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By Lauren Summerstone, Via Cleanlink.com:
A comprehensive maintenance program that includes the use of proper cleaning chemicals can prolong the life of a carpet

Carpeting isn’t meant to last forever — grit, foot traffic and even agitation from cleaning will eventually erode fibers and reduce benefits like aesthetics, safety, noise dampening and indoor air quality, necessitating replacement. But today, facility managers are keeping the carpet investment looking like new for longer, even exceeding their warranties. How do they do it?

“It’s about keeping appearances high to extend the life of a carpet,” says Product Manager and Quality Engineer for New Castle, Pa.-based R.E. Whittaker Company Joe Bshero, citing a survey revealing that carpet is replaced most often because it ‘uglies out’ due to improper maintenance.

“Esthetically, carpets are like any other surface,” adds Robert Allen, Ph.D., vice president of operations for Amano Pioneer Eclipse, in Sparta, N.C. “The perception of clean is important. People want to know it’s clean and well maintained.”

Bshero, Allen and other carpet cleaning experts, comment on how housekeeping managers can fine-tune their programs to prolong the lifespan of their facility’s carpeting.

According to experts, every carpet care program should incorporate the following tactics, which are also recommended by the Carpet and Rug Institute:

1. Keep entries, sidewalks and parking lots clear of dirt and debris and place trash receptacles at entrances. Maintain matting systems to remove the bulk of soils before they even enter the facility and focus extra efforts on entrances and high traffic areas.

2. Vacuum daily to remove debris before it erodes fibers and conduct daily spotting to remove spills before they become stains.

3. Perform interim cleaning and spot removal regularly.

4. Conduct occasional restorative cleaning.

While specifying chemicals for any of these tasks isn’t rocket science, there are some rules that should be followed in order to avoid cleaning mistakes that could lead to carpet damage. Aside from improper maintenance, operator error — using too harsh a chemical because it wasn’t diluted properly, or overwetting carpet — are two of the most common causes of damage and discoloration.

Experts emphasize that training is key.

“Follow the directions on the label,” says President of Core Products Company, Inc., Canton, Texas, Brent Crawford. “We as manufacturers do testing on products with dilutions listed on the label. More is not always better.”

Experts recommend training and educating employees on all cleaning products and specifically, follow directions for usage of chemicals. Instructions for use of these products are traditionally straightforward.

“Using too much product is not only bad for the carpet, it wastes money,” says Allen. “Excess product can also leave residue behind, attracting dirt, or ‘reswelling’ carpets quicker than if used properly.”

All About Spotters
“People usually choose carpet based on the types of spots and spills that are typical for that kind of facility,” explains Racine, Wis.-based Racine Industries’ Director of Marketing and Training Geoff Greeley. “Nylon tends to be the most common fiber and releases oily, greasy soils more easily. Olefin, used often in health settings, releases water-based spills more easily. An office would probably also look at other characteristics, like aesthetics, and tend to go with a nylon, which has more resiliency and springs back faster.”

It is important to identify the fibers used throughout the facility. If unsure, there are tests that can help.

“Many IICRC (Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification) courses teach cleaners to identify fibers by a burn test, appearance or actually looking at the fiber twist,” Crawford says. “If you can’t identify it, play it safe by staying in the neutral range.”

Once the fibers have been identified, determine which spot removal method is best for the situation.

Multi-Clean, Shoreview, Minn., Vice President Mike Tarvin adds, “Carpet spotters utilize different chemicals depending on the spot or stain. Coffee or anything with tannin would require a mildly acidic spotter for effective removal. Food and protein-based stains are typically best attacked with an enzyme-based spotter. Urine is typically best treated with active microbial products and grease or oils require a mildly alkaline or solvent-type spotter.”

Whatever the type, Allen recommends attacking spots before they have a chance to set in.

“If you get stains when they are fresh, you’re more likely to get them out,” he says. “If you let them dry, they might set in and never come out.”

Maryland Heights, Mo.-based Buckeye International’s Director of Research Scott Maag explains that when a spot sets in and becomes a stain, a color neutralizer that removes the color in the stain is often the best bet.

“Some stains — coffee, ketchup, ink — are beasts to remove, and won’t pull up with traditional chemistry,” says Maag. “A specialty cleaner removes the color from the spot — at least that’s how your eye perceives it.”

A pH range of 5 to 10 is standard, advises Greeley. “Outside that range you can run risk of creating problems,” he says. “If you have a solution-dyed carpet like olefin, it’s possible to go higher with some detergents than 10 pH, and it won’t bleach, but the general rule is to stay between a pH of 5 and 10.”

Experts agree that remediation and spotting performed with higher-alkaline compounds can be followed up with an acid pH formula, to neutralize the carpet and remove any high alkaline residue that could attract dirt.

