COMING UNSTUCK
Here, Steam-e discusses how a single invention can save time and money, and vastly improve the maintenance of carpets, upholstery and entrance mats.
When faced with the problem of chewing gum on upholstery, carpets or entrance mats in public places, many of us would be dreading the task of finding a solution to remove it, and when the problem is prolific, replace it entirely. When the average cost of replacing a 6x3m entrance mat is £3,500-£4,000 including supply and fitting, it’s easy to see how ‘remove and replace’ strategies can quickly become a huge cost burden.
So what is a business to do? Ignoring the problem has a negative impact on a consumer’s impression of a business. Have you ever noticed how much chewing gum is stuck on entrance mats to buildings and shopping centres? It’s an overlooked area to clean, setting the tone of the building you are entering. In addition, Train Care Managers fight the chewing gum battle every day and there have been cases of lawsuits by patrons who have ruined clothing as a result of gum left on the seats.
Many current chewing gum removal techniques require solutions which stain or damage fabric surfaces and others are just simply too big or too expensive for the task. However times they are a-changing, and new technology is bringing new solutions to market which are set to ease the cost burden of chewing gum litter and reduce the need to remove and replace mats, carpets and seat covers.
Compact, battery operated machines are now available which do not rely on harsh chemicals to break down chewing gum fibres. Concentrated, controlled outputs of steam combined with plant-based cleaning solutions can now tackle chewing gum quickly, easily and most importantly, cost effectively.
A study undertaken by chewing gum removal specialists Steam-e and supermarket giant Tesco revealed just how much a company can now save with the right cleaning equipment. Tesco currently has approximately 3,000 stores and 6,000 entrance mats. Discarded gum, when combined with dirt and moisture, flatten the mat’s fibres and give the appearance of excessive wear and damage which causes many mats at their stores to be replaced unnecessarily.
www.tomorrowscleaning.com
A test was undertaken at one Tesco site to clean an entrance mat with both a Steam-e chewing gum remover to clean the gum, and a wet and dry vacuum cleaner to remove day to day dirt. It was clear to see the positive impact this equipment had, clearly reducing the need for Tesco to replace their entrance mats on a regular basis, saving the chain at least £3m a year (if mats are changed at 50% of stores annually, at a reduced cost of £1,000 per mat).
Train Care Managers are also using these compact machines to clean up seats on trains. At Great Western Railway (GWR), the Turbo Fleet and the new multiple unit trains (EMUs) needed to be clean and free from gum as part of their overall passenger experience requirements. This was a big issue because they are all fitted with carpets. The previous method, which did not always produce the desired outcome, was to apply a gum removal chemical to the surface, leave it for five minutes and return to scrape the gum off the seat.
This process was time consuming and could only be used on floors, not seating which ultimately had to be replaced. The new method of using a small but powerful battery- operated gum removing machine has revolutionised the results achieved by the teams’ cleaning unit. Not only are seats clean and unmarked, but the time taken to clean the gum is vastly reduced. The team saves 1h 50m per train with their new method of cleaning, resulting in 27 hours per week saved. Combined with the reduction of replacement seats, that’s a huge saving.
Whilst in many respects the commercial cleaning industry still has a long way to go in order to alleviate many of the problems faced by facilities managers across the country, there are those who strive to tackle life’s little annoyances and in doing so, bring to life inventions which open up a world of cost and time savings that many of us never thought would be possible to achieve.
www.steam-e.com CARPET & UPHOLSTERY CARE | 31
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