How to Select the Ideal Floor Cleaning Machine: Sustainable Cleaning Solutions

An essential step when implementing a facility-wide sustainable cleaning strategy is to select the proper cleaning equipment. When evaluating floor cleaning equipment, such as automatic scrubbers, carpet extractors and vacuums, facility managers should select machines that meet their cleaning requirements, maximize their labor force, and help them to achieve their green initiatives.

Automatic Scrubbers
Facilities looking to increase employee productivity while lowering or maintaining their labor costs will benefit significantly from the use of an automatic floor scrubber. Automatic scrubbers maximize cleaning efficiency and effectiveness. While typically used for daily scrubbing, enhanced scrubber platforms offer the flexibility to be used for deep scrubbing and chemical-free floor finish removal. Certain models of automatic scrubbers equipped with a unique rectangular scrubbing head provide straight edge cleaning along baseboards without having to use a separate piece of equipment for detailing. These machines should be available in both walk-behind and rider models to address specific budget and space requirements of all facilities. Additionally, these automatic scrubbers are designed so that the rear squeegee moves in line with the cleaning path to ensure complete water pick-up while scrubbing.

As more facilities face cuts in their operations and maintenance budgets, managers are looking for multi-purpose cleaning solutions that give them enhanced flexibility. Utilizing an automatic scrubber that has also been designed for single pass, chemical-free floor finish removal— as well as daily scrubbing—will result in decreased labor and chemical costs to the department. Facility managers are able to perform floor finishing project work without costly chemicals, excess labor costs, and slippery floors and odors associated with traditional strip out projects.

Carpet Extractors
Education and healthcare facilities often have a mix of hard and soft floor surfaces that they must clean. A proper soft floor surface cleaning program must also achieve maximum soil removal to prevent deterioration of indoor air quality and associated health consequences. A carpet extractor must be able to effectively eliminate ground-in soil while simultaneously leaving the carpet to dry as rapidly as possible in order to prevent the formation of mold and to allow the area to be used faster. Extractors that offer low moisture cleaning, a process that requires less water, can leave a carpeted room with a good level of clean and also be ready to be utilized in 30 minutes or less. To tackle more intense carpet cleaning tasks, extractors with restorative capabilities provide deep cleaning, effectively removing soils from deep in the fibers.

To minimize chemical usage and residue remaining in carpets, carpet extractors should provide the flexibility of high-quality soil removal without excessive detergent use. For example, extractors with the ability to reach and maintain extreme water temperatures, some as high as 212-degree Fahrenheit, can remove stains without detergents. The hot water improves cleaning results by as much as 40 percent over cold water alternatives and prevents any exposure to chemicals, while also eliminating the added expense of cleaning solution.

Vacuums
For maintaining the life and cleanliness of carpet, vacuums are the key to daily carpet cleaning. When selecting a commercial vacuum cleaner, facility managers should choose options that have received the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) Seal of Approval. The CRI Seal of Approval certifies that a product has passed a battery of tests verifying its ability to remove soil and minimize dust, while operating quietly—promoting cleanliness and increased indoor air quality. Vacuum cleaners should employ a multi-stage filter system, including H.E.P.A. filters that capture up to 99.97 percent of dust particulates down to .3 microns. Vacuums should also meet the sound requirements set forth by green cleaning requirements, which are ideal for daytime cleaning, saving labor costs of cleaning after hours.

Next week, we will discuss applications in the field. 

Clarke Clean Track 18 Extractor

Clarke's Clean Track® Series dramatically doubles productivity, improves cleaning performance, and features excellent ergonomic safety in carpet extraction. Featuring a large capacity, patented ergonomic design, low sound levels, and a hard floor tool option allowing you to scrub hard surface floors. The Wash & Rinse® feature on the 18 model gets carpets cleaner by washing and clean-water rinsing - all in one pass. Earning CRI's Seal of Approval, Clean Track excels in recovering soil and water while retaining the original texture of the carpet fibers. The Clean Track® series has also been certified as a green machine, featuring an ergonomic waist belt that reduces stress, strain and impact on the operator and increases productivity

How to Select Floor Equipment to Meet Your Customers' Cleaning Needs and Facility Sustainability Goals

With today’s emphasis on building sustainability and the current focus on LEED certifications, the tools used to clean facilities are changing. Now, floor cleaning equipment feature performance capabilities that simultaneously reduce environmental impacts and improve worker productivity. To keep up with this growing trend, rental facilities are offering floor cleaning equipment designed to meet individual cleaning requirements and promote green cleaning initiatives.

