 4

Beer 3, 4, 11

The previous chart doesn’t tell you how to treat the stain.

Read the appropriate method(s) in the table below.

Spot and stain removal

Methods for medituft carpets

1 Volatile Dry Solvent (VDS) or fast evaporating non-flammable dry cleaning fluid. Spray a small amount of solvent on the stained area. Gently rub the solvent into the soiled area using a clean, dry, white cloth. Use a clean dry cloth or towel to blot up any extra moisture. Do this by putting a clean, folded cloth or towel over the wet area. Put pressure or weight on the cloth. This will force moisture from the carpet into the cloth. Lastly, vacuum the area.

2 Non-Volatile Dry Solvents (NVDS). These are often called paint, oil and grease removers. This type of solvent evaporates more slowly for better cleaning. Use the same procedure as for volatile dry solvents above. Non-volatile solvents can leave chemicals on the carpet which can cause it to get dirty again quickly. So, always neutralise the non-volatile solvent with a volatile dry solvent after treating the stain. Blot dry with a cloth and then vacuum the area.

3 Detergent solution. Always use a detergent solution with a pH of less than ten. (Find out more about pH in the information about preparing for stain removal.)

Check the label or ask your supervisor, if you are unsure. Mix a quarter of a teaspoon of liquid hand dishwashing detergent with one cup of warm water. Or for other detergents, follow the instructions on the label. Never use a stronger mixture as it will make the detergent more difficult to remove from the carpet and will cause the carpet to become dirty again more quickly.

4 Warm water rinse. Use lukewarm (only slightly warm) tap water to rinse the spot or stain from the carpet.

5 Vinegar solution. Mix one cup of white vinegar (a 5% acetic solution) with one cup of water. You can also use a professional solution.

6 Ammonia solution. Mix one tablespoon of household ammonia and one cup of water or use a professional protein spotter.

7 Acetone solution. Use nail polish remover that does not have lanolin or conditioner in.

8 Tannin stain remover. You need to buy this. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

9 Lacquer thinners. Do not apply directly to the carpet. Put a small amount of thinners onto a white cloth and gently apply it to the stain.

10 Rust remover. Use only non-hydrofluoric acid rust remover. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully.

11 Vacuum with wet/dry vacuum, apply a 10 cm layer of plain white paper towel and weight with approximately 1 kg eg the weight of a phonebook. Change paper towels after three hours.

Column 1

Lists the

different

types of

stains.

Column 2

Each number explains a

different method for

removing stains and is

explained in the spot and

stain removal methods for

medituft carpets table.


Removing stains from soft coverings

What is a spot?

A spot is a substance that sits on the surface of the fabric or material that changes the

feel or look of the fabric or material.

What is a stain?

A stain is a substance such as mud, liquid, food that is on a fabric or material and is

NOT able to be removed by normal cleaning.

A stain can also be an area on the fabric or material that is a different colour from the

rest of the fabric or material. For example: a brown stain on a black fabric.

What are soft coverings?

The coverings on sofas, curtains, cushions and carpets are all called soft coverings.

Soft coverings are made from fabrics and materials.

What is a fabric?

In the cleaning industry, a fabric is cloth or textile made from yarn or fibre.

Some examples of fabric are woollen cloth, cotton, linen, nylon and other man-made

fibres such as polyester.

Woollen cloth Cotton

Linen Nylon


What is a material?

In the cleaning industry, a material is made from non-woven fabrics, so it doesn’t include

cloth. Examples of materials are leather, suede and vinyl.

Leather Suede Vinyl

Styles of fabrics and materials

You may need to identify different styles of fabrics and materials. The main styles are:

woven, flocked, tufted, knitted and leather.

Woven fabrics

Woven fabrics are made by using two or more sets of

yarn joined at right angles to each other.

Flocked fabrics

Flocked fabrics have two layers. The top layer is made up of

very small fibres attached to the bottom layer by glue. The top

layer may have a pattern or different texture (feel).


Tufted fabric

Tufted fabric is woven fabric with an extra set of yarn that is twisted into the woven

backing fabric. The tufted yarn stands up at right angles from the woven backing fabric.

You may have seen tufted carpet.

Knitted fabric

Here the yarn is joined together by

special knots (called stitches). There

are hundreds of different knitting

stitches. Knitted fabrics are often more

stretchy and thicker than woven

fabrics.

Leather material

Leather comes from animal skins

(hides). Leather is often made from

cow hide. The skin is treated with

chemicals to stop it from going off.

This treatment process is called

tanning and turns the leather into

tanned leather.


Types of stains and methods of stain removal

How to identify stains

Sometimes you may not know what the stain is. It is important to identify the stain first,

so you know how to treat it. You may need to use a different method of stain removal

for different types of stains.

You may need to use a number of different ways to identify a stain. These include:

colour, smell (odour), appearance (sight), feel (touch), location and client input.

Colour

The colour of the stain may help you to identify it. However, the colour alone is

sometimes not very helpful. For example, many stains look brown, ie coffee, tea, old

lemonade stains, make up, and so on.

Odour or smell

Some substances have a strong smell. For example, you may be able to identify a

coffee stain or an oil stain by its smell.

Appearance or sight

Sometimes it is possible to identify a stain, from just looking at it. For example, chewing

gum is easy to identify from looking at it.

Feel (touch)

You may be able to identify a stain by touching it. For example, you can identify an

oil/grease stain by touch. Oil based stains feel greasy/oily to touch.

Location

Sometimes the location where the stain is found may help you to identify a stain. It may

give you clues. For example, black stains on the floor near a photocopier could be made

by black toner from a toner cartridge. Brown spills on the chairs in the lunch room at an

office may be tea or coffee stains.

Client input

Client input is information that a client tells you. The client may be able to tell you what

caused the stain.


Possible problems removing stains from soft coverings

You will need to be careful when removing stains so that you don’t damage the fabric or

material. Here are some of the problems that can happen.

Over-wetting causing shrinkage

If you use too much water (over-wetting) this can damage some fabrics and materials.

Sometimes fabrics or materials can shrink if they become too wet. If a fabric or material

shrinks it becomes smaller. Leather is one material that will shrink if it gets wet.

