Healthier cleaning for healthier environments

Cleaning a healthcare facility is almost always more complicated than cleaning a school, business or other public space. There are simply more things you need to keep in mind besides the cleaning itself. 

What are you leaving behind? 

Chemicals can make highly effective cleaning solutions, but most chemical cleaners create fumes or leave behind residues that can comprise your job in the long run. That’s why more and more facilities are requiring chemical-free or reduced chemical cleaning from their staff or contractors.

Advance’s REV™ Technology is the perfect solution for this trend.
The AdvanceSC500™ walk-behind scrubber, for example, not only features REV Technology and our exclusive EcoFlex™ System, but also SmartFlow™ Technology as well. 

• REV™ Random Orbital Scrubbing is so effective, it can actually eliminate the need for chemical floor strippers, one of the worst offenders on the chemical cleaning front. 
• The EcoFlex System allows you to clean with the least amount of detergent needed to do the job—or even with water alone. 
• And SmartFlow Technology automatically reduces the solution flow rate when the scrubber takes a corner or otherwise slows down, conserving both water and detergents.

Together, these technologies can reduce your water and chemical consumption significantly, which can go a long way toward making your facility a healthier place. 

Don’t trade clean floors for dirty air  

Air quality is another factor that’s often overlooked. Yet, in their efforts to reach the high levels of cleanliness that healthcare environments require, many cleaners will use equipment that compromises air quality.

Vacuums, for example, have a tendency to kick dust into the air even as they’re sucking it up from the floor. That’s because their motors are often so powerful they stir up dust that would ordinarily stay undisturbed. Advance engineers understand this problem and work continuously to develop vacuums that minimize dust. An example of this effort is the Advance Spectrum™ upright vacuum. Featuring an exceptionally efficient three-stage filtration system—including a certified H.E.P.A. filter—this powerful carpet vac doesn’t just clean your carpets, it practically cleans your air at the same time.

“Can you keep it down out there?” 

Most people don’t think of noise as pollution per se, but there’s a growing movement to change that perception. This is especially true in healthcare environments, where peace and quiet is critical. The problem is, cleaning machines are powered by motors and motors make noise.

Advance engineers have addressed this problem, too, by designing some of the quietest running equipment in the industry. The SC500 scrubber mentioned earlier is just one example; it features a Quiet Mode setting that reduces operating noise to a whisper. In general, Advance vacuums and burnishers are so quiet, they can often be used during daytime hours, silently going about their business through the hustle and bustle of even the busiest hospital day.

So even though maintaining exceptionally high standards in healthcare environments can be a demanding challenge, having the right tools can help make it simple.

Advance SC6000™ Rider Scrubber Provides Unparalleled Productivity, Sustainability and Durability

Advance, the brand known and trusted to introduce productivity-enhancing innovations in the industrial cleaning market, proudly introduces the Advance SC6000™ Rider Scrubber. Engineered to withstand the toughest cleaning challenges in distribution centers, warehouses, manufacturing plants, and more, the mid-sized SC6000 combines improved productivity and enhanced sustainability in an easy-to-use, compact machine.



More specifically, the SC6000 features a larger battery capacity for up to 30 percent greater run-time; SmartFlow™, which automatically adjusts solution flow with speed to reduce water and chemical usage by 50 percent; and an offset scrub deck to provide high-quality edge cleaning. Optional features include DustGuard™, which minimizes fugitive dust generation and provides optimal sweeping performance, and Advance’s EcoFlex™ System, which provides operators a flexible cleaning system with intuitive modes of operation to fit their needs. The SC6000 also boasts heavy-duty steel doors to protect the scrub deck from impact damage, heavy-duty bumpers, an extended-life cylindrical deck, and an impact detection system. Collectively, the SC6000’s features give operators the ability to quickly, effectively and safely clean even the most difficult environments.

“The SC6000 was specifically designed to provide the level of productivity, sustainability and durability required to reduce costs while safely and effectively cleaning the harshest industrial applications,” said Marty Makowsky, vice president of Industrial Sales at Nilfisk-Advance.

The SC6000 is available in 34- and 40-inch disc or 36-inch cylindrical models.

About Nilfisk

Nilfisk is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of professional cleaning equipment with approximately 5,500 employees and an annual turnover of EUR 918M. Based on a century of cleaning expertise, the company develops and manufactures high quality products that represent the latest technology and innovation and offer the broadest product portfolio in the industry. Nilfisk has sales companies in 45 countries around the world as well as a strong distributor network and markets and sells its products in more than 100 countries worldwide. Nilfisk is a part of the NKT Group.

Advance is a brand of Nilfisk. For more information on the new Advance SC6500, call 800-253-0367 or visit www.advance-us.com • Smart Cleaning Blog • Twitter • Facebook • Google+.

