Tersano has created an incredible and inventive way to clean! You will no longer need chemicals, which means no more breathing in harsh fumes and no more high costs to maintain your facilities. Instead, imagine using ozone to clean. The lotus Pro uses a two step process to combine cold tap water and electrified oxygen and is able to produce 800- 1600 gallons of ozone. Ozone is effective for cleaning, disinfecting at a 99% rate, and deodorizing most surfaces.
No Chemicals: This process doesn’t contain any chemicals only water. It is 50 times more effective than bleach and leaves no residue on the surface after cleaning making ozone perfect for use on carpets, floors, counters, desks and glass.
No Residue: Cleaning without leaving residue is key in schools and day cares were children will be at play. Simply wipe the surface with ozone and it will be completely safe.
Cost Savings: Using ozone instead of chemicals can reduce costs up to 50% to clean your facilities.
Environmental: This process uses no chemicals, only water and oxygen, making it 100% Eco friendly and after 4- 24 hours, the solution of ozone turns back into water and oxygen.
When choosing a set of vacuums for a company what’s the most important part? Is it the mobility, the productivity it provides, or maybe the price is the most important factor to you? What if all of these were available within the growing market of vacuums? Well there is and the answer is backpack vacuums, these vacuums have the potential to be 70 percent more efficient, with a wide range of mobility and the overall cost of repairs and the life value is estimated to be 90 percent less costly.
SSS, Speedster 1000H HEPA Backpack Vacuum
When comparing a traditional upright to a backpack vacuum the first thing you can look at is the mobility and productivity that you gain. This can be seen the best within larger facilities especially with multiple stories. The reasoning is you don’t have to stop when you finish on the first floor to go up you can just continue cleaning as you travel up the stairwell. Taking a school for example, you can start in a classroom, were you can get beneath all of the decks without needing to move any of the furniture, and then move directly to the next room or into the stairwell and onto the next floor.
This shows a big problem with traditional uprights, which is they are to big to fit under a desk or chair, so your required to move the furniture around the room taking up more time. Uprights have a very difficult time in stairwells as well due to their weight and mobility is not optimal unlike the backpack vacuums that are out of the way while you clean and all you have to worry about is the pump allowing you to travel up and down stairs with ease.
Backpack vacuums can save your company a lot of money with their expected 8 year life time compared to traditional vacuums that have a 3-4 year life time. According to Michael Jones from The Columbia Public School District will reduce overall repair costs by 90 percent.
The challenge of implementing backpack vacuums over traditional uprights is that custodians are used to and are more comfortable with their traditional vacuums. The way that you can overcome this is by personalizing the idea to your employees allow them to test out the equipment and make sure that they are on board before making a mass change. In the end to have anything be effective you have to have your employees in agreeance with your decision for it to work.
When it comes to the prevention of the spread of diseases the custodians are the first line and last line of defense. With 80 percent of infections being caused through direct contact there won’t be anything stopping these bacteria if the custodians aren’t equipped with the right tools. This doesn’t mean having to buy thousands of dollars worth of heavy duty equipment for your facility, but instead just to make sure not to cut corners on the cheaper things that you need to clean and disinfect your facility.
So do you want to be in a facility were the bacteria and soil is being spread around by cotton cloths or to ensure that the soil and bacteria is getting picked up through the use of Microfiber Cloths?
When cleaning with traditional cotton rags in most situations you will be picking up a good majority of bacteria, but this is only half the battle when it comes to cleaning and disinfecting. The true challenge is not to just remove the bacteria from a surface, but the soils from the surface as well to give the disinfecting chemicals a fighting chance according to Darrel Hicks, author of Infection Prevention for Dummies. Cotton rags while cheap and readily available, are not particularly good at picking up these soils off of surfaces which is one of the problems of using cotton rags.
Microfiber cloths on the other hand work by gently scrapping against the surface to help pull the soil and bacteria off of the surface. They then use their engineered pockets within their fabric to collect and trap the soil until the cloths are washed to prevent from spreading it across the surface. Making them extremely effective in preparing a surface to be disinfected.