Dye-runs or discolouration

Dye is used to colour a fabric or material. If a fabric is colourfast it means that the dye

will not come out of the fabric if it is wet or washed. However, some dyes may not be

permanent. If you wet a fabric or material that is not colourfast, the dye may run out of

the fabric.

Another problem is discolouration. Sometimes solvents may change the colour of a

fabric. This is called discolouration.

Before you wet a fabric or material or apply a solvent, you should do a colourfast test in

a place that is not easily seen. If the dye runs or the fabric or the material changes

colour, do not continue with that method of stain removal.

Delamination (layers that separate)

Some fabrics or materials are made up of

different layers. If the layers of the fabric or

material split or separate, this is called

delamination.

An example of delamination is when the

primary and secondary backing fabric

separate.

Some methods of stain removal may cause

delamination.

Fibre or yarn distortion

If the yarn in a fabric moves or slips, the shape and size of the fabric can change. This is

called fibre or yarn distortion.

Hard rubbing of some fabrics can cause yarn or fibre distortion.


The five different methods for removing stains

There are two basic ways of removing stains.

You can physically loosen or remove the stain from the surface.

There are different stain removal methods for physically removing stains. These include:

the extraction method.

the absorption method.

agitation, which is also called tamping

Or -

You can use a stain removal agent that works on the stain.

There are different types of stain removal agents. These include:

enzymes which remove stains by enzyme digestion action.

solvents (water-based, solvent based, co-solvent) that remove stains by chemical

action.

A description of how each method works to remove stains follows.

1 Extraction

Water extraction is a cleaning method commonly used to remove stains from carpet and

upholstery. Many carpet-cleaning machines use the water extraction method. The

machine sprays water onto the stain and then extracts or pulls the stain and the dirty

water out of the carpet into a container in the machine. You can use a cold water or hot

water extraction method. Hot water may be better for removing tough stains, but cold

water is best for cleaning natural fibres such as cotton and wool that are likely to shrink

in hot water.

2 Absorption

In the absorption method something is used to absorb or soak up the stain. You may

use an absorbent pad or an absorbent cloth to soak up a liquid stain. If possible, you

should put an absorbent pad underneath the stain as well as on top of the stain.

Change the absorbent pad as soon as there is any sign of stain on it or you may

accidentally re-stain the area you have just treated.

Another substance sometimes used to soak up a stain is chemical absorbent crystals.

You may use this method along with other stain removal methods.


3 Agitation

You must only use this method once you have written instructions to do so.

The agitation method is good for strong, tightly woven fabric but should not be used on

more delicate materials.

In this method, you use a tool such as a small brush, to apply light pressure directly to

the stained area. This is called agitating or tamping.

To do this you hold the brush two to three inches (5-7 cm) above the stain and bring it

down lightly onto the stain over and over again using the tips of the bristles only. You are

more likely to damage the fabric if you use the sides of the bristles. The bristles of the

brush should not bend. If they bend, it means you are pushing too hard.

To avoid damaging the fabric, stop tamping as soon as the stain is gone. Also, avoid

scrubbing the stain. Scrubbing will cause distortion to the fibres.

If you are tamping after applying a stain removal cleaning agent, you may also want to

place a towel between the brush and the stain while tamping. This will protect your brush

and avoid splashing chemicals.

4 Enzyme digestion

An enzyme is a natural protein that helps a chemical reaction happen or happen more

quickly. Enzymes are natural substances so they are safe to use. They break down

completely and do not damage the environment.

When used for stain removal, molecules of the stain lock onto the enzyme. Different

enzymes are used to break down different types of stains (protein stains, fat stains and

carbohydrate stains). The enzyme breaks the molecules into smaller pieces so they can

be removed or washed away more easily.

Tips of bristles (top)

Bristles


5 Chemical action (water-based, solvent-based, or co-solvent)

This method of stain removal uses a chemical that creates a chemical reaction when

applied to the stain.

There are three main types of stain removal chemical agents that are used to treat

stains.

Water

Water is one of the most common substances used to dissolve (remove, destroy) stains.

Water is a special kind of solvent called an inorganic solvent. It is safe to use and does

not damage the environment.

In stain removal, water is used to flush out or sponge a water-based stain.

However, water will not dissolve oil-based stains. You will need to use an organic

solvent for oil-based stains.

Organic solvents

Organic solvents are a type of chemical. A solvent is a liquid, solid or gas that dissolves

another liquid, solid or gas. One use for solvents is as stain removers.

When a solvent is applied to a substance (for example, a stain), a chemical reaction

happens. The solvent mixes with the substance to make a solution. The solvent and

substance then react with each other. The molecules of the solvent wrap around the

molecules of the substance. When a solvent is applied to a stain, it will look as if the

stain has dissolved or disappeared.

Co-solvents

A co-solvent is a solvent which must be used with another solvent, to be able to dissolve

a substance.


Prepare equipment and site for stain removal

The equipment you will use to remove stains from soft coverings includes:

a stain removal chart.

a stain removal kit (choose a kit that has a child-proof lock).

cloths.

gloves.

a respirator.

an air mover.

Equipment

A stain removal chart A stain removal kit (spotting kit)

A respirator An air mover

Use a respirator if you are handling hazardous chemicals that could be harmful if you

breathe them in.

You use an air mover for two main reasons:

1 to ventilate the room. It helps circulate (move) air around.

2 to help dry wet carpets. The air mover blows air across the top of the carpet which

helps to dry it.

To choose the correct equipment for each job you need to:

read the label of the cleaning agent bottle you are using.

read the instructions on the stain removal chart.

ask your supervisor.


How to remove an identifiable stain from soft coverings

An identifiable stain is a stain that you are able to identify. This means you know what

caused the stain and you can look it up in the stain removal chart and know exactly

what you must do to treat it.

Here is the procedure you need to follow to remove identifiable stains from soft

coverings. There are twenty-one steps.

