Focus® II MicroRider™

The Clarke Focus® II MicroRider™ is a small, easily maneuverable machine that is designed to clean the areas that are inaccessible with larger riders—including those with limited access or tight corners. Yet, with a 26 or 28 inch deck, the Focus II MicroRider offers a wide cleaning path for maximum productivity in your larger cleaning areas.

Features and benefits include:

• BOOST® Technology with chemical-free floor finish removal makes the rider a dual-function scrubber
• SafetyGlide™ scrub deck ensures quality cleaning results with 100% water pick-up
• Easy operation with Safe-T-Steering™ increases operator safety
• Quiet operation makes daytime cleaning and cleaning of noise-sensitive areas viable
• Optional Chemical Mixing System automatically delivers the correct mixing solution to the brush deck
• Comfortable driver compartment with customizable features can be optimized for virtually every operator

Click here to learn more about the Clarke Focus II MicroRider. 

Preventing The Causes Of Slips And Falls

This article was originally published in Cleaning & Maintenance Management.

Although most likely to be identified as the primary cause of a slip-and-fall accident, please note that flooring materials, maintenance and hazards contribute to only about half of the problem.

That is to say, regardless of how safe the floor is, the remaining 50 percent of slips, trips and falls are attributable to four other areas.

These four contributing factors include:

• Footwear
• Fraud
• Hazard identification
• Training

Therefore, a prevention strategy should focus on a comprehensive approach that addresses all causes.

However, we must not neglect the vital topic of safe or unsafe floors as it relates to cleaning and maintenance.

Certain floor care practices also contribute to slips, trips and falls. Among these contributors to unsafe surfaces are:

• Using too much or too little of a floor care product
• Using the wrong cleaner for a particular surface
• Not following label instructions
• Not rinsing the floor care product, if required
• Not brushing the floor thoroughly, if required
• Not having or adhering to a routine floor maintenance schedule

Read the full article here to learn more about floor maintenance products. 

American 8 & 12 Drum Sanders

The American 8 & 12 Drum Sanders are the worldwide benchmark for professional drum sanding equipment. Its rugged cast aluminum construction, powerful motor and unique operating and drum leveling controls combine to make the most aggressive and most productive drum sander available.

Key features include:

• Totally enclosed 7.5 HP (peak) motor runs cooler and eliminates internal dust build-up.
• Drum Pressure Control allows infinite pressure variation for all types of wood.
• Heavy-duty vacuum fan and high filtration dust bag provide efficient dust recovery and containment.
• Unique "feathering" drum lowering handle eases operation.
• Dynamically balanced drum reduces vibration and chatter marks.
• Three wheel options for sanding on all types of wood.

Remove Salt Residue From Floors Fast And Easy

This article was originally published in Bald Guy Clean.

Winter weather brings with it additional areas of concern for cleaning professionals. The cold and snow add steps to many cleaning routines and present different challenges to maintaining the cleanliness of facilities. One of the most common is trying to remove salt residue from floors.

Removing salt residue from floors is difficult because the soil on the floor has changed and the cleaning chemicals have not. Most floor cleaning chemicals or neutral cleaners are designed to remove typical dirt and grime. When a substance as different as salt or calcium chloride becomes the main soil overnight, it requires a different approach.

Why Salt Residue Is So Hard To Remove

The makeup of most ice melting products is based around calcium chloride or salt, because of its effective melting properties and because it is relatively cheap. The problem when it comes to floor care is that it has a high pH, just like floor stripper.

To remove salt residue, it has to be neutralized, changing the pH to neutral or 7. Otherwise, it just smears around the floor and becomes a sticky mess. The stickiness can come from two causes.

1. It has such a concentrated amount of residue which is sticky.
2. It has begun to dissolve the floor finish. Either way, your floors are now attracting dirt and making them very hard to clean. 

If let go too long, the finish will have to be stripped and re-coated.

Read the full article here to learn how to remove salt residue. 

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

Green Cleaning Programs Offer Greater Efficiency As Part Of Overall Sustainability Plan

This article was originally published in Building Operating Management.

Green cleaning programs require a lot of time and attention to make sure they're done right. Making your green cleaning program part of your overall sustainability plan can offer greater efficiency than having it stand alone. With so many different pieces involved, the chances are good that building occupants, an outside contractor, or both will add layers of complexity when it comes to making sure that everything is cleaned in an environmentally responsible way, yet still done to the satisfaction of the facility manager.

With all of these factors in play, it can be tempting to put your green cleaning program in its own little box and not think of it as part of your overall sustainability goals. However, incorporating it into your overall plan offers up opportunities that would otherwise be missed, says Steve Ashkin, CEO, Sustainability Dashboard Tools.

"Sometimes we forget that the janitors can do things other than cleaning that can help the owners and managers meet their broader sustainability objectives," he says.

Regardless of whether you hire a contractor or clean in-house, having a comprehensive, detailed cleaning plan that is rooted in your overall sustainability goals goes a long way toward helping you meet them.

Read the full article here to learn more green cleaning programs.

Clarke MicroRider Scrubber ISSA 2012

The Clarke Focus® II MicroRider™ is a small, easily maneuverable machine that is designed to clean the areas that are inaccessible with larger riders—including those with limited access or tight corners. Yet, with a 26 or 28 inch deck, the Focus II MicroRider offers a wide cleaning path for maximum productivity in your larger cleaning areas.