Another problem that cotton cloths have is when you are using quat-based disinfectants. The cloths can have a strong attraction with the active ingredients in these quat disinfectants, which causes the cloths to spread the soil and bacteria rather than picking it up off the surface.
At The University of Minnesota Medical Center they tested the efficiency of both cloth and microfiber cloths, which led their decision to switch to microfiber.
The University found that Microfiber cloths will pick up spores and microorganisms even if you don’t use disinfectants were as cotton will just spread them across the surface. As well according to Amanda Guspiel, environmental infection preventionist since using these microfiber cloths they have not had any issues with quat binding that can occur with cotton rags.
Through changing to microfiber Guspiel has had a decrease in the number of Hospital acquired infections.
A modest investment in cleaning produces substantial return With a Clean Facility! Cleaning is an investment in human health, the environment, and an improved bottom line. Discover more about the Value of Clean® with ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association and learn how a modest investment in cleaning can help facilities reap big savings.
Did you know that ISSA has released an analysis of data which strongly supports the position that cleaning is economically efficient and, thus, a relatively modest investment in improved cleaning produces substantial returns. Clean floors speak volumes in any facility or business.
Value of Clean® Paper:
Make it easier to understand and articulate the value proper cleaning can have to an organization’s bottom line in the areas of:
Work ticket resolution costs
Occupant wellness: absenteeism
Occupant wellness: improved productivity
Image enhancement: customer satisfaction
Asset preservation
Energy savings
Reducing hospital associated infections
Value of Clean® Video:
Discover more about the Value of Clean in this new animated video infographic from ISSA. It’s a quick, effective way to show your staff and customers how a modest investment in cleaning can help facilities reap big savings.
Floor polishes have changed significantly over the decades, and as they’ve changed, so too has the floor maintenance industry.
Floor polishes have changed significantly over the decades, and as they’ve changed, so too has the floor maintenance industry. Natural waxes that played an integral part of the early floor maintenance polishes have gone by the wayside, and new polymer emulsion finishes have successfully taken their place.
Although there are many different varieties of floor polishes today, the challenge of floor polishes is still the same; they must protect the flooring material while being easy to clean, possess an acceptable gloss appearance that is maintainable and provide a safe surface to walk on. That’s an awful lot to ask of a thin film of plastic.
The term “wax” has been used for over a century in the floor maintenance industry, although it is now somewhat of a misnomer. Its roots come from the early days of floor maintenance with the use of natural waxes in early polishes. Many of the original waxes were made from the carnuba plant and mixed with a solvent to make a viscous paste wax.
These paste waxes were applied using steel wool pads and maintained by buffing them with soft brushes in conjunction with a slow speed rotary floor machine. Later carnuba waxes were suspended in water-based emulsions to form liquid wax that could be easily applied with a mop instead of steel wool, and were unproblematic to buff with a brush or soft pad.
When the first polymer emulsion floor seals and finishes entered the market, they set in motion changes that impacted floor maintenance then, and even more so today. The new floor polishes where more durable than waxes and the ease of application was simple enough that almost anyone could apply them without any trouble at all.
The early polymer emulsions were generally no-buff systems that were applied and left to dry into a durable film. At this time there was very little maintenance, you either scrubbed and recoated or stripped and refinished. So the floors would start out looking very good and slowly (sometimes quickly depending on traffic) deteriorate to an unacceptable appearance.
Cross link metal interlock floor finishes entered the market, which resulted in durable floors that would hold up much better than natural and early synthetic waxes. With them came spray buffing methodologies that incorporated synthetic pads used in conjunction with low speed floor machines. The finish was usually watered down 50/50 and applied to the floor using a spray bottle in a small area. The process filled in superficial scratches with floor finish and was buffed to a slightly higher gloss by smoothing the surface with the floor machine and pad. This was a method that was widely used and is still referenced in many specifications to this day.
Unfortunately, spray buffing was a time-consuming and a very slow process. In order to speed up the process, high-speed and ultra high-speed buffing machines were invented and better results were achieved quicker. With the new machines came new variations of pads and floor finishes.
