Category Archives: Downright Interesting Stuff

Downright Interesting Stuff

Scents in The Marketplace

When it comes to retail stores, companies and researchers have been aware that two big factors affect purchasing – lighting and music. But recent studies have suggested there’s a third subconscious way of affecting shoppers moods – the smell or scent dispensed through out your store. To explain this, we must look at how the human body processes information, which can be divided into two parts the subconscious and conscious mind. In the conscious state, you’re actively thinking about something and are fully aware of your decisions, such as deciding on what fragrance you would like to buy for your store. The subconscious part of your mind is all the little things your body processes constantly without you even knowing it.

Its been known that the subconscious mind processes the soft lighting or music playing in the background and influences the customers’ feelings, causing them to stay longer or leave earlier. With this knowledge, is it so hard to believe that the smell of a store can affect your customers subconsciously? According to studies done at the Washington State University, the answer to this question is scent most definitely affects purchasing behavior. The question then becomes, what are the best scents to entice customers to buy more. Could it be a complex, but desirable scent, or is it a more basic smell that is simple to process? Perhaps these smells are just distracting the customer from their purchasing decisions and causing a loss in sales. Washington State’s experiments found that the correct choice to be simple smells that are easy to process.

During their study, they observed the buying habits of 400 customers. A third of the customers went into a store with no scent, a third experienced a desirable scent through out the store, of orange-basil mixed with green tea, and the last group was exposed to a simple orange scent while shopping throughout the store. On average, the customers exposed to the simple orange scent spent 20% more compared to the other two groups. The reason behind this, is customers desire a stimulation to start the buying process, hence the use of the simple smell. A complicated scent will overwhelm and burden the buyers’ ability to consciously process the products which they are attempting to buy, causing them to buy less.

Even though we may think the most elegant scents are best for our stores, often, it’s the simpler ones that are better for our customers, thus, best for our business.

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Downright Interesting Stuff

Keeping the Client in Mind

What is the true goal of a company? Is it to obtain quick sales or achieve long lasting relationships with your clients? To answer this lets look at the facts first, according to Return on  Behavior magazine.

  • You have a 60-70% chance to obtain a sale from a returning clients compared to a 5-20% chance from a new client.
  • It costs 6 times more to gain a new client compared to retaining a returning one.
  • Only 4% of dissatisfied clients will speak out.
  • Price isn’t the main reason someone changes from a brand or product, it is typically because of bad client service.
  • Increasing your retention rate by 2% is equivalent to decreasing your price by 10%

These are just a couple of the many facts about client habits and why it is extremely important to focus on retaining clients rather than obtaining new clients to your business.

A great example of doing this is explained in “From the Jewelry Counter to the Janitor’s Closet” by Leah Waldrop, where she explains a story of a man going to multiple different Jewelry stores to get a pair of earings for his female companion the only downside was he didn’t know anything about earings. During the story he had told every sales representative to see their earings and explained that he didn’t know anything about them. The representatives proceeded to show him the earings, but that was all before returning to their work. Finally one representative started asking questions about his companion to try and better help the man and after getting enough information to make a mental image of the companion. The lady then made a suggestion to the man and reassured him that his companion were going to love them. The man respecting her choice, because of the amount of time and depth of her care for his well being, the man proceeded to buy the earings, which his companion loved and wore almost every time he saw her.

This story shows a lot of different elements of selling a product, the first is you need to listen to your clients. If you look back into the story, you will notice only one representative listened and acted on what the client was saying, which was that he didn’t know much about earings. Even more importantly the last place he visited was the only place that asked him further questions, which means it was possible for any of these companies to get this sale, but only one acted on it. This isn’t limited to just Jewelry shops, but all forms of businesses. When you look at janitorial supply companies or custodial cleaning companies for instance your clients won’t usually know what they actually need for a job or how much product. This is why you need employees to be informed in how to answer these questions, and be willing to ask additional questions such as, what type of floor are you using this sealer on or what are you planning on cleaning, and not just point the client in the direction of those products and essentially say “good luck”.

