Cold Water Extraction: Is It Effective On Carpets? (Part 2)

Is there a stair extraction tool available to clean the nose of stairs? If not, what kind of machine can easily clean stairs?

Effective wand cleaning is very dependent on the wand employed. Many new wands are designed to clean all areas of stairs thoroughly and effectively.

— Jolynn Kennedy, marketing director, Tornado Industries, West Chicago, Ill.

I have not seen a tool specifically for cleaning the nose of the stair. Nevertheless, most hand tools will do this fairly effectively.

— Scott Keller, vertical market manager–commercial buildings, Bob Abrams, product manager, Brian Simmons, product manager, Clarke, Plymouth, Minn.

Check back next week as we talk about best carpet drying practices.

Cold Water Extraction: Is It Effective On Carpets?

Is cold water extraction as effective as traditional hot water extraction?
This is one of the great debates of the carpet cleaning industry. Scientifically, hot water has been proven to improve the effectiveness of cleaning chemicals. However, many new carpet cleaning chemicals perform very well using cold water.

Many green cleaning advocates encourage the use of cold water for two reasons:

1. When hot water and chemicals are mixed, they can release fumes that can be potentially dangerous to the user. Cold water minimizes this.
2. Cold-water machines generally use considerably less energy, making the machines much more sustainable, and very often these systems are more cost effective as well.

Our recommendation is to evaluate the soil load and make a determination from there whether to use a hot- or cold-water machine. For excessive soiling, hot water may prove more effective.

— Jolynn Kennedy, marketing director, Tornado Industries, West Chicago, Ill.

Cold water should never be used in a carpet extractor. It’s just not very effective. Most carpet extractors use hot tap water, which is about 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Cooler water than this would be less effective. Some carpet extractors have built-in heaters that will heat the water to higher temperatures. The hotter the water, the more effective the cleaning. Even when using a carpet extractor with a heater, it runs more efficiently if hot tap water is used to fill the tank.

— Scott Keller, vertical market manager–commercial buildings; Bob Abrams, product manager; and Brian Simmons, product manager, Clarke, Plymouth, Minn.

Check back next week as we talk about tools to clean the stairs.

Advance ES4000 Total Carpet Care System

The Advance ES4000 Total Carpet Care System offers complete versatility, from everyday carpet maintenance to deep restorative extraction. This single high efficiency rider offers vastly more productivity, better equipment utilization and faster cleaning. Realize productivity improvements of up to 400% over walk-behind sweepers and extractors. Clean better and clean smarter while reducing your total cost of ownership.

Selecting Certified Carpet Care Equipment

This article was originally published in Cleaning & Maintenance Management. 

Facility managers are tasked with the challenge to not only keep their building looking clean and visually appealing, but also to implement sustainable cleaning practices that maintain a facility''s health and flooring longevity.

One component of maintenance procedures is carpet cleaning, which significantly impacts the overall appearance of a facility. Dirty, worn carpet can negatively affect a patron''s first impression and satisfaction, and indicates an unkempt building.

Carpet is an expensive investment for any facility, making it crucial to maintain with regular vacuuming and annual deep cleaning. This not only adds to a carpet''s longevity — which increases a facility manager''s bottom line — but also increases the building''s physical condition. Carpet acts as a filter to capture and hold airborne particles, including dust, dirt and harmful chemicals.

Routine carpet cleaning minimizes exposure to these contaminants, improving indoor air quality and enhancing the health of the facility and its occupants. When selecting carpet care equipment, it is important to consider several factors, including machine capabilities in terms of performance, efficiency, sustainability and durability.

To assess these factors, cleaning professionals turn to the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI), which rates carpet care equipment on their ability to remove soil, contain dust or water — depending on whether it is a vacuum or extractor — and retain quality carpet appearance.

Check back next week for more information on CRI certification. 

Using Automatic Scrubbers To Remove Grit And Soil

This article was originally published in CleanLink.

Automatic scrubbers can be used on floors in many different ways as they are designed to reduce time and effort spent on floor care, while increasing performance and productivity. When used in a green cleaning program they are effective because they apply consistent, clean, solution to the floor, mechanically agitate the dirt, and then the dirt and solution are physically removed with a vacuum system. This is typically done in one pass. Even with the advancements in mopping technology, this process cannot be duplicated with a mop and bucket.

