The Janitors' Closet

Reducing vacuuming ruins carpets

Increased carpet wear, and the expense of replacement, is the result of cutting back on vacuuming.

We'll occasionally hear from a client who's looking at saving money by reducing the frequency of cleaning service.  In addition to the more obvious issues of lowered restroom and lunchroom sanitation levels, and pests being attracted by trash emptied less frequently, we point out the cost of early carpet replacement caused by leaving dirt and grit in the carpet longer when vacuuming less frequently.

in a CleanLink article, BJ Mandelstam points out:

"When vacuuming is skipped, dirt, grit and soil become embedded in the carpet. It will be harder to remove them later. Embedded soil particles are abrasive like sandpaper. Dirt and grit damage the carpet fiber by rubbing, or abrading, the carpet fiber. Imagine repeatedly rubbing sandpaper over glass. Quickly the glass becomes scratched, dull and faded. With repeated abrasion, the scratched glass is weakened. Abrasive soil does the same thing to carpet fiber. The fiber becomes pitted and scratched creating a dull, faded appearance; the carpet looks worn. Regular vacuuming prevents the deep abrasion that ruins carpets."

My thoughts exactly.

 

 

Vacuuming Programs Should Include Hard Floors, Vertical Surfaces

Just opened Cleanlink's e-newsletter "Focus on Vacuums", and was pleasantly surprised to see that they'd re-published my article on vacuuming hard floors and vertical surfaces.

I focus on indoor air quality benefits and worker efficiency, and include a bit more information than I've published in recent blogs.  I think I'll have my crew sit down and re-read it.  Enjoy!

"Sears suffers as it skimps on stores"

Good article on the economic impact of deferred maintenance in today's Wall Street Journal.  Miguel Bustillo's piece contrasts traditional chain store annual maintenance spending of $6.00 to $8.00 per square foot with Sears current level, about $1.90; he ties maintenance spending levels to Sears steady decline in sales since 2005.  ("No one really comes here anymore", said the only customer to be found at the Sears store visited.)

The article does not specifically mention janitorial floor maintenance, but that's got to be a major part of the store's deteriorating appearance; for several years, I've heard stories around the industry about draconian reductions in budget, burnishing schedules, and so on.  A tacky looking floor in a big box store is about the first thing you notice on walking in - and you tend to not walk in again.  That's why, in even our smaller accounts, we pretty much insist on including appropriate floor maintenance (periodic burnishing, as needed refinishing) in our cleaning package.  A worn floor shouts lack of maintenance, lack of cleaning and sanitation, and lack of caring management.

Maintain it, and they will come (customers, that is).

 

Asbestos floor tile

Although asbestos has not been used in flooring in the U. S. since the late 1970s, in providing commercial janitorial service, we still run across it from time to time in older facilities (yes, Phoenix does have the occasional building older than the '70s).  It was ubiquitous as a major or primary material in resilient flooring for decades, and it can last virtually forever.  Here's a good article on identifying asphalt (the old 9" product) and vinyl tile containing asbestos.

Folks often either over or under-react to asbestos - either ripping out the flooring on learning that it contains asbestos, or ignoring potential dangers and not properly maintaining the flooring.

Asbestos is dangerous when you inhale tiny particles of it.  If the material is not "friable" - crumbling into a powder - it's not a problem, as most of us do not inhale entire floor tiles.  Removal can cause danger, if the tiles break apart, but even if the tiles are crumbly, keeping the surface wet keeps the dust down, and the danger as well.

If the only reason for removing the tile is the concern with asbestos, it's generally better to leave it be, but maintain it properly.  Never sand or "dry-buff" bare tile; keep a solid coat of finish on the tile to prevent foot traffic from grinding the surface of the tile.  Buffing or burnishing is fine, as long as the finish is intact, so that the dust thats created is from the finish, not the tile.  When scrubbing prior to refinishing, or stripping, keep the floor wet; let the chemical do most of the work, not an abrasive pad.

In passing, the mastic used to hold older flooring in place often contained asbestos as well, so you cannot remove the tile and then sand the mastic off the floor (besides, it gums up the pad if you try); you need to chemically strip it (wet) ENTIRELY, like we did when removing 1940's tile from the oak floors in our office.  Only when you've removed ALL the mastic can you sand the floor.

We've maintained the occasional asphalt- or vinyl-asbestos floor for clients over the years, done restoration jobs on a 1908 and a 1914 vintage building, and officed for some years in an asphalt-asbestos floored 1928 office building; we've been careful, so have never had a concern.

"Why don't my floors look like Target?"

Good discussion from Building Service Contractors Association International (BSCAI) on clients who'd like their hard surface floors to look like well-maintained big box stores, such as Target.