If your employees go through these questions with the clients it will give them a better perspective of the products that will be right for the clients goal. Making their overall purchase a positive experience instead of a potentially negative one. This leads into the fact that a good sale leads to a much higher chance to getting that client to come back and purchase again.

Getting more sales is just the tip of the iceberg for why you should help clients when their in need of assistance of choosing a product. It has been found that if a client gets a problem resolved they will proceed to tell 4-6 people about the experience they had. This in turn creates word of mouth advertising, which is the best form advertisement for any company, due to people trusting their friends more than any other form of advertising. So remember to help your clients through their problems, because they will help your company survive.

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Downright Interesting Stuff, VCT Hard Floor Care

Causes And Prevention Of Slips And Falls!

A slip occurs when there is too little traction or friction between the shoe and the walking surface, causing a person to fall backwards. A trip occurs when a person’s foot contacts an object in their way or drops to a lower level unexpectedly, causing them to be thrown off-balance in a forward motion. Lastly, a fall occurs when a person is too far off-balance.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, floors and flooring materials contribute directly to more than 2 million fall injuries each year. The causes of accidents are varied: walkways that are wet, oily or contaminated; floor surfaces that are in disrepair; loose or unanchored rugs or mats; spills; weather hazards such as ice, rain or snow; lack of employee training; and inappropriate footwear.

“When you look at slip-and-fall accidents there are many different elements to consider,” says Griffin. “It’s not just one element that makes the difference. There is almost an unlimited list of variables.”

According to the NFSI, 7 percent of accidents are attributed to training issues, such as improper use of floor finishes and cleaning chemicals. Untrained workers are more apt to make mistakes in equipment usage and chemical dilution, thereby exposing facilities to increased risk. Untrained cleaning personnel often make the mistake of using too much chemical on floors, when in fact, manufacturer dilution instructions must be strictly followed or a slip-and-fall disaster may strike.

Another cause of accidents is using improper chemicals that leave a film or residue on the surface of a floor. According to one chemical manufacturer, that film can create a barrier between the floor finish and a persons shoe. Instead of walking on the floor finish, people are walking on the residue, and that’s a slip hazard.

Cleaning chemicals and equipment certified as “High Traction” by NFSI are independently tested to keep walkways above the high traction threshold outlined in the ANSI B101.1-2009 national standard and, as such, should be used in facilities whenever possible, says Kendzior.

Another area of concern managers should be aware of when it comes to floor care chemicals is cross-contamination and using the same mop and bucket to clean multiple areas within a facility. This is especially important in food service where it is important that soil and bacteria are not transferred from one area to another.

“I’ve seen instances where workers use a mop in the kitchen and then that same mop in the bathroom, and then they take it out to the dining room and use it out there to do the entryway,” says Griffin. “You can see the grease on the floor and you can tell what has happened. There’s no excuse for taking grease out of the kitchen and moving it to the dining room, the entry or bathroom.”

Griffin recommends facilities use color-coded mops and buckets for different areas to avoid cross-contamination.

Cleaning procedures that don’t have anything to do with the actual cleaning of the floor — such as spraying airborne chemicals on baseboards, walls, or windows — should also be taken into consideration as potential slipping hazards.

“I had a slip-and-fall case not too long ago where somebody had sprayed metal cleaner on an elevator door and the overspray went down on the floor,” says Griffin. “When people came out of the elevator, the floor was extremely slippery and they fell down left and right.”

Training personnel on how to properly use the chemicals is extremely important. For example, workers should spray chemicals directly onto a cloth to prevent airborne particles from falling to the floor.

Managers can control some slip hazards, but they have little control over environmental factors such as tracked in snow, water, soil and dust, which is why it is important to stress prevention. Cleaning crews must be prepared to react to weather conditions and address concerns before they become a hazard inside the facility. Because most slips and falls occur on wet surfaces, managers are advised to use proper matting both in and outside entryways to reduce elements being tracked into a facility.

Social factors, such as footwear, or if someone is not paying attention to their surroundings, also come into play as a potential cause of accidents, says Kendzior. In fact, footwear accounts for 24 percent of all accidents, according to the NFSI. These are common regardless of the environment because the less contact a person has with the floor, the more likely they are to experience an accident.

