Project Cleaning For Schools And Universities

This article was originally published in Cleaning & Maintenance Management.

"Well begun is half done” says the axiom, and starting projects before the need becomes critical is an important way to be sure these tasks are done while manageable.

That is why successful systems, such as team cleaning programs and the nonprofit Process Cleaning for Healthy Schools® (PC4HS) program recommend incorporating project work into weekly and monthly schedules.

For example:

• Routine Cleaning is performed Monday through Friday and completed daily.
• Detail Cleaning is performed in quadrants Monday through Thursday and completed weekly.
• Project Work is performed on Fridays and completed monthly.

However, if you reserve projects for the "Big Summer Cleaning Push" — there are suggestions for making these projects easier to manage.

One thing to do is to create a task list. Otherwise, knowing what work must be done is the first step to completing it. A sample list could include:

• Scrub, strip and refinish floors
• Perform high dusting
• Clean vents and grilles
• Perform low dusting
• Wash blinds
• Replace lights, clean covers and lenses
• Wash windows
• Replace ceiling tile
• Wash walls
• Remove ink and other substances (e.g., chewing gum) from desks and tables
• Clean trash receptacles
• Clean recycle containers
• Extract carpet
• Clean lockers and gym mats
• Paint walls and other areas as needed

Check back next week as we cover additional suggestions for project cleaning. 

Sensitive Occupants: Best Cleaning Practices

This article was originally published in Contracting Profits

By: John Garrett

Whether cleaning around hospital patients, children, allergy or asthma sufferers, effective cleaning procedures are increasingly important within healthcare facilities, K–12 schools and commercial offices alike.

Consider the following: It is estimated that 180,000 cleaning professionals are injured by the commercial cleaning products they use; respiratory system irritation and burns to eyes and skin make up the majority of these on-the-job injuries; building occupants and visitors commonly complain about odors and respiratory problems associated with cleaning products and processes; some occupants have asthma and other breathing disorders that are sensitive to particles in the air, volatile organic compounds and vapors produced by the cleaning process is being used around them; volatile organic compounds (VOCs) evaporate from cleaning products before, during and after their use, contributing to poor indoor air quality; and millions of dollars are spent annually for medical expenses and lost time wages due to these cleaning product chemical injuries.

With an increase in facility occupant sensitivities, and workplace accidents and injuries, building service contractors (BSCs) and industry professionals have and will continue to trend towards the implementation of green cleaning programs, with the results including lower risks for occupants and cleaner facilities. However, is greener really cleaner?

Oddly enough, traditional cleaning products are often more dangerous than the germs they are designed to kill. Indoor air pollution is as much as 2 to 5 times higher than outdoor pollution, on average, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The World Health Organization estimates that 30 percent of all buildings have problems with indoor air pollution, and further that 80 percent of cancers are related to environmental factors like toxins. At least one-third of cleaning products contain chemicals that are known to cause significant damage to occupants and the environment.

Studies demonstrate that chlorine bleach, ammonia and other cleaners release greenhouse gases and toxic vapors, many of which are suspected carcinogens. Hazardous chemicals have been known to remain on surfaces and/or airborne for hours, causing mild to serious symptoms including headaches, fatigue and asthma.

Green cleaning procedures are often quite similar to traditional methods. The differences are more a matter of focus and technique, and often rely upon understanding occupant needs and vulnerabilities, while incorporating the right products to mitigate exposure and unnecessary risk to those occupants.

Read the full article to learn about the best cleaning practices for cleaning sensitive facility occupants. 

Multi-Surface Floor Machine Helps Solve University's Toughest Cleaning Challenge

EWU boasts more than 10,000 students and many cleaning challenges. When asked to describe his toughest cleaning challenge, the custodial manager at EWU, Ray Godin, says “By far, our toughest cleaning problem is maintaining all of our carpets and a wide variety of hard-surface floors.” With approximately two million square feet of hard and soft flooring to maintain on a daily basis, Godin was searching for an alternative to using separate pieces of equipment for cleaning each type of flooring. He recently found a one machine solution in the Advance Adphibian™ extractor/scrubber that cleans both soft and hard surface floors.

Read the full case study to learn how the Adphibian successfully cleans and maintains a wide range of floor surfaces at a vibrant and crowded university campus.

Higher Education Surface Cleaning

The public’s perception of your institution depends upon maintaining a clean, safe and appealing environment in heavy-use outdoor campus grounds. Superior outdoor cleaning equipment from Advance supports your university’s image, designed to effectively clean debris and litter in common areas. Sweepers employ high quality filters to trap any dust or dirt stirred up during cleaning, assuring optimal air quality for students and faculty.

Select from multiple powerful, rider sweepers and learn more at http://www.advance-us.com/industries/outdoor/highereducation.aspx

Satisfying Cleaning Requirements in Education Facilities

Each school day, some 56 million students and 6 million staff study and word in our nation’s schools. Over the last several years, many states have passed laws to address issues related to indoor air quality and to replace outdated cleaning methods with new green cleaning programs. Advance has led the industry in the development of innovative floor cleaning equipment that helps schools meet state the new more stringent cleaning requirements, maximize productivity while staying within budget constraints.

Educators agree that maintaining a clean school helps students stay healthy and learn, while also protecting the health of all staff and increasing the lifespan of facilities. Advance offers cutting edge technologies such as REV™orbital scrubbing technology to help cleaning professionals achieve maximum levels of productivity with a minimal environmental impact. REV scrubbing technology allows users to remove several layers of floor finish with plain tap water. Because floor removal is one of the most time consuming and hazardous cleaning process undertaken in schools, REV can help remove the most caustic chemicals from your schools and eliminate many of the slip and fall incidents that cleaning professionals suffer while removing finish and recoating floors.

To learn more about effective cleaning procedures for education facilities, visit: www.advance-us.com/industries/commercial/education.aspx