Target puts money and effort into janitorial and floor maintenance - nightly burnishing (ultra high-speed buffing), periodic re-finishing, thoughtful chemical and vendor selection, and so on.  Proper maintenance shows.

We recommend, and include in our janitorial program, a full "periodic" package - burnishing, re-finishing, carpet cleaning, scrubbing ceramic and stone floors, and window washing - all on frequencies designed to give superior  appearance and long floor life at a reasonable cost.  Now and again, a client or prospect insists on a "bare-bones" approach, usually to his sorrow.

I've one building trades client who, several years ago, had us eleminate his monthly burnishing and as-needed refinishing package, to save money.  Now, whenever the corporate folks come into town, he calls us - usually at the last moment, so my floor techs are on overtime - to do a refinishing or a full strip.  Seems to happen about quarterly.  Refinishing, or stripping, is several times more costly than burnishing (burnishing hardens the finish - harder finish lasts longer, resulting in less re-finishing).  He's paying me more now, annually, for a "do not maintain - instead restore occasionally" system than he was for his old maintenance program, and not keeping consistent good appearance.

One of the comments, by Curtis Elliot, in BSCAI's discussion summarizes: "So, in answer to the question of "Why don't my hard-surface floors look like Target???"  The client must often only look in the mirror to find the answer."

Include the carpet cleaning and even the window washing

Got a call from a former client yesterday, wondering if we could help him out within a very tight budget.

He'd cancelled us during the downturn a couple of years ago, saying he couldn't afford even the several   hundred dollars per month we'd charged him (we're a janitorial and building maintenance business in Phoenix AZ).  It's a several thousand square foot facility, the office and restroom space of a warehousing oppertion.  We'd cleaned it once per week, and included monthly exterior windows, a monthly burnish and an as-needed refinish on the vinyl, and a semi-annual carpet cleaning.  His folks are doing a quickie on the janitorial (you wouldn't want to use the restrooms), and none of the periodics (floors and windows).

The carpet is bad enough that he's gradually added entry mats over the months.  Originally he just had treated mats properly placed at the entries; now he has 10' treated runners, eight or ten of them, scattered around the traffic paths to cover the discolored carpet.

I (none too gently) pointed out that his mat company, in cleaning and replacing those extra runners weekly, was likely charging him more per month for just the extra runners than we had charged him (and will again) for a full cleaning program, including carpet cleaning.

On the other hand, with the windows uncleaned in a couple of years (and doubtless the light fixtures not dusted in the same period), his office was dim enough that one didn't see a lot of the dirt.

Flooring Chemicals - look beyond initial cost

Good article in Facilities.net, "Flooring Chemicals - Look Beyond Initial Cost".  Pointing out the lower cost of generic floor finishes, the author notes:

"Using high-quality floor finishes actually can increase the time between scrubbing and re-coating and, by extension, the time between stripping and re-finishing, due to the durability of the floor finishes. Extending the periodic and restorative procedures reduces the amount of coating chemicals, labor, equipment use, and facility downtime."

Many janitorial services charge extra for periodic refinishing, and for stripping.  Clearly, a cheaper finish applied during refinishing saves the service money; also, as the article points out, cheaper finish leads to more frequent refinishing, and more frequent stripping - and more income for the janitorial service.

We figure that it's better for our client if we include, in our ongoing monthly price, periodic burnishing and "as-needed" refinishing - no extra charge.  Burnishing hardens the finish, so it lasts longer; high quality finish lasts longer.  The longer the finish lasts, the less often we have to re-finish.  Refinishing cost us much more than burnishing, so we tend to be rather religious about burnishing. (We provide janitorial service in Phoenix AZ).  And it's in our interest to use the highest quality finish.

The facility looks better day to day, and the client avoids extra charges.

A bit about us:

My firm, CBN Building Maintenance, provides commercial cleaning services in Phoenix AZ and the wider metro area.  We've been in business since 1974; hold the BBB's A-plus rating; and have long been in the forefront of the industry in environmentally sensitive cleaning for health, safety and security.  Our program can generally improve Indoor Air Quality, in the size range of most allergens, by a factor of 50%, as reflected in our ongoing IAQ sampling.

Why I include periodic services: burnishing & refinishing, carpet, ceramic, windows

I generally try to include, on a regular schedule and built into the monthly price, the "periodic" services that many janitorial firms charge extra for: burnishing (high speed buffing) and refinishing vinyl floors, cleaning and protecting carpet, scrubbing ceramic and grout, and washing windows.  Here's why.  

