Maintenance Tips for Floor Equipment

This article was originally published in Facility Cleaning Decisions.

Maintaining records is important because each piece of equipment might require specific maintenance needs. But, what is the general rule of thumb after each use of equipment? While the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance schedule should be followed, distributors offer the following tips as a rule of thumb:

Floor Machines (Buffers) – These machines should be wiped down after each use. Lubricant should be sprayed on the handle adjustment assembly and adjustments made as needed. Workers should remove pad holders from the machine and store them individually. Finally, examine and replace damaged plugs as needed.

Read the full article here to learn more maintenance tips for floor equipment.

Components of a Floor Cleaning Process

The floor cleaning process is made up of four main components: time, temperature, agitation and cleaning substances. When one of these components is reduced, one or more of the remaining components must be increased in order to achieve the same level of cleaning.

Time: A floor scrubber can be slowed down in order to spend more time on a soiled area. Another approach is to “double-scrub” problem areas, but this is not a labor-efficient practice and can be unsafe, due to excess and unattended water on the floor. This may put the operator and facility occupants at risk for slips and falls.

Temperature: As the temperature of a cleaning solution is increased, the time required for chemicals to react with dirt is cut in half; conversely, as temperature decreases, reaction time increases.

Agitation: More downward pressure (scrub pressure) on the brush means more agitation of cleaning solution on dirty floors.

Cleaning substances: These include water and the various chemicals in detergents, sanitizers and disinfectants. In some green cleaning systems, the only cleaning substance used is water. Obviously, water-only cleaning eliminates the negative environmental and health impacts of chemical production, usage and disposal.

What is “Clean”?

We’ve talked a lot about green cleaning, emphasizing initiatives to reduce chemical, water and energy use. But what about the “clean” factor of green cleaning; what does that really mean? While there are a variety of standards and certifications that clearly define green cleaning, it is less clear what constitutes effective cleaning. There are no laws or regulations that establish required cleaning outcomes to guide those who own and maintain buildings. Sure, we can assess a “clean” area by its physical appeal, but does that really count? According to certain organizations, the answer is no.

Industry organizations, such as the International Sanitary Supply Association (ISSA) and the Cleaning Industry Research Institute (CIRI), are beginning to address the need to define “clean.” These two organizations have partnered together on a research project to produce a “scientific-based, pragmatic standard” for measuring surface cleanliness in K-12 educational facilities. While this is just one example of a “clean” standard, this is only the beginning for future standard development.

Advance Adfinity™ X20R REV™ Automatic Floor Scrubber Receives Outstanding Feedback and Continued Support From Cornell University

Advance recently launched the breakthrough Adfinity™ X20R REV™ automatic floor scrubber at world-renowned Cornell University. Providing an exclusive opportunity to see its revolutionary, new floor scrubbing technology in action, Advance demonstrated the REV’s dual random scrubbing capabilities to an audience of industry professionals, including facility managers, maintenance staff and engineers.

The demonstration was hosted by Rob Osborn, Director of the Department of Building Care of Cornell University. Rob was initially contacted by long-time business partners, Jeff and Jane Jack of Vasco Brands Inc., a janitorial supplier for over 95 years in upstate New York and northern Pennsylvania. Vasco Brands Inc. has supplied Cornell University with janitorial and maintenance equipment for many years.

The Department of Building Care of Cornell University, consisting of approximately 385 housekeepers and custodians, is responsible for cleaning 10.5 million square feet of academic buildings, in addition to 3.5 million square feet of residential life buildings.

Home to one of the nation’s first colleges devoted to hotel administration, industrial and labor relations, and veterinary medicine, Cornell proved to be an ideal location for the REV demonstration, which is designed for education and healthcare markets.

To read more about the demonstration, visit: http://www.nextcom.com/pressreleases/2039
 

Coming soon: exclusive video footage of the REV demonstration!

Spend More Time Cleaning, Less Time Preparing to Clean

With labor contributing up to 90% of the total cost to clean, it is important to realize that the more time spent actually cleaning will result in a more cost-efficient cleaning program. Preparation and assembly of floor cleaning equipment, solution and cleaning schedule can often require excessive time, which results in more money and resources spent. Proper planning and the right equipment can reduce the preparation and clean-up processes, making it possible for staff to make adjustments while they’re cleaning.

A flexible scrubbing program employs equipment and practices to handle cleaning applications that require a tougher scrub, such as heavily-trafficked entryways or tough soils, without stopping to modify their cleaning approach. For example, a floor scrubber that can dispense water and detergent separately eliminates having to pre-mix solution or empty tanks to change detergents or solution strength, which can also lead to detergent and chemical waste as it is poured down the drain.

This type of flexibility reduces cleaning professionals’ time spent prepping machines and minimizes cleaning passes, ultimately increasing time and cost efficiency.