A person’s age also increases the likelihood of floor-related accidents. According to the NSC, adults 55 and older are more prone to being victims of falls. The number of fall deaths among adults 65 or older is four times the number of fall deaths among all other age groups.

“People are now working well into their 70s, and that age demographic is the most likely to experience a slip, trip and fall and become seriously injured as a result,” says Kendzior.

Physical factors are also difficult to control because they are different for every building occupant or cleaning worker. This includes the potential for poor vision, lack of stability and walking struggles. NFSI statistics indicate that 9 percent of slip-and-fall accidents are due to a lack of proper hazard identification. The use of proper signage to identify slip-and-fall hazards can help prevent these physical factors.

“But even wet floor signs are not adequate when it comes to identifying a potential hazard,” says Griffin. “You really have to use barricades or safety caution tape. When you get to court, the lawyers will say that no one reads the signs until they’re laying on the floor.”

Signs or not, accident prevention by way of regular audits and testing of floors should be top of mind, says Kendzior. He stresses the importance of independent floor testing by a qualified auditor that utilizes ANSI national testing slip-and-fall safety standards on a regular basis. These testing standards quantify the traction requirement for pedestrian safety and the prevention of slips and falls.

This could change the character of a slip-and-fall negligence claim against a facility or deter a fraudulent claim from even being filed.

 

Reference: Cleanlink.com

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Disinfection, Downright Interesting Stuff

Products that are effective against Ebola!

While Ebola is a highly infectious, enveloped virus, it is believed to be susceptible to a broad range of hospital disinfectants.

Within the CDC’s article “Interim Guidance for Environmental Infection Control in Hospitals for Ebola Virus,” there are currently no products that have a “specific label claims against the Ebola virus.” The CDC continues to to emphasis that a chosen product to combat The Ebola Virus should have a “Kill Claim” of less then 5 minutes. The reason for this recommendation is  a fairly simple one of surfaces don’t stay wet long enough to disinfect when using more common disinfectants. Triple S offers multiple products with a “non-enveloped Virus” Claim, but only one has a claim time of under 5 minutes and that is Perisept, which has a claim of 2 minutes.

This is not to say there aren’t other products that we supply that have the same ability to satisfy the clams of the CDC and have a Dwell time of less then 5 minutes. But many of these other products are bleach based, which brings forward many acknowledged problems. Some of these are they don’t clean, leaves residue, requires rinsing, is corrosive, damages fabrics and the list just continues.

Further, of all the products with a claim of less than 5 minutes, virtually none of them carry a claim for C-diff!  Perisept is an excellent choice for healthcare facilities because it carries all the claims recommended by the CDC for both Ebola and C-Diff, and has a very short dwell-time requirement.

 

References:

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Website
  • Tom Windham

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Disinfection, Downright Interesting Stuff

Enterovirus D68 Causes Alarm in Midwest

Cleanlink News | 9/19/2014

Enterovirus D68 Causes Alarm In Midwest

Ten states have contacted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for help investigating clusters of a respiratory virus that is being blamed for sending hundreds of children to area hospitals. The bug appears to be Enterovirus (EV) D68.

According to CNN reports, here’s what you need to know about the virus:

What are enteroviruses?
Enteroviruses, which bring on symptoms like a very intense cold, aren’t unusual. They’re actually very common. There are more than 100 types of enteroviruses causing about 10 to 15 million infections in the United States each year, according to the CDC. They are carried in the intestinal tract and often spread to other parts of the body.

The season often hits its peak in September, as summer ends and fall begins.

So why all the concern now?
What’s unusual at the moment is the high number of hospitalizations. The virus has sent more than 30 children a day to a Kansas City, Missouri, hospital, where about 15 percent of the youngsters were placed in intensive care, officials said.

What’s special about this particular type of enterovirus?
An analysis by the CDC showed at least 30 of the Kansas City children tested positive for EV-D68, Missouri health officials said.

It’s a type of enterovirus that’s uncommon, but not new. It was first identified in the 1960s and there have been fewer than 100 reported cases since that time.

Experts say they don’t know why it’s flared up this time around.

