Cleaning & Maintenance Management magazine

Since labor is the number one investment we make in cleaning, we ought to know what we are accomplishing during that time. After all, time is money, and labor is the real currency of cleaning.

In addition to being less complicated than extractors or autoscrubbers, sweepers tend to have fewer components; but, making sure you have the right components can make a big difference in how versatile and effective the machine is.

When was the last time you thought about the residue from cleaning chemicals and the possible effect it may have on you, your facility and its occupants?

It is commonly known that clean, well-maintained floors lead to a positive customer impression. For years, industry professionals have focused on a floor’s surface reflectivity, shine and gloss, but a positive impression is based on much more than that.

Accurate information that provides a business owner with the ability to make immediate decisions about his or her operation is crucial.

Some cleaning organizations may see the value in using ATP-based monitoring systems to detect and measure ATP on surfaces as a method of ensuring facilities are being cleaned properly.

This year’s influenza season is off to an unusually early start and, as officials warn of a particularly virulent flu variant, many Americans unlucky enough to succumb to the virus will be sicker than in years past.

Healthy habits are usually learned at an early age and with their repeated success can be nurtured into adulthood, thus ensuring that the habit learned in childhood will continue to have a significant and lasting impact, not only on the individual, but on the health of those around them.

Goals are like a road map — okay, maybe a global positioning satellite (GPS) because nobody uses physical road maps anymore — they help you get where you want to go and their importance should not be taken lightly.

Many contractors and distributors have become their customers’ “experts” when it comes to building maintenance — helping facilities managers lower overall operating costs, transfer to green cleaning strategies and become more sustainable.

There are a number of cost-effective steps facilities managers and building owners can take to ensure that their properties and their grounds are sufficiently maintained through the winter and ready for springtime.

According to statistical data from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), slips, trips and falls cause 15 percent of all accidental deaths — second only to automobile accidents in the number of fatalities. One solution often taken for granted is floor mats, which come in all styles, sizes and shapes.

We must seriously consider the use of transitional, enabled and fully chemical-free technologies to meet our need for professional appearance, occupant safety and ecosystem health.

Each month, we welcome readers to opine on the noteworthy — or even the trivial — aspects of their lives as JanSan professionals. The following is some of the correspondence we have received in recent weeks.

If sensitive electronics are not regularly cleaned and maintained, they can fail, become damaged or require frequent and often expensive replacement.

As it relates to detergent cleaning compositions, commercial floor care presents one of the more challenging cleaning tasks: Balancing the need for strong cleaners while not harming floor coating compositions.

After carpet has been selected as the flooring surface in a facility, cleaning staffs need to contemplate several factors to maximize the useful life of the carpet.