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Floor cleaning is an essential operation that is key to creating a positive impression for your facility. But today’s facility and maintenance managers are often plagued by reduced budgets and minimal staffing, adding more challenge to the job of floor maintenance. Fortunately, today’s floor-cleaning equipment is designed to reduce the demands being placed on you and your resources—time, money and staff. This article is written to help you find the most effective, productive and cost-efficient equipment solutions for your cleaning program.

Examining your floor maintenance needs
There is no single floor-cleaning machine that is right for every cleaning need, or for every operator. Today’s cleaning equipment is often specialized to meet very specific needs, which means that a facility will need a range of equipment to perform the various intermittent, daily, weekly and monthly tasks that comprise a comprehensive floor-care program. Fortunately, the task of evaluating your equipment and how to improve your floor-cleaning program is not one that you have to assume by yourself.

Most cleaning industry experts recommend that you work closely with a floor-cleaning professional such as a JanSan supplier or equipment dealer who can analyze your needs and then recommend the most productive and cost-effective solutions. Given that some floor-cleaning equipment purchases fall into a capital expenditure budget, it is also helpful if the outside professional can help you justify equipment purchases with a detailed, written comparison of your existing procedures with the proposed equipment. The more knowledgeable your sales representative is about your facility, your needs and the types of equipment that are available on the market, the more likely that person can help you select equipment tailored to your facility’s exact needs and requirements.

An experienced sales representative will begin by assessing your current cleaning program in terms of total square footage, surface types, time currently required to clean specific areas, room turn-over requirements, and special cleaning and decontamination needs. Next he should conduct a “productivity analysis” for you, weighing detailed information about your current cleaning system with facts on the performance of new equipment alternatives. Your outside consultant’s goal should be to recommend the best equipment solution—that makes sense financially—for each of your different cleaning needs.

An overview of today’s wide range of floor-cleaning equipment
There are many types of floor-cleaning machines to choose from—varying in cost, size, functions, productivity and mode of operation. Today’s floor-cleaning equipment includes a variety of newer, more powerful, high-speed, automated machines. In fact, the price of automated cleaning equipment has actually decreased because of better design and manufacturing processes. Due to enhanced design and construction, machines are also easier to maintain and repair. This means that new automated equipment can help you and your staff handle a wide range of floor maintenance tasks better, faster and at a lower total cost.

Here is a summary of the various equipment types you are likely to need:
• Vacuums—Upright, canister, backpack or hip—vacuums are your facility’s first line of defense against dust and dirt on carpeted surfaces and stairs. Upright carpet vacuums usually offer cleaning paths from 12 inches wide up to 28 inches, depending on whether you need to negotiate tight spaces or clean large carpet expanses. Canister vacuums can be extremely quiet, making them suitable for daytime cleaning and use near patient rooms. Ergonomically designed back-pack vacuums let cleaners move through congested areas with comfort and convenience. They are fast, cost-effective tools for quick spot-vacuuming and can also offer low-decibel operation.
• Carpet Extractors—From spot cleaners to walk-behind and ride-on machines, carpet extractors loosen soil, apply cleaning solution, and extract soil, solution and moisture all in one cleaning pass. Extractors usually use cold water, but for the toughest stains some machines have a built-in water heater. Other features to consider are slide-out decks for edge cleaning, automatic extractors that are self-propelled to decrease operator fatigue, and water-saving designs that let you choose between low-moisture and deep cleaning modes (low moisture- leaning increases your productivity because you clean more area between dump and fill cycles). You can even select a carpet extractor that doubles as a hard-floor scrubber.
• Automatic Scrubbers—From small cord electric machines that replace mop-and-bucket cleaning to high-productivity ride-on automatic scrubbers, scrubbers are designed to leave hard floor surfaces clean, dry and ready for foot traffic. When selecting a scrubber, consider your total hard-flooring square footage as well as the width of doorways and aisles. Inspect equipment alternatives for ease of use and maintenance. Intuitive operator controls, easy-to-clean solution tanks, built-in battery chargers, easily removable scrub heads and operator safety features can all contribute to increased cleaning performance and productivity.
• Burnishers—Cord electric and battery powered burnishers polish hard floor surfaces for improved appearance. Many burnishers also contain a dust-collection system that eliminates the need to dust after burnishing. Ride-on burnishers are available for maintaining large open areas such as lobbies, reception areas, entrances and cafeterias, while walk-behind machines are ideal for hallways.
• Touch-Free Multi-Purpose Cleaners—A new kind of multi-purpose cleaning machine is helping facilities cut cleaning times in half for restrooms, locker rooms and more. “Touchless” cleaning machines wash, scrub, disinfect and blow-dry surfaces and fixtures using a cold- water cleaning solution. (Steam-cleaning touchless systems are also available, but they are not recommended for use on grouted surfaces or where disinfecting is a priority.) These multi-purpose cleaning systems are very useful where both decontamination and speed of cleaning are critical issues.