What are the symptoms?
The virus can start as just a cold. Signs include coughing, difficulty breathing and in some cases a rash. Sometimes they can be accompanied by fever or wheezing. Respiratory problems appear to the hallmark of EV-D68, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

What can be done to prevent it?
Like other enteroviruses, the respiratory illness appears to spread through close contact with infected people. That makes children more susceptible.

• Encourage hand washing with soap and water for 20 seconds — particularly after using the restroom or changing diapers.
• Clean and disinfect surfaces that are regularly touched by different people.
• Avoid shaking hands, kissing, hugging and sharing cups or eating utensils with people who are sick.
• Stay home if you feel unwell.

There’s no vaccine for EV-D68.

Contact Bob Zagers at BZagers@GemSupply.net to arrange onsite training for your staff on Combating Enterovirus D68.

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Downright Interesting Stuff

5 Frugal Cleaning Secrets, Darren Timon Guest Blogger

5 frugal cleaning secrets…

If like me, you are sucked in by the cleaning product isles in the supermarket, you probably have a cupboard full of colorful, shiny bottles that all do the same thing. Either that, or you aren’t really sure what any of them do at all. It’s easy to fall victim to persuasive advertising jingles and idolizing the pristine housewives that use them… but not all cleaning products have to be expensive. We’ve complied a list of 5 of our best frugal cleaning secrets, we promise you’ll think twice about the cleaning products you buy after this!

Vinegar is your friend – white distilled vinegar that is (no, that doesn’t mean your Sarson’s Original Malt will “just do.”) Vinegar can clean almost anything around the home, there’s even a website dedicated to it, from cleaning kitchen counter tops, cleaning shower door tracks or deodorizing the toilet bowl, vinegar does it all. Just be careful not to mix it with bleach and when using it on certain surfaces (granite and marble, for example) and you’re good to go!

Salt secrets – It may seem like this is guide to condiments that go on your chips, but, like vinegar, salt has loads of great cleaning purposes. Whether it’s cleaning greasy pots and pans, cleaning the oven, or freshening up the fridge, salt can assist you with without breaking the bank. Spilt red wine? Saturate the area with regular table salt and leave to sit for a couple of hours. Wash the area with cold water… gone!

Ice to remove chewing gum – this is an old trick, but it’s still an effective way to remove chewing gum from carpets and upholstery. Simply fill a sandwich bag with a few ice cubes, rub over the area, leave for 15 minutes and then simply scrape of the gum. The gum freezes and hardens (unsurprisingly) making it easier to remove. This trick also works for removing candle wax.

Toothpaste – noticing all those hard water marks on your glasses getting worse? Water marks on glasses can seem impossible to remove, but this trick works wonders. Simply rub cheap (of course), white toothpaste over your glasses and rinse clean as normal. No more cloudy glasses!

Unblocking sinks and drains – I always find cleaners that claim to unblock sinks and drains are extremely expensive, and this is an issue that is worth trying to rectify yourself first before buying expensive products. To remove a blockage, mix one cup of bicarbonate of soda, one cup of salt and a cup of vinegar (see, we told you they’re good at everything…) and pour the mix into your the drain or plughole. Leave for approximately half an hour. Rinse with a kettle of boiling water and the blockage should be gone.

So, with just 5 simple tips you can eliminate some of those unnecessary, expensive cleaning product purchases and fill your cleaning cupboard with natural and cheap alternatives.

This blog was written by Darren Timon, the Managing Director of Aroma Cleaning UK Ltd; a nationwide domestic and commercial cleaning company. Darren writes regularly on his own blog on the Aroma Cleaning website.

We get into the nooks and crannies other cleaners just skirt around, and no job is too large or too small. From domestic ovens to windows and carpets; from offices to schools and shopping centres, Aroma Cleaning outshines the competition at every level.

 

 

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Cutting Edge Cleaning Technologies and Ideas, Downright Interesting Stuff

The Value of Clean

ValueSideA 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.

infographic

Value White PaperValue 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.

Video of Value of Clean

 

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Cleaning Industry Thoughts...., Cutting Edge Cleaning Technologies and Ideas, Downright Interesting Stuff, VCT Hard Floor Care

The Evolution of Floor Finish: It’s Not Just Wax Anymore

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.