Also keep pH in mind when specifying other carpet care chemicals, like anti-browning treatments, that visually restore carpet color; soil retardants are handy in early-educational facilities, extend the grace time available for spotting measures; and carpet sanitizers can help to remove odors in places like hospitals and nursing homes.

Interim Cleaning Options
First and foremost, vacuuming regularly is essential. According to Allen, this is the easiest way to keep carpets clean and should be done daily. This, and other types of interim carpet cleaning can help reduce the need for more invasive, remedial cleaning.

Greeley compares this to regular scheduled car maintenance, versus waiting until something breaks and requires serious repair. He says that even schools, which traditionally wait for extended breaks to do restorative carpet cleaning, are gravitating to interim low-moisture cleaning, freeing up time during those longer breaks.

“You’re saving on labor cost,” says Greeley. “With regular interim cleaning, you’re cleaning carpet that’s less dirty, in smaller increments and in smaller areas — as opposed to waiting and having to do everything wall to wall, which requires more people, time and effort.”

Areas are often back in service in 30 minutes, versus 12-36 hours for hot water extraction, adds Bshero. And there are fewer mold or mildew issues.

Interim techniques offer a way to keep carpets appearing and smelling clean with minimal carpet down time. Sustainability-wise, these methods also use less water and chemical than hot water extraction.

“The choice of chemistry depends on the method you clean with,” says R.E. Whittaker Company Director of Market Communications Dan Prokop.

Restorative Cleaning Tips
Even with the benefits of interim cleaning, experts agree that there is still a time and place for deep extraction, which traditionally has the pressure, heat and suction to put cleaning product deep into the fibers and to pull it out again.

Prokop says that some encapsulation systems can also be used for prespraying before hot water extraction to remove sticky residues and eliminate the need for shampoo in the extractor.

“You mist and agitate with the cylindrical brush machine as before, but this time you come back with an extractor, spraying with clear water and then four vacuum passes,” he says. “The pile of the carpet is lifted, so there is greater efficiency for the extractor to draw out water. An added benefit is that the surfactant used has a polymer component, so any remaining chemistry dries and can be vacuumed up.”

Like any deep extraction method, the use of fans are encouraged to decrease dry time.

“Every situation is different,” says Crawford. “Know your situation, have the understanding of the traffic and how much time you have to allow the carpet to dry. Hotels and schools with high traffic do not have a lot of down time, so for that application a spin bonnet method with drying agents for quick cleaning may be the technology of choice.”

Dry time depends on the carpet, the chemicals used, the equipment, the temperature, humidity and airflow. The thickness of the carpet, how tall and tightly woven it is and whether it’s looped or shag is also a factor in dry time. The more air space there is between the fibers, the quicker it will dry.

Drying agents can also be used, but using liquids vs. powders and deep extraction vs. surface cleaning can vary dry times as well.

Going Green
Green cleaning has been driving new generations of carpet care chemicals and cleaning methods. Green initiatives related to carpet care include minimizing water use, recycling, energy efficiency and indoor air quality with proper walk-off matting, and using green chemicals certified by third-party entities.

“More and more green chemicals are being developed,” says Crawford. “They’re safer on the environment, to health and are less corrosive. The chemistry definitely has changed for the better. It has come a long way and now we can offer safer green chemicals that live up to performance standards and are price comparative.”

Tarvin points to a new advance in encapsulation cleaning: hydrogen peroxide chemistry that destroys odors, boosts cleaning power and then breaks down safely into oxygen and water.

Adds Prokop, “With excessive soil, cleaners are tempted to use more powerful chemicals to clean, but it’s not as safe. With proper maintenance you can use mild surfactants.”

To learn more about assembling the best overall carpet care program, download the Carpet and Rug Institute’s Carpet and Maintenance Guideline, available at carpet-rug.org/commercial-customers/cleaning-and-maintenance.

For more information, please visit us at Janitor’s World.

From ISSA.com:

Calculating cleaning times, or production rates, can be a difficult task due to the number of variables in each particular situation. But help is out there—if you know where to look.

There are several sources of production rates. Some of the most widely available are published by industry associations, including ISSA’s 447 Cleaning Times, APPA’s Custodial Staffing Guidelines, BSCAI’s Production Rate Recommendations, and BOMA’s Cleaning Makes Cents. These provide excellent general guidelines for cleaning times and a good foundation to use for your business.

But because there are so many variables—cleaning frequency, customer expectations, building surfaces, equipment used, and level of quality, to name a few—and accurate production rates are so essential, the best practice is to develop your own building-specific rates. Conducting your own times study is one of the best methods to determine the production for a given task.

How to Perform a Time Study

1. Choose a task
2. Measure the area
3. Note building variables
4. Observe and record
5. Average the rates
6. Adjust for variables
7. Fine-tune your rates

The following example comes from ISSA’s SmartStaffing Bidding & Estimating Guidebook.