Procedure for removing an identifiable stain from soft coverings

1 Do a risk assessment of the worksite and get it signed off by the client.

2 Identify the stain.

3 Identify the type of fabric or material.

4 Identify whether the stain is oil-based or water-based.

5 Select the appropriate cleaning agent.

6 Test the pH level of the cleaning agent.

7 Put on the appropriate personal protective equipment.

8 Prepare the cleaning solution according to manufacturer’s instructions.

9 Choose your equipment.

10 Do a safety check of your equipment.

11 Put out a warning sign, cordon or barrier.

12 Make sure conditions for safe stain removal are met.

13 Do a colourfast test in an area that is not visible.

14 Apply the cleaning solution to the stain according to manufacturer’s instructions.

15 Neutralise the cleaning agent.

16 Rinse.

17 Clean your equipment.

18 Store equipment away.

19 Soiled solutions are disposed of appropriately.

20 A report of the outcome is given to the client or supervisor and the results of the

job are approved.

21 The premises are secured.

Here is the procedure in more detail.


Get the client’s acceptance before starting the job. The client gives their acceptance by

signing that they understand the hazards and the steps being taken to control the risks.


2 Identify the stain

Use colour, smell (odour), sight (appearance), feel, location and client input to help you

to identify the stain correctly.

3 Identify the type and style of fabric or material

It is important to identify the type and style of the fabric or material as this will help you

choose the correct method of stain removal. Fabrics include woollen cloth, cotton, linen,

nylon and other man-made fibres such as polyester. Materials include leather, suede

and vinyl. Fabrics and material styles include woven, flocked, tufted, knitted and leather.

4 Identify whether the stain is water-based or oil-based

You treat water-based stains and oil-based stains differently. So, ALWAYS find out if the

stain is water-based or oil-based. For water-based stains look for a ring that forms

around the outside of the stain. For oil-based stains, feel the stain - it may be greasy/oily

to the touch. It may look shiny. It may also have an oily smell.

5 Select the appropriate cleaning agent

When you know what type of stain it is and what type and style of fabric or material it is,

you can select your cleaning agent. You can select the correct cleaning agent by:

reading the labels on the bottles of cleaning agent.

consulting a stain removal chart.

6 Test the pH level of the cleaning agent before you use it to find out how weak or

strong the chemicals or solvents are. Test strips used for testing swimming pools or spas

can be used for testing the pH level. A pH level over 7 can burn or discolour the fabric. If

the pH level is over 7, choose a different cleaning agent.

7 Put on the appropriate PPE before you prepare or use cleaning agents. You should

ALWAYS wear gloves. You should also wear a respirator if you are mixing hazardous

(toxic) chemicals that can affect your breathing.

8 Prepare the cleaning solution following the instructions on the label of cleaning

agent or on a stain removal chart. There is more on preparing cleaning solutions at the

back of this learning resource.

9 Choose your equipment - stain removal kit, gloves, a respirator and air mover.

10 Do a safety check of your equipment

Check your respiratory equipment, the air mover and the safety signs.

11 Put out a warning sign, cordon or barrier to warn the public. Make sure that you put

the warning sign in a place where people can read it and where it will not be a hazard.


12 Make sure conditions are safe for stain removal, before you start the process.

Make sure the worksite is well ventilated (aired). Open windows or use an air mover

to keep fresh air moving into the area.

Make sure you are not working near fire or flames. The area must be a

No Smoking area.

Do not breathe in chemical fumes. Use a respirator and/or air mover when working

with chemicals.

Do not get chemicals/cleaning agents in contact with your skin and eyes.

13 Do a colourfast test before you use a cleaning agent. Apply a small amount of

cleaning agent, to a small area of fabric or material that is not visible. Follow the

instructions on the label. The instructions will tell you how long to leave the cleaning

agent on. If the fabric or material changes colour, the colour runs, or the texture is

damaged, do not use the cleaning agent on the rest of the soft coverings.

14 Apply the cleaning solution to the stain according to manufacturer’s

instructions on the bottle of cleaning agent. When using any solvents, use as little as

possible. Try to prevent the solvent from soaking deeply into the fibres as some solvents

can dissolve glues and latex and cause delamination of the primary and secondary

backing fabrics.

ALWAYS apply your stain removal cleaning agent (water or solvent based) to a white

towel first, then to the spot. This will avoid chasing the stain deeper into the carpet or

fabric and will help you control the amount of chemical used. Also by getting transfer

onto the towel, you will know if you have the correct chemical.

When agitating a spot, always use a tamping brush in a ‘tamping’ motion and avoid

scrubbing. Scrubbing will cause distortion to the fibre. You may also want to place a

towel between the brush and stain while tamping. This will protect your brush and avoid

splashing chemical. At the same time, you will get additional absorption into the towel.

15 Neutralise the cleaning agent

ALWAYS neutralise the cleaning agent, after you have removed the stain. Neutralise

means to stop the cleaning agent from continuing to work. You do this by rinsing the

cleaning agent from the fabric or material with a neutralising agent.

Read the instructions on the label, to find the correct neutralising agent. You need to

neutralise the cleaning agent because:

it prevents damaging the fabric or material.

it prevents causing a chemical reaction between two types of cleaning agent.


16 Rinse

Check the label to see if you need to rinse the fabric or material with water, to remove

any leftover cleaning agent.

17 Clean your equipment

Follow these instructions to clean each piece of equipment.

Cloths

If using solvents, wash the cloths on their own in warm soapy water.

Warning sign

Wipe the warning sign and store it away.

Cleaning equipment (machine)

Remove all removable parts from the machine – brushes, hoses, lids and water

container.

Wash all parts thoroughly.

Dry parts thoroughly before putting them back.

Remove grit and waste material from the suction area of the machine.

Store it away with hoses and lids off so that the machine can air dry.

18 Store equipment away

Store solvents in an area that has a flammable chemical sign.

Store solvents in a separate area from other cleaning agents.

19 Soiled solutions are disposed of appropriately

Cleaning solutions should be disposed of down a cleaners’ sink or down the toilet.

DO NOT empty cleaning solutions down storm water drains or in the gutter.

20 Report the outcome

A report of the outcome of the stain removal is given to the client and/or your supervisor.

Both successful and unsuccessful stain removal results are reported.

