Cleaning Operating at the Speed of Technology

The cleaning industry is seeing changes occurring at a faster pace due to technology, which is resulting in significant new advances every year. About three years ago I wrote that the previous five years had seen more changes than had occurred since cleaning began. Now we are seeing them every year.

New technologies are being launched which reflect the fact that in North America and Europe, the world is going green. Technologies that use less water in autoscrubbers, carpet cleaning and washroom cleaning are all creating other technologies that use less chemicals, and are much more efficient.

In addition, the evolution of lower profile carpet, vinyl flooring, computer technology, no smoking, e-mail, etc., have all worked to change the time required to clean.

The use of microfibre flat mops and microfibre wipes coupled with the system of vacuuming all hard surface floors is dramatically changing the frequency of tasks and the actual time tasks take to perform them.

When smoking was banned in buildings, horizontal dusting was able to be reduced from five days per week to three days per week. E-mail has had the effect of reducing the amount of trash generated per employee. Cubicle living has dramatically reduced the vacuuming time, as we now have smaller offices and a large amount of office aisles that allow for wide vacuum cleaners to be used.

Vacuuming of hard surface floors reduces the amount of dust being thrown up into the air. We have found that after six months of vacuuming all hard surface floors and using micron filter bags in all vacuum cleaners, we have seen a considerable reduction in the frequency of high and low dusting.

Microfibre flat mops for damp mopping will actually remove bacteria as well as stains from hard surface floors. Since the mop will drop all dirt when washed, the floors are cleaner and the environment is healthier. There is also a significant reduction in chemical usage with these materials.

Chemicals have also changed dramatically. We’ve moved from wax to finish for hard surface floors, with the new products drying in less than 30 minutes. The lower amount of dust in the air coupled with the faster drying time means that less dust settles between coats and therefore the finish lasts longer. By eliminating the use of aerosols as a dispensing system and eliminating chlorine, volatile acids and ammonia from the building, you are now able to provide a cleaner and healthier facility for all who enter. We are also seeing a return to high solid floor finishes of over 30 per cent meaning fewer coats need to be put down, resulting in less labour.

We now have access to new urinal mats that prevent urine damage to floors before it occurs.

Of all the changes the industry needs to accept, perhaps the most challenging is the entry mat barrier. In order for mats to be truly effective, they must be 15 feet long (approximately five paces) to clean shoes. Too often we see simple three- by five-foot or four- by six-foot mats in place. Even with mats that are the required length, if they are not vacuumed at least twice per day or more (depending on the traffic volume), the real benefit is not realized. Once these criteria are met, then and only then will these mats create a barrier to soil.

All of these new technologies, when used correctly, combine to compliment each other and create a Soil Barrier System. Having a true Germ/Soil Barrier System in place helps to create a cleaner building, which in turn allows for healthier employees, leading to increased production. All of these benefits at a substantially lower cleaning cost.

Let’s look at what changing to this Soil Barrier System will change in the way we clean:

  1.    The use of flat mops
(a)    Will eliminate splash marks on chair and table legs; on baseboards and on kick plates on doors.
(b)    The soil dropping out of the flat mop (when it is cleaned) means no soil being transported around the building.
(c)    Eventually the use of the mop system will lead to the demise of the traditional mop bucket. The re-use of mop water (solution) causes the actual spreading of dirt on the supposedly clean floor, and often is responsible for cross contamination.

  2.    The use of microfibre wipes
(a)    The dust is captured, not just relocated. Conventional rags and dusters move dust, but don’t (itals)remove(enditals) dust.
(b)    Long handled dusters, or “flickers” as they are called, are also guilty of moving not (itals)removing(enditas) dust, and so we need to cover dusters with microfibre wipes.

  3.    Vacuuming hard surface floors
(a)    Instead of pushing the dust around, the vacuums pull it into a micron holding bag and allows for easy removal from the building.
(b)    Obviously, if more dust is being removed from the building, this will reduce the remainder of the dirt that needs to be cleaned.
(c)    We probably don’t need to mention that the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is vastly improved.

In addition, the move to Day Cleaning has a significantly positive impact on cleaning. It reduces both the cost of cleaning while greatly improving the quality of cleaning. Because Day Cleaning fits perfectly into the Soil Barrier System, you can get the best of both worlds.

In conclusion, we see the last of the labour intensive industries finally making a move in response to new technologies. We are becoming more equipment driven, increasingly aided by newly-developed chemicals. Our goal is to reduce labour to the mid-thirties as a percentage of the cost, as we shift equipment and supplies into the mid-twenties, therefore providing a truly healthier environment for both the service recipient and the service provider.