Clean Schools Enhance Learning

While it’s known that the quality of educators and curriculum are vital contributors to a student’s scholastic performance, the quality of school facilities is often overlooked. Clean school buildings enhance a student’s ability to learn by keeping them healthy, attentive and present.

According to ISSA, students miss 38 million school days each year due to the influenza. And when students get sick, teachers and staff do, too. The cost of these absences is costly, both socially and economically. Frequently absent students are 7.4 times more likely to drop out of school while absentee teachers and substitute replacements cost schools more than $29 billion annually.

Proper school cleaning plays a pivotal role in the health and success of students, teachers and staff. Studies reviewed by the National Research Council found that schools will have increased attendance and test scores if the buildings are clean, dry, quiet, and have good indoor air quality. Another study reported that healthy indoor school environments contributed to an 87 percent reduction in flu, 46 percent reduction in upper respiratory problems and 67 percent reduction in Sick Building Syndrome.

The unfortunate reality is that school budgets are being cut. Schools across the country face the challenge of constrained budgets while also trying to implement improved cleaning routines. Today, more and more schools are trying to accomplish the same level of work with fewer people and fewer resources.

In an effort to overcome these resource issues, one northern California school district turned to Clarke’s innovative BOOST technology. Learn how Clarke helped the district to enhance their cleaning routine, decrease chemical use, meet sustainability objectives and create a healthier learning environment for students all while reducing labor costs.

The New Clarke: Tough Just Got Easier to Afford

Clarke is redefining the price of pure cleaning power with some affordable new additions: Clarke Pro products. Clarke Pro cleaning equipment gives Clarke customers more options for basic, reliable machines at a fraction of the cost. For cleaning staff with small budgets and little time to train on equipment, the new extended Clarke portfolio has all the answers. 

Of course, Clarke's scrubbers, extractors, sweepers, vacuums, burnishers, polishers and wet/dry equipment still deliver top-quality performance and efficiency for professional cleaners and contractors. The rugged durability of every Clarke machine is well known throughout the industry and carries on the nearly century old tradition of Clarke products being the best built, best-backed commercial floor equipment available.

But it's only worth building a machine that lasts if it features the kind of impressive performance that's worth keeping around. That’s why Clarke pioneered BOOST® orbital scrubbing, which can save up to 70% in solution, extend pad life by 40% and cut labor times in half. With that kind of cleaning power and efficiency, Clarke customers will appreciate just how long their machines last as well.

From high schools and hospitals, to office buildings and retail space, for virtually any budget and every floor cleaning need, the new Clarke has a winning cleaning solution for everybody.

How Clarke Delivers: Five Trends Impacting the Cleaning Industry

In response to an article written last year for CleanLink News discussing their top five niche trends for the cleaning industry, we've adapted each category specifically for the cleaning equipment industry. Here is how Clarke delivers in each category, ordered the same as the original article:

1. Performance

As the article referenced above points out, “Products which combine their efficiency with innovative features have an advantage in this marketplace.” While this is true for a majority of industries, it is especially so for industries that are as intensely competitive as the cleaning industry.

That’s why, in 2008, Clarke pioneered the first orbital scrubbing technology in the industry: BOOST®. By rotating a rectangular pad in a quarter-inch circular motion at 2,250 RPM, BOOST uses Orbital Scrubbing Technology to clean more efficiently. Beyond the benefit of having a squared off cleaning pad that matches the square shape of most any building space’s walls, BOOST also improves cleaning power thanks to its ability to hit dirt and grime from every angle, rather than hitting it from the same angle repeatedly like most disc-based autoscrubbers do.

2. Cost effectiveness

To meet the industry need for cost-effective equipment, Clarke is excited to introduce a number of new cleaning machines at the more affordable end of the pricing spectrum as of 2014. These new products will deliver the same high level Clarke cleaning power at a price point that is more competitive than ever.

3. Ease of use

In addition to these new 2014 Clarke products being more affordable, readers should take note that they are also among some of the simplest, most intuitive cleaning machines on the market. When Clarke facilitates equipment training schools for industry newcomers, “students” with little or no background in cleaning machine operation are encouraged to test each machine out for themselves. Those students often find the equipment extremely intuitive—from the user interface and handling to general storage and maintenance.

4. Environmental awareness

Clarke technologies like BOOST aren’t just in it for the powerful cleaning—they’re developed with an eco-friendly mindset. In the case of BOOST, operators can actually leverage it to remove floor finish without the use of costly, caustic floor chemicals. The Orbital Scrubbing motion removes floor finish with just a small amount of water applied to the floor, saving companies time and money while saving the environment from more waste.