21 The premises are secured

Follow the supervisor or client’s instructions to lock up the worksite after you have

completed the job.


How to remove an unidentifiable stain from soft coverings

Sometimes it is not possible to identify a stain. If you don’t know what caused a stain, it

is called an unidentifiable stain.

To remove an unidentifiable stain, you will follow a similar procedure for removing an

identifiable stain from soft coverings. However, because you are not able to identify the

stain, you will have to do a spot test on the stain, to find a cleaning agent that will

remove the stain. Here is the procedure you need to follow to remove unidentifiable

stains from soft coverings. It has nineteen steps.

Procedure for removing an unidentifiable stain from soft coverings


2 Identify the type of fabric or material.

3 Spot test the stain.

4 Select the most effective cleaning agent.

5 Put on the appropriate personal protective equipment.

6 Prepare a range of cleaning solutions (water-based cleaning agent, dry cleaning

solvent, other cleaning solvents) that are suitable for the type and style of fabric

or material.

7 Choose your equipment.



10 Make sure conditions for safe stain removal are met.


12 Apply the cleaning solution to the stain according to manufacturer’s instructions.

13 Neutralise the cleaning agent.

14 Rinse.

15 Clean your equipment.

16 Store equipment away.

17 Soiled solutions are disposed of appropriately.

18 A report of the outcome is given to the client or supervisor and the results of the

job are approved.

19 The premises are secured.

You have already learnt about the whole process of stain removal for soft coverings.

So, in this part, you will only look at Step 3 Spot test the stain, in more detail as this is

the part of the procedure that is different for an unidentifiable stain.


What is a spot test?

When you can’t identify the stain, it is difficult to choose a stain removal cleaning agent

to remove it. So, you need to try different types of stain removal cleaning agents on a

small part of the spot or stain to find one that will safely remove the stain without

damaging the fabric or material. This is called a spot test.

There is a correct order for trying different cleanings agents on an unidentifiable stain.

You must ALWAYS follow this order.

Make sure that you ALWAYS neutralise a stain removal cleaning agent before trying the

next one on the list. Check the label to find out what to use to neutralise the stain.

Order of Applying Stain Removal Agents to

Spot Test an Unidentifiable Stain

1. Volatile Dry Solvent

2. Non Volatile Dry Solvent

3. Neutral Detergent Solution

4. Alkaline Detergent Solution

5. Acid Detergent Solution

Once you have chosen a cleaning agent, you should still do a

colourfast test on an area of the fabric or material that is not visible.


1 Volatile dry solvent

ALWAYS start a spot test on an unidentifiable stain by using a volatile dry solvent (VDS)

like Perco or Dry Fabric Cleaner. It is called a volatile solvent because it evaporates

easily. Reasons for starting with volatile dry solvent are that:

it will not set the stain (it will not make the stain permanent).

VDS will not create a barrier so you can try another stain removal cleaning agent if

it does not remove the stain.

Volatile dry solvent can be used on the following stains - light oils, grease, tar, gum,

asphalt, carbon, copier toner, fresh paint and general spots.

2 Non-volatile dry solvent

If a VDS doesn’t remove the stain, try a non-volatile dry solvent (NVDS) next. Examples

of non-volatile dry solvents are: P.O.G, Visicol Red, Grease Breaker, Wet Solvent, Dry N

Wet Spotter. A non-volatile solvent spotter will remove paint, oil, grease, oxidized oils,

inks, dyes, plastic, lipstick, lacquer, glue, varnish and nail polish.

To neutralise NVDS, rinse it with a volatile dry solvent.

3 Neutral detergent solution

If a non-volatile dry solvent doesn’t remove the stain, try a neutral detergent solution

(NDS) next. This is a neutral pH foaming detergent. Neutralise the NDS after you have

used it and before trying a different type of stain removal cleaning agent.

4 Alkaline detergent solution

The next stain removal cleaning agent to try is an alkaline detergent solution. It will

remove acid based stains, food spots, blood, albumin, protein spots, fatty acids,

perspiration, saliva and some cosmetics (make-up).

If alkaline detergent solution doesn’t remove the stain, neutralise it with an acid solution.

5 Acid detergent solution

Acid detergent solution, (tannin spotter) is used to remove spots caused by coffee or

tea. These are called tannin spots. Acid detergent solutions also remove the following

stains - wine, soft drinks, urine (wee), and faeces (poo). If this doesn’t work, neutralise it

with an alkaline solution, before trying another stain removal agent.

If none of these standard treatments remove the spot or stain, you

should talk to your supervisor and the client before trying a specialty

treatment.


Some notes about applying solvents

When using any solvents, try to stop them from soaking too deeply into the fibres.

Allow solvents to soak into the backing can dissolve (melt) latex, cause delamination and

encourage ‘wicking’. Wicking is the upward flow of moisture on fibre surfaces during

drying.

ALWAYS apply your spotting agent (water or solvent based) to a white towel first, then

to the spot. This will avoid driving the stain deeper into the carpet or fabric and will help

you control the amount of chemical used. Also if you notice stain transfer onto the towel,

you will know you have the correct chemical cleaning agent.

When agitating a spot, ALWAYS use a tamping brush in a ‘tamping’ motion and avoid

scrubbing. Scrubbing will cause distortion to the fibre. You may also want to place a

towel between the brush and stain while tamping, this will protect your brush and avoid

splashing chemical. At the same time, you will get additional absorption into the towel.

Information on recurring stains

Recurring stains are stains that go away during cleaning but then mysteriously come

back after the carpet or soft covering is dry.

The stain can return because of ‘wicking’. Wicking is when moisture flows up the fibre to

the surface during drying. If the stain has not been completely removed, it can be carried

through the fibre during drying and suddenly appear again on the surface of the carpet

or soft covering.

How to prevent wicking and recurring stains

1 Use the correct stain removal agent. Don’t use too much stain removal agent.

Neutralise the stain removal agent from the stain after treating.

2 If cleaning carpet, don’t wet the backing when applying stain removal agent.

This will prevent wicking because if the backing is dry, any stains trapped in the

backing will not be able to flow to the surface of the fibres during drying.

