Making the Bed

Upon entering the room, the cleaning procedure may start.

Making the bed usually takes precedence when it comes to the order of tasks to do inside the room.

Beds have to be stripped in all check out rooms and at designated intervals for staying guests.

Standard procedures for stripping the bed will apply in every establishment because this is one of the most common
tasks that GRAs are required to do.

It is usually during Bed Making that GRAs suffer the most injuries.  Therefore, GRAs must follow proper body
mechanics in making the bed to avoid injury.
Topic 1: When Should the Bed be Stripped?
As standard operating procedure, all beds are stripped of dirty linen on a daily basis unless guest requests using the
environmental notices regarding changing of linen to protect the environment. 

Environmental notices inform the GRA if the guest wants their linen to be changed by placing the notice on the bed. 

These environmental notices are used to help preserve the environment, it minimizes the use of water, electricity, and
laundry chemicals that pollute our water system.

Topic 2: Stripping a Bed

As GRAs, you should follow your hotel’s own procedures in stripping a bed. This can vary depending on the number of
GRAs assigned to strip a bed and the type of linen involved.

The following is a general guide to stripping a bed:

1.    GRAs must check for lost and found items.

2. Remove the decorative pillows, bed runner, and pillow slips and cases. Inspect pillow slip and the pillow itself if they
need repairs or replacement.

3. Remove the duvet cover– inspect for stains and tears

4.    Remove the bed sheet

5.    Inspect bed pad–  replace if needed.

Stripped items should never touch the floor. Check your hotel’s policy for some options that include placing them on
top of chairs, tables, and couches in the room.

Placing these items on the floor does not only look  unpleasant to the guests but it would also look unsanitary.

Topic 3: Damaged or Soiled Linen

Standard procedure in all establishments suggests that all damaged items must be replaced. The damaged item
should either be sent to the appropriate department for repairs or notify the concerned person to pick up the damaged
item.

If the damage on the item seems intentional, notify your immediate supervisor for investigation; if proven, the guest
will be charged.

The same procedure applies when items appears to be stained intentionally. Different approaches are applied by
establishments when it comes to stain removal.

Some establishments require the removal of the soiled item and then replaced. The soiled item would be forwarded to
the Laundry. Others would require the GRA to identify the stain and follow the hotel’s guidelines on how to handle that
particular stain.

Types of Stains
The following are the most common types of stains encountered:

 Urine and fecal stain.

 Blood
 Beverages – tea, soft drinks, alcohol
 Shoe polish
 Food
 Mud, dirt, grease, and oil
 Hair coloring stain

What actions may be taken?

The first step is to identify the stain. Experience will help a lot in this aspect. For this reason, it is a good idea to be
coached by more experienced staff in identifying stains.

Effective removal of the stain relies heavily on your ability to identify what type of stain it is.

Usually, stained linen would have to be replaced. Spot cleaning is rarely done to minimize disturbances to guests.

In instances when spot cleaning is appropriate, the suitable cleaning agent is selected from the trolley and applied to
the stain as per manufacturer’s instructions. This is usually done by spraying or rubbing the cleaning agent to the
stain.

The stained linen then have to be rubbed or brushed to remove the stain.

Hotels usually have a chart to guide their staff on how to remove stains. These charts display which chemical agents
are appropriate for specific stains and how to apply them.

There is no general correct action applied to all kinds of stains. This will largely depend on:

 Type of material where the stain is

 Type of stain
 Cleaning agents available

Not considering the above mentioned considerations may cause more harm than good. Possibly damaging the linen
rather than cleaning it.

Topic 4: Making Up the Bed with Fresh Linen and Existing Linen
Like in stripping beds, procedure in making the bed varies from hotel to hotel.

Making the bed may sound just an ordinary task for a GRA. However, it must not be taken lightly. Many injuries occur
while making the bed and thus require a lot of care and practice.

The importance of bed making

The bed is the highlight of every room, it is the first thing that the guest notices and gets a lot of attention. Therefore,
making the bed properly is very important.

The bed must present a good impression to the guest. It should be neat, tidy, clean, attractive and inviting.