Task: Remove trash
Area: 15,000 square feet
Density: Normal, no variables

Use the following formula to determine your production rate:
60 / (average minutes from time study) x (number of square feet in the study)
Cleaner Time to Complete
Cleaner 1 33 Minutes
Cleaner 2 27 Minutes
Cleaner 3 30 Minutes
Cleaner 4 30 Minutes
Cleaner 5 32 Minutes
Cleaner 6 28 Minutes
Total Time 180 Minutes

Average Time 180/6 = 30 Minutes

In this study, the formula would be:
60 / 30 x 15,000 = 30,000 square feet per hour

Since there were no variables, we now know that the base production for trash removal in this building is 30,000 square feet per hour.

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By Nick Matkovich (Via Contracting Profits)

To the average person, slips, trips and falls might not seem to be a likely candidate for major injuries, but building service contractors know better. Falls have replaced automobile accidents as the leading reason people receive emergency room care and are the number one cause of death for people over the age of 75, according to the Itasca, Ill.-based National Safety Council (NSC).

The reasons for these types of accidents include lack of training, improper hazard warning and choice of footwear, according to the National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI), Southlake, Texas. However, the walking surfaces themselves — 55 percent of all accidents — are the predominant cause of slips, trips and falls. These are surfaces tended to by building service contractors.

However, BSCs can play a major role in reducing the number of accidents in their facilities. There are preventative measures such as proper placement of signage and clean matting that BSCs can use to significantly minimize the chance of a slip, trip or fall. Everything from cleaning schedules to cleaning practices and procedures figure into the equation. It’s up to BSCs to come up with a formula best suited for each facility.

Decreasing Incidents
Signage is a precautionary tool to prevent slips, trips and falls, but often, signs are poorly placed or left out for too long. When that happens, people become desensitized to the warnings.

Signs should only be up when the floor is wet and removed as soon as the floor dries, says JoAnn Dankert, a senior consultant for the NSC.

BSCs should also be particular about the type of signs they put up. Different dangers warrant different signage. For instance, when there is inclement weather and people are dragging snow and sleet into a facility, a hazard sign needs to go up. Hazard signs differ from standard wet floor signs by including the word “hazard” in large letters indicating a walking risk and that people need to watch their step.

However, hazard signs are not always enough warning. When a BSC is trying to avoid traffic from passing through a certain area — for instance, while applying a coat of finish or waxing the floors — BSCs should put up a barricade around the perimeter of the area, says Steve Spencer, facilities specialist, State Farm Insurance, Bloomington, Ill.

“The barrier prevents people from walking through an area,” he says. “A lot of times people will walk right past a wet floor sign.”

The NSC recommends that BSCs stagger barriers every 25 feet at most.

Even if BSCs are putting up the correct signage, the intended message of a sign is lost if the sign is placed in a poorly visible spot. The number of signs used and the type of area being cleaned are all factors to consider when placing the signs.

Wet floor signs should cover the entire perimeter of the area a BSC cleans, says David LaDay, the owner and national operations director for SPI Janitorial, Omaha, Neb. People walking by need adequate warning that they are approaching a potential hazard, he says.

Some facilities will even go so far as to post a preemptive message on their intranet. The message alerts employees that BSCs will be cleaning the floors in a certain part of the facility at a specific time.

Signage is the best tool BSCs use to warn people of the slip and trip hazards within a facility, but occupants need a way to eliminate shoe debris. Matting offers the best solution because it removes moisture or soils from footwear as people are coming indoors, says Russ Kendzior, executive director, NFSI.

To keep the mats in good condition and maintain strong slip resistance, BSCs should routinely vacuum and use a carpet extractor. In inclement weather the carpet should be cleaned and extracted at least once a quarter, says LaDay. This significantly lowers the moisture on the mats, creating a less slippery surface for people in the facility.

A facility’s permanent matting is made to withstand the rigors of year-round use, but BSCs should place additional temporary matting when the weather is poor. However, a complaint with temporary matting is that the inclement weather causes moisture and dirt to accumulate more quickly and BSCs do not change them out at a quick enough pace, says Dankert. The larger volume of moisture causes the mats to roll up, crack or fray at the edges, any of which create a trip hazard.

As a result, the temporary mats will need to be changed out more frequently in the winter months to prevent moisture from building up. Moisture that builds up beneath the mat can become a slip hazard as well.

To secure the mats to the floor, Spencer recommends using a pressure-sensitive, double-sided adhesive tape. The tape is water-based and does not leave the markings duct tape or other types of adhesives do.

Proper signage and good matting are a good start, but not enough to guarantee a low number of slips, trips or falls. BSCs have to be cognizant of the slip resistance of each cleaner, disinfectant, stripper and finish they are applying to the floors.