3 Use air dryers to dry the area quickly. If you dry the carpet or soft covering quickly

this helps to prevent wicking because there is less time for the stain to ‘wick’ up to

the surface.

4 Use a white towel, to remove any remaining stains from the carpet or soft coverings

after treating the stain.

Fold the towel and lay it on top of the cleaned stain.

Put a weight on it.

Let the carpet or soft covering dry.

Any remaining stains will come off on to the towel.


Treat odours in carpets and textiles

You will learn how to treat odours in carpets and textiles on small

scale jobs. You will learn how to treat odours caused by spills or stains

or in small areas. This learning resource does not cover how to treat

odours in large scale jobs. Large scale jobs would include treating odours caused by

fire, smoke, flood, and water damage or treating odours in larger areas.

What are odours

Odours are unpleasant or bad smells. They may be caused by:

smoke, fire or water damage.

human or animal products such as urine (wee), excrement (poo), vomit, or

perspiration (sweat).

microbes (extremely small living things that may cause disease).

mould.

mildew.

decomposition of organic material (rotten things). This may include rotten carpet,

rotten wood, rotten plants and rotten food.

Smoke or fire damage Water damage Urine (wee)

Perspiration Vomit Decomposition (rotten)

Microbes (microbial damage) Mould Mildew


Where do you find odours

You may have to search for the cause of odour. It may be on the walls, in corners, in the

underlay (a layer under the carpet), on the subfloor, behind skirting boards, under the

smooth edge, on hard floors or on furniture or curtains.

Underlay (layer under the carpet) Subfloor

Skirting boards Smooth edge

Finding the cause of odours

Sometimes you will not be able to see the cause of an odour and you may need to use

special equipment such as an ultra violet light or a non-penetrating moisture meter to

locate it.

Ultra violet light is a special type of light used to find human

or animal products such as blood, saliva, perspiration and

semen which cannot be seen by the human eye.

A non-penetrating moisture meter is a type of

electronic equipment used to measure how much

moisture is in a substance such as wood,

fibreboard and brickwork. It sends an electrical

signal into the substance to measure the

percentage of moisture. A moisture meter will tell you if the substance has high, normal

or low levels of moisture. A high level of moisture may show that there has been water

damage. A moisture meter can be used to find damp caused by flood, rising damp or

other water damage.


Procedure for treating odours in carpet and textiles

Treating odours in carpets and textiles (small scale)

1 Prepare carpets and textiles for odour treatment.

2 Treat odours in carpets and textiles.

3 Complete job-related tasks.

1 Prepare carpets and textiles for odour treatment

Here are the eleven steps used in the procedure for treating odours in carpets and

textiles on a small scale.

Prepare for carpet cleaning, under supervision


2 Find the source and cause of the odour.

3 Identify the type of carpet or textile.

4 Select the appropriate equipment and odour treatment.


6 Select and put on appropriate PPE.

7 Prepare the odour treatment.

8 Put out warning signs.

9 Move chattels in accordance with client requirements.


11 The area is well-ventilated.

Let’s look at these steps in more detail.

1 Do a risk assessment of the worksite and get it signed off by the client

Complete a risk assessment of the worksite. Get the client’s acceptance before

starting the job. The client gives their acceptance by signing that they understand the

hazards and the steps being taken to control the risks.


2 Find the source and cause of the odour

Look for the source of the odour (where the odour is coming from). You may have to

look:

on walls.

in corners.

under the carpet (at the underlay and sub floor).

on or behind skirting boards.

on or under the smooth edge.

at the hard floor.

at furniture.

Look for the cause of the odour. Is it caused by:

smoke, fire damage.

flood or water damage.

human or animal products.

rotten substances.

mould or mildew.

microbes.

3 Identify the type of carpet or textile

It is important to identify the type of carpet or textiles.

Read the label of the odour treatment to see what types of carpets and textiles you can

and cannot treat.

4 Select the appropriate equipment and odour treatment

Equipment you will need includes:

odour treatment (enzyme based deodoriser).

cloths.

knife, spoon or spatula.

carpet shampoo.

an air mover.

5 Do a safety check of your equipment

Do a safety check for warning signs and an air mover.

6 Select and put on the appropriate personal protective equipment

Before you prepare or use cleaning agents, put on personal protective equipment.

You should always wear gloves. You should also wear a respirator if you are preparing

hazardous (toxic) cleaning solutions that can affect your breathing.


7 Prepare the odour treatment

If you need to prepare the odour treatment, follow the instructions on the label or ask

your supervisor for help.

10 Do a colourfast test

Do a colourfast test, before you use the odour treatment.

Apply a small amount of odour treatment, to a small area of fabric or material that

is not visible.

Follow the instructions on the label. The instructions will tell you how long to leave

the odour treatment on. If the carpet or textile changes colour, the colour runs, or

the texture is damaged, do not use the odour treatment.

11 The area is well-ventilated

Make sure the area is well-ventilated (aired).

Open windows or use a fan or an air mover to keep fresh air moving into the area.

Make sure you are not working near fire or flames. The area must be

No Smoking.

8 Put out a warning sign, cordon or barrier

To warn the public, put out a warning sign, cordon or barrier.

Make sure that you put a warning sign in a place where people can read it.

Make sure you put it in a place that will not cause a hazard.

9 Move chattels in accordance with client requirements

Before treating the odour, you may need to remove some furniture from the room

being treated.

Follow the client’s instructions on where to store these chattels.


2 Treat odours in carpets and textiles

If an odour is caused by a stain, you may have to remove the stain first.

To treat odours in carpets and textiles

1 Treat the odour.

2 Task is completed without damage to technician, client, furniture, fixtures

or fittings.

3 Secure the area during the drying and curing process.

4 Assess the area after treatment.

1 Treat the odour

Remove soil (solids and fluids)

For solids (such as food, faeces (poo) scrape up as much solids as you can with a

spoon, knife or spatula. For fluids press down on the fluid with a dry cloth to soak up

the deep down fluid. Place your body weight behind the press to make sure more fluid is

brought to the surface.