In addition to considering the function of the cleaning equipment you need, you will want to consider the benefits that are a priority for your facility:
• Filtration/Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)—Vacuum cleaners and scrubbers pick up dirt and dust and trap it in a combination of filters and bags or other containers for disposal. Oftentimes, the filters are described as HEPA filters, which technically means that the filters will trap all particles down to 0.3 micron in size. However, if the HEPA filtration system is not sealed, dust particles can be emitted back into the air. Investigate both the filters and the filter system on any equipment you are considering if you want the indoor air quality associated with HEPA filtration.
• Ergonomics and operator safety—Choose equipment designed to be used in a comfortable position that allows for changing positions over time. Light-weight, self-propelled machines conserve operator energy. Well-designed equipment eliminates pinch points and unnecessary handling of chemicals and awkward accessories.
• Operator Fatigue/Walk-Behind vs. Ride-On Machines—Self-propelled walk-behind cleaning equipment helps the operator move the machine forward, reducing the effort required to clean. Ride-on equipment further reduces operator fatigue and should be considered when cleaning tasks require more than 4 hours—both to reduce fatigue and to speed up cleaning for greater productivity.
• Easy-To-Use Operator Controls—Your housekeeping staff will clean more consistently if equipment utilizes controls that minimize the opportunity for operator error. Programmable controls, which allow a supervisor to select pre-set settings, reduce operator training needs and can allow a facility to accurately control solution dilution rates and water usage.
• Minimal Maintenance Requirements—Floor-cleaning equipment will last longer if machines are easy to clean and maintain. For example, gel battery powered equipment is easier and safer to maintain than wet-acid batteries, because sealed gel batteries do not need added water, cannot leak, and do not emit noxious fumes during charging.
• Availability of On-Site Training—Your dealer should have the ability to train your staff in using your new equipment.
• Availability of Equipment Maintenance and Repairs—Check whether there is a source for parts and service nearby, such as a local service center.

Justifying your cleaning equipment prescription
Once you have chosen the floor-cleaning equipment features and performance you want, you will likely need an economic justification to obtain purchase approval. This is another area where your floor-cleaning professional can and should help. Your sales representative can compare your current cleaning operation with the proposed new system, calculating the time savings and increased productivity that the equipment will yield. This can be expressed in terms of minutes and hours saved per week per exact square footage, as well as the percentage of total time savings. Most importantly, this analysis should include your total labor costs, your new equipment investment and the estimated value over the life of the machine. Ask your representative to justify in writing the total impact of purchasing the new equipment and how it affects every aspect of your cleaning. A high return on investment and considerable savings in time and labor dollars are what school and hospital facility managers are looking for to justify the purchase of new equipment. No matter what cleaning system you choose, ensuring that your facility is a clean and safe place is vital. Arming your cleaning team with the most efficient and cost-effective floor-cleaning equipment will enable you and cleaning staff to win the daily battle against dirt, dust, grime and germs—and help reinforce a positive image for your facility.

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