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Green Meets Clean with Stand-On Scrubbing

Clean green and still meet the highest expecations for clean floors with the new SC1500™ stand-on scrubber, equipped with the standard onboard EcoFlex™ System. The EcoFlex System controls the consumption of detergent so effectively that real savings can be gained without compromising performance. 

With a single button, effortlessly switch between chemical-free cleaning or select from weak to strong cleaning intensities to match cleaning performance to the soil on the floor and the required level of clean.

If there is more soil on the floor, operators can activate the “burst of power” for extra cleaning performance and easily return to the original settings for minimum usage of water, detergent and power. 

For more information on the EcoFlex System, visit www.advance-us.com/solutions/ecoflex.aspx.

Using a Stand-On Scrubber for Daily and Deep Scrubbing Applications

Designed to deliver flexible cleaning performance, the new SC1500™ REV™ stand-on scrubber satisfies both daily and deep scrubbing applications. The SC1500 REV employs our patent pending Dual Random Orbital Scrubbing technology, which scrubs deeper and more uniformly to leave a perfectly scrubbed surface with no swirl marks while using far less water and chemicals.

Our REV technology enables superior cleaning performance through the following benefits:

• Floors are cleaner in a single pass - Dual random orbital action quickly and efficiently attacks dirt from multiple directions
• Save time with fewer dump and refill cycles - REV machines use far less water than conventional disc scrubbers
• Save money - Less water means less detergent is used
• No side splash - The slow macro orbit of REV prevents water from splashing onto adjacent surfaces
• No splash skirt - Cleans tight to walls, which reduces time spent on detail work
• Most even cleaning in the industry - REV's exclusive fixed pad driver allows the entire pad surface to clean your floor
• No swirl marks - Dual random orbital action delivers an even clean without swirl marks
• EcoFlex™onboard detergent metering system - Saving money, time, and the environment
• Increased safety - All REV scrubbers are certified by the National Floor Safety Institute ( NFSI) to increase floor traction by more than 21%

The SC1500 is also available in a disc model. For more information on REV technology, visit www.advance-us.com/rev.

Cleaning to Fit Any Routine

Floor-cleaning routines are easier with the EcoFlex System, which cleans like you do. Clean low-traffic areas with water only, use ultra-low detergent when you need to, and jump to a burst of power to deep-clean and tackle dirtier areas. Find the routine that works for you. The flexibility to develop a cleaning routine that works for your facility and to make on-the-fly adjustments will help you get the most out of all of your resources.

Economical and ecological. Advance’s EcoFlex System gives you the flexibility to clean your floors more efficiently. By using a system that cleans like you do, you’ll reduce your cost to clean and create a more sustainable cleaning program.

Click here to learn more about EcoFlex, now available on select Advance scrubbers.

Warehouse Cleaning

Warehouse cleaning applications can present unique cleaning challenges due to their generally large sizes and, at times, the material or goods that are stocked in them.

Mitsubishi Electronic Power Products, located in Warrendale, PA, manufactures high-voltage circuit breakers for the utility industry. Prior to shipping products to utility customers, the parts for these circuit breakers are stored in a new 40,000-sq. ft. warehouse facility about four miles from the manufacturing site. To control dust, dirt and sand from constant forklift traffic, prevent product contamination and keep floors clean and attractive for visitors, Mitsubishi initially used a walk-behind scrubber, which took a significant amount of time and labor. For higher productivity and to cut cleaning time, they implemented the Advance Adgressor®.

The Adgressor® is a reliable industrial rider scrubber that is easy to use and maintain. Delivering high productivity, the Adgressor offers large scrub decks and solution capacities, in addition to easy maneuverability and high speed. Plus, equipped with the optional EcoFlex™ System, operators can clean their floors more efficiently and create a more sustainable cleaning program.

For more information on this case study and to read other case studies, visit: http://www.advance-us.com/solutions/casestudies.aspx.

Flexible Cleaning: Cleaning Performance for Specific Areas

It’s well known that high-traffic areas such as entryways and lobbies get particularly dirty. Some of today’s latest scrubbers allow operators to temporarily increase cleaning aggressiveness for specific problem areas. For instance, Advance’s EcoFlex™ System includes a “burst of power” button that automatically increases detergent, solution flow and brush pressure for 60 seconds in order to deliver greater scrubbing power for heavily soiled areas. This helps to eliminate time- and labor-intensive double-scrubbing that can be required if using a single-mode (low-flow or water-only) scrubber.

Now that we have discussed how advanced automatic scrubbers can provide flexible cleaning for your facility, try one out for yourself! Visit http://www.advance-us.com to learn more or contact us info@advance-us.com with any questions.