Be sure to size the unit appropriately to the area being cleaned and the surfaces the unit will be required to maintain. Cylindrical style brushes are far and away the most versatile, cost effective and results producing option available today for any green cleaning operation. Add water/solution savings and less abrasion to floor surfaces and this will be your best starting point. Additionally, you should only purchase sealed/maintenance free batteries.

The major advantage to automatic scrubbers is the remove of dirt and grit from floors and they do it very quickly. This makes them the perfect daily floor cleaning tool. When you add in the fact that when adjusted and used properly, most styles and models leave the floor instantly dry, reducing the risks of someone slipping, it becomes apparent why they truly are the best practice for daily floor cleaning in any green program.

The squeegee is the business end of any unit and therefore it is very important to remove dry debris, grit and soil from the floors. When storing the unit after use it is extremely necessary to remove the squeegee bar, clean and inspect the blades and store the squeegee on a shelf and not on the machine. This tip will ensure the squeegee is capable of producing the results the entire unit was purchased for.

Automatic scrubbers can be used on floors in many different ways as they are designed to reduce time and effort spent on floor care, while increasing performance and productivity. When used in a Green cleaning program they are effective because they apply consistent, clean, solution to the floor, mechanically agitate the dirt, and then the dirt and solution are physically removed with a vacuum system. This is typically done in one pass. Even with the advancements in mopping technology, this process cannot be duplicated with a mop and bucket.
Be sure to size the unit appropriately to the area being cleaned and the surfaces the unit will be required to maintain. Cylindrical style brushes are far and away the most versatile, cost effective and results producing option available today for any Green cleaning operation. Add water/solution savings and less abrasion to floor surfaces and this will be your best starting point. Additionally, you should only purchase sealed/maintenance free batteries.
The major advantage to automatic scrubbers is the remove of dirt and grit from floors and they do it very quickly. This makes them the perfect daily floor cleaning tool. When you add in the fact that when adjusted and used properly, most styles and models leave the floor instantly dry, reducing the risks of someone slipping, it becomes apparent why they truly are the best practice for daily floor cleaning in any Green program.
The squeegee is the business end of any unit and therefore it is very important to remove dry debris, grit and soil from the floors. When storing the unit after use it is extremely necessary to remove the squeegee bar, clean & inspect the blades and store the squeegee on a shelf and not on the machine. This tip will ensure the squeegee is capable of producing the results the entire unit was purchased for.
- See more at: http://cleanlink.com/cleanlinkminute/details/Using-Automatic-Scrubbers-To-Remove-Grit-And-Soil--38435#sthash.5kKNxmPS.dpu

Automatic scrubbers can be used on floors in many different ways as they are designed to reduce time and effort spent on floor care, while increasing performance and productivity. When used in a Green cleaning program they are effective because they apply consistent, clean, solution to the floor, mechanically agitate the dirt, and then the dirt and solution are physically removed with a vacuum system. This is typically done in one pass. Even with the advancements in mopping technology, this process cannot be duplicated with a mop and bucket.
Be sure to size the unit appropriately to the area being cleaned and the surfaces the unit will be required to maintain. Cylindrical style brushes are far and away the most versatile, cost effective and results producing option available today for any Green cleaning operation. Add water/solution savings and less abrasion to floor surfaces and this will be your best starting point. Additionally, you should only purchase sealed/maintenance free batteries.
The major advantage to automatic scrubbers is the remove of dirt and grit from floors and they do it very quickly. This makes them the perfect daily floor cleaning tool. When you add in the fact that when adjusted and used properly, most styles and models leave the floor instantly dry, reducing the risks of someone slipping, it becomes apparent why they truly are the best practice for daily floor cleaning in any Green program.
The squeegee is the business end of any unit and therefore it is very important to remove dry debris, grit and soil from the floors. When storing the unit after use it is extremely necessary to remove the squeegee bar, clean & inspect the blades and store the squeegee on a shelf and not on the machine. This tip will ensure the squeegee is capable of producing the results the entire unit was purchased for.
- See more at: http://cleanlink.com/cleanlinkminute/details/Using-Automatic-Scrubbers-To-Remove-Grit-And-Soil--38435#sthash.5kKNxmPS.dpu