STREAMLINING RESTROOM CLEANING
Marc Ferguson, International Business Development Manager for
Kaivac, developers of the No-Touch Cleaning and OmniFlex Crossover Cleaning systems, discusses the importance of carefully planning school cleaning as budgets are squeezed.
A February 2017 report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) says that spending per pupil in England is to fall 6.5% over the next two to three years.
Cleaning professionals need to pay attention to this because all too often, when school funding is reduced, one of the very first cost-cutting targets is cleaning. All too many school administrators underestimate the importance of effective cleaning, viewing it as an ‘easy target’ when it comes to reducing costs.
This puts cleaning professionals in a very difficult position. How can they keep schools clean and healthy with fewer custodial workers? There is only one answer: develop an effective, streamlined cleaning method and automate the cleaning process as much as possible.
Because washroom cleaning is so time consuming, a good place to start is with school washrooms.
DEVELOPING A METHOD Washrooms are often cleaned out of habit, not based on any system. Also, many cleaning workers use very old, traditional cleaning methods instead of automating the washroom cleaning process.
A method now used by some school districts in the US has helped many improve worker productivity, automate the cleaning process, and at the same time, help ensure the job is done correctly every time.
One of the first steps is to draw a map of each restroom. The map is used to identify where all fixtures are located in the restroom, counters, trash receptacles, light switches, window
ledges, doors, HVAC vents, etc. All of these areas will need to be cleaned regularly or as needed, with cleaning frequencies noted on the map.
“All too many school administrators underestimate
the importance of effective cleaning.”
The map should also indicate where water, power switches and sources are located as well as storage or supply closets. Searching for these when cleaning just slows down the cleaning process.
As to automating the process, many of these schools now use no-touch or spray-and-vac cleaning systems. Here are the steps these school custodians follow to speed up restroom cleaning:
• With the no-touch machine, start at the far end of the restroom applying cleaning solution to surfaces working backward, toward the entrance; take a top/down approach, cleaning high areas first, working down to fixtures and floors.
• Next, use the machine to apply cleaning solution to sinks, counters, lower wall areas, and floors.
• Return to the far end of the restroom and power rinse all areas again using the no-touch system.
• Finish off by using the machine’s built-in vacuum to collect and remove moisture, soils, and cleaning solution from surfaces.
42 | EDUCATIONAL & SCHOOL FACILITIES
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