Enhancing Cleaning Productivity for Small Spaces

The Clarke Vantage 17 compact autoscrubber® provides a cost-effective alternative to labor-intensive mop and bucket or high-priced, larger automatic scrubbers. Featuring a compact design and 17 inch scrub path, the Vantage 17 enhances cleaning productivity in small spaces, such as gas stations, schools and healthcare facilities. With a large 8.2 gallon solution tank and 7.7 gallon recovery tank, the Vantage 17 has the capacity to run for up to two hours on a single tank. A center-pivot squeegee system employs a gas spring for optimal blade pressure to ensure superior solution pickup in both forward and reverse. Just one pass leaves the floors clean, dry and ready for foot traffic.

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 Vantage 17 Autoscrubber® Delivers Maximum Cleaning Productivity for Small-Area Applications

The new Clarke  Vantage 17 compact autoscrubber® is ideal for small-area cleaning applications. With a highly maneuverable design and wide 17-inch scrub path, the Vantage 17 provides a reliable, cost-efficient cleaning alternative to labor-intensive mops and buckets and high-priced, large automatic scrubbers.

The Vantage 17 maximizes cleaning productivity with a unique center-pivot squeegee system. Employing a gas spring for optimal blade pressure, the squeegee system can effectively pick up solution in both forward and reverse in just one pass—leaving the floors clean, dry and ready for foot traffic faster than alternative solutions. Equipped with a large 8.2-gallon solution tank and 7.7-gallon recovery tank, the Vantage 17 can operate for up to two hours on a single tank.

To satisfy green cleaning initiatives, the Vantage 17 operates at a low sound level of only 67 dB A to meet LEED-EB and GS-42 noise standards. This also enables daytime cleaning or cleaning of noise-sensitive areas. For enhanced sustainability, the Vantage 17 is available with maintenance-free gel batteries and an onboard charger to eliminate spills and noxious gas emissions associated with wet-acid batteries.

The Vantage 17 is ideal for a wide range of applications, including but not limited to schools and universities, hospitals and healthcare facilities, grocery, retail outlets, convenience stores and restaurants.

Clarke 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.

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. 

Clarke Focus® II MicroRider™ at the Minnesota Zoo

The Clarke Focus® II MicroRider™cleans surfaces at the Minnesota Zoo!

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

Learn more at: http://www.clarkeus.com/products/autoscrubbers/focusiimicrorider.aspx

Interview With a Product: Clarke Focus II MicroRider Autoscrubber

Plant Services hosts a weekly column titled, "Interview With a Product", which is a Q&A on readers' favorite products uncensored and without their packaging.

Recently, their interviewee was the Clarke Focus II MicroRider Autoscrubber. Check out the interview below!

Clarke Focus II MicroRider Autoscrubber: Happy to be here.

Plant Services: What industry are you designed for?
N: I'm ideal for diverse applications, ranging from sizeable locations to areas that are inaccessible with larger riders. 

PS: So what exactly do you do?
N:  With my 26-inch disc scrub deck or 28-inch Boost scrub deck, I'm built to deliver flexible operation to meet diverse cleaning requirements.

PS: What sets you apart from the competition?
N: I feature a low-profile SafetyGlide deck, which is designed to automatically move in line with the path of my rear squeegee. My deck is engineered to ensure precise, straight edge cleaning without additional labor-intensive detail edge mopping.

PS: Interesting. What is your best feature?
N:  I feature an optional, onboard chemical mixing system that is made to automatically deliver the correct mixing solution to the scrub deck.

PS: Why should someone buy you?
N:  My compact size ensures easy maneuverability in areas with limited access or tight corners. My Safe-T-Steering and quiet performance also increase user safety and make daytime cleaning and cleaning of noise-sensitive areas viable.

PS: How would people at your company describe you?
N: Well, Jill Kohls says that I satisfy diverse cleaning challenges, while maximizing productivity. She is forever complementing me on my small, easily maneuverable design and wide cleaning path.

PS: Tell us more about Nilfisk-Advance.
N: Nilfisk-Advance is one of the world’s leading manufacturers and suppliers of professional cleaning equipment. With global company headquarters in Denmark, the company has developed professional cleaning equipment for over 100 years. 

PS: And now it's time for a fun question. What irritates you?
N: Dirt.

Check out this interview, and others, at: www.plantservices.com

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.