5. Fragrances, aesthetics and packaging

While packaging may be less of a concern for most commercial cleaning equipment, Clarke does pay plenty of attention to aesthetics and smell.

For example, with the sleek, modern designs of Clarke equipment in their janitors’ closets, companies are better equipped to clean while conveying a sense of professionalism and high-tech efficiency. Sometimes replacing a mop and bucket of dirty water with a brand new Clarke autoscrubber is just the kind of face-lift a company needs to boost their professional appearance at every level of their operations.

Likewise, Clarke understands that cleaning can be a smelly, dirty job when cleaners are forced to use a conventional mop and bucket to complete the job. Even automated cleaning equipment can cause unruly smells (and unsightly appearances) if it’s not properly maintained. Fortunately, every Clarke machine is uniquely designed to optimize access to tanks, filters and other components that are prone to getting dirty, making them simple to clean and easier to keep smell free.

BOOST® Your Cleaning Benefits: Increase Efficiency and Battery Runtimes

With conventional disc floor scrubbers, as much as 30 percent of an operator’s time during a shift is spent emptying the recovery tank and refilling the solution tank. Since these disc scrubbers can use twice the amount of solution, more dump and fills are required during a cleaning shift.

With BOOST®, you’ll experience a 15 to 20 minute labor savings for each dump and refill that’s eliminated. The BOOST’s unique pad shape also allows for close-edge cleaning without overspray, virtually eliminating additional labor steps in cleaning operations.

The reduced water usage coupled with the reduced pad pressure enables the BOOST machine to utilize the motors and battery pack more efficiently, which translates into an increased run time of up to 25 percent compared to similar disc scrubbers. By using BOOST, you can reduce the cost of battery replacement and reduce the environmental impact of battery recycling.

BOOST® Your Cleaning Benefits: Chemical-Free Floor Finish Removal

Save the money and just use water! That’s all you need to remove floor finish. Just put on a surface preparation pad, fill the tank with clean water and reduce your speed. Using only water also helps to reduce the chance for slip and falls, as chemicals can cause slippery floors, keeping floors dry, safe and ready for recoating. BOOST® Technology is not only an ideal choice for removing floor finish, but is also great for evenly deep scrubbing floors. Chemical-free removal of floor finish with BOOST is ideal for diverse applications, including use in education and healthcare facilities when air quality and daytime cleaning is critical.

Stay tuned next week for the next post on cleaning benefits.

Pulse Modulated Solution Control

Using BOOST® Technology, cleaning solution is introduced in front of the rectangular scrubbing pad with Clarke’s patented Pulse Modulated Solution Control. The orbital action contains the cleaning solution in the pad and carries it for the full length of the pad. Compared to traditional disc scrubbers that sling water away from the pad, BOOST’s efficient use of the cleaning solution results in water and chemical savings of 50 to 70 percent. Using less water during cleaning ensures you are working productively rather than emptying and refilling the scrubber tanks.

BOOST® Technology: Orbital Scrubbing for Efficient Cleaning Results

For years, the most productive way to clean and maintain smooth tile or concrete floors was with a disc automatic scrubber. Depending on the size of the scrub path, there could be dual counter-rotating pads or brushes. Operating at 200-300 rpm, and requiring an increased pad pressure, acceptable results are achieved by a disc scrubber.

With BOOST Technology, a rectangular pad provides consistent contact across the cleaning path. Whether on a floor machine or autoscrubber, the BOOST pad provides more contact area of the pad on the floor surface, cleaning more uniformly and more consistently than disc scrubbing. The rectangular shape to the BOOST scrub head allows the operator to clean immediately along the edge of baseboards, as well in corners.

Next week we will take a closer look at Pulse Modulated Solution Control, the orbital action behind BOOST technology.

BOOST® Your Cleaning Performance

If you demand high levels of cleaning with the ultimate in green benefits, our BOOST® Technology is the solution you've been looking for.

BOOST cleaning technology provides easy floor finish removal without the use of chemicals. That's right, using only water, BOOST eliminates harsh chemicals, foul odors and slippery floors. Plus, no chemicals results in significant cost savings. Save up to 70 percent in solution, extend equipment pad life by 40%, get longer battery runtimes and cut labor time in half! Stay tuned next week for an in-depth look behind BOOST technology.

Watch BOOST Technology in action!