Water down

Once most of the solid or fluid is gone, pour water on top of the area. Press dry.

Repeat this two or three times.

Shampoo the area (if required) especially for solids

Check the manufacturer’s instructions for quantities of shampoo needed. The

general rule is mix 25 ml of carpet shampoo with two litres of water.

Pour the shampoo mixture on top of the area.

Rub and blot (press with a cloth) the area so that the soap lifts any solids to the

surface. Use a spoon, knife or spatula to remove any solids.

Rinse all the shampoo from the area.

Apply the odour treatment

To destroy the odour completely, you need to use an enzyme deodoriser. Follow the

manufacturer’s instructions on the label.

Pour the enzyme deodoriser solution on the area.

Allow it to set in the carpet or textiles for at least 24 hours (one day) to 48 hours

(two days). Read the instructions on the label.

After one to two days, return and blot dry the moisture from the carpet or textile.

If there is any more moisture, let it air dry.

If you need to dry the area quickly or to dry carpet, use a fan or air mover.


Some more information about enzyme deodorisers

Enzyme deodorisers work by breaking down the odour causing

substance with friendly bacteria.

The area must be wet (and warm) for the enzyme to work.

You must leave the enzyme on the area for the correct amount

of time. Check the manufacturer’s instructions.

2 Task completed without damage

The task must be completed without damage to yourself or the client, or damage to their

furniture, fixtures or fittings.

Follow health and safety practices to keep you and the client safe.

Follow manufacturer’s instructions for using the odour treatment.

Follow industry best practice to avoid damaging furniture, chattels, fixtures and

fittings.

3 Secure the area during the drying and curing process

It takes one to two days for the enzymes to work (this is called the curing process).

It may also take time for the carpet or textiles to air dry.

During the curing and drying process, you may need to use warning signs, a cordon or

barrier to stop people from entering the area.

Once the area is treated, ventilate (air) the area well before use.

4 Assess the area after treatment

After the treatment is finished, assess the area to check that the smell is completely

removed.

If there is still an odour, you will need to treat the area again.

3 Complete job-related tasks

This is the third and final step in procedures to treat odours in carpets and textiles.

After the stain is removed, you will need to complete any job-related tasks. This may

include a report to your supervisor and your client. Both successful and unsuccessful

odour removal results are reported.

Follow the supervisor or client’s instructions to lock up the worksite after you have

completed the job.


Cleaning hard furniture, fixtures and fittings

Cleaning hard furniture, fixtures and fittings requires dusting or damp wiping.

Hard furniture may include tables, desks, book cases, cabinets and fixtures.

Fittings may include lights, light switches, power points, handrails and ledges.

There are two different ways of cleaning hard furniture, fixtures and fittings. These are

dusting or damp wiping. You only do one, either dusting or damp wiping. Dusting or

damp wiping leaves surfaces free from soil and marks.


You may need some of the following cleaning agents and equipment to clean hard

furniture, fixtures and fittings:

Cotton or microfibre cloths

(these may be colour coded)

Furniture polish or oil Duster or dusting wand

When wiping electrical fittings (such as switches) you must ensure you follow the correct

safety procedure. Isolate the power supply if you can, otherwise you may need to

exercise extreme caution when cleaning. DO NOT use water near electrical items – you

could be electrocuted.


Dusting

When you are dusting hard furniture, you use a cloth, a lint-free duster or a duster to

wipe away the dust. Some cleaners like to use a lint-free duster because it doesn’t leave

cotton dust (from the cloth) on the furniture.

Dusting can create dust showers (clouds of dust). This can

happen if you flick (move) the dust around quickly with a cloth

or duster. Dust showers are a problem because you don’t

remove the dust, you just move it from one place to another

(usually the floor).

After dusting the furniture, remove any dust that has resettled

on the floor with a vacuum cleaner or a dustrol. Don’t make a dust shower.

Damp wiping

When damp wiping, you can use a static cloth (sometimes called a static wipe) or a

damp cloth to prevent dust showers. A static wipe uses an electrical charge to attract the

dust to the cloth. A damp cloth uses water to make the dust stick to the cloth.

Damp wiping is usually used if the furniture is very dusty (has a lot of dust). Damp wiping

is also used to remove marks or stains from hard furniture (for example, finger marks,

coffee cup marks etc.).

For damp wiping you may need to prepare a cleaning solution. Follow the

manufacturer’s instructions, reading the label carefully.

Always prepare your cleaning solution in an area that has good ventilation and light.

There is more on preparing cleaning solutions at the back of this learning resource.

Damp wiping and dusting prevents the growth of bacteria and leaves surfaces clean.


Dusting

1 Prepare to clean.

7 Check your equipment.


2 Dust hard furniture, fixtures and fittings.

1 Prepare to clean

Before you start dusting you must prepare to clean.


Before you clean hard furniture, fixtures and fittings, you must check that your equipment

is clean and in good condition. In good condition means that the equipment is not

damaged and is safe to use. Do not use equipment that is not safe or that is broken or

damaged.

Check for dusters and cloths

The dusters and cloths (cotton or microfibre) must be clean and have no holes or rips.

Put out a warning sign and a cordon or barrier if necessary, in a place that people

can easily see. Put the sign in a place that will not cause a hazard.

Now you can start to dust.

2 Dusting hard furniture, fixtures and fittings

There are eight steps you must follow when dusting hard furniture, fixtures and fittings.

1 Use a dry, lint-free duster, cotton or microfibre cloth or dusting

wand. Thoroughly dust/wipe all the walls from top to bottom.

Don’t forget the skirting boards.

2 Now dust all shelves, ledges and windowsills. Work from top to

bottom.

3 Use straight, overlapping strokes (like when you are sweeping or mopping.)

4 As the dusting cloth gets dirty, either change it for a clean cloth or refold the duster

so you are using a clean part of the cloth. This stops you from putting dust from the

cloth back onto clean surfaces.

5 Dust the corners of the furniture and the edges of shelves and ledges.

6 Do not flick dust as it will cause dust showers.

7 Use a clean cloth as necessary.

8 Use dust sheets as required to protect surfaces.


Damp wiping

1 Prepare to clean.

9 Check your equipment.

10 Prepare cleaning solution according to manufacturer’s

instructions.


