Housekeeping is comprised of; 1 Supervisor, 23 Housekeepers, and 2 Floor Maintenance Technicians. The staff work a dayshift schedule.
Housekeepers are responsible for overall maintenance and cleaning of all academic buildings, including floor care. In addition to general daily cleaning duties, there are a number of special projects assigned by Housekeeping management, but under the supervision of the individual teams. Even with our limited staff we strive to maintain an APPA service level 2 with all buildings. Added responsibilities of the Housekeeping Department incorporate the pick-up, removal and management of recycling in the Academic Buildings. This level of competence includes packaging used light bulbs for recycling.
Campus Event Support
Supported events include: Commencement, Convocation, Open House, Family Week-end, Super Saturday, Theater UNCA performances, Lipinsky Auditorium music & dance recitals, Summer Conferences, NCCR events and a multitude of community events held on campus. These added duties push the housekeeping teams to their limits while maintaining their normally scheduled work.
Green Cleaning
While reducing cleaning supply costs, the department is moving toward a more sustainable, environmentally friendly cleaning program. All of the paper products now in use are made from 100% recycled content with post consumer content higher than EPA guidelines. The majority of cleaning chemicals we use daily have been replaced with green certified or DFE-designed products to be conducive with the environmental goals of the university. We have incorporated the use of portion control equipment such as dispensers for soap and hand towels in order to be more efficient in eliminating waste, cutting down on chemical usage, water usage, and labor time. We use cleaning cloths that can be laundered in house and reused to reduce waste. Vacuum cleaners carry the Green Label from the Carpet and Rug Institute indicating that they improve indoor housekeeping air quality by using efficient filters to trap particulates.
Campus Operations Team Work
There is continual coordination with the Office of Waste Reduction & Recycling on location of recycling stations, container selections, updating recycling procedures and campus participation.
The Department continues to work with Design & Construction to create standards for housekeeping needs such as: properly sized housekeeping closets, restroom accessories, light fixture height, and special needs for building usage.