BSCs should purchase products based on the slip resistance they provide, says Kendzior. Some floor-care chemicals leave a slippery layer of film or soap scum on the floor so it is important to find out what, if any, residue the products leave.

BSCs should stick to a schedule when cleaning floors. This will offer consistency and familiarity for everyone else in the facility, says LaDay. If people are used to certain areas being cleaned at certain times, they will know to tread a little more carefully around those areas.

Testing the Surface
Correctly utilizing signage and strict cleaning schedules are beneficial ways to reduce slips, trips and falls, but BSCs should first conduct a slip-meter test shortly after winning a new account. The tests gauge the slipperiness, or coefficient of friction (COF), of the floors.

BSCs should consult their general liability carrier or workers’ compensation carrier to see if they recommend someone to conduct the testing, says Dankert. The third party carrier conducts the testing professionally and would give the facility an accurate reading of a floor’s COF.

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has certified the NFSI standard of slip-meter testing which sets in place three ranges — low, moderate and high — of the COF. A high COF means the floor is not very slippery and BSCs have little concern of an accident occurring. However, a low COF means BSCs should examine the chemicals they use on the floors, the cleaning methods they employ and the cleaning applications in order to improve the COF.

The amount of traffic in the facility should dictate the number of times BSCs conduct the testing, says Spencer. For example, a retail store with high amounts of traffic should be tested once per quarter to validate their cleaning program. Larger amounts of traffic increase the likelihood of someone slipping or tripping, so the COF should be tested more often.

Slip, trip and fall prevention begins by developing a competent cleaning program from the results of slip-meter testing. The program should correctly utilize assets such as wet floor signs and matting, while incorporating sound cleaning procedures and consistent cleaning times.

For more information, please visit us at Janitor’s World.

by Alan S. Bigger; from ISSA.com

The manner in which we as facilities service providers (FSPs) act, behave, speak, and perform sends a message to the guests that visit our workplaces each day. The image of our company and the quality of the services it provides is determined in large part by the manner in which we perform our jobs.

What image are we portraying to the people that come into contact with us? Are we being good ambassadors for our company? Do our customers get an accurate picture of the products and services our organization can provide through the way we attend to their needs and the example we set—the way we dress, the appearance of our equipment supplies, and our alertness?

Below are some suggestions for ways we can be sure that we are reflecting well on our FSP organizations.

Set an example for your peers and co-workers. As you walk down the hallway, do you pass by a piece of trash or ignore a spill on the floor? Recently, I heard someone talking about the level of cleanliness in a bathroom. The customer had no complaints about overall cleanliness—but he did notice a few bits of paper on the floor. The pieces of paper that you pick up (instead of leaving for your staff) could improve the image of your company. Managers and supervisors should set the example for others to follow.

Act responsibly; you never know who is watching. I remember a story about some housekeepers that worked in a building that did not have elevators, but did have a circular balcony that surrounded a rotunda. They worked at night and assumed that their behavior might not be observed, so they came up with a shortcut. Why carry the trash down four or five flights of stairs when they could drop it off the balcony to several floors below and pick it up there? They did this unobserved for a while until one night, a bag of trash came whizzing down and landed right at the feet of the company president! Always work as if you are being observed at all times.

Use appropriate language and expressions. The old saying “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” is not quite accurate. Some cleaning staffers were performing some work in a building. They assumed that the building was not occupied, so they yelled up and down the hallways, using somewhat blunt or vulgar language. One of the customers overheard the vulgar language and was offended. Be sure to speak in a manner that is nonoffensive to all whenever you are in the workplace.

Dress the part. Would you be comfortable dining in a restaurant in which the chef’s uniform was torn and soiled and the waitperson’s hands were dirty? Wear neatly pressed and clean clothing at all times. The company is represented by your appearance.

Keep it clean. Whenever I have an opportunity to visit a hotel, hospital, airport, or building, not only do I look at how clean it appears to be, I peek in the janitorial closets. Too often the buildings look clean, but the closets are a disaster with inadequate supplies, dirty equipment, mop water sitting in buckets, mildewing mop heads, etc. The manner in which we keep equipment, supplies, and closets represents the way we may actually be cleaning. Keep the closets clean because what is in them may soon be seen—or worse, smelled!

Be alert. Years ago, I attended a large conference overseas where I had the opportunity to share a communal dining table with a quiet, thoughtful man who seemed quite kindly. He was not obtrusive and rather humble. After he left the table, I found out that he was the director of a worldwide organization with thousands of student workers, volunteers, and employees. The man had met with kings and presidents—yet it was he and I who talked over dinner. Be on the alert at all times because you never know when an opportunity will arise to make a good impression.

In 2009, many companies and organizations are struggling. The very survival of our organizations and companies may depend upon how well we fulfill our roles as ambassadors of excellence for our companies.