Flexible Cleaning: Detergent Dilution Ratio

Today’s floor chemicals are usually diluted at a ratio of 128:1 (128 parts water to 1 part detergent). This ratio is suitable to cleaning heavily soiled floors but can be excessive for routine cleaning applications.

To minimize chemical use, some recent floor machines include an ultra-low detergent mode suitable for normal cleaning. For example, Advance’s EcoFlex™ System is capable of dispensing detergent at a 400:1 ratio for routine cleaning of moderately soiled floors. This ratio enhances the natural cleaning power of water and break surface tension. In addition to providing green-cleaning results, this mode saves at least 50 percent in detergent costs and leaves behind a light, just-cleaned scent, which water cannot equally produce. Advanced floor scrubbing machines also feature onboard detergent-metering systems, which allows users to fill a tank with a cleaning product, set a selector to match the manufacturer’s suggested dilution ratio and insert the tank into the scrubber. This eliminates operator guesswork and ensures that detergent is dispensed at the proper dilution ratio.

Need to clean an area that requires a bit more scrub power? Next week we will look at automatic scrubber features that produce the necessary cleaning performance for specific areas.

Simple Operation, Flexible Performance

Advance’s rugged, low maintenance SC750™ and SC800™ walk-behind scrubbers with EcoFlex™ System deliver high productivity with each tankful. Allowing for 84 minutes of continuous scrubbing, these scrubbers reduce dump/refill cycles and deliver fast ROI to your facility.

Enhanced with Advance’s EcoFlex System, the SC750 and SC800 scrubbers provide a green cleaning performance. At the touch of a button, you can quickly switch from chemical free cleaning to using an ultra low dilution ratio. Not quite strong enough for the job? Switch to full-strength detergent for the ultimate, deep-cleaning performance. Using the burst of power feature, you can easily apply more pressure, more solution and more detergent, cleaning even the toughest of soils. With the flexibility to change pressure, solution and detergent levels, Advance’s SC750 and SC800 walk-behind scrubbers use less detergent, minimize water use and reduce cleaning costs.

New Advance Website Features Improved Design to Facilitate Easy Product Selection By Product Type or Vertical Market

Advance announces its new website with an enhanced structural design and efficient navigation tools for improved product selection and comprehensive service information. Providing a clean layout, the new website allows users to quickly access product information—including service manuals and parts list—by browsing various product categories or searching within multiple vertical markets.

Featuring a simple navigation bar, users can easily locate Advance products or learn about Advance’s comprehensive cleaning solutions, including its innovative EcoFlex™ System cleaning technology, green cleaning solutions and CleanLease™ Finance Program for a convenient, cost-effective equipment leasing option. The navigation bar also allows users to access detailed equipment service videos for proper equipment maintenance, including part replacement and battery care.

The improved, easy-to-navigate products tab provides a comprehensive, visible platform of Advance’s entire product offering, effectively categorized by equipment type. With categories ranging from small walk-behind scrubbers to carpet extractors, users are guaranteed to find a product for their cleaning application. From there, users can select a listed product to learn about the product’s performance and features, browse available models, download the most recent operator manuals and literature or watch a product video if available.

View the full release, or visit the new website here: www.advance-us.com.

Setting the Standard in Green Cleaning

The cleaning industry offers a myriad of cleaning products, all claiming to deliver the best performance and longest-lasting solution. However, these conventional cleaning products come with environmental concerns—at a much higher cost for you. With today’s increasing demands to “go green” and make a sustainable contribution to the environment, green cleaning solutions are flooding the industry. How do you choose one that’s right for your facility?

Advance’s EcoFlex™ System, introduced in 2009, is a new cleaning technology that achieves both environmentally sustainable cleaning methods as well as the highest standards of effective cleaning. The EcoFlex System is designed to save you time, use fewer machines and reduce water and detergent consumption. With the touch of a button, you can effortlessly switch between chemical-free, water-only cleaning and varying degrees of detergent, down pressure and flow rates. Compared to conventional scrubbing—which can often use excess water—the EcoFlex System’s ultra-low-flow dispensing feature cuts water usage by up to 70 percent. The simple controls and operation of the EcoFlex System take the hassle out of cleaning so you won’t have to hesitate to make adjustments for higher sanitary standards, different surface types or unexpected cleaning challenges.

The EcoFlex System is defined by flexibility and allows you to get more out of one machine. Every cleaning challenge is different and requires varying cleaning methods; why waste time and money on multiple pieces of equipment? The EcoFlex System allows you to develop a cleaning routine that works for your facility and to make quick adjustments that will help you get the most out of all of your resources—from water and detergent to time and equipment.

The bottom line? The EcoFlex System delivers efficient results for the toughest cleaning challenges, while allowing you to clean green.