2 Damp wipe hard furniture, fixtures and fittings.

1 Prepare to clean

Before you start damp wiping, you must prepare to clean.


Before you clean hard furniture, fixtures and fittings, you must check that your equipment

is clean and in good condition. In good condition means that the equipment is not

damaged and is safe to use. Do not use equipment that is not safe or that is broken or

damaged.

Safety check for buckets

12 Check that the bucket has no leaks.

13 Check that the handle is in good

condition.

14 Check that the rollers are in good

condition. The rollers should turn easily.

15 Check that the foot pedal works.

Handle

Rollers

Foot pedal

Check for dusters and cloths

The dusters and cloths (cotton or microfibre) must be clean and have no holes or rips.

Prepare your cleaning solution

Prepare the cleaning solution in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

Put out a warning sign, cordon or barrier

Put out warning signs and a cordon or barrier if necessary. Make sure that the signs are

placed where the public can see them and where they will not cause a hazard.

When you finish the preparation, you can start dusting hard furniture, fixtures and

fittings.


2 Damp wiping hard furniture, fixtures and fittings

There are seven steps you must follow when damp wiping hard furniture, fixtures and

fittings.

1 Apply cleaning solution using a damp cloth. Wring out most of

the water so the cloth is almost dry. Wipe the surface of the

hard furniture, fixtures and fittings.

2 If you are cleaning walls, start from the top and work

down towards the bottom of the wall. Make sure there

is no dirt or marks on the surface of the furniture.

3 Change the cleaning solution in the bucket as often

as you need to. This will depend on how quickly the

cleaning solution gets dirty.

4 Rinse the cloth in clean water and wring out until

almost dry.

5 Wipe the surfaces with the cloth rinsed in water to

make sure there is no cleaning solution on the

furniture.

6 Dry the surface to prevent germs (bacteria) from

growing.

7 Use dust sheets as required to protect surfaces.

After the furniture is clean and dusted, you can polish it.


Polishing hard furniture, fixtures and fittings

When polishing hard furniture, always spray or apply the

furniture polish onto a cloth. Follow the instructions on the

bottle of cleaning agent.

The instructions often say ‘Apply polish sparingly’. Sparingly

means only use a little bit.

If using a hard polish, wipe the cloth across the polish and

apply to the surface of the furniture.

Take care to avoid applying polish to other surfaces.

The three cloth system

When you polish furniture, fixtures and fittings you should use three cloths (if possible).

This is called the three cloth system. You use a different cloth for each step. It’s a good

idea to use a different colour cloth for each step.

Using the three cloth system to polish hard furniture

Cloth 1

Put on the furniture polish.

1 Apply the polish or spray the polish onto cloth 1.

2 Be careful not to spill the polish on the floor.

3 Wipe the polish onto the furniture. Make sure the

furniture is covered in polish.

4 Allow the polish to dry.

Cloth 2

Take off the dry furniture polish.

1 Use cloth 2 to wipe off the polish.

2 Turn the cloth frequently to make sure you use a

clean part of the cloth.

3 Make sure you remove any polish that is left on the

surface of the furniture.

Cloth 3

Buffing or polishing the furniture.

1 Use cloth 3 to polish (buff) the surface to a shine.

2 Make sure that there are no marks on the surface of

the furniture.


Cleaning metal

There are many different types of metal. These include brass, chrome, silver, aluminium,

anodized aluminium, steel and brushed steel.

You can not clean all types of metal with the same bottle of metal polish.

You need to choose the correct polish for the metal you are cleaning.

Read the label carefully to make sure you choose a suitable polish.

When you are cleaning stainless steel and brushed stainless steel,

you must use the correct metal polish or you will damage the surface

of the steel.

Always apply the polish or spray the polish onto a cloth.

Follow the instructions on the bottle of metal polish.

Make sure you do not spill any polish on the floor.

When cleaning and polishing metal use the three cloth system.

Use the three cloth system for cleaning and polishing metal

With the three cloth system you use a different cloth for each step. It’s a good idea to

use a different colour cloth for each step.

Cloth 1

Put on the metal polish.

1 Use cloth 1 to apply the polish or spray the polish

onto the cloth.

2 Thoroughly cover the item with polish.

3 Allow the polish to dry.

Cloth 2

Take off the metal polish.

1 Use cloth 2 to wipe off the polish.

2 Thoroughly clean the item.

3 Turn the cloth frequently to make sure you use a

clean part of the cloth.

Cloth 3

Buff or polish the metal.

1 Use cloth 3 to polish (buff) the surface so that

it shines.


Cleaning glass and mirror glass

The sort of glass you may need to clean includes windows, glass doors and glass office

walls. Most toilet facilities have mirrors above the hand basins.

Do not clean window glass in direct sunlight (when the sun is shining on the glass)

because the sun’s heat causes the glass to dry too quickly leaving marks on the glass.

Remember when working indoors always use a dust sheet to cover carpets and areas

that can be affected by water.

Window glass Mirror glass


You will need a glass cleaning agent and the following equipment to clean windows and

mirror glass.

T-Bar and the golden glove,

which fits on the T-Bar.

Squeegee Glass cleaning agent


Cleaning glass and mirrors

The procedure for cleaning glass has two steps.

Cleaning glass and mirrors

1 Prepare to clean.


Prepare cleaning solution, according to manufacturer’s

instructions

2 Clean glass.

1 Prepare to clean

Before you can clean glass and mirror glass, you must prepare

to clean.


Before you clean you must check that your equipment is clean,

in good condition and not damaged.

Cloths should be clean and in good order

The T- bar must be in good condition.

The golden glove cover must be clean and have no holes.

The squeegee blade (the rubber part) must be in good

condition. The blade should be smooth with no nicks.

A nick is a very small cut on the edge of something.

The squeegee blade

Prepare cleaning solution

Prepare cleaning solution in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions means that you

must follow the instructions on the bottle of cleaning agent. There is more on preparing

cleaning solutions at the back of this learning resource.