Some special points in bed making:

 Use a bed runner across the bed to enhance the bed’s appearance
 Number of pillows – only one pillow per person is usually arranged on the bed. Extra pillows are kept inside a
cabinet for the guest if needed. When making up the bed, it should be arranged with the same number of
pillows the guest used.
 Use thru-pillows decorator pillows –use to enhance the appearance of the bed
 Placement of pillows – the opening of the pillow case must be placed away from the turn down side, or the
side table where the telephone is placed.
 Placement of complimentary item on the bed – may be part of turn down service or just standard procedure of
servicing the room for special purposes.
Topic 5: Bed Making Styles
There are three (2) commonly used bed making styles. However, every hotel  has its own style which you will have to
check with the executive housekeeper. Commonly used bed making styles with the following linens

Standard Bed making with blanket:

 Bed pad                      
 First sheet
 Second Sheet
 Blanket
 Third Sheet
 Pillow
 Pillow Slip
 Pillow Case
 Bed Runner

Duvet Bed making Style

 Bed pad
 First sheet
 Duvet Cover
 Duvet in-fill
 Pillow
 Pillow Slip
 Pillow Case
 Bed Runner

Some budget hotels meanwhile only offer very basic bed set up:

 Bed pad
 First Sheet
 Blanket / Second Sheet
 Pillow
 Pillow Case

Topic 6: Bed Making Steps

The following are steps in bed making.

Bed Making with Blanket (Standard)

1.    Inspect bed pad for stains or tears. 

2.    Position the bed pad and secure the strings

3.    Spread the first sheet and tuck in correctly by considering the corners of the bed then miter 

4.    Spread the Second Sheet with wrong side up at the edge of the bed

5.      Spread the Blanket up to about 18 inches lower from the edge of the bed.

6.    Spread the Third Sheet at the same level with the blanket.

7.    Fold the second sheet downward, then miter together.

8.    Put the pillow inside a Pillow Slip

9.    Insert the pillow with the opening into the Pillow Case and insert the remaining part and  position them on top of
the bed as per standard

10.    Place the Bed Runner at the foot end of the bed leaving about 6 inches towards the edge.
Note:  Make sure to have tightly mitered linens without creases.
Bed Making with Duvet
1.   Inspect bed pad for stains or tears. 
2.   Position the bed pad and secure the strings
3.   Spread the first sheet and tuck in correctly by considering the corners of the bed then miter
4.   Spread the duvet cover (either right side or wrong side up)
5.   If right side up, insert the duvet in - fill by holding both ends up the “ears” (small opening) of the duvet cover.
6.  If wrong side up, place the duvet in - fill on top of the duvet cover. Insert your hands and turn it right side up holding
the two ends.  
7.   Shake both duvet in - fill and duvet cover to fit them in together
8. Spread the duvet cover with the in - fill inside and fold about one foot downward from the edge of the head board
9. Straighten it and tuck in giving attention to the corners of the bed.
10. Insert the pillow inside the Pillow Slip
11.I nsert the pillow with the pillow slip into the opening of the Pillow Case and insert the remaining part and position
them on top of the bed as per standard
12. Place the Bed Runner at the foot end of the bed leaving about 6 inches towards the edge.

Budget Hotel Bed Making:

1.    Inspect bed pad for stains or tears. 

2.    Position the bed pad and secure the strings

3.    Spread the first sheet and miter.

4.    Spread the 2nd sheet / blanket right side up

5.    Fold downward about 18 inches

6.    Tuck - in and miter corners

Points to remember:

 Ensure that all fresh linen to be placed on the bed never touches the floor.
 After making the bed, move away from the bed to check if everything is in order. Adjust as necessary
 If employed previously at a hotel, bed making at your current work may not be necessarily the same

Making up Bed Using Existing Linen

It has become a trend these days that hotels do not replace beddings daily unless requested by the guest. You may
have noticed signage of this in hotel rooms. Some establishments even have request cards to notify the GRAs that the
guest wants his/her bedding to be changed. This is part of the hotel’s efforts to be more environmental friendly by
saving water and using less cleaning materials.

The guest will have to place the request card on top of the bed, indicating that the he/she would like the bedding to be
changed.

Otherwise, make up bed would be done using the existing sheets.

Guests, in general, do not expect their linen to be changed on a daily basis unless it has been stained.

Steps for Make Up Room

1.      Remove trash from the trash bins.

2.      Check for stains and repeat the complete procedure for bed making.
3.      Dust the surfaces of the furniture without opening the drawers and wardrobe where guest items are stored.
4. Make sure that the guest items are returned back to its position.
5.      Wash used glasses
6.      Clean the bathroom
7.      Tidy the furniture,