The new floor finishes were incorporating pure acrylic, styrene acrylic and in some cases urethane polymers. Some of these floor finishes became too hard and difficult to maintain, that’s when thermoplastic polymers hit the market. These new floor finishes made a significant change in floor maintenance. Thermoplastic floor finishes had the ability to become malleable with heat and friction, but when they cooled down, they would transform to a durable film. Battery and propane buffing equipment was invented to maintain this new generation of floor finish and the “wet look” was easily achieved and maintained.
Most of the history of floor finish has focused on the durability, ease of cleaning, appearance and safety of the film. Modern developments of floor finish include more durable polymers (semi-permanent and permanent systems), higher solids content, matte finishes and slip resistant formulations. One of the newest developments is the use of anti-microbial preservatives in floor finishes.
This new technology allows for an EPA-registered broad spectrum biostatic preservative to be incorporated into floor finish. The new development results in a film that inhibits the growth of microorganisms that it comes in contact with. This is not to say that it kills organisms that it comes in contact with, rather it prevents micro-organisms from reproducing by destabilizing metabolically active cell membranes which result in subsequent growth inhibition and cell death.
The impact that antimicrobial preservatives in floor finish may have is extremely important for floor maintenance programs in any environment. But it is even higher when you consider the additional protection that can be attained in the healthcare, education, day care, assisted living and any other environment where micro-organisms exist. This may very well be the single most important development for the future of floor maintenance in those environments.
The evolution of floor finishes has truly been a phenomenon when you think about it. When the combination of wind, water and gravity can erode the Himalayas, what chance does a thin polymeric film have against the same elements? The ability to continually restore the “wet look” of that thin film over and over again is nothing short of amazing. And now that technology has given us the ability to build anti-microbial preservatives into floor finish that protect us against what we can’t see, I would say we are treading on ground that is very close to miraculous. Well, I guess it’s not just wax anymore.
Stanley Quentin Hulin has been actively involved in the industry, providing services, management and sales/marketing expertise since 1975. Stan conducts training seminars and clinics, establishes educational programs and serves as a speaker at industry conventions and meetings.
They come in various sizes, shapes, textures and colors, so determining which floor pad departments should use is often dictated by performance. Facility managers have found that each has a long list of benefits, but according to distributors, the best bet for improved cleaning performance is the octagonal floor pad.
“I am a big proponent because of the leading edges on the octagonal floor pad,” says Dana Kowalski, director of marketing for Arnold Sales, a jan/san distributor based in Bay City, Mich. “That leading edge provides great floor contact, making for better performance at cleaning, stripping and burnishing floors.”
Distributors aren’t alone regarding their positive opinions of these pads. Custodial mangers are experiencing performance benefits first-hand after testing the floor pad.
“The octagon pads will get you better results in less time, thus reducing labor costs,” says Jeff Wimpy, regional account manager at Matera Paper Co., Austin, Texas. “Every time I demonstrate the pads for departments, managers are impressed.”
In fact, many mangers are converting to the eight-sided options.
“We’ve converted most of our round business to octagon,” says Kowalski. “There are some individuals who are resistant to change and still use round pads, but about 90 percent of what we sell are now octagonal.”
Some Similarities
Round floor pads are the most common option used in facilities. And many of the benefits that facility managers are familiar with when using the round options are also advantages to the octagon pads.
Take for example the face contact, which is the amount of surface area of the pad that comes into contact with the flooring. According to Kowalski, the face contact on the octagonal pad is very similar to that of a circular pad when managers evaluate performance. The octagonal pads are also available in the industry standard color-coded options, making them an easy substitute.
Also, just like their circular counterparts, octagonal pads can be used with various types of floor equipment. Custodial managers won’t need any special machines when incorporating the eight-sided pads into their floor care program.
“Any machine that uses a floor pad can use this octagon pad as a replacement,” says Kowalski. “No exceptions.”
As far as mounting the pad and operating the equipment, there is no additional training necessary either. But, Kowalski does point to one concern customers may have using the octagonal pad for the first time.
“When workers put the pad on the pad driver and they see a portion of the pad driver because it isn’t covered by a round pad, they shouldn’t worry,” he says. “Not much shows, but departments aren’t being short changed on material on the floor.”
Leading The Way
Although there are many similarities between these eight-sided pads and traditional circular options, there are also enough differences that might make the switch worthwhile.