All information gathered from ICSMAG.Com

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Carpet Care, Downright Interesting Stuff

Who Invented the Vacuum Cleaner?

cropped-ACE-Web-Banner-11There were many people who had a hand in “inventing” the vacuum cleaner. Every invention and patent has made minor improvements and has evolved into what we use today. Many people are under the assumption that H. Cecil Booth, a British engineer, was the first person to patent the vacuum cleaner in 1901.[1] The first person to patent a version of the vacuum cleaner is Daniel Hess, from West Union, Iowa, in 1860. His patent was actually called a carpet sweeper and not a vacuum.[2] This carpet sweeper had round brushes that spun around to pick up the dirt. His invention also had a detailed bellows system on top of the body to produce suction.

The first hand-powered cleaner was called the “Whirlwind” used the vacuum design and was invented in Chicago, Illinois in 1865 by Ives W. McGaffey.[3] This invention was also not motorized and used a hand crank to operate a fan to generate suction. This design was not very heavy, but was hard to operate due to the fact that you had to turn the crank while you were pushing it over the rug or floor. In 1869 he patents the “Whirlwind” and starts the American Carpet Cleaning Co.

Another person who has helped the evolution of the vacuum cleaner is H. Cecil Booth.[4] He observed a device that used a blast of air to remove the dust from the chairs on the train. Wondering if he could replicate the opposite effect, he spent some time trying different things. He wrote “I tried the experiment of sucking with my mouth against the back of a plush seat in a restaurant.”[5] He understood that he would have to come up with a way to filter the air and trap the dust. He patented his suction cleaner in 1901, but because it was so large it was carted around Britain by horses. This vacuum cleaner was made of an internal-combustion engine that used gas and did not include any brushes.[6] His invention was well received by British Royalty and this opened up the door for other inventors to try and improve the vacuum cleaner.

James Murray Spangler, an Ohio janitor, was allergic to dust and could not afford to leave his job. He decided to take matters into his own hands and tried to improve the way he swept the carpet. He used a soap box, an electric motor, a broom handle, and a pillow case as a rough design.[7] He sold one of his devices to Susan Hoover, the wife of a leather goods manufacturer, and she was really impressed with the cleaner. William, her husband decided to invest in the manufacturing of these cleaners and bought the rights from James and made him a partner in Hoover’s Electric Suction Sweeper Company.[8]

The Hoover Company opened the door for other companies like Kirby, Oreck, and Dyson. The current day vacuum cleaner design is a basic one and how it works is straightforward.When you plug in the vacuum and turn it on, it turns on the motor that is attached to a fan. As the angled fan blades rotate, air is pushed forward in the direction of the exhaust port. The air particles are forced ahead and the pressure behind the fan drops, creating suction inside the vacuum cleaner. Friction carries the debris into the vacuum bag or canister trapping the dirt. Most vacuum cleaners that are made today have brushes to loosen up the debris and makes them more effective.[9]

[1] Peter Scott, “Managing Door-to-Door Sales of Vacuum Cleaners in Interwar Britain.” Business History Review (Winter 2008). http://www.jstor.org/stable/36645109 (accessed February 2, 2011).
[2] Robert Kautzman, Patent for the Carpet sweeper. http://www.vachunter.com/galleries.htm (accessed February 4, 2011).

[3] Parker, Vacuum Cleaner, 5.

[4] Phillip M. Parker, Vacuum Cleaner: Webster’s Timeline History: 1849-2007 (New York: Icon Group, 2008), 5.

[5] Charles Panati, Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things. (New York: Harper Collins Publishing, 1989) 138.

[6] Ibid., 139.

[7] Parker, Vacuum Cleaner, 6.

[8] Panati, Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things, 140.

[9] HowStuffWorks, Inc. . Vacuum Cleaner diagram.

All information gathered from http://historyoftech.umwblogs.org

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Cutting Edge Cleaning Technologies and Ideas, Downright Interesting Stuff, VCT Hard Floor Care

Breaking Down The Benefits to Octagonal Floor Pad

Breaking Down The Benefits to Octagonal Floor Pad

By Corinne Zudonyi, Editor 

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

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