Seeing Results With Green Cleaning Programs

This article was originally published in The Cleanest Image by Bald Guy Clean.

Green cleaning programs are being implemented in a variety of facilities, ranging from retail outlets and warehouses to schools and hospitals. But why? And, more so, what are facility managers seeing as result of them? The following article outlines five key results of green cleaning programs.

Health
By implementing cleaning programs, you will experience improved indoor air quality, slow the spread of illness and reduce the chances for exposure to toxic chemicals. By employing safer green procedures, less chemical residue is left on surfaces to promote the spread of germs and there are fewer air borne particles released that contaminate the air.

Appearance
Green cleaning programs actually remove more dirt if implemented and performed properly. Taking a step back and re-learning what clean really is, it will become apparent that the level of clean we have grown to accept is no longer acceptable. Green cleaning allows surfaces to be cleaned much more effectively. This improves the cleaning results as well as the appearance.

Reduced Surface Damage
Many traditional methods of cleaning, over time, actually damage the surfaces they are meant to maintain. Toxins and abrasives may remove soils but also cause long term and even permanent damage that can be costly to repair or replace. By reducing or eliminating harmful practices, and focusing on maintenance, the surfaces will last much longer.

Cost To Clean
Green practices are much more efficient. Accomplishing more, with less is at the heart of green cleaning programs. By directing effort toward better results, you are able to achieve a cleaner, healthier facilities, in less time. This is done by employing techniques that eliminate the use of wasteful and counter-productive cleaning products that in many cases can cause surfaces to be more difficult to clean.

Employee Morale
By being able to perform tasks more effectively, with less risk to yourself and the facility and actually see the positive results from your efforts, the morale of the staff will be improved. No one likes to do a bad job and given the know how to do a good job only makes performing the task more rewarding.

Floor Care Equipment Buyers Place Ease-of-use Over Price

This article was originally published in Sanitary Maintenance. 

Is price the most important factor when selecting floor care equipment? According to a recent article published in Sanitary Maintenance, the answer is no. Read below for more information. 

Even though 95 percent of survey respondents indicated price was important, cost alone is not enough to sway a purchasing decision. In fact, custodial managers interviewed for this article agreed price is vital when making a major machinery purchase; however, they also indicated that the cost of floor care equipment is not as significant as its level of performance.

“Price is important, but effectiveness and efficiency is also very important,” says Dumouchel. “If two machines are within $1,000 of each other, for example, but the one with the higher price tag is more efficient and easier to use ergonomically, we would purchase that one over the cheaper one.”

Van Reeth, agrees: “Between price, performance and user friendliness, we would place a higher value on the performance of the equipment and the degree of user friendliness over price,” he says. “Price would probably only come into play if there were two different manufacturers that offered virtually identical products.”

Even though budget constraints may restrict floor care equipment purchases, facility managers warn against sacrificing quality for bargain prices. “You can pay today or you can pay tomorrow,” says John Vogelsang, facilities services director, Illinois Central College, East Peoria, Ill. “If the boss of the purchasing department says you have to buy the cheapest thing it’s our job to tell him what we want the machine to do and write those specifications. We have to prove to our bosses that buying a cheap machine will cost them in the long run.”

Best Practices for VCT Tile

How do you brighten dull and stained VCT tile?

Brightening stained tiles is usually accomplished through use of specific chemicals. For example, there are special spray buff products designed to be used with floor machines that can help bring back shine or remove stains from VCT tile. In addition to the chemical angle you can also use autoscrubbers that can remove embedded dirt and discoloration by removing the top layers of finish from your floor.

Typically the dullness and staining is embedded only in the top layers so by removing these dirty layers of finish you can apply a two to three new coats and return your floor to a much better appearance. In cases where the stain has penetrated deep in to the floor finish a chemical strip out may be required.

Innovative Cleaning

This article was originally published on the Cleaning Hygiene Today. 