According to the product manufacturer, the octagonal pads are ideal for custodial managers looking for the highest shine, the quickest cleaning and stripping, and the highest performance.
Distributors attribute this improved performance to the leading edge available on the octagonal pad, versus the passive round edge on the circular pad. Every time the pad rotates, the edge comes around, providing additional scraping action.
“When using an octagon pad, you essentially have eight sides cutting into the finish, versus one side with a circular pad,” says Wimpy. “When using a gloss meter, you will see a higher shine in less time with the octagon pads versus a traditional circular pad. You can also remove more finish in less time when stripping with a black or emerald octagon pad.”
According to Kowalski, the leading edge provides a scraping action, which leads to improved performance.
“Just like a cutting tool, the most important part is that leading edge,” he says. “It does most of the work.”
The manufacturer touts that with the irregular surface on the octagonal pads, departments will see results more quickly and at a higher level. If that is the case, incorporating these pads could improve cleaning times, saving valuable labor dollars for departments.
Added Perks
Although the pad manufacturer can’t quantify the claims, there are additional benefits custodial managers have found when using the octagonal floor pads.
“In my experience, if the floor machine comes into contact with a cord, this octagonal pad is more likely to kick the cord out of the way, as oppose to grabbing it and wrapping it around the pad,” says Kowalski. “And considering how expensive it is for departments to replace cords in parts and labor, this benefit is a big deal.”
His clients also comment that the pads are less likely to throw slurry when stripping and scrubbing, and they will kick away sand and other debris, which reduces the risk of developing “thorns” on the bottom of the pad.
These added perks are thought to be the result of the irregular edge and the voids between the high points in the octagonal pads.
According to the manufacturer, when using this pad, custodians don’t put constant pressure on a round edge equally, meaning there is more pressure spread between the high points. This causes a “hit-miss” action, which is what might lead to these experiences from custodial workers.
Distributors agree that the octagonal pad can be easily substituted for the circular options most facilities are currently using. For custodial managers looking for higher performance with less effort, these pads should not be overlooked. The proof will be evident in the results.
Proper Pad Maintenance
No matter which shape floor pad departments use, it is essential to properly maintain them. If done correctly, the floor pads will perform better and last longer. To make this happen, managers are advised to train staff on the proper cleaning techniques and frequencies.
Once a pad has been used, it contains soils and chemicals that can become harmful if not removed. Allowing these to dry on the pad can damage the fibers and negatively effect future cleaning performance. Instead, manufacturers recommend storing “soiled” pads in plastic until workers are able to clean them properly.
Cleaning should occur after every use and can be easily completed using a hose with hot, clean water. Workers should be trained to remove as much of the soil and finish from the pad as possible before storing it away.
– See more at: http://www.cleanlink.com/hs/article/Breaking-Down-The-Benefits-to-Octagonal-Floor-Pads–16947?source=focuson04/29/2014#sthash.afOQkZch.dpuf
There are some HTOs that are personal items that you definitely should not be responsible for. That’s why getting building occupants involved in office cleanliness is so important. This approach should be discussed with the customer and the offer made to provide information regarding the cost of lost days that result from poor occupant health practices that you have no control over. In addition to the direct costs of absenteeism, there are the hidden costs of “presenteeism.” Presenteeism is when employees come to work sick. They underperform and their lack of productivity costs the company money. In addition, they spread sickness to others.
Jeff McGee, assistant director of building services at the University of Maryland, introduced the concept of “Everyone Cleans” along with the benefits of cleaning and sanitizing to faculty and staff. This program proves people respond positively to the facts and concerns for their health. Be prepared with newspaper articles, statistics on surface contamination, etc. Your supplier can be a good source of information.
Besides engaging building occupants in office cleanliness, involve your janitors in reviewing general procedures and updating them to make them site specific. This engages employees while they are being trained and engaged employees are proven to be more productive.
A performance log can serve as due diligence in the case of an outbreak of disease. If cleaning and sanitizing of HTOs is included in your workloading inspection program, that may serve as adequate due diligence. If not, a record or log of this may become important in the future.
