RETAIL FACILITIES
DON’T LET DIRT ESCALATE
Keeping floors clean for droves of sharp-eyed shoppers is challenging enough, so escalators may seem like a moving target too far
for busy store cleaning teams. But now there’s no excuse for their relative neglect, says James White, MD of Denis Rawlins Ltd.
Customers expect a squeaky-clean shopping environment, even though maintaining standards is difficult amid a crowd of shoppers. Retailers in larger stores tell us that one task takes the level of difficulty to a higher level – escalator cleaning.
Escalators are more difficult to integrate into routine floor cleaning for a range of reasons. The foremost concern is the risk of damage to electrical and mechanical parts. We know of cases where standard methods, even a string mop, have been used to potentially disastrous effect.
There’s also a financial factor. Managers feel pressured to invest in specialist cleaning equipment – which can be expensive, perhaps with comparatively low utilisation – or pay a specialist contractor to do the job.
It’s not surprising that there may be a tendency to defer escalator cleaning, perhaps to coincide with servicing. If cleaning costs don’t rise, then escalator cleaning intervals go up – and standards of cleanliness go down.
Yet, escalators should be cleaned as frequently as surrounding floors as their footfall will be the same if not higher – along with the risk from spills of sugary drinks and litter. While the danger of customers slipping may be less, the consequences are likely to be far more serious.
Specialist cleaning machines for escalators tend to suffer from significant drawbacks – such as being big and cumbersome, cleaning aggressively or heavy on water or solution. Therefore when we discovered a simple yet effective cleaning system tailor-made for
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escalators and travelators, we were keen to test it.
Furthermore, REN™ Clean is a manual, low-cost method that can be performed by one person with minimal training and effort. Designed in the US and new to the UK, the REN™ Clean kit comprises an engineered sponge pad that fits into the treads of an escalator. The pad clips into a holder with a telescopic handle, creating a lightweight tool that’s easy to use.
“SPECIALIST CLEANING MACHINES FOR
ESCALATORS TEND TO SUFFER SIGNIFICANT DRAWBACKS.”
All the operator needs to do is saturate the pad in cleaning solution poured into a trough that doubles up as storage container for the pad. Then the pad is positioned against the combplate at the top or bottom landing platform of the escalator.
The pad slots into the spaces between the plate’s metal cleats. As the oncoming treads of the steps pass through the pad, it removes and absorbs the dirt, grease and soils from the escalator.
Apart from modest downward pressure on the pad to keep it securely in place, no other effort is required as the motion of the escalator provides the cleaning force.
A full cleaning cycle is completed in 3-5 minutes, and the whole operation should take no longer than 15 minutes – minimising the time the escalator is cordoned off for cleaning.
Consequently, it’s easy to fit escalators into the daily cleaning routine, and to remedy a spillage with minimal disruption and no need to shut them down.
Where there is heavy soiling and restorative cleaning is needed, we recommend pre-spraying the steps with cleaning solution and allowing 5-10 minutes’ dwell time to loosen the encrusted material.
The simplicity and economy of this cleaning method is undeniable, but its effectiveness has also impressed FM and cleaning managers in demonstrations in stores and malls. Maintenance and cleaning crews who have tested REN Clean on some of London’s longest and busiest escalators have told us it cleans better than a machine at a fraction of the cost.
Retail store managers now have a low- cost and easy way to ensure cleaning standards on escalators don’t slip.
www.rawlins.co.uk twitter.com/TomorrowsFM
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