 

Cleaning a food manufacturing facility may, at the outset, sound like a fairly straightforward process. Cleaning is, after all, a science.

However in planning a cleaning program, care must be taken to properly match particular machinery or types of soil with the correct cleaning methodology and materials, as this can have a significant impact on the quality, speed, and cost of cleaning. Additionally, and often overlooked, the delivery of cleaning must be managed effectively. With the needs of all factories being fluid, changing seasonally or even week-by-week, it’s clear that there is also more than a little art in the science of cleaning.

As the traditional approach to cleaning, the sequential method seems intuitive and follows a simple workflow pattern: Remove debris, rinse surfaces, apply detergent, rinse again and finish with sanitiser. This method seems to be the most logical way of cleaning, everything being done a stage at a time by a group of cleaners all working together, making it easy to supervise and monitor how the clean is progressing. The sequential format is often referred to as ‘legacy cleaning’ – procedures that have always been carried out in the same way as they are seen to work effectively. Is this a case of ‘if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it’ – or is there a more efficient solution?

When cleaning in a convoy, as in the sequential method, a team can only work as fast as the slowest member. In addition, a rigid and highly structured approach such as this can mean a team lacks the flexibility required to respond to short-term needs or crises. Finally, there may be an unintended consequence – it is very easy to find a sequential team cleaning an area of piece of equipment that does not need cleaning, simply because it is on the schedule.

The traditional approach does have many strengths and is indeed the most appropriate option in specific cases; for example when a factory or process shuts down sequentially and each processing area becomes available for cleaning as the product moves through the system. However with extended or continuous production, it is necessary to combine elements of legacy cleaning with a more flexible approach that balances food safety with economy – equipment must be cleaned when necessary, and not before.

Read the full article here to learn more about cluster cleaning and event cleaning. 

As the traditional approach to cleaning, the sequential method seems intuitive and follows a simple workflow pattern: Remove debris, rinse surfaces, apply detergent, rinse again and finish with sanitiser. This method seems to be the most logical way of cleaning, everything being done a stage at a time by a group of cleaners all working together, making it easy to supervise and monitor how the clean is progressing. The sequential format is often referred to as ‘legacy cleaning’ – procedures that have always been carried out in the same way as they are seen to work effectively. Is this a case of ‘if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it’ – or is there a more efficient solution?
When cleaning in a convoy, as in the sequential method, a team can only work as fast as the slowest member. In addition, a rigid and highly structured approach such as this can mean a team lacks the flexibility required to respond to short-term needs or crises. Finally, there may be an unintended consequence – it is very easy to find a sequential team cleaning an area of piece of equipment that does not need cleaning, simply because it is on the schedule.
The traditional approach does have many strengths and is indeed the most appropriate option in specific cases; for example when a factory or process shuts down sequentially and each processing area becomes available for cleaning as the product moves through the system. However with extended or continuous production, it is necessary to combine elements of legacy cleaning with a more flexible approach that balances food safety with economy – equipment must be cleaned when necessary, and not before.
- See more at: http://www.chtdata.com/2013/07/24/the-art-of-innovative-cleaning/#sthash.nIr90cit.dpuf

 

Cleaning a food manufacturing facility may, at the outset, sound like a fairly straightforward process. Cleaning is, after all, a science.
However in planning a cleaning programme, care must be taken to properly match particular machinery or types of soil with the correct cleaning methodology and materials, as this can have a significant impact on the quality, speed, and cost of cleaning. Additionally, and often overlooked, the delivery of cleaning must be managed effectively. With the needs of all factories being fluid, changing seasonally or even week-by-week, it’s clear that there is also more than a little art in the science of cleaning.
- See more at: http://www.chtdata.com/2013/07/24/the-art-of-innovative-cleaning/#sthash.nIr90cit.dpuf

Cleaning a food manufacturing facility may, at the outset, sound like a fairly straightforward process. Cleaning is, after all, a science.
However in planning a cleaning programme, care must be taken to properly match particular machinery or types of soil with the correct cleaning methodology and materials, as this can have a significant impact on the quality, speed, and cost of cleaning. Additionally, and often overlooked, the delivery of cleaning must be managed effectively. With the needs of all factories being fluid, changing seasonally or even week-by-week, it’s clear that there is also more than a little art in the science of cleaning.
- See more at: http://www.chtdata.com/2013/07/24/the-art-of-innovative-cleaning/#sthash.nIr90cit.dpuf

Is Your Cleaning Method Really 'Green'?

