Many contractors are leaving money on the floor and don’t know it.
What are we talking about?
It’s the floors which no one is talking about because the floor polishing contractors who own $50,000 rigs aren’t able to do them. They are too small, but just RIGHT if you know what to look for —$$$.
Most cleaning contractors own the right equipment, but don’t have the knowledge about what to look for.
As professionals in the cleaning industry, we use water in many cleaning processes and many individuals may not realize that there are ways we can alter water to clean better.
Surfactant
pH
Oxidization
Pressure
Surfactant
The concept of “Making Water Wetter” has been an age-old idea. While not trying to be too complicated, water has a property called “Surface Tension”. Surface tension may slow down the cleaning process because the water does not wet the surface, but remains on the surface. This is why water will bead up on a smooth surface. Surfactants reduce the water tension.
Surfactants are generally soaps. Surfactants perform other important functions in cleaning, such as loosening, emulsifying (dispersing in water) and holding soil in suspension until it can be rinsed away.
pH
The power of Hydrogen (pH) refers the level of acidity or alkalinity of a solution. pH uses a scale of 0 to 14 to measure the pH. Water is ‘neutral’ at a 7 ph on the scale. Below 7, the solution is more of an acid. Above 7, the solution is considered an alkaline.
Strong acids and alkaline are more likely to emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are yet another concern for those in the cleaning services. Cleaning experts have long argued, that prolonged exposure to VOCs is a known health hazard.
pH will always be a factor in cleaning, and like many things in life, the most concerning are the extremes that may be adopted in the cleaning program. All product labels have the pH levels identified as part of the safe handling of cleaning products.
OXIDIZATION
Oxidizing Reduction Potential (ORP) refers to the Oxidation Potential in which water may be altered, or improved for cleaning and sanitizing purposes.
ORP refers to the power of a liquid to oxide (destroy) potential contamination. As you can see in the chart, ORP is currently an important measurement for numerous water applications.
Oxygen can turn iron to rust, turn copper green, or cause wood to age. This happens every day in nature, but begs the question, “What happens if we can flood the target area with billions of oxygen atoms?” Oxidizers are powerful sanitizers because they quickly attach to the outer membrane of bacteria and virus, causing the protective skin to fall apart.
Pressure
This is yet another way to make water, work better. When applied in a pressurized stream, water can strip and remove many surface contaminants. Using engineered water in a pressurized stream, such as in no touch cleaning systems, carpet extraction units and many more, the water and oxygen together are an unbeatable duo.
Everyone should know a great deal about water temperature, cleaning products, and water pressure. What we may not know much about is the application of engineered water to the cleaning and sanitizing process.
Continue on to Part Three – On-Site Generation of Engineered Water
The restroom cleaning area of the Academy is finished. It has been a long process, but it has come out well. Next week, the ISSA Master Certification class will be the first to be able to utilize this new addition. We will be teaching ‘Best Practice’ methods for not only hand work, but touch free cleaning as well.
Did you know that in the last quarter of 2016, there were new laws passed regarding Baby Changing Stations, or BCS? We will be teaching the new methods for processing these stations as well.
Be sure to check our upcoming classes, as a new class is forming for
Water is unquestionably the “Universal Solvent” and as such, every Technician should appreciate that water is essential to any cleaning process where a liquid is involved. This understanding allows the cleaning team to solve cleaning problems in the most effective, and most environmentally-safe, manner.
Engineered Water (EW) – “Water engineered to meet the performance requirements of professional cleaning, sanitizing and/or disinfecting, with long-term value and green factors as the key uptake and ethical drivers, and On Site Generation (OSG) as a common denominator,” as defined by the Engineered Water Consortium.
Water
Water, what is it? Why isn’t water on the periodic table of elements? The periodic table only includes individual chemical elements. Water is not found on the periodic table because it does not consist of a single element.
Water is a molecule of bonded hydrogen and oxygen atoms. The smallest particle of water is a water molecule, which is made of two atoms of hydrogen bonded to one atom of oxygen. Its formula is H2O and it can be broken down into its components, so it is not an element. Water is made of 3 atoms. Two are hydrogen, and one is oxygen.
Complicated? Not really, as changes to water can improve its cleaning power and ability. Water is the foundation of cleaning in nearly every cleaning product.
This subject is complicated and thus is why it is important that you understand the complexities of the base liquid product you are using in your liquid cleaning programs.
Learn more on this subject in Part 2 – The Power of Water
When a spill happens and the intercom rings for a cleanup, every custodian in the world grabs the same old tired, dirty, stinky, dust pan and broom along with the dirty bucket of water sitting in the corner and heads to the issue.
But wait, what is the purpose of this? How can you clean up a spill with old, outdated, dirty tools? Just what is going to be the outcome if you keep doing the same thing?
NO MORE. The task is to remove the materials and liquids from the floor and leave the area like it never even happened and to do it in the least amount of time. If you are the Technician doing the job, you also want to do it with the least amount of effort too.
Whether it is dry debris or wet matter on the floor, the new method is to grab a squeegee on a handle and pull the materials into a plastic liner. The liner is then dropped off the holder into a trash can, rinsed clean and ready for its next call to duty.
Take a bucketless microfiber mopping tool, drop the cleaning solution on the small amount of film left, mop it up and your done.
To see this healthy, positive and proactive process in action, take a look at this short video.
Want to learn more ‘Best Practices’ from the A.C.E. Academy of Cleaning Excellence, go the EDUCATION tab on our website and see when the next class you need, is scheduled.
Today’s Floor Care Expert Class Location – Lakeland, FL.
What can save my operation 40% of the normal floor finish I use to maintain VCT floors?
What can help keep 90% of dry soil from my polished floor surfaces?
How much should I invest to make more profit on my floor care services?
Samuel Sr. and his son Sam, said that they invested in this day of education to learn how to make more money for the work they do. Sam said that he has not spent this much time sitting, not working and so happy to do so, that he will be coming to other A.C.E. Academy of Cleaning Excellence classes in 2017.
Both men walked out with their new certificates and smiles on their faces with answers to questions they didn’t even know they were going to ask.
What do you want to learn?
Come to a class and ask your questions. You can’t get an answer any other way.
On January 6th, 2017 we are proud to launch the first of several media events on the A.C.E. Network. ” Beyond Clean with Dave” will air each Friday afternoon at 1 pm Eastern from our studio in the A.C.E. Learning Center, Orlando, FL.
This weekly LIVE broadcast via YouTube, is 15 minutes of conversation with experts from around the world who focus on Healthy, Positive and Proactive practices and products. Be sure to mark this on you calendar and tune in on this YouTube Channel.
water is a water molecule, which is made of two atoms of hydrogen bonded to one atom of oxygen. Its formula is H2O and it can be broken down into its components, so it is not an element. Water is made of 3 atoms. Two are hydrogen, and one is oxygen.
