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EXPERT ADVICE


HOW TO DISPOSE OF DIRT?


Don’t rely on tradition or modern trust in chemicals and disinfectants, says James White, Managing Director of Denis Rawlins Ltd. A healthy scepticism is called for when choosing the right cleaning method for the task.


An image from a novel read many years ago sticks in the mind. Our hero describes his arrival in the lobby of an apartment building where a woman, grim-faced with mop and bucket, is “rearranging the dirt” on the floor. (Let me know if you recall the book… I believe it was a detective story, appropriately enough.) But you don’t need to be a sharp-eyed gumshoe to spot the signs. We’ve all seen the grey mop trails with our own eyes.


Meanwhile, back in the lab, forensics has come up with even more telling scientific evidence that mopping spreads soil and bacteria. This outmoded method of ‘cleaning’ fails to remove the microbes and therefore ends up recycling them. That’s why Denis Rawlins Ltd launched its ‘Chop the Mop’ campaign, and why we’re championing science-based cleaning.


It’s simpler than it sounds. But if the terminology puts you off, let me instead put the case for healthy cleaning – as in healthy for the users and occupants of a building, healthy for cleaning staff, and yes, healthy for the bottom line too.


Our approach is to look at the cleaning needs and building environment, and then recommend the right equipment for the job, based on the evidence of its effectiveness.


Where cleaning is sub-standard, the cleaner is not the villain. The cleaning team must be given the right tools for the task, as well as training in their use, if they’re going to do a healthy and cost-effective job. The aim is not moving dirt, dust and invisible microbes – it’s removing them.


Take vacuuming for example. In a wide range of buildings from offices to hotels, the daily vacuum is the core


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of the cleaning regime. And if carpets and upholstery are presentable, the question remains whether dust is being thoroughly removed from the building. Filtration systems are crucial to indoor air quality. But vacuums vary in their ability to retain minute particles – from dust and mites to mould, bacteria or even viruses.


So with the health and wellbeing of building users in mind, we advise seeking superior high-filtration performance. Another factor worth considering is the option of backpack models that are better for the operative as well as more efficient. More ergonomic backpacks require less than half the energy and effort to clean the same area as an upright vacuum, according to US vac manufacturer ProTeam.


But apart from significant annual labour savings, the prime advantage over dust-mopping is the health benefit. Four-level filtration removes 99.9% of particles of one micron or larger. The top-performing backpack (with ULPA filtration) captures a highly impressive 99.999% of particles down to 0.12 microns (that’s tobacco smoke, carbon black, viruses, etc).


This capacity for removal is crucial in other cleaning tasks too, like deep cleaning carpets through encapsulation. The biggest mistake is adding too much chemical. Time and time again when demonstrating our carpet extraction machines – with just warm water – we remove lots of chemical residue. This residue attracts dirt so that carpets become soiled more quickly. It is the extraction method rather than the chemical that determines the effectiveness of cleaning.


There’s a wider reliance on chemical disinfectants in cleaning that is distinctly


Tomorrow’s Cleaning September 2015 | 65


unhealthy. In washrooms and toilets, in food service situations, and cleaning generally, cleaning teams end up disinfecting dirt rather than removing it.


As you may recall from previous columns, our science-based approach led us to scour the cleaning market for simple, cost-effective cleaning systems that do just that.


The key is applying a controlled amount of fresh cleaning solution, whether by spreading on a floor or spraying; brushing to remove stubborn soil as required; and – crucially – vacuuming the soiled solution into a separate recovery tank to leave the cleaned surface dry.


This approach – used by the Kaivac and OmniFlex hygienic cleaning systems – has been proven to remove 99.9% of bacteria in tests. At best, microfibre mops removed 51%, before re-infecting cleaned areas.


Not only does this make for a healthy environment less reliant on chemicals, the methodology halves labour costs.


And the job of cleaning, whether it’s a heavily used toilet block or a greasy kitchen, is far less grim for the operative too.


www.rawlins.co.uk


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