Around six months ago, I quoted and started a high-end machine shop (we provide commercial janitorial service in Phoenix AZ).  I suggested a twice per month or monthly burnishing with an as-needed refinshing, in both office and shop areas.  The area was newly built-out, and the contractor had laid down a quite adequate looking finish, so the client declined; he seemed to think the finish would look good forever, or at least quite a while.  I also suggested that he might want to replace the hard plastic chair casters (made for carpeted floors) with something softer, and gave him names of a couple of local caster firms.  He passed on that too; $25 or $30 per chair seemed an unnecessary expense, and the casters were brand new, not to be replaced lightly.

Got a call from him last week; he asked what we could do about the ugly black rings developing under the chairs.  I suggested that we could 1) scrub the black areas and patch the finish, inexpensively and with mediocre results, 2) scrub and topcoat the entire floor, for more money and with better results, or 3) strip the whole thing, for a lot of money and with good results, except for a bit of dulling where the top layer of vinyl had been ground away.  The strip would only cost him a bit more than six months of burnishing, a bit of top-coating, and new casters would have.

Regular burnishing hardens the finish, so it wears less; as-needed top-coating replaces worn-off finish, so you keep the wear on the finish, not the vinyl; and soft casters grind less.  Burnishing (and casters) are cheap; stripping is expensive.

Going to strip it.  Next week, after the new casters have arrived.

A bit about us:

My firm, CBN Building Maintenance, provides commercial janitorial services in Phoenix AZ and the wider metro area.  We've been in business since 1974; hold the BBB's A-plus rating; and have long been in the forefront of the industry in environmentally sensitive cleaning for health, safety and security.  Our program can generally improve Indoor Air Quality, in the size range of most allergens, by a factor of 50%, as reflected in our ongoing IAQ sampling.

Micro fiber mop maintenance

My monthly issue of Contracting Profits arrived today; noticed an article, by the magazine's Deputy
Editor Lisa Ridgley, on "Microfiber Mop Maintenance: Proper Use and Laundering" - something I've long preached.  Started reading the article, figuring that there is always something to learn - and found myself being quoted.  Quoted me accurately, too, on our standard procedures in doing janitorial service in Phoenix AZ - laundering the mops on site with a small, portable washer, using a fresh pad for each room or area, and never re-dunking a pad.

Good thing I read these journals religiously.  I'd forgotten I'd given her the interview.

A bit about us:

My firm, CBN Building Maintenance, provides commercial cleaning services in Phoenix AZ and the wider metro area.  We've been in business since 1974; hold the BBB's A-plus rating; and have long been in the forefront of the industry in environmentally sensitive cleaning for health, safety and security.  Our program can generally improve Indoor Air Quality, in the size range of most allergens, by a factor of 50%, as reflected in our ongoing IAQ sampling.

Periodic maintenance - health & safety

I've talked occasionally about the desirability of including periodic hard-floor maintenance in one's janitorial package - that neglecting to burnish, and to occasionally scrub and topcoat (refinish) vinyl tile, and also to machine scrub stone and ceramic, will lead to a poorer looking facility, extra expense to restore the floor, and eventually damage to the floor.

I've not stressed the health and safety aspects of such ongoing maintenance.

VCT - vinyl composite tile - is porous.  The irregularities provide places for the germs to hide.  A decent commercial finish ("floor wax"), burnished (ultra high-speed buffed) regularly to maintain hardness, and re-coated when needed, fills those irregularities, making it easier to sanitize or disinfect the floor surface.  Further (popular wisdom aside), a properly maintained finish is generally less slippery than bare tile.

Grout in a ceramic or stone floor is porous as well.  Leaving the grout unsealed is helpful, particularly in restrooms and lunchrooms; water spills, common in those areas, absorb into the grout so the floor dries faster.  But, in our hard water environment (I run a janitorial service in Phoenix AZ - we draw much of our urban water from the evocatively named Salt River), mineral deposits from spills and (more so) from damp-mopping tend to partially lock in the bacteria, protecting them from the disinfectant.  Periodic service, at least the way we provide it, includes machine scrubbing, generally with a light phosphoric acid, to remove the hard water deposits, improving both appearance and occupant health (the building occupant, not the grout occupant).

And, finally, when the windows get so bad that you can't see through them, and sunlight can't come in, safety suffers...

 A bit about us:

My firm, CBN Building Maintenance, provides commercial cleaning services in Phoenix AZ and the wider metro area.  We've been in business since 1974; hold the BBB's A-plus rating; and have long been in the forefront of the industry in environmentally sensitive cleaning for health, safety and security.  Our program can generally improve Indoor Air Quality, in the size range of most allergens, by a factor of 50%, as reflected in our ongoing IAQ sampling.