ALWAYS put the water in the bucket first, and then add the cleaning agent.


2 Clean window glass

There are six steps you must follow when cleaning window glass.

1 Wet the golden glove

Using the cleaning solution in your bucket,

thoroughly wet the golden glove cover

attached to the T-Bar.

Wring out any extra cleaning solution.

2 Clean the edges of the window with the golden glove.

Start at the bottom of the window. Lay the golden glove

against the glass surface pushing upwards to the top of the

window.

Turn the golden glove to an angle at the top to make sure the

corners are cleaned. Go down the opposite side of the window

glass turning the golden glove to a 45°angle at the bottom.

Here the golden glove is shown at a 45 ° angle.

3 Clean the middle of the window with the golden glove.

Then, clean the centre of the glass with overlapping circular

strokes.


4 Dry the window using a squeegee.

Using your squeegee (blade), now dry the window.

Start from the top left hand side of the window.

Hold the squeegee against the left hand side of the window.

Hold the squeegee blade (the rubber bit) at about a 45° angle

against the glass.

Now move the squeegee to the right. Keep the blade at a 45°

angle. Walk with the squeegee.

When you get to the right hand side of the window, pull the

bottom of the blade towards the window frame.

When drying the window,

hold the squeegee blade at

a 45° angle.

When you get to the right hand

side of the window, pull the

bottom of the blade towards the

edge of the window.

Now lift the handle up and away from the glass.

Dry the blade with a clean cloth before you repeat the

procedure.

5 Use an overlapping stroke. This means you should go over

the edge of the last row that you cleaned. If you use an

overlapping stroke you will make sure that you have cleaned

all of the window.

6 After drying the window with the squeegee, use a clean, dry

cloth to clean and dry the edges of the window and window

frame.


Cleaning labels and solutions

Each bottle of cleaning agent must have a label. Do not use it if it does not have a label.

The label has a lot of information. You will need to read:

1 The name and type of cleaning agent.

2 Health and safety information tells you how to keep safe and first aid information.

3 The directions, which tells you how to use the cleaning agent, often in water.

The name or brand is in large letters This is the type of cleaning agent.

This is the type of cleaning agent.

It is used for cleaning floors.

This tells you where you can use the cleaning agent.

How to use the cleaning agent. Type of cleaning light – not very dirty; normal or general dirt; heavy – very dirty. How much cleaning agent and how much water you need to make a cleaning solution. Safe use and first aid.

The label also tells you how much cleaning agent to use for different types of cleaning.

Labels often use ratios to tell you how to mix them with water. On the label above, for

heavy duty cleaning, the ratio is 1:40. You say it like this: one to forty. This ratio of

1:40 tells you to use 1 part of cleaning agent to 40 parts of water.

ALWAYS measure the cleaning agent and add it to the water in the bucket.

Ideally, use a measuring jug to measure the parts – but not one you use for food/drink.

You must use the same size container to measure both the cleaning agent and water.

Floor Cleaner

EMERGENCY RESPONSE24 HOUR PHONE

0800 222 222

Fresh Floor Cleaner A commercial grade cleaner which can be used on floors, walls and other washable surfaces.

DIRECTIONS FOR USE:Light Duty cleaning 1 : 100

General cleaning and 1 : 60wet mopping

Heavy duty cleaning 1 : 40

FIRST AID:Prevent contact with skin and eyes. If this happens flush well with water for 15 minutes.

If swallowed, do not induce vomiting – give plenty of water or milk. Seek medical advice.

Floor Cleaner

EMERGENCY RESPONSE24 HOUR PHONE

0800 222 222

Fresh Floor Cleaner A commercial grade cleaner which can be used on floors, walls and other washable surfaces.

DIRECTIONS FOR USE:Light Duty cleaning 1 : 100

General cleaning and 1 : 60wet mopping

Heavy duty cleaning 1 : 40

FIRST AID:Prevent contact with skin and eyes. If this happens flush well with water for 15 minutes.

If swallowed, do not induce vomiting – give plenty of water or milk. Seek medical advice.


To find out how much cleaning agent to put in a bucket of water you can use a ratio

conversion table. The table changes ratios to millilitres of cleaning agent and litres of

water so you can measure the correct amount of cleaning agent to add to the water.

You need to know what size bucket you have, and the ratio of cleaning agent required.

1 Always read the

heading, first. It tells you what the table is about. This table tells you the correct amount of cleaning agent to add to the bucket of water.

2 Start with the ratio.

Read down the table to find the ratio you need. In this example, you want a ratio of 1:50.

3 Now read across to find the amount of water in your bucket. In this example, you have 5 litres of water in your bucket.

4 Read how many

milliliters of cleaning agent to put in your bucket.

In this example, you need to put 100 ml of cleaning agent in a 5 litre bucket of water.

Cleaning agents are poisonous – work with them carefully.

NEVER pour cleaning agent direct from the bottle – you may get the

wrong amount. Too much may damage the surface you are cleaning;

too little may be too weak to clean properly.


Completion and assessment

Congratulations!

You have come to the end of the learning resource. Please check over all the activities

in this learning resource to make sure you have completed them.

Your assessment is next

You need to complete the assessment successfully to be credited with these unit

standards. The integrated assessment covers the entire qualification National

Certificate in Cleaning and Caretaking (Level 2).

Integrated assessment is an assessment in which different tasks from unit standards can

be assessed together. You will be observed in your workplace doing the things you

would normally do as part of your daily job. This is called ‘naturally occurring evidence’

(the things you do all the time). As you are observed at work you will also be assessed

at the same time. There are also some theory questions about safe work practices for

you to answer.

Acknowledgements

Careerforce thanks the people who have contributed to this learning resource by:

researching and validating content.

providing advice and expertise.

testing the activities.

sharing personal experiences.

appearing in photographs.

The images contained in these learning resources are visual illustrations only and are not

representative of actual events or personal circumstances.

Creative Commons

This work is licenced under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial Licence. You are free to

copy, distribute and transmit the work and to adapt the work. You must attribute Careerforce as the

author. You may not use this work for commercial purposes. For more information contact

Careerforce www.careerforce.org.nz

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