Efficient rental machines allow operators to reduce water consumption, minimize or eliminate chemicals, avoid labor-intensive scrubbing and optimize energy usage - all while still delivering quality cleaning results. By selecting the appropriate auto scrubbers, carpet extractors, vacuums and sanders, facility managers can select rental equipment that will assist in enhancing building sustainability while maintaining cost-effective cleaning procedures.

Rental equipment with green capabilities

• Auto Scrubbers: Auto scrubbers are used to accommodate daily cleaning needs, with some offering deep scrubbing capabilities for floor finish removal. Available in multiple sizes, auto scrubbers can accommodate a wide variety of buildings, from industrial plants and distribution centers to hospitals and universities. 
• Carpet Extractors and Vacuums: When selecting extractors and vacuums, users should first identify whether the machine features the Carpet & Rug Institute’s (CRI) seal of approval. This comes with LEED endorsement and the Green Seal Standard for Commercial and Institutional Cleaning Services (GS-42).
• Sanders (Dust Containment Vacuums): To combat health risks and maintain optimal air quality while using sanding equipment, implementing dust containment vacuums minimize hazardous sanding dust and debris. These vacuums conveniently attach to sanders, simultaneously promoting safety and productivity.

Read the full article to learn more about sustainable floor cleaning equipment. 

Clarke Clean Track® L24 Carpet Extractor Delivers Sustainable Deep Cleaning Results

The Clarke Clean Track® L24 is the newest battery-powered, walk-behind model in the company’s Clean Track family of carpet extractors. Featuring LIFT™ (Low-moisture, Indirect spray, Fast dry time, True cleaning) technology, the Clean Track L24 achieves carpet dry times of 30 minutes or less—allowing for maximum productivity. Moreover, with class-leading sound levels, the Clarke Clean Track L24 is ideal for daytime cleaning in noise-sensitive areas such as education, healthcare and hospitality facilities.

In addition to providing a time-saving deep clean, the Clean Track L24 delivers enhanced, sustainable operation, providing the following benefits:

• Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) Seal-of-Approval certification ensures the Clean Track extractors meet the highest standards of soil and water removal
• Quiet operation, at only 69 dB A, the L24 meets the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings’ (LEED-EB) IEQ credit guidelines for green cleaning equipment
• Onboard Detergent Dispensing minimizes the use of detergent and water while allowing users the flexibility to use any brand of green-certified detergent, eliminating the need to purchase a proprietary chemical
• Deep Treat™ single-pass, pre-spray ensures proper dilution and application of detergent, minimizing detergent use and costs

Read the entire release here.

 

Three Ways To Prolong Deep-Cleaning Carpet Extractions

This article was originally published by Sanitary Maintenance

There’s no question that the economy is having an impact on the budgets of cleaning departments and facility managers. When end users need to cut back on carpet care costs, distributors can implement strategies that reduce the need for expensive deep-cleaning extractions.

Three effective strategies include:

• The power of a vacuum
• Spot-on spotting
• A gentler approach with encapsulation

To learn more about carpet extraction solutions, read the full article here or visit: http://www.clarkeus.com/products/carpetextractors.aspx

Clean Track® Carpet Extractors Deliver Flexible Performance for Diverse Carpet Care Requirements

The Clean Track® S16 and L18 Carpet Extractors are the newest self-contained, portable extractor offerings from Clarke. With a compact, easily-maneuverable design and a 16- or 18-inch cleaning path, the new extractors are ideal for a variety of cleaning challenges, ranging from commercial office spaces and libraries to hotel rooms and healthcare facilities.

The Clean Track extractors ensure increased productivity with industry-leading performance capabilities. Single deflector spray jet technology provides even, consistent water and chemical coverage across the cleaning path, while an aero-dynamically designed vacuum shoe removes excess water for faster carpet dry times. By eliminating unwanted solution streaks and minimizing dry time, Clean Track allows quicker room turnover and occupancy. Laminar flow technology reduces turbulence and increases water pick-up, ensuring carpets are left with a cleaner, dryer and more appealing finish.

Equipped with a larger tank capacity, wider cleaning path and Multi-Position Flip Handle, the Clean Track L18 delivers superior productivity with dual method cleaning. This allows operators to clean in pull-back mode for edge or detailed extraction in small areas or use the L18 as a walk-behind extractor to easily extract hallways and large carpeted areas.

Read the full release here.