Improve Indoor Air Quality with Green Floor Cleaning Equipment

Floor cleaning equipment with green cleaning capabilities can contribute directly to indoor air quality/indoor environment quality (IAQ/IEQ). Facility owners can employ floor cleaning vacuums, carpet extractors and scrubbers with sealed gel batteries:

Vacuum Cleaners: The LEED-EB (Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings) requirements specify that vacuum cleaners are capable of capturing 96% of particulates 0.3 microns in size and meet the requirements of the Carpet & Rug Institute Seal of Approval Program. CRI-certified vacuums release no more than 100 micrograms of dust particles per cubic meter into the surrounding air.

Carpet Extractors: Carpet extractors with green cleaning capabilities significantly reduce drying time and help prevent mold. They also minimize the use of water and detergent while cleaning. Per LEED-EBOM, carpet extractors should be CRI-Seal of Approval certified.

Sealed Gel Batteries: Automatic scrubbers that meet green cleaning requirements utilize environmentally-preferable gel batteries or maintenance-free AGM batteries. These batteries are completely sealed to eliminate acid spills that can occur with wet-acid batteries. This design also minimizes vapor emissions during charging, and, if equipped with an on-board charger, allow non-hazardous charging anywhere in a facility.

With the above types of green floor cleaning equipment, facility owners can ensure they are complying with green cleaning standards, while maximizing cleaning efficiency.

Adfinity™ X20R REV™ Automatic Floor Scrubber Delivers Unprecedented Scrubbing Performance

The newest addition to the Advance Adfinity™ line of compact walk-behind scrubbers, the Adfinity X20R REV™ automatic floor scrubber, is designed to provide superior daily scrubbing performance and deep scrubbing for chemical-free finish removal in one efficient machine. Patent-pending Random Orbital Scrubbing technology positions Adfinity REV as the industry’s first automatic scrubber to clean floors with distinct, random orbital and rotational motions, using up to 70 percent less cleaning solution.

Random Orbital Scrubbing technology delivers dual-action scrubbing with a combination of high-speed ¼-inch orbital micro-scrubbing and 20-inch low-speed rotational macro-scrubbing. Attacking dirt and floor finish from multiple directions, REV leaves a smooth, swirl-free, scrubbed surface in a single pass. Better scrubbing performance, a more uniform result and opportunity for reduced water and chemical usage, the Adfinity REV delivers an ideal cleaning solution for facility floor maintenance.

To meet diverse hard floor cleaning requirements, the Adfinity REV provides versatile, dual-purpose scrubbing; allowing operators to daily scrub or deep scrub for finish removal with the following benefits:

• One pass, chemical-free deep scrubbing removes old floor finish using only water, resulting in a dry and prepared surface ready for refinishing.
• Uniform scrubbing results create a superior clean floor free of swirl marks.
• Low solution flow provides up to 105 minutes of continuous cleaning on a single tank of water to satisfy sizeable cleaning jobs.
• Quiet operation ensures machine performance is no louder than a person speaking, permitting easy daytime cleaning without disturbing facility occupants.
• NFSI Certification guarantees a dry, no-slip surface, maximizing operator and facility safety.

To find out more about this machine, please visit http://www.advance-us.com/Products/Scrubbers/Adfinity/X20R%20REV.aspx

Maximize Productivity With a Cost-Efficient Cleaning Program

Studies show that labor represents 90% or more of the total cost of floor cleaning—meaning that workers are the largest share of the total cost to clean. What can you do to increase worker productivity, but still keeps cost low? The answer: employ a cost-efficient cleaning program. But what does that really mean? What makes a floor-cleaning machine “productive,” and how do you evaluate floor-cleaning machines for productivity?

Today's automated floor-cleaning equipment includes efficiency features that can lead to greater productivity, such as longer cleaning times between dump-and-fill cycles, faster ride-on and self-propelled equipment, wider cleaning paths, and the ability to perform multiple operations with one machine, to list just a few. Determining which floor-cleaning equipment will deliver the highest productivity per application and, in turn, decrease overall cleaning time and costs, requires careful consideration.

The following two posts will delve further into equipment features that contribute to cleaning productivity, and ultimately, decrease overall cleaning time and reduce the total cost to clean. Stay tuned!

Walk vs. Ride

Did you know that 90% of the cost of cleaning is labor? This is a huge factor to consider when choosing between a walk-behind machine or ride-on machine.

In some cases, the additional cost of a ride-on machine can likely be recouped from labor savings in about three months. This is because ride-on sweepers and scrubbers offer productivity gains as much as 64% over walk-behind machines. In addition, ride-on equipment is easier on your personnel, allowing them to do more with less fatigue. Today’s ride-on machines are compact enough to get into narrow spaces, and many are nimble enough to turn within their own length. By making more passes in a given time and significantly reducing worker fatigue, ride-ons provide a big productivity boost for a modest investment.