Tradition holds that a building service contractor’s signature is created by the appearance of the floors and the cleanliness and freshness of restrooms. With the new healthcare legislation, the spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria into the public sector and the risk of lawsuits, additional due diligence should be foremost in the mind of every owner and supervisor in our industry. The health of the occupants of your customer’s buildings rests in your hands. I can think of no better way to enhance a BSC’s image than to show concern for the customer’s building occupants supported by a professional program.
Skip Seal, CEO & Consultant, skip@seal-360.com, or 918-607-5597. Attended San Jacinto Junior College and University of Houston. I.C.E.-GB; LEED Accredited Professional. Served his country in the US Army, and was decorated for heroism in ground combat while serving in Vietnam. As an RM, earned numerous sales awards over 22 years. Created the Training Certification Program™, which enables customization of cleaning procedure manuals for end-users. Promoted to Divisional Sales Manager and directed five divisions. Mentored numerous industry sales professionals. Created Spartan’s Certified Green Cleaning Specialist Program. Sales & Customer Service Training Distribution Logistics & Territory Management Site Specific Procedures RFP Creation/ RFQ Development Training Program Development Sustainability Programs Certification Assistance xSell360 Analysis & Recommendations
Sanitizing high-touch objects in non-critical care areas can be broken down into products, steps and frequency. Even though labor costs will often prohibit the dwell times required to disinfect surfaces in non-critical areas, I prefer to use the appropriate EPA-registered one-step detergent disinfectant to clean by spraying and wiping HTOs with color coded microfiber cloths.
The process cleans the surface by removing the soil and germs with the microfiber cloth so the disinfectant can continue to do its job as opposed to the non-kill properties of an all-purpose cleaner. At the very least, we are sanitizing the surface by cleaning it and providing further kill in the wet or damp cloth, preventing the transfer of germs to other areas and/or surfaces.
As a BSC, it is important that the procedures be written, be site specific and state how often and what HTOs your staff will “Clean and sanitize with an EPA registered one step disinfectant” as opposed to “Clean and disinfect with an EPA registered disinfectant.” If the latter procedure is stated, then the dwell time must be allowed for as prescribed in the product’s label instructions. Another optional procedure might be “Clean HTOs daily.”
Surfaces and cleaning frequencies should be part of the scope of work as written into new contracts. According to Dan Wagner, director of facility service programs and CIMS for ISSA, “It is crucial to remember that a scope of work needs to be clear, up-to-date and does not leave anything open to interpretation. A perfect example would be if a scope of work states that a contractor should ‘wipe down baseboards as necessary’ which is likely to mean something dramatically different to two people and can cause confusion and unmet expectations.”
Let’s say the two people Dan is referring to are you and your customer, and the contract is for a multi-use building. If the contract’s scope of work does not state (and budget for) which HTOs are cleaned, how and how often, then what is your customer’s assumption? The assumption is probably a high expectation that you have this subject covered. What if there is a MRSA outbreak amongst the occupants? Questions start flying and fingers start pointing.
The best practice is to accurately define the cleaning specifications to allow the labor required to clean and sanitize all HTOs in a building. That is feasible for new contracts. For existing contracts, be proactive and review current policies and procedures. Rewrite policies if necessary, retrain employees and document the training.
Skip Seal, CEO & Consultant, skip@seal-360.com, or 918-607-5597. Attended San Jacinto Junior College and University of Houston. I.C.E.-GB; LEED Accredited Professional. Served his country in the US Army, and was decorated for heroism in ground combat while serving in Vietnam. As an RM, earned numerous sales awards over 22 years. Created the Training Certification Program™, which enables customization of cleaning procedure manuals for end-users. Promoted to Divisional Sales Manager and directed five divisions. Mentored numerous industry sales professionals. Created Spartan’s Certified Green Cleaning Specialist Program. Sales & Customer Service Training Distribution Logistics & Territory Management Site Specific Procedures RFP Creation/ RFQ Development Training Program Development Sustainability Programs Certification Assistance xSell360 Analysis & Recommendations
Learn The Difference Between Sanitizing and Disinfecting
By Skip Seal, Trainer and consultant
To determine the appropriate cleaning procedure, we need to look at the differences among cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting. When deciding what surfaces to clean, sanitize or disinfect, any surface or object touched by hands or skin should be considered. However, floors are not generally considered surfaces included in those involved in the transfer of germs.