This article was originally published on the Cleaning & Maintenance Management. 

'Green' cleaning is a prominent trend in the cleaning industry. In fact, according to Stephen Ashkin, president of The Ashkin Group who is considered the leading advocate for green cleaning in the professional cleaning industry, most facilities, probably more than 80 percent, are selecting green cleaning tools and equipment and incorporating green cleaning strategies.

That being said, there are many green cleaning methods out there, but which ones are truly considered to be 'green'?

A few green cleaning myths are included below. To read about all of them, read the full article. 

Myth: All green products perform alike.

Fact: Green cleaning products are not all the same. Like other cleaning products, some perform better than others, some work better on certain surfaces than others and so on. It is best to try the products first and compare them with others before making a final selection.

Myth: All green certifications are the same.

Fact: While many of the certification organizations use similar standards and criteria, they are not all the same and some products certified by one organization may not earn certification with another. It is best to select a certification organization that is well-known and widely respected, and then look for the products they have certified.

Myth: Cleaning with green products usually takes more time.

Fact: While this may have been true years ago, this is not true today. However, cleaning professionals are advised to try different green products, just as they would conventional cleaning chemicals, and select those that perform most effectively for them.

ec-H20 Claims Still Being Challenged

According to a recent article published by the Pioneer Press at Twincities.com, Tennant Co.’s ecH20, also known as “electrified water”, has received heavy criticism from the company’s competitors. In fact, competitors in Europe, including Alfred Karcher & Co. and Nilfisk-Advance, have taken their argument against the technology to the court, with legal or regulatory decisions against Tennant in three countries and a fourth set for the future.

However, even with the controversy in full swing, Tennant stands by its technology and plans to appeal any court decisions. The controversy started in 2008 when Tennant first introduced ec-H20 and claimed that the water is electrically charged by equipment inside the scrubber. Through this electric activation, Tennant claims the water is converted into an environmentally clean cleaning agent, which enables the water to act like a detergent.

These claims caused suspicion among competitors who said that Tennant’s advertisements about its ec-H20 technology were “misleading.” To date, the company’s technology has been challenged several times, including by a regional court in Germany, the British Advertising Standards Authority and the National Advertising Division of the Better Business Bureau (BBB) in the U.S.

The Germany court found several of Tennant's advertisements about its ec-H2O technology "misleading." That included claims that the ec-H2O process "activates water to perform like a powerful detergent," and that it "makes its own powerful cleaner." This decision required Tennant to change its advertising. The BBB’s advertising division and the British authority both found Tennant’s claims to be inadequately supported by the evidence in comparative tests and recommended that the claims be discontinued. However, as these are self-regulating agencies, these decisions are nonbinding.

Tennant’s competitors are not giving up so easily though, and now a Belgium court will challenge the claims.

To learn more about the rulings and ec-H20 claims, read the full article here.

How to Brighten Dull and Stained VCT Tile

Brightening stained tiles is usually accomplished through use of specific chemicals. For example, there are special spray buff products designed to be used with floor machines that can help bring back shine or remove stains from VCT tile. In addition to the chemical angle you can also use autoscrubbers that can remove embedded dirt and discoloration by removing the top layers of finish from your floor.

Typically the dullness and staining is embedded only in the top layers so by removing these dirty layers of finish you can apply a two to three new coats and return your floor to a much better appearance. In cases where the stain has penetrated deep in to the floor finish a chemical strip out may be required.