However, walk-behind scrubbers are better suited to smaller facilities with a need for scrubbing and light debris pickup. Additionally, walk-behind scrubbers may be a better choice for your facility if cost is a significant factor in your equipment selection.

Six factors to consider:

1. Maneuverability – What does the cleaning space require; Are there tight corners?
2. Cost – What does your budget allow?
3. Employee age – How old is the person that will be running the machine and what are their capabilities?
4. Productivity – Consider the speed and path size of each machine to determine your application needs.
5. Safety – What will meet safety standards for your industry?
6. ROI – How much return-on-investment will you receive?

Sweep vs. Scrub

After assessing the size and amount of dirt and debris to be removed, the primary decision to be made is “sweep vs. scrub.” This decision is not always straightforward.

Think about this scenario: if the material to be cleaned consists of mostly fine dust, it may appear that a sweeper would be the ideal tool to remove it. But the best way to handle dust is to “add water,” which eliminates your dust problem; this means a scrubber may actually be the better equipment choice.

Sweepers are ideal for bulky debris such as wood chips, metal shavings (swarf), paper and fibrous materials. Scrubbers are suitable for light, dusty debris on all types of hard floors—especially dirty or oily surfaces. In many instances, you may need to sweep first and then scrub. This requires either two separate machines or one combination machine. In smaller facilities where only one person is doing the cleaning, a combination sweeper/scrubber is often a good choice because with two machines, one of them would sit idle a good share of the time. However, combination sweeper/scrubbers, due to their dual function, sometimes have limited hopper and tank capacities, which can reduce productivity in the long run. More time spent dumping hoppers and refilling solution tanks on combination machines can mean less active cleaning time.

What does your job need?

What’s Affecting Your Choice in Floor Equipment?

A clean working environment helps promote worker safety, productivity and product quality. That’s why the floor-cleaning equipment you select for your facility is nearly as important as the manufacturing equipment you select. In addition, the cleanliness of your plant, warehouse or machine shop defines the message you are sending. A quality image carries over into higher employee morale and positive reactions from visiting customers and vendors. In short, keeping the workplace clean adds real value to virtually any enterprise.

Every facility requires a combination of floor-care equipment from brooms to vacuum cleaners to walk-behind scrubbers or rider sweepers. Getting the right mix of equipment is a matter of assessing your specific cleaning needs. Some of the factors that affect this decision include:

• Size of dirt and debris particles generated
• Amount of dirt and debris generated
• Character of the dirt (fibrous, oily, dusty, wet)
• Type of surface (tile, bare concrete, coated concrete, outdoor, etc.)
• Number of personnel involved in cleaning activities
• A definition of what constitutes “clean” for your facility

“Clean” can signify anything from getting rid of chunks of dirt on the floor to creating a shiny, scuff-free surface. Your facility’s cleanliness goal will be a factor in your equipment choice.

Introducing the Advance Smart Cleaning Blog

Hello and welcome to the new Advance Smart Cleaning blog. Here, you’ll find the latest information on efficient, environmentally friendly floor and surface cleaning—including tips, strategies and equipment that will help you achieve your clean standard, no matter what the application. Designed to increase productivity while driving down the total cost to clean, our cleaning equipment spans many markets, including: healthcare, education, hospitality, retail, recreation, casinos, building services, government, manufacturing, warehousing, parking and outdoor use. Our equipment cleans your floors and outdoor areas, while maintaining a professional, aesthetic appearance.

Nilfisk-Advance is one of the world’s leading manufacturers and suppliers of professional cleaning equipment. The company has developed professional cleaning equipment for over 100 years. Nilfisk-Advance has production facilities in North America, South America, Europe, and China, and has an extensive network of sales entities in 43 countries and is represented in more than 100 countries around the world. With the Advance brand, Nilfisk-Advance is committed to providing versatile equipment that supports facility cleanliness, the health and safety of occupants, as well as the environment.

The Advance Smart Cleaning blog will focus on the benefits we can offer to enhance your productivity and the tools needed to produce efficient cleaning results. We will also focus on relevant industry issues, the latest studies affecting these issues, and green cleaning solutions and equipment to help reduce costs while satisfying your environmental and cleanliness goals. This blog will feature many contributing authors, including representatives from product development and technology, marketing and sales. These professionals will contribute detailed technical information and knowledgeable opinions on a variety of cleaning industry topics, from green cleaning to improving efficiency and meeting the highest cleanliness standards.

For the latest information on floor cleaning and maintenance, bookmark this page or add our RSS feed. We welcome your feedback on future posts, as well as suggestions for topics that you’d like to see covered in the future. Stay tuned!