Cleaning can be defined as the removal of substances and germs from objects and surfaces. Referring back to the CDC’s statement, HTOs in non-critical care areas should be cleaned daily.
Disinfecting is defined as killing germs on objects and surfaces. Disinfecting is a normal requirement in critical care areas of healthcare facilities when there is a known outbreak of communicable disease, and is part of the cleaning process when blood or other potentially infectious material is present in the facility. Dwell times for disinfectants means increased labor hours over the course of the contract.
Sanitizing lowers the number of germs on HTOs to a safe level, as judged by public health standards or requirements. In addition, sanitizers require much shorter dwell times.
Where does sanitizing fit into this discussion? Picture this: you walk into a restaurant and while you are waiting to be seated, you observe a person with weeping mouth sores drinking iced tea. That person finishes their tea, sets the glass down and departs. As luck would have it, you are served iced tea in that same glass, however you are safe from the germs that caused the mouth sores. What did the kitchen personnel do to the glass to protect you? Disinfect? No, they cleaned and sanitized the glass. Typically, a glass is allowed to air dry after being dipped into the sanitizer.
Therefore, you might draw the conclusion that cleaning and sanitizing HTOs in non-critical care areas is an acceptable, even good practice. After all, we are not eating or drinking from push plates and door handles.
However, studies show germs contaminate and survive on objects that are frequently touched by hands. For example, MRSA can survive on hard surfaces for months. These germs are efficiently picked up by hands and transferred to the mouth or to open areas on the skin. Even after hand washing, clean hands become contaminated after touching infected surfaces.
Skip Seal, CEO & Consultant, skip@seal-360.com, or 918-607-5597. Attended San Jacinto Junior College and University of Houston. I.C.E.-GB; LEED Accredited Professional. Served his country in the US Army, and was decorated for heroism in ground combat while serving in Vietnam. As an RM, earned numerous sales awards over 22 years. Created the Training Certification Program™, which enables customization of cleaning procedure manuals for end-users. Promoted to Divisional Sales Manager and directed five divisions. Mentored numerous industry sales professionals. Created Spartan’s Certified Green Cleaning Specialist Program. Sales & Customer Service Training Distribution Logistics & Territory Management Site Specific Procedures RFP Creation/ RFQ Development Training Program Development Sustainability Programs Certification Assistance xSell360 Analysis & Recommendations
Once an employee is hired, he needs to be put through a thorough training program. The program should walk the employee through the steps of cleaning the restroom, much like he is taught to do his other duties such as flipping burgers in a restaurant or handling ticket sales in a movie theater.
The training program should be multi-lingual so that those that speak different languages can learn the process in their native language. If the training program is through a distributor, consultant or cleaning supply manufacturer, managers should be able to access the training materials such as videos and written materials, easily.
Using materials that can be easily accessed by the manager will create consistency on how to clean the restrooms throughout the enterprise, says Traudt.
“They need to have a documented program that takes them step-by-step on how they are going to clean the bathroom,” he adds.
When developing a training and cleaning program, managers should not take anything for granted, given that some of their young employees may have never cleaned a restroom before in their life, says Marianne Abiaad, the executive vice president at Royal Corporation, Santa Fe Springs, Calif.
“One of the main challenges is training a younger staff, whom are not accustomed to handling these tasks consistently even in their own homes,” Abiaad says. “It’s crucial not to assume anything and to start from the beginning.”
Training should not be done by managers or co-workers, but by an outside expert who can bring knowledge and objectivity to the task of properly cleaning restrooms, says Brian Waddell, director of education at Bruco, Inc., Billings, Mont.
Using an outsider to teach employees to clean restrooms also alleviates the chance of passing on bad habits, says Waddell.
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A modest investment in cleaning produces substantial return With a Clean Facility! Cleaning is an investment in human health, the environment, and an improved bottom line. Discover more about the Value of Clean® with ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association and learn how a modest investment in cleaning can help facilities reap big savings.
