LEISURE & RETAIL FACILITIES REACHING NEW HEIGHTS James White of Denis Rawlins Ltd outlines


manual cleaning methods for two of the more daunting challenges in larger leisure or retail facilities.


Leisure and retail facilities throw up some particular challenges for cleaning teams – above and beyond the necessity, in both cases, to give discerning customers the hygienic and pristine environment they expect.


In larger buildings especially, certain tasks, such as the cleaning of high-level areas, fittings and escalators, tend to be beyond the reach or capabilities of the in-house cleaning team or general cleaning contractors. Therefore annual cleaning plans must allow for a regular deep clean, usually involving: full or partial building closures, bespoke equipment, access platforms, and specialists. But it doesn’t have to be like this. There are innovative yet easy-to-use cleaning methods that just about any in-house team can employ to accomplish these more daunting tasks.


Cleaning methods should be chosen on the basis of results – cleanliness and cost per clean or square metre. The same goes for innovations, which should be the means to better results and returns on investment, not chosen for the sake of novelty. The following methods pass not only those tests, but also resolve critical safety concerns.


Working at height is inherently dangerous. Access platforms or scaffolding mitigate the risk but at considerable expense and disruption. As a result, high- level areas in leisure facilities, malls and department stores are often not cleaned as frequently as they should. Whether it’s inside or out, cleaning shouldn’t be haphazard. The SpaceVac system uses super-lightweight carbon-fibre poles and tool heads to clean internal surfaces up to 11 metres in height, and 16 metres externally.


It means that cleaning teams can keep their feet firmly on the ground while vacuuming high-level areas safely and effectively. At the same time, cleaning managers can keep a secure grip of cleaning costs and results.


There is no loss of suction with the system, which is compatible with most commercial vacuums, or compromise on cleaning standards. Operators can monitor, and record the work as they go, using in-built high-quality video.


As an additional safety measure, a clever locking system ensures that the components cannot separate during operation, even at full extension. Safety is also a concern when cleaning escalators in department stores and other buildings – especially where the cleaning equipment is not designed explicitly for this purpose. There is a real risk too of damaging the underlying electrics and moving parts.


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Specialist escalator cleaning machines are expensive, disruptive and can accelerate wear – another reason why escalators tend not to be as clean and well maintained as the floors around them. Yet the consequences of slips on escalators are potentially severe for customers and building managers. Again, a simple manual method allows non-specialist cleaning team to perform both routine and deep cleans of this expensive asset.


Specialist escalator cleaning


machines are expensive, disruptive and can accelerate wear.


Called REN Clean, it involves a sponge pad engineered to fit into the tread pattern of the escalator. The pad is first immersed in a special cleaning solution and then held in place by a pole. As the oncoming steps pass through the pad, grease, fluff and other soils are removed. The entire cleaning operation takes no more than 15 minutes and the pad can be washed for re-use.


Deep cleaning the risers is similarly straightforward, except the escalator needs to be static. Spraying a non- drip liquid solution, REN Restore, activates a micro gel that sticks to the metal. Wiping with the system’s re-usable riser pad then removes the grime, leaving a restored, gleaming riser surface.


So in both instances, non-specialist cleaning teams can hit a moving target or a high-level one without busting the budget.


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